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What do you guys wear on a long bikepacking trip?

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What do you guys wear on a long bikepacking trip?

Old 08-23-18, 03:21 PM
  #1  
elkym
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What do you guys wear on a long bikepacking trip?

Say you're doing 60-80 miles a day for half a week to a week, or similar for a trip out for an overnighter and then back the next day, and say you don't think you'll find a place to shower while camping.

What clothes do you wear for riding all day like that? Padded shorts? Board shorts and a good saddle?

I've never done bike packing, but I'd like to get into it.
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Old 08-23-18, 06:32 PM
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Originally Posted by elkym
Say you're doing 60-80 miles a day for half a week to a week, or similar for a trip out for an overnighter and then back the next day, and say you don't think you'll find a place to shower while camping.

What clothes do you wear for riding all day like that? Padded shorts? Board shorts and a good saddle?

I've never done bike packing, but I'd like to get into it.
Bike clothes. Padded shorts, jersey, and socks. I usually carry three sets of clothes and wear one since they are relatively light. This is pretty standard for me on any kind of touring. I hate doing laundry and would rather do it only once every 4 days or so. For short trips, I adjust accordingly.

I also carry so kind of cold weather gear. Zip off pants for around camp, a shirt that isn’t damp, leg warmers, arm warmers and a jacket of some kind. Colorado is almost always cold every morning ...around freezing around 10,000 feet. If I think it is going to rain, the jacket might be a rain jacket or I might carry one in addition to the other jacket. Extra layers are nice for those cold mornings.
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Old 08-23-18, 06:40 PM
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Welcome to BF!

I wear merino wool shorts or knickers - unpadded. For underwear, I use OR or Patagonia boxer briefs, which are quite thin and light. A bike jersey is de rigueur. Extra layers like Stuart said.
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Old 08-23-18, 06:57 PM
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Same stuff you wear now on a normal bike ride? Assuming there have been some long days in the past. No need to switch it up and risk something not working out right. I'd really want to take a shower or worst case wipe down with some wipes even if I had little chance of human interaction. If nothing else, good crotch health makes long days in the saddle possible. Specifics for me are almost indentical to what cyccommute above mentions. Small thin light rain coats or even bike specific windbreakers are great for morning chills (not down to freezing though). You may still get wet in the rain with them but at least they block the wind and can act as a form of a "wet suit". I noticed Amazon had a few Canari brand cycle types in the $6-12 range last week depending on the sizes.

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Old 08-25-18, 05:14 PM
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Regular bike clothes, lycra cycling shorts, cycling jersey, and merino wool socks. I wear them day and night. I change up once every three days two avoid getting saddle sores. I typically do laundry once a week. I will take the shorts into a lockable restroom and wash them out in a sink and let them air dry on the rack the next day, hence how I can get away with only once a week in doing laundry. I take two sets of cycling clothes and then something very thin weight to use for changing into to do laundry.
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Old 08-26-18, 03:48 AM
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I use regular athletic shorts (I'm too young for diapers) boxer briefs, a golf shirt and woolen socks. I carry three changes of clothing and have lunch near a laundromat when I run out of clothes. I carry a medium sized sponge and chamois in case I don't have a shower available and need a sponge bath at the end of the day. I never go to bed sweaty and dirty.


Marc
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Old 08-26-18, 04:06 AM
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Top: long sleeve hiking shirt
Bottom: thin undies, triathlon shorts, 3/4 pant or baggy shorts.

Not everyone wears skin tight racing clothes ; )
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Old 08-26-18, 04:31 AM
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What is bikepacking supposed to mean?
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Old 08-26-18, 05:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Rowan
What is bikepacking supposed to mean?
its derived from the term, backpacking. Bikepacking is touring, but modified to include offroad adventuring. For instance, my bikepacking setup is my Surly ECR with frame bag, and seatbag. I built it to do the GDMBR tour, but my wife screwed me out of it (timeframe-wise).

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Old 08-26-18, 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Rowan
What is bikepacking supposed to mean?
Bike touring with an off road emphasis. Dirt, dirt roads, single track, bike paths etc. Bigger tires are great. 29er plus are great bikes for this. Frame bags sometimes.
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Old 08-27-18, 11:55 AM
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People need to check their sarcasm sensors checked.
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Old 08-28-18, 04:19 PM
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What is bike packing?? What are board shorts?

If you can't take a shower, you take your wash cloth and clean yourself off best as possible (I'm sure some short tours could include those clean wipes you can buy). If not, suck it up and wait til you can get a shower. Lack of shower shouldn't change what you wear to bike in.
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Old 08-28-18, 09:13 PM
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Bike packing is like backpacking but with the bags on your bike vs. your back typically with a more off road focus and board shorts are typically shorts worn while surfing.

I typically wear bib shorts and a jersey and usually have another pair of bibs (and sometimes an extra jersey) as a spare and a pair of ExOfficio underwear and maybe a shirt and MTB shorts (or similar with pockets). Socks are typically some sort of shorter compression socks or usually whatever Sockguy or Defeet socks I have (which is quite a lot bit of a sock addict)
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