Ultralight Winter Bikepacking System

[Max Dilthey]

Just finished a highly detailed primer for my winter bikepacking setup, and thought you all would be interested. I know it's heavy by some standards; I have to carry bike tools and spare tubes. :(

Max, The Cyclist: Winter Bikepacking

[Trill Daddy]

Nice ride! Great list!

[Peter Boysen]

Nice looking setup, and nice location too.

[Max Dilthey]

Thanks! :)

[Ian]

Holy crap this was stupid. What does this have to do with backpacking? No ching a ding bell? wtf.

I want my money back.

Just kidding great stuff Max.

[Kevin Buggie]

First, thanks for the steady content on your site.

Any discussion of early winter bikepacking has to include strategies for keeping extremities warm vs. a 3 season kit. My recommendations:

Feet Options:
1. Dedicated winter spd gtx shoes oversized for sock layers/vbl
2. Full neoprene booties or toe booties, with regular season spd.
3. Switch to flats and where regular 4th season bkping shoe/boot.

Hand options:
1. Lobster claw
2. Wool liner inside reg.riding gloves
3. Variation on hand pogies

Ear/head Options:
1. Liner under my helmet (wool or neoprene in cold rain.
2. Earband under helmet.
3. Ski helmet with built in ear covers and closeabke vents.
4. No helmet, with regular winter head pro.

Also in my winter bike conditions I need a strategy for acquiring water. Either non-frozen surface water (I often see a lake/pond with open water but the shore is surrounded with ice to thick to break, but fragile as you try to reach out towards the open water. Sketchy) or a snow melting stove. Even tougher out here when surface water is frozen but not enough snow cover for melt water. Store water against back to prevent freezing.

Instant desposable handwarmers are also handy for stuffing in shoe booties, mitts/pogies, or watee bottle insulators when it really gets colder.

Also, not normally a good idea to recommend a torso or 3/4 length pad for winter conditions you depict in the pictures. Purpose built full length winter pads or double a cheap ccf.

Just some ideas for content since you seem to write with an advice angle to your site.

[Bob Moulder]

Does Nokian still make studded winter tires?

Way fun to defy physics and ride on frozen lakes with those things, though they were super heavy with dead-feeling casings.

[Kevin Buggie]

Max, this is my favorite winter addition to the bikepacking kit. 4.4 oz/pair goosefeet down socks (xl, 50% overstuff) and over booties to wear when off the bike in camp. 4.4 oz. and they're really compact to pack and dyneema sole is plenty abrasion resistant so far.

[Max Dilthey]

Kevin,

Thank you very much for the advice. Here are my thoughts:

3/4 length: I have yet to run into cold feet with a sleeping bag. I attribute this to two things:

1. If my thighs and calves are warm, then the bloodflow to my feet keeps them warm.

2. Feet are an odd shape that do not contact the ground a great deal, thus there's much less loss of heat to cold ground.

With the bivy and the sleeping bag and an insulating snow layer between my feet and the ground, the 3/4 length pad has been doing the job.

I detailed in my post that the foam pad wasn't working great. I used it all of october through early december in the low 30's and high 20's, but now that it's fully winter, I'm really looking for that air layer. I am going to try a 3/4 Prolite pad next and see if that's enough; if it isn't, I'll quit being a brat and go get a real full-length NeoAir. I think it's useful to see if I can push it with these lighter, more durable pads but the real answer is to get a real pad.

And you're right; if I want to write a good advice blog, it means making recommendations to the 95% of my readers, not the 5% masochists like me.

Although, I think I'm on to something with 3/4 length vs full…

[Max Dilthey]

Those Goosefeet booties look awesome. I've been using a really thick pair of Fox River insulated socks with my boots. My boots have been my camp shoes this year (although, 90% of the time I camp, my shoes are my camp shoes).

I have the much cheaper and thus heavier and less durable Baffin synthetic booties, so when I go on trips where the temp is below zero, I bring those along.

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