Bicycle Ultralight Camping Checklist
Ultralight Cycle Packing Checklist
Ultralight Bicycle Camping Checklist
Ultralight Packing Checklist
, v03
Ultralight Bicycle Camping is about taking the absolute minimum amount of gear for an outing that will typically last three to five days. The light traveling allows a rider (or hiker) to cover more distance or enjoy more coverage or cover more difficult to reach places in less time than a well laden cyclist or backpacker. Ultralight Cycling/Camping/Hiking/Backpacking is also the concept behind adventure racing, some of which last for three or four weeks.This checklist originally started as Aaron Teasdale's Ultralight Cycling Packing List. It has already been updated/upgraded. The original article was published in the Adventure Cyclist (AC) magazine (Seeing the Light, August, 2006, while on the trail with Matthew Lee and Bob Allen). Matthew Lee is a two time Great Divide Trail Race Champion. Bob Allen is a biker and Photographer for Adventure Cyclist and Aaron Teasdale is a contributing Editor for AC. The ultralight topic discussion, the original article (pdf) and the original item checklist and item description/website are online at AC (at these same links).
The Good News is that the bare bones list follows. The Bad News is that in order to get the lightest travel system, one may need the newest, latest, and probably more expensive camp ware. Whether one buys the latest equipment or not, this checklist still provides a good listing of minimalist necessities.Things not included in the base weight but carried: The clothes and safety gear that you wear, plus Food, Water, ID, Car Key, and maybe Money or a Credit Card.
Other things NOT carried are Cleaning Gear (not for self or food), cell phone, Water Bottles, and sometimes no toilet paper. Meals, typically are high calorie: oatmeal packets or granola for breakfast; nuts and trail mix for snacks and lunch on the trail; and freeze dried (just add boiling water) dinners.
Equipment:
[ ] Rear rack (to carry a little bag of bulk items: tent, pot, sleep bag, ...)
[ ] Backpack (Camel Back style, water and to carry smaller items)
[ ] Handlebar bag (optional, smallish, helps offset rear rack weight)
[ ] Seat bag (optional, tools, band aids, tire repair items)
[ ] Tie-Down Straps
Camping:
[ ] Fly or Tent Shell (just enough aluminum stakes, aluminum poles) or
Waterproof Bivy Sack
[ ] Ground Cloth or Tent Floor
[ ] Stuff sack (for rear rack goodies, just big enough,
Great Divide Race winner, Matthew Lee, suggests padding the rear rack
with closed cell foam to prevent wearing of the stuff sack)
[ ] Sleeping Bag (super light weight, 40°F, cold, put on warm-up shirt & pants)
[ ] Sleeping Pad (just big enough, some people use thick
auto windshield insulated reflector roll)
[ ] Stove and Case (sits on top of canister, canister is base)
[ ] Fuel Canister (small)
[ ] Pot
[ ] Spoon
[ ] Compass
[ ] Lighter
[ ] Band aids in Baggie
[ ] Toiletries (small toothbrush, small toothpaste, Toilet Paper,
and six acetaminophen pills in a Ziploc bag)
[ ] Duct tape (wrapped around a broken pencil)
[ ] Waterproof Matches or Gas Lighter
Clothing (in addition to what is worn):
[ ] Waterproof Jacket
[ ] Waterproof Pants
[ ] Down Vest (Light Weight)
[ ] Polyester Shirt (Long-Sleeve)
[ ] DEET
[ ] Sack (Sleeping Bag, Vest, and Raingear during Day, Bear Bag at Night)
[ ] Stuff sack for Food, Baggies
[ ] Food-hanging cord
[ ] Chlorine dioxide water treatment (small bottle)
[ ] Headlamp, Strap On Head/Helmet (use as camp light)
[ ] Extra Water Bladder (for camp)
Tools:
[ ] Shock Pump (optional)
[ ] Tire Pump, Mini, bike mounted
[ ] Multi-Tool (light duty, some people carry a separate chain tool because some
multi-tool chain tools need special knowledge/experience to use properly.
Some cyclists carry a few hex keys only.)
[ ] Scissors or milti-tool blade or small knife
[ ] Spare tube (no box, just rubber banned)
[ ] Plastic Tire Tools (2)
[ ] Self Stick Feathered Patches
Another Ultralight Backpacking Site