Overcoming the challenges of bike packing on a small frame
Before our last overnight trip on the North Bend Rail Trail we had a small group discussion about the challenges small bicycle frames present when bikepacking. It can be frustrating trying to load everything you need for a bikepacking trip on a small bike. I’ve used a Tubus rack and front panniers in the past, and they were fine for straight, even rail-trails. But I wanted the option to pack lighter and smaller for trips with more climbing and sketchy terrain. Here are some packing tricks I’ve adopted for my small Giant Revolt. For reference my frame is sized small and it's for people up to 5'5. The top tube length is 54cm and my handlebar width is 42cm.
The full setup
Handlebar Setup: Tent, camp chair, towel or other flat item
Revelate Salty - I carry my tent in a Revelate Salty roll bag. There’s plenty of diameter here to wrap a towel, Ratsack food bag or smell-proof bag around the tent.
Revelate Salty
Since my bars won’t accommodate a harness, I’ve attached a carbon bar extender. The extender and my bars together provide a cradle for my gear to rest on, and protect my cables.
Carbon Bar Extender
With Voile straps I can strap the salty roll bag on top of the cradle, and a Helinox Zero chair below. Although not shown here, I also tie the whole thing down to my fork to reduce bouncing. The Salty Roll bag is overkill for me, since the rolled ends add about 3 inches to the overall width and get in the way of my hands. For my size, a lighter weight dry bag that opens on just one end might be better.
Voile Straps
Feed and top tube bags
Sunscreen, wallet and phone go in my top-tube bag; trail mix and other finger food, other snacks microfiber cloth, hand sanitizer, Leatherman Squirt in my feed bags
Feed and top tube bags
Frame bag: Tent poles, pump, tool roll, first aid kit, headlamp, fasteners, power bank
The Revelate Ripio Small frame bag fits my Giant Revolt Advanced Small frame almost perfectly
Revelate Ripio
In my frame bag I keep heavy stuff, gear that I might need access to on the ride, headlamp and/or lantern in case I get to camp after dark, and my tent poles because that’s where they fit best.
Seat Bag: Packing from seat post to bag opening: Memory foam neck pillow, clothing, sleeping gear, dehydrated food
This is the Revelate Terrapin bag. It barely cleared my 700c rear wheel, but with 650b wheels it offers plenty of clearance. I can remove the dry bag and leave the harness on the bike. I pack the heaviest things near the seat post and lighter things toward the back.
Revelate Terrapin
Clothing
I’m packing 1 rotating kit, a pair of pants, maybe 2 shirts & underwear. For trips longer than 1 night I’ll wash the one I’ve ridden in at the end of each day and use an extra microfiber towel to help them dry
Mesh produce bags are nice for organizing, airing and packing clothes
Sleeping Gear
Sleeping gear: For 40 degrees F and up, the Sea to Summit Women’s Flame sleeping bag, Reactor liner and Ultralight insulated pad are enough to keep me warm. I have a Trekology inflatable pillow for my knees but for my head & neck I use a modified memory foam travel pillow that I pack in a tiny stuff sack.
Dehydrated food
I dehydrate servings of leftovers often, and freeze them in plastic and mylar food bags (the kind snacks and bulk food comes in). These bags are way stronger, lighter and more puncture-proof than Ziplock freezer bags. I bring extra bags for trash.
Since I use a hydration pack, I will probably get a larger one with 10L extra storage capacity for longer trips where I need to carry many days worth of food. Then I can carry some of my lightweight but bulky dehydrated meals.
Downtube Bag:
Under the downtube is a good place for heavier items, like powdered drink mix, spirits, dried fruit. The Revelate Joey Bag is made to go under the bottom bracket of a mountain bike, but if I don’t overfill it, I can squeeze a few things in and mount on the downtube without interfering with my chainring, pedals or front wheel
Revelate Joey Bag
Fork bags: cooking kit, ratsack, scent-proof bags, sleep aid kit, hygiene kit, filter kit, more food
The Giant Revolt has only two mounting holes and won’t accommodate most cages. There are some systems that strap directly to the fork, but I’ve attached Wolf Tooth B-Rad mounting braces to the forks, then mounted the cages to the the braces.
I use the Widefoot low profile cargo cages.
Here I put a lot of miscellaneous small stuff. My cooking kit fits in the bottom of one, with a ratsack, smell-proof bag or watercell wrapped around it. Other things include my sleep aid kit, hygiene kit, water filter & reservoir, coffee & drink mix, spirits etc., maybe some heavier food.
Apidura Fork Pack
The Small Stuff
I use a Katadyn gravity filter kit. I fill the 1.5L reservoir (center) with stream water, then attach the filter and hose, and hang the whole thing from a tree and let it drain into the 2L Hydrapak (left).
My tiny hygiene kit includes Sea to Summit body wash leaves, shampoo and deodorant in mylar pill packs, towels, comb, dental care, jojoba oil and tinted facial moisturizer. If no shower available, I can use a shower toga to wash & change outside or just wash in my tent. I use the Sea To Summit Airlite towel and washcloth because they’re adorable. Who cares if they’re too small to wash and dry a baby squirrel?
My cooking kit includes a Toaks cup & cooking pot & solid fuel burner. Esbit solid fuel tabs sit on a tripod base. They take more effort to light than fuel cannisters, and you can’t control the flame, but they are light & compact and so far it’s been enough for the weekend bikepacking trips I’ve done. It only takes a few minutes to boil water in this pot with the cover on. I use the Sea to Summit long spork. Toaks titanium shot glasses are also a must (more on which, later)
The whole kit nests together beautifully
If I need a10L water reservoir for multiple nights at a campsite or I’m sharing with a group, I can wrap it around the stove and just fit it into a 4L Apidura fork bag.
For evening, herbal tea, backpacker cocktail mix. (The greyhound: vodka measured in 1oz Toaks titanium shot cup , crystalized grapefruit, sweetener and water. I’ve had great reviews when bartending with this at Husky Haven) For morning, a pre-mixed pack of Starbucks instant coffee with creamer and sweetener I can shake up with cold water and drink in my tent. If I have time, coffee grounds and a paper filter for drip coffee. Hydration mix for my Camelbak.
Sleep aid kit for everything I need next to me to get through the snoring and what-not: Bungie to hang a lamp, headphones, foam earplugs, pen-light for outhouse trips, chewable diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in case I need it, panic whistle in case Tim’s raccoon chews through my tent. Will it work? I don’t know. Probably just make him mad.
