Hi, Adam, nice trip on deck!

Charging as you ride or hike should not be an issue, but shoving the charging ensemble into a pocket can be pretty unkind to typical cable connectors and the ports. After the Lightning port on my iPhone became unreliable I wised up with so-called gaming cords which have 90- or 180-degree connector(s). Or you can charge with your iPod in a mount and the power in a top tube bag. Either way frees me to charge at will without jacking my Lightning port. And of course in the mount it can be in use. Same as the power pack in a backpack pocket and device in a more accessible pocket.

I'm still using my Steripen Adventurer. Most places I go I don't use or need the pre-filter. The thing just keeps cranking, it's miserly on battery power, fits anywhere, relaxing to use. Adam: Finicky, sketchy and untrustworthy? My experience is the opposite of yours. I've used mine probably 150 days -- 60 of those days in a row were for two people on one set of batteries that had life left. I just dropped in its third set of batteries after owning it for about eight years.

The Sawyer Mini I had might be lighter, but it stopped working soon after I began using it. Pump-style filters are weightier than the Stripen by a longshot. Another I owned (Katydyn?) suddenly and hopelessly clogged and had to be chucked at the Toaster House. I'm eternally thankful for that piece of shyt. From there I went to the Steiripen and never needed anything else. I'll certainly never entertain buying or using another filter of any kind in the BC. The Steripen, pre-filter and backup AquaMira tabs is all I will ever need short of melting snow.

Check out the Surly brand to get some ideas of a simple mountain bike that will work for touring aka bikepacking. Emphasis on ideas, your bike doesn’t need to be a Surly, just an inexpensive hardtail mountain bike that has frame features than enable mounting multiple bottles and maybe racks to the bike. (Bike bottle “braze-ons” and rack/fender eyelets.)

2.25-2.4” tires are nice. Most bikepackers prefer 29” wheels. Though you could do fairly serious mountain biking on it, the direction is a comfortable and stable bike for long hours. You can change the tires on a hardtail MTB and essentially have a different bike depending on needs for a given route.

Buy used if you can.

Practice on a variety of surfaces and trails so you’ll be confident in the backcountry with a load. Bikepacking is a great end goal, but just get familiar with bikes now, how to ride on tricky surfaces and do common repairs. The packing part you have all but dialed in, so ride ride ride.

AdventureCycling.com
Bikepacking.com
MTBR.com bikepacking forum
Google
Local bike shops

David, I was happy with the reco I got from MikeC for Bontrager XR3 Team Issue. Durability was impressive over 2400 miles on our Rohloff MTB hardtail tandem. The front tire had tons of life left. 29 x 2.4”

I made the mistake of getting the non Team Issue once and paid the price. Avoid that mistake. Another durable and fast tire I’ve loved and would consider is Maxxis’ Ardent Race 2.35, though I have not used it on a tandem.

I would not hesitate to run the XR3 TI again. Our team weight was 270, and I estimate the bike/gear was 90-100.

Have fun tooling up.

Some campgrounds can be closed to tent camping during high griz activity. East of Flagg Ranch/Yellowstone was such an area several years ago. The host was cool about it, we had nowhere else to go, uneventful night.

Point being it’s not practical (or possible) to call ahead to every projected campsite or open space agency to ascertain current bear activity that may or may not be actually happening. I/we hung food nightly, kept a clean camp, carried bear spray.

Anecdotal info: I rode 101 days on the route/variations in two different years and did not see a bear at all. Shouting ahead of me in suspect areas might have helped.

Assume they are there, stick to protocols and it should not be something to ruminate over. It’s but one risk of a several on a ride like the GD. I would be more leery of bad humans than bad bears.

Not much drama, but could add to your fun...

https://www.adventurecycling.org/cyclosource-store/sp/cycling-the-great-divide/?nocache=1

bakerj, glad you are back on the program!


Noodling out plans is fun, more so with the SO. Good teambuilding.

Excellent info here, inertiaman.

I can vouch for this company after stumbling into them quite inadvertently at the southern terminus. Cheap, fast, easy. I had a shower in Hachita so I didn't offend anyone...

Greyhound has been very hit/miss. Some drivers try to get you on, others are plain lazy. From Lordsburg west, not recommended.

If anything in it dissuaded you from giving the trail a shot, though, it wasn't intentional! Overall a really great trip, and well worth doing.

Haha, no, Sasha, you made it sound pretty much like I expected it would sound. This winter is giving me pause for sure. Turning eyes southward...

Cheers,

Mike

Great job on the route, Sasha!

Also, a perfect report. Thoughtful and brief, warm writing, not too many photos. Thanks for taking time to post and link it.

Based partly on your report, I'm thinking this might be a terrible year to try OTT. But it is a bit of a thorn at the moment...

Cheers,

Mike

 

The decision of what to carry is mostly personal. Some folks believe you can never be prepared enough and so carry very little, while others will carry almost the whole toolbox.


+1

Your tools and spare parts are always specific to your bike, so it's tough to give an absolute answer. Being an ace with tubeless tire repair will cover the vast majority of issues. This somewhat comes with experience assessing what method(s) will work best, but a plug kit, sidewall cuttings, superglue, tire tools, spare tube, CO2 and pump can get you through almost any MTB tire issue. Extra sealant and needle/thread for some rides. Check out the tubeless tire repair sticky thread here.

Chain repair might be the next most likely problem. The mini chain pliers from Wolftooth look sweet, but I've been able to get through with the chain breaker in my multi-tool and quick links. Shift cable and brake pads maybe after that, very minimal tools needed.

I sawed the handle short on a cassette lockring tool to make it portable, but would happily ditch it for lighter outings. I draw the line at bringing BB removal tools, depending on type.

I've depended on many bike shops and hardware stores along routes. Admittedly not an option on every route.

Aside from tire repair tools, leatherman w/ pliers, bike multi-tool, tiny vice-grips, bailing wire and duct tape are the backbone of my repair kit. A spare der hanger is better than a tool to try to fix a bent one, as they do break and bend beyond fixability. Beyond that, pre-emptive bike maintenance and extra care setting up and shaking down go a long way to keep repairs from being needed in the first place. Special attention to hydraulic systems, if you have them.

Everybody is different, indeed. This is what shakedowns are for – put in a long day, and tell us the answer. 

Right now I'd guess there's a wider availability of 29er tires than 275+ at shops in general. Better chance of getting something suitable if you have a problem on tour.

If room in your frame: More 2.6" 29er tires are coming out all the time.

Optimal setup really does depend on the route and the bike. Still, every setup will feel like a compromise at some point in hundreds or thousands of miles.

I'd get whatever setup I prefer for trail riding in general. They all work better for bikepacking

Fun idea, John! Thanks for the heads up.

Mike

Wowzers, what a beauty, and a great price!

I think the minor leakage you're getting will be a factor with any TT bag.

The inner bag is the way to go, IMO. A first aid kit attached to your bike is not as useful as one that can be easily moved under duress. A burly zip-locking bag for electronics might work. Doubling up your lightweight bags might work.

Applying SeamGrip to the bag is the best way I know to get it close to waterproof. Carefully and sparingly brush it into the seams from outside (and inside if it's not seam taped) using the supplied brush. SG can by diluted with mineral spirits for more broad applications, as in waterproofing the material itself in addition to the seams. It may not be a work of art when finished, but it will be waterproof aside from a so-called waterproof zipper.

I would eschew bike bottles and bladders, and commit to Platypus bottles. Bladders are typically too long and too large in capacity, and a rigid cylindrical shape is terribly wasteful of space in a bag. 2.5- and one-liter Platy bottles are kick-ass efficient for fitting water in odd-shaped spaces.

A lightweight backpack is indispensable for provisioning up. Some UL packs are little more than a stuff sack, so have multiple uses. Remove enough light/bulky stuff from your bike bags to fit your extra water, and carry that bulky stuff in your pack temporarily.

If you're ardently anti-pack, you'll have to get creative. Usually tons of room under the downtube (and other sneaky places) for lashing on cargo. I can stash (2) 2.5-l Platys in my front roll pocket. Anything cages (not for water, to make room for water). Two feed bags = 2 liters. Nothing to do with suspension, really, just being efficient and crafty.

A sentimental classic is tough to move on from (I know firsthand), but I'm of the same mind as Tim.

Hardtails can be full-blown trail bikes now, so more duty can be gotten out of a bikepacker. Steel and alum options abound, and you could even stay with a ti frame for under 1500 USD (Carver, et al). 29er-size wheels are a great tool for the job; many 29er frames allow 27.5+ wheels/tires.

I don't think you'd look back...

I've successfully used a fanny pack.