First real bikepacking experience: 120 miles on the NorthEast Texas Trail

My Cannondale Topstone 6 might be known for its handle on gravel but it handled smoothly on mixed terrain for a 120 miler trip on the NorthEast Texas Trail. Gear weighed about 30lbs, so I am looking to upgrade to some lighter options. Plenty of water stops along the way and at the camp ground- so two bottles were plenty.

Since there wasn’t much time for a custom frame bag, as most frame bags are too large for my frame, I had to seek out fork mounting options. The thing is with the Cannondale there’s only 2 bolts for mounting, so finding something that was compatible was a pain. Luckily State Bicycle has universal fork cages, although slightly heavy (Aluminum), they worked great with a pair of 6L osprey dry bags. One dry bag got a hole in the bottom by the end of day one which means I will need to upgrade to tougher bags.

One thing to note is that I ended up losing one of my time clips. Luckily another person on the ride is an over packer and had the same peddles as me and saved me from riding 60 with only one clip in! Def suggest carrying a backup pair just incase this happens to you.

All-in-all a good set up!

Below is a list of my gear that I used just incase you might see room for improvement.

Gear:
– Rockbros 14L Seat Bag
-Outer Shell handle bar cradle with dry bag
-State Bicycle Desert Cargo Cage Fork Mounts
-Osprey Dry Bags for Fork Mount
-Unknown brand toptube bag
-Raindee Snack Bag
-Eno Hammock + slack lines + Bug Net
-Jetboil + small gas container + French press adapter
-Amazon ultra light sleeping 40F bag
-REI 10F+ silk liner
-Headlamp
-Cotopaxi puffer jacket
-Fleece lined tights
-Merino Wool Light Weight Long Sleeve
-Solar Powered Inflatable Camp Light
-REI Butterfly Chair
-Extra tube + tubeless fix a flat + 2 levers + Lezyne Bike Pump
-2 water bottles
-2 freezed dried meals with 2 servings ea
-Hat
-Collapsable cup + folding fork
-small tooth paste + small tooth brush + sunscreen + deodorant
-Flask + fancy sipping whiskey

Notes: didn’t bring a change of shoes as my mountain biking shoes were comfortable enough. Wore the same kit as I road in on.

by notmepleaseokay