Bikepacking Ryan Brown Bikepacking Ryan Brown

Bikepacking Gear Guide: Our Equipment for Long-Distance Rides

Our comprehensive bikepacking gear list for 2025. A summary of our sleeping & cooking system, bike setup and miscellaneous objects.

Bikepacking Gear List

Our Bikepacking Gear List…

… has turned out to be, well… a little special. We were fully prepared for our cycling adventure through the Americas, when a rather unfortunate turn of events (as in, the airline lost our luggage) changed our gear setup forever.

While we’re still using a lot of the original gear we set out with, we had to make some major changes due to the lost luggage. Amongst other things, we were forced to replace our beloved tent (Big Agnes , we miss you!), Ryan’s wide sleeping pad (ThermaRest NeoAir size L), one of Ryan’s Ortlieb panniers plus handlebar bag.

And replacing that gear (in Ushuaia of all places) wasn’t easy. Ushuaia is quite remote, with only a handful of outdoor stores that mostly stock old-school, heavy and massively expensive equipment. Even though our choice was limited, we made it work, and are now rocking the road with whatever we could find!

P.S. : You’ll notice that a lot of our gear overlaps with the backpacking and thru-hiking world. That’s because we already had our kit dialed in for hiking, and, well—turns out, a lot of that gear works surprisingly well for bikepacking. Who would’ve thought? ;-)

Bikepacking Gear List

  1. The Bikes

Surly Ogre Bikepacking

2. Sleeping System

3. Cooking System

Bikepacking Gear List Cooking Wildcamping

—Trangia is not the lightest option but, for real cooking and inclimate weather, there is nothing better. We have a set with a kettle and a mix of nonstick (sm. pot & frypan) and Duossal (1.7L pot). Initially, we started with the dual option for both gas and alcohol burners, but during our airline problem, we lost the spirit burner. Here’s hoping that we can either replace it, or find fuel for the entire way….

— Fun fact: At a border crossing in Chile when the officer found the spoon — while searching for fruits & veggies — she asked Ilse if she sometimes beats Ryan with that spoon. Ilse said, “all the time”!

4. Clothing System

Bikepacking Camping

  • Wind jacket: Rab Borealis (Ryan) — Jack Wolfskin Morobbia (Ilse)

  • Puffy: Decathlon (Ryan) — Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer (Ilse)

  • Hoody + base layers : Zorali Air Grid Fleece — gifted!

    — Thank you, Zorali! They’re proving to be very worthy, warm and lightweight. No bad smells after days of wear and tear. Loving them so far.

  • Pants: Decathlon (Ryan) — Mountain Hardwear (Ilse)

  • Rain gear: Columbia (Ryan) Lost Gear: Outdoor Research Helium 2 (same as Ilse) - Outdoor Research Helium 2 (Ilse)

  • Shirt: Columbia Silver Ridge

  • Socks: Injinji — gifted! Ryan also had Injinji but they, to were lost. RIP

    — Thank you, Injinji! It’s been working really well for us and our feet. They got a little torn up with all the spiky plants here, but nothing that our sowing kit can’t fix!

  • Sandals: Generic Tevas (Ryan) — Decathlon (Ilse)

  • Hiking shoes: Merrell (Ryan) — Decathlon (Ilse)

5. Electronics:

6. Miscellaneous

  • First Aid Kit: Including bandages, antiseptic wipes, painkillers, anti-insect spray, tape, sterile gauze, tweezers, emergency blanket, water purification tabs, antihistamines and blister treatment.

  • Toiletries: Including toothbrush + paste, nail clippers, soap, conditioner, tampons, sunscreen and wet wipes.

  • Trowel: TheTentLab - Deuce of Spades.

  • Kula Cloth: If you don’t know what it is, look it up and buy yourself one. Or for your sister or girlfriend. Very cool, honest and down-to-earth company. (No ad, we just really love this company)

  • Extra stakes, guy lines and rope

  • Helinox zero chairs (Yes, we’re old)

  • Notebooks with pencils and pens — we love to write and journal :-)

 

7. Filmmaking Gear:

Cameras:

Lenses:

Microphones:

  • Shotgun: Rode VideoMic NTG w/Deadcat

  • Lav System: Rode Wireless Pro

  • Recorder: Zoom H1n Handy Recorder (2018 Model) w/ deadcat (for recording ambient sounds)

  • Omni Field Mic: Immersive Soundscapes Earsight Standard V2 (for recording quiet ambient sounds)

Accessories:

Editing:

Tools of the Trade:

It’s probably the main reason why we travel so heavy and slow, but it is the burden of passion!

We’re equipped with a full editing suite to create monthly Youtube episodes of Pat’Alaska. Each video requires roughly 60 hours between the two of us, and that doesn’t include any filming!

 

8. Our Favorite Apps

  • iOverlander: This app probably doesn’t need any introduction! A classic amongst vanlifers, backpackers and cyclists, this app is a true life hack for people living on the road. It shows you where you can camp, find water, fill up on groceries and gas, or even go to the bathroom! Solid — and sometimes less solid — advice from fellow travelers. Free to use, works off-line use as well.

  • Gaia GPS: Ryan’s second big love — after Ilse, of course :)

  • Ride with GPS: Used for route planning in advanced; to create detailed routes to send to our Garmins. Gaia GPS mostly used for en-route navigation

  • Cyberghost: A VPN-service that we mostly use in hostels, libraries or other public spaces. Encrypts our traffic and hides IP-addresses. Can come in handy when you’re using banking apps and sharing sensitive information over the web.

  • Komoot: Another classic navigation app that connects with our Garmins. Easy to use for routes and mapping, but we don’t use it very often. It can be overwhelming sometimes, as it almost resembles social media at times… Nevertheless, it can come in handy. We opted for the World-Pack (single purchase of $30), but there are other options.

  • MapOut: Thanks to the tip of a fellow bikepacker, Ilse has been using this app mostly for navigation, routeplanning and keeping a general overview of our camping spots. The app is a one-time purchase of $5 — after that, you download the region you are in and it will show you everything you need (water sources, camp spots,…). We’re still learning the ropes of how everything works, but are liking it so far.

  • WesternUnion: Bank notes can be scarce in South-America, and the fees in Argentina are extremely high — trust us, we learned this the hard way. For every transaction of, let’s say, 50 dollars, we had to pay nearly 25 dollars extra. On top of that, many ATMs let us only take out 50 dollars or 50.000 pesos at a time. So early on, we learned from other travellers to use WesternUnion and transfer ourselves money. The app lets you do exactly that and most towns have at least one WesternUnion office where you can pick up your money for an acceptable fee.

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. By using these links, you’re helping us earn a small commission and thus support us to provide free content on our blogs and Youtube channel.

Gracias, amigos!

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Backpacking Ilse Praet Backpacking Ilse Praet

Backpacking Food | Bushka’s Kitchen

Backpacking food: There’s a lot to be said on the topic. For us, it’s quite easy: We like our backcountry meals light, affordable, easy, tasty, and nutritious. Sounds familiar? ;-)

For long outdoor adventures, we usually stack up on ramen, mashed potatoes, and Knorr rice and pasta sides. But every now and then, we indulge in proper backpacking food, if only to support all the amazing local & food-conscious companies out there. That is why we were thrilled to be working together with Bushka’s Kitchen for our 2022 adventure of the Great Divide Trail in Canada.

Great Divide Trail Canada Thruhike

We carried Bushka’s meals for our first two weeks of the Great Divide Trail. From the start, we were thrown into the Canadian Rockies and faced daily elevation gains of 1500 m (5,000 ft), scrambly ridge walks, and 12 hour-hiking days. So, needless to say, we needed all the calories and fats we could get. When you are scrambling on steep, rugged terrain, you can easily burn up to 900 calories/hr. That means it is necessary to pay attention to what and how much you eat. Bushka’s meals are full of fats and proteins: Just what you need for your backcountry adventure!

Whereas most backpacking meals take about 8 to 10 minutes to prepare, Bushka’s dinners require only 3 minutes of waiting time. The perfect time to blow up your sleeping pad or switch to your camp socks! We found the portions to be generous, and we happily shared a meal every night, together with some couscous or ramen.

The bags are lightweight, can be used as meal pouches, and are easily reused as garbage bags. Oh, and the colors are fun, too. What’s not to like?

Entrées | Venison, Bison or Vegetarian: Choose your Pick

Bushkas Kitchen Backpacking Meal

Ryan and I used to eat plant-based, but over the last few years, we prefer to eat meat and fish again. That is why we absolutely loved the Hunter’s Pie. The taste of the ground venison together with mashed potatoes, carrots and peas was amazing. A true comfort meal, heartwarming and just what you need after a long, exhaustive day. Hunter’s Pie proudly boasts 780 cal. and 33g of protein.

Bushka's Kitchen Hearty Harvest

Attention, meat lovers: If this made your ears ring, be sure to try the Hearty Harvest. This hearty meal has it all: Wild boar (?!), creamy mushroom basmati rice, apple chunks, and green beans. Yep, this is fine dining in the backcountry. This meal has about 570 cal. and 30g of protein in it. For the Italian fans, there is the Unstuffed Pepper, a true Italian dish with San Marzano tomato sauce, espresso-salted bison (yes, bison), bell peppers, green onion & quinoa. With 570cal and 31g of protein, this dish will make you want to move mountains.

Bushkas Kitchen

The vegetarian options are pretty impressive, too. There’s the risottos’ and chilis that we all know, but Bushka’s changes the game and introduced us to the Zesty Zoodles and Lentil Lunch. The Zesty Zoodles (540 cal, 11g protein) does not only have a funky name, but is also a funky dish! It is a pasta dish with chunks of zucchini and cherry tomatoes, but it is the avocado sauce with a twist of lemon that makes this entrée very interesting. Refreshing, to say the least.

We loved to have the Lentil Lunch for, well, lunch! It was a nice break from the ramen and peanut-butter-wraps. After 3 minutes of cold-soaking, you had yourself a healthy lentil meal, spiced up by dill vinaigrette, cucumbers, apple, onion, and bell peppers. A really refreshing lunch on trail, perfect for a quick lunch break. With 600 cal and 29g of protein, you are fuelled up for the rest of the day.

If you’re a potato lover, then the Sweet Potato Mash and Mashed Potatoes are your go-to. The Mashed Potatoes tasted creamy and buttery and easily serve to 2 people. The Sweet Potato Mash was spiced with cinnamon (that’s me!), clove and Vermon maple syrup, giving it a surprisingly sweet touch.

What are our favorites?

Bushka's Kitchen Backpacking Food

Easy question: The Yogurt Bowls, Banana Bites and the Hearty Harvest stole our hearts!

Bushka's Kitchen Yogurt Bowl

While we usually are not the biggest breakfast fans on trail - we like to sleep in - we did manage to get up a little earlier for Bushka’s Yogurt Bowls. You can choose between Raspberries & Almond Granola and Blueberries & Coconut Granola. Both have Dahi whole milk yoghurt, organic oats, and maple syrup. Just fill up the bag with cold water, let it soak for 3 minutes - et voilà! In late summer, you can even pluck some wild berries and spice up your yogurt bowl. The Yogurts boast 570 cal. and 21g of protein each.

True, dried banana chips are a classic when it comes to backpacking snacks. Yet, Bushka’s Banana Bites (110 cal, 1g protein) are simple and yet so good. The bites melt in your mouth, taste fresh and natural, plus they make an excellent combo with the Yogurt Bowls and Rice Puddin’!

Blog sponsored by Bushka’s Kitchen

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