2023 Black Hills Bounty - How I Pack All That Gear

Last week I posted a Gear List of what I plan to carry on the 2023 Black Hills Bounty bikepacking ride. Here's how I packed all that gear on my Jones 29+ mountain bike. Every bag has some extra space, providing easy and flexible packing during the ride. 

Fully loaded Jones 29+ mountain bike, ready to roll on the Black Hills Bounty.

Truss Fork Bags (forks):  In addition to being light and strong, the Jones truss fork provides a built-in structure to support a pair of bags. Recognizing this potential, Jeff Jones teamed with Revelate Designs to create these bags, each offering nearly the capacity of a seat post bag. For quick access in inclement weather, I pack the tent and rain jacket in the left side bag, along with a Spot X tracker in an outside mesh pocket. I pack the sleeping pad, sleeping bag liner, and pillow in the right side bag.

Harness + Salty Roll (handle bar):  I pack the sleeping bag and down hoodie in the middle third of the Salty Roll bag, leaving more than a third of the bag on each side for all the clothes, except liner gloves, skull cap, and wind jacket. On the left side, I pack arm warmers, leg warmers, and SmartWool stocking cap. On the right side, I pack camp clothes.

Egress Pocket (handle bar):  Strapped to the Harness and atop the Salty Roll bag, the Egress Pocket holds sunglasses/glasses, toilet paper, and bag of medicinals. In the left side outside mesh pocket I pack a pair of liner gloves and in the right side outside mesh pocket I pack a skull cap. I often put other things in this readily accessible bag.

Loop Hold H-Bar bag (handle bar): This bag fits under the map case, tucked into the space between the lateral tubes of the Jones handle bar. It's bigger than you think, is a great use of space, and is on the bike full time. In it I carry chain lube, water filter, journal, pencils, and Bible.

Mountain Feed Bag (handle bar/stem):  In the left side bag, I carry a 26 ounce water bottle filled with water, as well as lip balm in the outside mesh pocket. In the right side bag, I carry a 26 ounce water bottle filled with trail mix (almonds, peanuts, M&M's, raisins).

Mag-Tank 200 bag (top tube by the handle bar):  This handy bag with a magnetic closure allows easy, one-handed access to 2,000 calories of on-the-fly food. I often put my camera in there, too.

Jerry Can bag (top tube by the seat post):  This sneaky little bag holds an entire tool kit, including a tubeless repair kit, patch kit, tire plugs, CO2 cartridges, valve cores, valve stem, extra chain links, quick links, spare derailleur hanger, multi-tool, tire irons, and LeatherMan tool.

Terrapin bag (seat post):  This modular setup comprises a harness that attaches to the bike and a 14 liter dry bag that easily removes from the harness. I pack this dry bag with food, so I can readily remove the entire bag for secure overnight storage. In addition to 1-2 days of food, the Terrapin bag also carries the spare tube wrapped in duct tape, a Nemo foam seat pad, zip ties, and a kitchen stuff sack with spork, salt/pepper, collapsible bowls, can opener, spare matches, and iodine tables, and the SmartWool top and bottom base layers.

Frame Bag (main triangle): The frame bag is divided into top and bottom compartments. The right side of the top compartment holds a 38 ounce water bottle and a 26 ounce "dirty" water bottle (used to draw and hold unfiltered water), as well as peanut butter, honey, tortillas, and a spork for easy access for lunch. The left side of the top is a relatively thin sleeve that holds wallet, phone, battery, and cords. The bottom compartment holds a hand towel, a hygiene stuff sack with soap, razor, toothbrush/paste, alcohol wipes and zinc oxide, and a first aid stuff sack with ace bandage, gauze pads, large & small bandaids, butterfly bandaids, Neosporin, aspirin, ibuprofen and Tums.

Down Tube Cage:  Strapped to a Salsa Anything Cage on the bottom side of the down tube is a stuff sack containing my Jet Boil MiniMo stove, fuel, and cook pot.

Rear Axle Cages:  Bottle cages near the rear axle hold two 38 ounce Soma Further water bottles, secured with a flexible tie-down.

In addition to the bags and their contents, I mounted on the handle bars a Garmin 530 GPS device, Lezyne 800XL head light,  CatEye cyclocomputer, Stem Captain compass, Timber bear bell, Knog Oi bell, Ergon GP3 grips, and some stubby bar ends near the levers. The crowning touch is a Slow Moving Vehicle sign strapped to the back of the Terrapin seat post bag.

2023 Black Hills Bounty - Gear List

Here's my gear list for the 2023 Black Hills Bounty, a 6 day bikepacking tour of the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota and the Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming, with a jaunt into the prairie for a night at Devil's Tower National Monument. As this will be an autumn ride, I included a few things for colder nights and mornings. Including the bike, this all weighs in at about 67 pounds, with 2+ days of food and 4 liters of water.

Like my bike and me, this kit's built for comfort. It's not built for speed.

Fully loaded Jones 29+ mountain bike atop M-Hill, ready to roll on the Black Hills Bounty.

Sleep Kit:  Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 Bikepack tent, Brooks Range Mountaineering Alpini 30 sleeping bag, SeaToSummit Reactor Extreme liner, ThermaRest ProLite pad, Outdoor Vitals UL Stretch pillow.

Clothes:  Voler bib shorts, Voler jersey, 2 pair SmartWool socks, Pearl Izumi X-Alp Summit shoes, Voler arm warmers, Voler knee warmers, SmartWool top base layer, SmartWool bottom base layer, Voler wind jacket, Showers Pass Refuge rain jacket, Marmot down hoodie, SmartWool camp shirt, nylon camp shorts, 45NRTH Nokken gloves, SmartWool liner gloves, Bontrager cycling gloves, Voler skull cap, SmartWool 250 stocking cap, Oakley Aero5 helmet, Oakley M-frame prescription sunglasses, Oakley athletic prescription glasses.

First Aid/Hygiene/Personal:  Ace bandage, gauze pads, large & small bandaids, butterfly bandaids, alcohol wipes, zinc oxide, Neosporin, lip balm, aspirin, ibuprofen, Tums, toilet paper, hand towel, toothbrush/paste, soap, phone, wallet, Spot X tracker/messenger, battery, cords.

Tool Kit:  Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HV pump, Lezyne SV-16 multi-tool, spork wrench for brakes, Lezyne Tubeless CO2 Blaster tubeless repair kit, 2 ounces of sealant, 1 tube, 2 valve cores, 1 valve stem, patch kit, 2 tire irons, LeatherMan Skeletool CX, Jones derailleur hanger, 4 chain links, 2 quick links, chain lube, duct tape, zip ties.

Navigation:  Garmin 530 GPS device, USFS Black Hills National Forest paper maps, Stem Captain compass, CatEye cyclocomputer, Lezyne MicroDrive Pro 800XL head light, Mountain Miser thermometer, Gideon's pocket Bible.

Documentation:  Leather bound paper journal, No. 2 pencil.

Hydration (about 5 liters):  3 x 38 ounce Soma Further water bottles, 2 x 26 ounce water bottles, Sawyer Squeeze filter, iodine tablets.

Food (1-2 days): instant oatmeal/coffee (breakfast), peanut butter/honey/tortilla (lunch), nutrition bars/Hammer Gels/Snickers/trail mix (during the day), ramen/tuna/freeze dried entree (dinner).

Kitchen: Jet Boil MiniMo stove, fuel, matches, 2 SeaToSummit collapsible bowls, 2 sporks, GI Joe can opener, salt/pepper.

Although I make some modifications every trip, this gear list is much the same as that for the 2023 BackBone Grande, the 2022 & 2021 Black Hills Bounty, the 2021 Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and the 2020 Cloud Peak 500. See, e.g., 2021 GDMBR Gear List.

The Great Divide - How I Packed & Changes

I'm going to pack it up

I'm going to give it up

I'm going to put you right out of my mind

I'm going to pack it up

Pack It Up, Freddie King (1974) 

Loaded Jones 29+ bike taking a break at the TLC Ranch on the Great Divide. 

A different view of my loaded Jones 29+ bike.

How do you pack all that gear, and what would you do differently?

Last week I posted a Gear List of what I carried on my 2021 ride of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, as well as changes I might make if I were to ride it again the same way.  See My Gear List & Changes. Tour Divide racers identify things that I could leave home and Great Divide tourers identify things not on my list that I could bring. I appreciate the input and will continue to experiment.

This post describes on how I packed all that gear on my bike, with possible changes noted in blue type. Every bag had some extra space, providing easy and flexible packing during the ride.

Truss Fork Bags (fork):  In addition to being light and strong, the Jones truss fork provides a built-in structure to support a pair of bags. Recognizing this potential, Jeff Jones teamed with Revelate Designs to create these bags, each offering nearly the capacity of a seat post bag. For quick access in inclement weather, I pack the tent and rain jacket in the left side bag, along with the Spot X tracker in an outside mesh pocket. I pack the sleeping pad, sleeping bag liner, pillow, and rain pants in the right side bag. 

    No change.

Harness + Salty Roll (handle bar):  I pack the sleeping bag and down hoodie in the middle third of the Salty Roll bag, leaving more than a third of the bag on each side for all the clothes, except liner gloves, skull cap, and wind jacket. On the left side I pack camp shorts, camp shirt, extra pair of socks, stocking cap, arm warmers, and leg warmers. On the right side I pack the extra shorts and jersey, and a stuff sack of extra layers (waterproof gloves, waterproof socks, head band, buff)

    No change to packing what I bring, but I might not bring a second jersey and likely would not bring the waterproof gloves and socks. That would leave more extra space in that bag.

Egress Pocket (handle bar):  Strapped to the Harness and atop the Salty Roll bag, the Egress Pocket holds the ACA book and related notes, sunglasses/glasses, Bible, journal, paper, toilet paper, chain lube, and a bag of some medicinals. In the left side outside mesh pocket I pack a pair of liner gloves and in the right side outside mesh pocket I pack a skull cap.

    No change to this list, although I sometimes put other things in this readily accessible bag.

Adventure Cycling Map Case (handle bar):  This map case holds an Adventure Cycling map, is water resistant, sits atop the Loop Hole H-Bar bag, and doesn't move at all in use. Perfect.

    No change.

Loop Hole H-Bar bag (handle bar):  This bag sits under the map case, tucked into the space between the lateral tubes of the Jones handle bar. It's bigger than you think, is a great use of space, and is on the bike full time. In it I carried a pump, sunscreen, insect repellant, water filter, and head light.

    The pump barely fit into this bag and I plan to replace it with a larger one, so I'll find a new place to put the new pump, probably in the main triangle frame bag. If the Loop Hole H-Bar bag no longer holds a pump, I would move the chain lube and Bible from the Egress bag into this bag.

Mountain Feed Bag (handle bar/stem):  In the left side bag, I carry a 26 ounce water bottle, as well as lip balm in the outside mesh pocket. In the right side bag, I carry bear spray, just a few inches from my right hand for a quick draw.

    No change.

Mag-Tank 2000 bag (top tube by the handle bar):  This handy bag with a magnetic closure allows easy, one-handed access to 2,000 calories of on-the-fly food. I often put my camera in there, too.

    No change.

Jerry Can bag (top tube by the seat post):  This sneaky little bag holds an entire tool kit, including a tubeless repair kit, patch kit, tire plugs, CO2 cartridges, valve cores, valve stem, extra chain links, quick links, spare derailleur hanger, multi-tool, tire irons, and LeatherMan tool.

    I might substitute individual 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm Allen wrenches and a chain breaker for the heavy multi-tool. Although I never had to use the multi-tool Allen wrenches on my ride, they can be hard to work with. The other tools in the multi-tool are pretty much covered by the LeatherMan Skeletool. 

Terrapin bag (seat post):  This modular setup comprises a harness that attaches to the bike and a 14 liter dry bag that easily removes from the harness. I pack this dry bag with food, so I can readily remove the entire bag for overnight storage away from my sleeping area. Think grizzly. In addition to 1-3 days of food, the Terrapin bag also carries the First Aid kit, two spare tubes wrapped with some duct tape, tire sealant, the ACA maps not in use, two 34 ounce collapsible water bladders, a spares stuff sack with zip ties, straps, and rope to hang a bear bag, a hygiene stuff sack with soap, razor, toothbrush/paste, zinc oxide, wipes, and hand towel, and a kitchen stuff sack with spork, salt/pepper, collapsible cups, can opener, spare matches, and iodine tablets. I also attached a bungee cord net atop the Terrapin bag to hold a Nemo seat pad and a wind jacket.

    No change, other than perhaps removing one of the two spare tubes and adding a third 34 ounce collapsible water bladder for the Great Basin and New Mexico. 

Frame Bag (main triangle):  The frame bag is divided into top and bottom compartments. The right side of the top compartment holds a 38 ounce water bottle and a 26 ounce "dirty" water bottle (used to draw and hold unfiltered water), as well as peanut butter, honey, tortillas and a spork for easy access for lunch. The left side of the top compartment is a relatively thin sleeve that holds wallet, flip phone, charger, electric cords, and mud scraper. The bottom compartment holds the top and bottom SmartWool base layers and a pair of aqua socks.

    No change, although I might leave the bottom base layer at home.

Down Tube Cage:  Strapped to a Salsa Anything Cage on the bottom side of the down tube is a stuff sack containing my Jet Boil MiniMo stove, fuel and cook pot.

    No change.

Rear Axle Cages:  Bottle cages near the rear axle hold two 38 ounce Soma Further water bottles, secured with a flexible tie-down.

    No change.

In addition to the bags and their contents, I mounted a CatEye cyclocomputer, CatEye head light, a Timber bear bell, a Knog Oi bell, a Stem Captain compass, some old stubby bar ends near the levers, and Ergon GP3 grips. The crowning touch is the Slow Moving Vehicle sign strapped to the back.

    No change.

That's it, for now. As you can see, I liked how all this gear packed on the bike and would not make any major changes. Like packing for the Cloud Peak 500, each bag has some extra room remaining, so I have some flexibility to change on the road, as needed. You never know when you want to carry a new Great Divide Cyclery water bottle or an Ovando Jail t-shirt.

Next up - What changes, if any, to the Jones 29+ for next time.

Pack It Up, Freddie King (1974)

The Great Divide - My Gear List & Changes

I don't need a whole lots of money

I don't need a big fine car

I got everything that a man could want

I got more than I could ask for

Some Kind Of Wonderful, John Ellison (1967)

Shelter, clothes, food, water, kitchen, first aid, hygiene, tools, parts, navigation, documentation.
It's all in there. For 7 weeks, I lived out of this suitcase.

Here's my gear list from my ride of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, along with a few changes I might make if I were to ride that route again the same way. If I were racing, this gear list would likely look different.

This gear list is not copied off some "What To Pack For Bikepacking" YouTube video. I developed it by experimenting with gear, packs, and bikes over several years of local overnight and multi-day rides. For example, in 2019 and 2020, I bike packed 20+ overnighters, several 2 nighters, and a big shakedown 7 day ride in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Cloud Peak 500 - Feeling Good. I also asked many people many questions, read many journals, and watched many videos of others who had actually ridden the Great Divide. I further benefitted from many conversations with my friend Paul Brasby, who conducted his own field research and planned to start the ride with me.

As a result, I believe I had dialed in my gear list, for my planned ride, pretty well in advance. Below in normal type is the gear that I used on my Great Divide ride, followed by any changes in blue type. As you will see, practically everything worked well and I would not make many changes. 

Sleep Kit:  Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 Bikepack tent, Brooks Range Mountaineering Alpini 30 sleeping bag, SeaToSummit Reactor Extreme liner, ThermaRest ProLite pad, Outdoor Vitals UL Stretch pillow.

    No change. 

Clothes:  2 Voler bib shorts, 2 Voler jerseys, 2 pair SmartWool socks, Pearl Izumi X-Alp Summit shoes, Voler arm warmers, Voler knee warmers, SmartWool top base layer, SmartWool bottom base layer, Voler wind jacket, Showers Pass Refuge rain jacket, Showers Pass rain pants, Marmot down hoodie, SmartWool camp shirt, nylon camp shorts, SmartWool liner gloves, Showers Pass waterproof gloves, Bontrager cycling gloves, Showers Pass waterproof socks, Voler skull cap, SmartWool 250 headband, SmartWool 250 stocking cap, buff, Giro Aspect helmet, Oakley M-frame prescription sunglasses, Oakley athletic prescription glasses.

    Subtract the Showers Pass waterproof socks and waterproof gloves, maybe subtract one of the cycling jerseys, maybe subtract the SmartWool bottom base layer.

First Aid/Hygiene/Personal:  Ace bandage, gauze pads, large & small bandaids, butterfly bandaids, alcohol wipes, zinc oxide, Neosporin, hydrocortisone, sun screen, lip balm, insect repellant, aspirin, ibuprofen, Doans, Tums, toilet paper, hand towel, toothbrush/paste, soap, bear spray, flip phone, wallet, Spot X satellite tracker/messenger, battery/charger, cords, Timber bear bell.

    No change.

Tool Kit:  Lezyne Alloy HV Drive pump, Lezyne SV-16 multi-tool, spork wrench for brakes, Lezyne Tubeless CO2 Blaster tubeless repair kit, 4 ounces of extra sealant, 2 tubes, 2 valve cores, 1 valve stem, Park Tool patch kit, 2 tire irons, LeatherMan Skeletool CX, Jones derailleur hanger, 4 chain links, 2 quick links, chain lube, duct tape, zip ties, mud scraper.

    Replace pump with higher volume/stroke pump, with a foot peg. Subtract 1 of the extra tubes. Maybe substitute the heavy multi-tool with individual 2.5,3,4,5,6 mm Allen wrenches and a chain breaker.

Navigation:  Adventure Cycling Association hard copy maps, cue sheets and book, Stem Captain compass, CatEye cyclocomputer, Cateye head light, Mountain Miser thermometer, Gideon's pocket Bible.

    No change, although I saw no other cyclist on the Great Divide without GPS navigation of some sort. Maybe I would add GPS navigation if I returned to the Great Divide. Maybe.

Documentation:  Olympus TG-4 Tough camera, leather bound paper journal, 2 No. 2 pencils.

    No change.

Hydration:   3 x 38 ounce Soma Further water bottles, 2 x 26 ounce water bottles, 2 x 34 ounce collapsible water containers, (total capacity about 7 liters), MSR Trail Shot filter, iodine tablets.

    Add a third 34 ounce collapsible water container for the Great Basin and New Mexico. Maybe substitute the reliable, but slow MSR Trail Shot filter with something faster like the Sawyer Squeeze.

Food (1-2 days):  instant oatmeal/coffee (breakfast), peanut butter/honey/tortilla (lunch), nutrition bars/Snickers/M&Ms/chips/nuts/trail mix (during the day), ramen/tuna/freeze dried entree (dinner).

   Over time, I carried less food and ate more in towns when possible. But I always carried a day or two worth of calories of the above items. Peanut butter/honey/tortillas and snicker bars were daily staples the entire ride. Over time, my biggest change was eating more nuts and trail mix, especially in the morning.

Kitchen:  Jet Boil MiniMo stove and fuel, matches, salt/pepper, SeaToSummit collapsible cup & bowl, Pony Express titanium spork, rope for bear bag.

    Substitute the small (8 ounce) collapsible cup with another large (16 ounce) collapsible bowl.

As you can see, I would not make many changes. My gear worked well for me. 

Next up - The packs I used and how I packed all that gear, along with a few changes I might make.

Some Kind Of Wonderful, Grand Funk Railroad (1974)

Cloud Peak 500 - Packing Up

Some folk built like this, some folk built like that
But the way I'm built, you shouldn't call me fat
Because I'm built for comfort, I aint built for speed.

Built For Comfort, Willie Dixon (1959).


Over the past two years, I have ridden a variety of roads, paths and trails on my Jones 29+ bike packed for one and two night trips. But it's time to step up for the Cloud Peak 500. Now I'm packing for an 8 day self-supported ride on unknown remote roads with higher elevations, unfamiliar weather patterns and uncertain re-supply opportunities. Oh, and 40,000 feet of elevation gain.

I need to get this right. Here's my plan for packing the bike for the Cloud Peak 500.

Ready to roll for 8 days in the Big Horns. Just add a rider.

Truss Fork Bags (fork):  In addition to being light and strong, the Jones truss fork provides a built-in structure to support a pair of bags. Recognizing this potential, Jeff Jones and Revelate Designs created these bags, each offering nearly the capacity of a seat post bag. I pack the left side bag with a sleeping bag and a rain jacket. I pack the right side bag with a down jacket, sleeping pad, pillow and a stuff sack of extra layers (liner gloves, head band, skull cap, buff, arm warmers, leg warmers).

Harness + Salty Roll (handle bar):  My small tent occupies less than half the volume of the Salty Roll. So I stuff it into the middle, leaving more than a quarter of the bag remaining on each side for all my clothes.

Egress Pocket (handle bar):  Strapped to the Harness and atop the Salty Roll, the Egress Pocket holds my camera, wipes, toilet paper, paper, pens, and sunglasses/glasses.

Adventure Cycling Map Case (handle bar):  This map case is sized for the Adventure Cycling maps (like the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route), is water-proof, sits atop the Loop Hole H-Bar bag, and doesn't move at all in use. Perfect.

Loop Hole H-Bar (handle bar):  This bag is not visible, because it's under the map case and tucked into the space between the lateral tubes of the Jones handle bar. It is bigger than you think, is a great use of space and is on the bike full time. It holds a pump, first aid kit, sunscreen, lip balm, aspirin, Tums, and insect repellant.

Mountain Feed Bag (handle bar):  Bear spray. Yes, this bag is big enough for a large water bottle, but instead holds a large canister of bear spray a few inches from my right hand. Quick draw.

Mag-Tank 2000 (top tube by the handlebar):  This handy bag holds 2,000 calories of on-the-fly food and gels.

Showing a little dust from the last couple of weeks of riding, the Jones 29+ is loaded for the Cloud Peak 500.

Jerry Can (top tube by the seat post):  This sneaky little bag holds an entire tool kit, including a patch kit, tire plugs, CO2 cartridges, extra sealant, chain lube, extra chain links, bolts and cleats, spare derailer hanger, mini-tool, and LeatherMan.

Terrapin (seat post): This modular setup comprises a harness that attaches to the bike and a 14 liter dry bag that easily removes from the harness. I pack this dry bag with food, so I can readily remove it for overnight storage away from my sleeping area. Think grizzly. As shown, this bag contains breakfast, lunch and dinner for 8 days without re-supply, as well as kitchen utensils.

Frame Bag (main triangle):  The frame bag is divided into top and bottom compartments. The right side of the top compartment holds a 100 ounce water bladder and easily holds more. The left side of the top compartment is a relatively thin sleeve that holds maps, wallet, car keys, phone and mud scraper. The bottom compartment holds spare tubes, water filter and rain pants.

Down Tube Cage:  Strapped to the Salsa Anything Cage on the down tube is my stove and fuel.

Rear Axle Cages:  Bottle cages near the rear axle hold two large water bottles. I use one for an electrolyte drink and one for extra water.

In addition to the bags and their contents, I mounted a Cateye head light and tail light, a Cateye cyclocomputer, and a Stem Captain compass. I also mounted some old, odd-shaped bar ends near the levers on the Jones handle bars for some really different hand positions. The crowning touch is the Slow Moving Vehicle sign strapped to the back.

That's where everything goes. At least at the start.

Built For Comfort, Willie Dixon (1959), 

performed by Howlin' Wolf (1963).