Bikepacking

J

Jchoog

Member
Anybody into bikepacking? Just read about a trip and it looks pretty cool. I'd love to hear about long trails on the east coast (around 2-3 day trips) and if anyone would be interested come spring.
 
Looks like a great run but not too rugged. I was thinking more of an Appalachian Trail-type ride, if you were allowed to bike it.
 
I do this on occasion... I prefer stealth camping cause for me its faster and more efficient... I use all my equipment I would use for lightweight backpacking... I have a couple of cool destinations along the Delaware River as well as the the Pinelands...
 
ive been wanting to do an NJ bikepacking trip on the liberty-watergap trail....wait..no.."i dont want to" ride that trail...because bikes are not allowed on parts

but its a 130 mile trail..which will involve some road, that connects liberty state park with the delaware water gap...would make for a pretty awesome epic..trail, road, and hike-a-bike

http://www.libertygap.org/
 
I'm pretty much obsessed with bikepacking. I'm doing the TransWisconsin next summer (650 miles) and hopefully TD in 2014.

I've done a bunch of solo overnighters from my house in West Orange out to Stokes (about 65 miles each way). The google bike directions are pretty good for the road sections and I've hooked up to the Sussex Branch and Paulinskill rail trails to get more dirt. Once you're in Stokes there's tons of singletrack, though single track on a bikepacking set up isn't the best . . .

I also did a sweet 3-day trip this summer in the Adirondaks using ACA's Adirondak loop as starting point. I departed from it and used the Black Fly challenge mtb race route to get more dirt and also explored some singletrack in that area. I did 320 miles total in three days. (Day 3 was 160 miles, an epic day I'll never forget).

Bikepacking rules. It's fast enough to get you from town to town, but not too fast that you miss the world. Rolling out of your sleeping bag at 5:00 a.m. and immediately turning the cranks for three hours while the sun comes up is an unforgettable experience. A Clif bar and yesterday's water for breakfast. The best.

Shoot me an email if you want to talk more shop. I love this stuff. I'm planning some more overnighters in November when work calms down a bit. payton.macdonald@gmail.com.

Happy exploring . . .
 
its very difficult to do more than an overnight in the east unless you are doing more pavement than trail. Checkout the Eastcoast Greenway.
 

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rockscaler said:
its very difficult to do more than an overnight in the east unless you are doing more pavement than trail. Checkout the Eastcoast Greenway.
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That's exactly where I was thinking of-DWG. I wasn't sure how biker friendly it is.

The adirondaks will probably be done after a few smaller trips.

I will definitely be looking to hook up with a few experienced BPs.

As far as equipment goes:
I have all of my backpacking stuff and I have ideas as to where on the bike I can secure them. With the biggest being, hammock tent, sack, clothes and stove. Any other bigger sized essentials I should plan for?
Also, does anyone make their own/customize their frame packs?
Thanks for all the suggestions..I'm going to use the winter to stock up and prepare.
 
Jchoog,

You can shed some weight by dumping the stove. You can usually roll through enough towns and plan ahead a bit that you can get what you need without needing to cook. But of course it's personal preference.

I got my frame bag from Jeremy Cleaveland. His stuff is super solid and he's a great guy: http://cleavelandmountaineering.blogspot.com/

Hammock's are a bit dicey because it depends on trees, etc. I use a 7 ounce bivy sack and it works great. Super light and you can set it up anywhere. Some people do feel claustrophobic in those, but if the Hammock works for you then do that for sure.

Also, be sure to spend time at bikepacking.net. All your answers will be found there.
 
Google stealth camping. Anything is possible. As for stoves, I strongly endorse the penny stove. IMO there is no better dry pack meals than those done at home. Anything can be dehydrated in the oven.
 
Just joined bikepacker.net. Tons of info--great suggestion. And the frame packs look great too. I like that they are custom made as my frame is not a simple triangle.
 
East Coast is not well represented on that site... To bad, there is so much more options if you don't limit yourself to trail riding...
 
Nice work dude! The Orange looks great all suited up with a frame bag. Would love to have one made up for my Fat Bike!!!

sendjonathanmail said:
Made my own frame bag, out of 1050d cordura. Has two internal pockets, and velcro straps. Planning on doing a few trips 🙂
Click to expand...
 
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Greenbriar river trail in West Virginia is 80 miles and you can camp anywhere along the trail. I did this years ago and with a bit of online research,found an outfitter to do a shuttle.
 
Great Frame Pack

axcxnj said:
ive been wanting to do an NJ bikepacking trip on the liberty-watergap trail....wait..no.."i dont want to" ride that trail...because bikes are not allowed on parts

but its a 130 mile trail..which will involve some road, that connects liberty state park with the delaware water gap...would make for a pretty awesome epic..trail, road, and hike-a-bike

http://www.libertygap.org/
Click to expand...

macdonaldp said:
I'm pretty much obsessed with bikepacking. I'm doing the TransWisconsin next summer (650 miles) and hopefully TD in 2014.

I've done a bunch of solo overnighters from my house in West Orange out to Stokes (about 65 miles each way). The google bike directions are pretty good for the road sections and I've hooked up to the Sussex Branch and Paulinskill rail trails to get more dirt. Once you're in Stokes there's tons of singletrack, though single track on a bikepacking set up isn't the best . . .

I also did a sweet 3-day trip this summer in the Adirondaks using ACA's Adirondak loop as starting point. I departed from it and used the Black Fly challenge mtb race route to get more dirt and also explored some singletrack in that area. I did 320 miles total in three days. (Day 3 was 160 miles, an epic day I'll never forget).

Bikepacking rules. It's fast enough to get you from town to town, but not too fast that you miss the world. Rolling out of your sleeping bag at 5:00 a.m. and immediately turning the cranks for three hours while the sun comes up is an unforgettable experience. A Clif bar and yesterday's water for breakfast. The best.

Shoot me an email if you want to talk more shop. I love this stuff. I'm planning some more overnighters in November when work calms down a bit. payton.macdonald@gmail.com.

Happy exploring . . .
Click to expand...

sendjonathanmail said:
Made my own frame bag, out of 1050d cordura. Has two internal pockets, and velcro straps. Planning on doing a few trips 🙂
Click to expand...

I have been doing tons of research and plan on making the frame packs, bar packs, seat packs and gas tanks. I ordered a lot of X-Pac and I'm gonna order some cordura. Some friends have asked me to make some so it looks like I'll be pretty busy. Let me know if you want to bounce ideas back and forth.
 
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