Tour divide, do I need both softshell and hardshell ?

[littlehome.eugene]

Hello

new to bikepacking in general and to this site as well.

I'm planning to go to tour divide 2022, there's plenty of time for preparing gears.
Still wanted to ask, if I need both type of jackets (soft and hard shell)

What would be the temperature range approaximately?

Thank you

[bakerjw]

Weather can be hit or miss and can change very quickly. 2019 saw a major blizzard blow up in the Rockies and landed a lot of people in Brush Mountain Lodge for a few days. There's been snow and rain in the northern half many many times in early to mid June.
As you said, there is time to fine tune things.
I've never completed the entire route but I have done Banff to Whitefish or Helena 4 times in 4 years. I do love that Northern section so that is what I ride. Rain, dust, sun, heat. I've seen it all.
Last year, my wife and I rode our mountain tandem down from Banff to Whitefish. Modest pace as her condition wasn't where we would have liked due to her breaking her leg a handful of months earlier. We took puffy jackets (down filled), windbreakers and I don't recall if we took rain jackets.
In 2017, I was in a lot of rain from Banff down to Eureka and the rain jacket really helped keep me from getting chilled.
In 2018, we left mid August and it was HOT and DUSTY.... Very dusty...

[littlehome.eugene]

great to hear first hand experience, thanks for sharing.

[bakerjw]

There are many threads here at BP.NET dealing with gear. IMHO it is much better than the FB groups.

It was so cute last year getting our gear together. My wife and I laid out all of her clothes to take.
Other than cycling jerseys (Wheatons in Kalispell) and baggie shorts, we compared piles.
I've done it before and have it finely tuned. My first year was an absolute panic.
Then we weighed piles of clothes. Then she tried to bargain. She finally agreed that she didn't need a nightgown. And she shed weight from there.
Our target was to hit Kallispell in 5 days or so, buy new clothes, ship the bike back and be tourists for a couple of days.

When we did initial loadouts on our bike, we had a lot of room. The frame bag on Lolly, our tandem, is huge. But it all boiled down to weight.
Full loaded with water and gear, she came in at 90#

[OILCAN_RACER]

Be ready for extremes, but don't bring everything. Layers and more versatile. I use a frogg togg tyvek rain jacket and a acrylic sweater for warmth. The sweater dries super fast and the jacket is the most breathable of all rain jackets.