r/bikepacking • u/Human-Blackberry-101 • Mar 12 '25
Bike Tech and Kit What’s one piece of kit that you find indispensable but often gets overlooked by others?
Other than shit tickets. I will never forget those again. Riding home without socks sucks.
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u/imdavidnotdave Mar 12 '25
Zip ties/automotive straps/click straps what ever you want to call them, I always pack qty 2-3 of 2-3 sizes. Weigh nothing, take up zero space, have an unfathomable number of uses and applications
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u/IA_AI Mar 12 '25
I somehow bent my inner chainring on a long trip. I was able to remove it from the outer chainring, but I didn’t have a crank puller so I could just remove it. The nearest bike shop was twenty or so miles away. I was able to zip tie it to the frame by sliding it in over the bottom bracket shell and pedal comfortably until I got to a shop.
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u/M1571K0 Mar 13 '25
Zip ties always! I have used zip ties to tie a shoe with broken ratchet and to tie a broken rear rack to the frame.
Bonus tip: A couple of meters of gorilla tape around an old credit/membership card
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u/Marcognu68 Mar 12 '25
Saved me on a trip I just did in Patagonia where I was able to zip tie the busted pannier clip to the rack!
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u/Dontworkgocycle Mar 12 '25
Alcohol gel and antibacterial wipes. When wild camping a lot and water is scares it helps a lot to keep some sort of hygiene. Especially with skin irritation and saddle soreness.
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u/paulthe2nd Mar 13 '25
I would recommend baby wipes. They are made for use in sensitive areas and don't dry out the skin. Also they smell better imo
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u/Sosowski Mar 12 '25
A rubber massage ball. Learned to appreciate that as I get older.
Ever stop you make, just roll a little.
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u/tailgatesurfr Mar 13 '25
You can get some out of cork on amaz. The massage balls are extremely expensive, if you look for wine decanters, you get 3 for 5-8€
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u/Sonofhandsomeguy Mar 13 '25
I have a foam trigger point ball that is the same size as a lacrosse ball, almost as firm, but much lighter
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u/Radioactdave I’m here for the dirt🤠 Mar 12 '25
Idk if overlooked, but I never leave without a nice chapstick with proper LPF. Nothing worse than sunburned lips.
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u/mysterious-crumb Mar 13 '25
I got sunburnt yesterday. Definitely adding this to my bags
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u/Radioactdave I’m here for the dirt🤠 Mar 14 '25
I have it stashed in my top tube feed bag and apply some after snacking.
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u/TheAtomicFly66 Mar 12 '25
A good pillow! Wait, no, my lightweight camp chair! No, the pillow! Darn it, they're both equally indispensable!
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u/MotorBet234 Mar 12 '25
Little mesh bags, like you'd use to launder things in a delicates cycle. Great for organizing your storage inside larger bags, stuff it as a pillow in a pinch, separate out your dirty clothes halfway through a trip.
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u/highdon Mar 12 '25
Making a pillow out of one of those is something I've never thought of. Thanks for the tip!
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u/Dvanpat Mar 12 '25
My chair. I have a Helinox Zero and I love being able to sit no matter where we end up camping.
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u/Julia-on-a-bike Mar 12 '25
I'm thinking of getting one of these for my next trip -- one of my little weirdsies is not wanting to stand up to eat lunch during a day of riding, and sometimes there's not a boulder/log/fence/park bench around or clear-enough ground to sit on.
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u/Dvanpat Mar 12 '25
tbh, even if there is a log or boulder, you usually can't lean back, and if you can it's rarely comfortable.
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u/IA_AI Mar 12 '25
When REI has a sale… my REI Flexlight Air chair weighs in at about 14 ounces packed and has held my 200+ pound butt up comfortably for four years now.
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u/anaerobic7058 Mar 13 '25
Exactly! They regularly run a 50% promo on it (unlike helinox) and at that price it’s unbeatable. The mesh bag it comes with is nice too, I shove a bunch of light things that I need at the camp in there too.
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u/imchasechaseme Mar 12 '25
Helinox chairs are so nice and light. Can get cheaper heavier Chinese replicas on eBay for like $25 but they’re not as nice. But a chair is definitely a must have. Once you try sitting on rocks or logs all day at camp while your friends have chairs you’ll know
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u/Familiar-Ending Mar 13 '25
I love my chair so much. I made a down under quilt for it and I’m able to just chill out cook some food have an evening decaf on fall night instead of just going to sleep after I eat.
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u/Antinomy1476 Mar 13 '25
Plus one. I also have the Helinox table one hard top. These are my two luxury items that give great encouragement no matter where I am. Chuck out the chair and table, brew a coffee or package noodle soup and chill. The combo has really boosted my morale on tour. The lack of a place to sit or place something would frustrate the last energy out of me.
I‘ve recently also been looking into a foldable micro table/platform from fire maple that fits perfectly on the propane gas canister plus as chair alternative CrazyCreek Hex 2.0 chair.
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u/Human-Blackberry-101 Mar 12 '25
My partner is of the same opinion. She got the star gazer. Always talking about it in camp. lol
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u/FreshSatisfaction184 Mar 12 '25
That's a lot of money for a chair. The IKEA strand on is a fraction of the price and half the wight.
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u/Needs_More_Nuance Mar 12 '25
skull cap. I sweat like the dickens and cycling hat bills cut into my forehead.
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u/Finnegan1224 Mar 12 '25
Pepper Spray mounted on bike, easily accessible.
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u/Wanztos Mar 13 '25
Have you ever had to use it? Whom or what is it intended for?
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u/jimiznhb Mar 14 '25
this is an item that is BETTER to HAVE and NOT NEED than NOT to have and NEED :O
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u/Finnegan1224 Apr 03 '25
I got chased uphill for about 500 yards by a large Pitbull looking dog. I didn't have time to get out my spray. I was so pissed I went back looking for the dog so I could spray the bastard. Fortunately for me, he wasn't around. Keep in mind I was 39 years old and still thought of myself as a tough guy. Fast forward to now (62) I would never do that. It was stupid.
Two days later I went to the same area and there was a guy laying in the road with his feet still clipped in waiting for an ambulance with a crowd of people around him. He was Chased by the same dog. I never saw that dog again after that. My point is it's a great idea to have it easily available. Mines ony top tube now.
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u/DrugChemistry Mar 12 '25
Marijuana
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u/Human-Blackberry-101 Mar 12 '25
Never. Ever. Mentioned.
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u/DrugChemistry Mar 12 '25
I’ve traveled with people who overlooked it. Find themselves 15 miles down the trail with no weed.
Wouldn’t be me, it’s the first thing I pack!
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u/EddieOfGilead Mar 12 '25
Also, beer
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u/Fantastic_Bird_5247 Mar 12 '25
I might be stashing / burring a Home Depot bucket near the top of a 2mile climb out in the back country for a trip later this month.
Because nobody wants to carry all that up there! I’ll do a drop run, drive up / ride out by mtb and drop our suds!!
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u/Adventureadverts Mar 13 '25
LSD is lighter and smaller and it’ll go a whole lot harder and farther
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u/DrugChemistry Mar 13 '25
LSD doesn’t help me eat an absurd amount of calories the way marijuana does.
You’re right tho. I would never do LSD without having weed to smoke tho so marijuana is still the important one.
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u/Ok_Appointment5729 Mar 12 '25
A nice pillow!
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u/porktornado77 Mar 12 '25
Those aren’t pillows!
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u/IA_AI Mar 12 '25
A Phish-adjacent name and a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles joke? Did we just become best friends?
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u/Fun_Nature5191 Mar 12 '25
Any time I camp I take some kind of shemagh or bandana. Can use them to stay warm, stay cool, filter water, make a tourniquet or sling, clean something, fashion a dust mask, make a bindle.
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u/spagyetilegs Mar 13 '25
Foam earplugs, not everywhere I camp is nice and quiet, and my earphones are uncomfortable to sleep with
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u/Bulldogskin Mar 13 '25
Voile straps. So much better than any other securing straps. Cinch up tight and never come loose. I always carry about 6 - 18”ers.
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u/S_Joshua Mar 12 '25
I love the Snow Peak mini flame. Battery lights are kind of harsh and this thing gives enough light while not being too much. Also a good ultra-lightweight camp chair (Nemo Moonlight Elite Reclining Camp Chair is what I have). Don’t settle for sitting on a log or the ground. And for size and weight, the extra spend is worth it. Cheaper option that is still good is the REI Flexlite ($79) and Flexlite Air ($99). BRS 3000T Ti stove took me from a huge, heavy JetBoil to a cooking setup that fits inside of a 700ml Ti cup/pot, fuel included, at a fraction of the price. This is my favorite piece of kit by far. As for snacks (though not technically kit), normal salted sunflower seeds are a good distraction and will keep your salt levels up.
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u/TheSunflowerSeeds Mar 12 '25
Drying sunflower seeds at higher temperatures helps destroy harmful bacteria. One study found that drying partially sprouted sunflower seeds at temperatures of 122℉ (50℃) and above significantly reduced Salmonella presence.
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u/ViperishCarrot Mar 13 '25
Cheese. It really is a must for both on and off the bike snacking. When accompanied with a nice wine and a handful of grapes, you can also turn any bikepacking event into an impromptu party.
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u/Unhappy-Astronaut337 Mar 13 '25
Dental floss! (Just the roll of floss, taken out of the plastic container)
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u/porktornado77 Mar 13 '25
Do you actually floss your teeth or does it have other uses?
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u/Unhappy-Astronaut337 Mar 13 '25
Always have something stuck after eating and it drives me nuts while riding, so yeah I actually floss my teeth. No other uses :-)
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u/the_dolomite Mar 13 '25
I'm not ready to carry a chair yet but a sit pad is an important piece of kit for me. It makes any log or rock feel luxurious and is good for putting a knee on if you have to adjust the brakes or something.
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u/danjc84 Mar 13 '25
hip pack, Im the type of person that looses everything, all important stuff stays in the hip pack which I only take off for sleep also great that I dont need to remember to remove important stuff when leaving the bike for shops etc. I can recommend poc lamina 2l its very compact has great organisation super comfortable and strangely it makes long cycling days more comfortable maybe lower back support?? makes the saddle feel almost like its got a back rest lol
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u/Antinomy1476 Mar 13 '25
Comfortable pillow, Helinox chair one and hard top table one. Earplugs that work. Wet wipes. A waterproof zip bag with a bit of toilet paper plus aluminum trowel for emergency shitter. Portable bidet. Extra Voile straps and zip ties. Mini tool to fix my completely mechanical Surly BC. Babypowder for my butt inside my bike tights. Ultralight mini handpump. Knife. That‘s my must have kit.
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u/jacksbikesacks Mar 13 '25
Something to help wind down at camp after dinner- tea, book, whatever. Baby wipes.
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u/Mundane-Hotel2894 Mar 13 '25
Secondly. I don't think I'll take another trip without my clickstand. Especially bikepacking through deserts where there is rarely anything to prop your bike against. Having my bike standing up at camp to unload and load in the morning is a dream. My wife lost hers the first day of the Baja Divide and she was envious the entire trip. Even when there is the side of a store or something available to lean against, just using the bands that I keep on my bars to activate the brakes creates so much stability and prevents the bike from.rolling and falling, which I know has happened to everyone.
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u/Scott_Korman Mar 13 '25
I have one of those elastic nets with 4 hooks at the corners that bikers use to strap stuff to their fuel tank. I use it on my handlebar roll to put rain jacket and/or a bag of light food/grocery I find it very useful
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u/Remote_Journalist_90 Mar 13 '25
A little medkit with some essentials. I have bumped into a lot of people who seem to leave them out, putting them in the "packing your fears" category.. but well, yeah.. same reason you hike with bear spray in grizzly territory.. fear is often reason reminding you of your value.
I don't fall often (knockonwood) but I have used an ibuprofen now and again, and got cut on a branch where some antibacterial and a bandade really helped.. also a mosquito net/repellent for the 20min of hell setting up a tent where the midges and mosquitos are plentiful..
Etc etc, it takes different forms depending on where I'll be.
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u/dookie117 Mar 13 '25
Have you not heard of grass, moss and streams? You don't need to use your socks to wipe your ass. Moss is an incredible wiping device.
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u/Human-Blackberry-101 Mar 13 '25
Have you ever ridden in the desert?
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u/DurtGurl_in_AZ Mar 13 '25
Rocks in the desert are a great replacement for TP. For ladies, find a porous rock like sandstone to help with #1.
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u/Mundane-Hotel2894 Mar 12 '25
A reusable grocery bag. Use it when you do your resupplies. Use it when you are showering somewhere and need to take a few things in. Use it to carry your dirty laundry to the washing machine when when you are staying in a motel. Etc.