My Hybrid Long-Distance Setup - Johnny Isaak

One of the most often asked questions I receive from the people I meet along the way and on my blog is, “What and how do you carry all of your stuff?”

To share with other riders who are interested in how other bicycle travelers, or at least how one other traveler sets up their/his rig, I’ve put together a few points on the kit I travel with, how I carry it, the basic method I used to determine the two in the hopes other riders will benefit.

The Co-Motion Divide in its current configuration.

An Evolutionary Process

My current setup is the result of an ongoing evolutionary process of trial and error. My rig is not “the” solution, but rather “a” solution for you to consider in your search for the “right” setup that works best for you. Use what you want, disregard what you don’t. After all, choosing what to carry and how to carry it is all about “what makes the most sense to you.”

Several years ago, when I began bike travel in earnest, I started riding with a traditional touring setup and gradually migrated to a hybrid touring/bikepacking rig that I’m using today.

After a few days on the road with the tradition set, I found myself wanting something more. I was carrying way too much gear. The load contained in four panniers and a rack pack was tipping the scales at 85-90 pounds not including food and water.

Each morning before beginning to ride, I felt like I was loading up a long-haul Mack truck. Laboring over the pedals to get the heavily laden bike up to speed was a real strain. Grinding up long hills was almost unthinkable.

I needed a better, lighter setup for what I was doing. After a fairly brutal month riding in the through the Tibetan Plateau, I’d learned my lesson. I was more than willing to go with less in order to carry less. For creature comforts lots of tech gear, such as a larger tent, an extravagant cook kit, a laptop computer, back up hard drives, and lots of camera gear, I was hauling a heavy load.

And so began the much-needed process of paring down my kit and streamlining the bike’s gear list.

Light touring on a rainy day in Qibao near Shanghai.

How to Carry Stuff

Just as important as what you carry with you, so is how you carry it. If your camera’s buried in a pannier that is a hassle to dig out every time you want to use it, after a while you won’t. If your layering clothes are hard to get at, you won’t use them at short halts.

Included with my present gear list, I’ve outlined my rig’s basic load plan and the thought process behind what I’ve put where on the bike. Please take a look and let me know what you think.

Most bicycle travelers have or are continually fiddling with their bike and gear to find the “ultimate” set up. As an eclectic traveler, I’m always looking for better techniques.

Bike Travel Imperatives

Begin with the end in mind. Consider your riding style, the types of conditions you be traveling in, and what you want to accomplish on your journey before assembling your gear and setup.

Here are a few traveling essentials I consider important for building a bike and assembling the kit for a journey, long or short:

Self-supported. To travel independently and provide for me along the way. To carry enough kit to be self-sufficient, save for food and water.
Self-reliance. To be able to self-recover from most jams or mechanicals.
Lighter weight. To bring as little as practicable. Lighter is righter. Travel as light as possible, but not at the expense of what I want or need to do. There is such a thing as “stupid light.” The lighter your setup, the easier it is to ride.
Be mobile and free enough to explore and travel on the wind.
To be able to handle most mechanicals on the road, all but catastrophic breakdowns or damage resulting from an accident.
To have my cameras at the ready and be able to make images on the go.
My rig and gear must be impervious to moisture and dust while traveling.
Able to fix most mechanicals. To be able to repair all but catastrophic gear failures or severely damaged components.
The bicycle and gear minimally impact of the travel experience as possible. The less hassle between me and the open road the better.

My bikepacking set up for Taiwan. Afterwards, I made the decision to switch to a rear rack and two small panniers. Packing and unpacking the saddle pack turned out to be a hassle.

Building Capabilities

For me, form follows function. When assembling your kit and organizing your rig’s set up, think about your bike and gear in terms of capabilities: “What are my goals and expectations for this journey? What do I need my setup to do?” Then build a rig to do that.

For instance, I want a that’s reliable, is fairly easy to repair, and requires minimal maintenance in the field. I want the capability to travel in most types of weather while protecting my kit from the elements. I want a rig that can stand on its own and doesn’t always require being leaned against something or laid on the ground.

Achieve a purpose-driven bike setup. Ultimately, everything you travel with should severe a necessary role in your journey. If it doesn’t consider dropping it from your kit.

Consider the Conditions

What you decide to bring should be situation dependent. For example, if it’s going to be cold, bring the appropriate cold weather clothing. If it’s going to be wet, carry the appropriate wet weather gear. If you’re going to riding through hilly terrain, ensure your bike is geared to handle the climbing, and so on.

What I carry on short-term trips versus longer differs in what I’ll be doing. Traveling longer generally requires more clothes, possibly camping gear, and spare parts not necessary for shorter ventures. If I plan to stay in hotels or hostels, camping gear isn’t required. If I’ll be eating out of convenience stores and local food stalls, a cooking kit won’t be on the gear list.

My riding style tends to be the same for both short and long trips. I tend to carry the same tools and repair parts, though I may drop the spare tire and extra inner tubes for shorter trips. I generally carry the same camera gear and base-set of clothes. The riding conditions and available means of support are the variable conditions that drive changes in my setup. If I’ll be camping, a sleeping system is required. If I’ll be doing my own cooking, I’ll pack a cooker, a pot, and some utensils.

A “minimal amount of gear” is a relative term based on the situation and one’s traveling style and required level of comfort.

Generally, I carry all my own stuff and don’t share gear with other riders, save for when I’m traveling with my family. Then, I’m the designated “mule” and pack in the additional group items for my wife and daughter. Additionally, we use my toolkit, save for any special tools they need or an extra pump.

I’m pretty much a “three-season” traveler. I will ride in colder climes, but those tend to be locations without a lot of moisture and snow.

Transporting a lot of gear is a pain both on and off the bike. The less there is to disassemble on the bike (like a front rack) and to get it into a box for transport, the better. Also, the fewer the bags and panniers to lug around, the better as well.

The current setup with photography bag on the rear deck.

Systems and Activities

Select and arrange gear based on systems and activities required and performed while traveling by bike. Here a few to consider:

Typical Systems

Clothing
Maintenance and Repairs
Documents/Office
Medical

Possible Activities on the Bike

Riding
Exploring
Photographing

Activities off the Bike

Eating/Cooking
Camping/Sleeping
Hygiene
Electronics
Photography

The Setup

Through trial and error, I’ve found a hybrid bike touring/bikepacking arrangement is working best for me. I’m not running a front rack or panniers for better handling, less weight, and fewer bags to pack.

From front to rear, the bike is set up with a:

Front Pouch: Revelate Designs Egress Pocket
Handlebar Roll: Revelate Designs Harness and Salty Roll
Smartphone Mount: Quad-Lock
Left Camera Bag: Porcelain Rocket Mini Slinger
Right Camera Bag: Lowepro
Front Top Tube Pouch: Revelate Designs Mag Tank
Rear Top Tube Pouch: Revelate Designs Jerry Can
Frame Bag: Revelate Designs Ripio Bag
Rear Rack: Tubus Cargo Evo
Left Rear Pannier: Ortlieb Gravel Pack
Right Rear Pannier: Ortlieb Gravel Pack
Rear Rack Top Deck: Lowepro Flipside Trek 350

All of the bags are either waterproof or have been waterproofed with an internal dry bag. On sensitive items, such as electronics, I use a second dry bag or Ziploc. A lighter setup means easier riding, especially when climbing or lugging the bike upstairs, tossing it into a bus’s cargo hold, or over a fence or wall — all of which I’ve done at one time or another. Zippered compartments on the frame bag make for quick access while riding.

Running a Jones Loop H-Bar early on in the process.

The Load Plan / Gear List

As mentioned, it’s not only what you carry, but how you carry it as well. The kit on my gear list is packed on the bike primarily according to use or activity. Items, such as cameras or layering clothing that I use while on the bike, are packed where they are quickly accessible. Seldom used gear, such as a folding spare tire, component spare parts, and extra inner tubes, are packed at the bottom of a pannier. This basic load plan is easy to pack and unpack and to load and unload off of the bike.

Working from the front of the bike to the rear, the basic load plan is as follows:

Front Pouch

Cellphone rain cover
GPS Tracker

Handlebar Roll

Tent Pole Bag (slipped under tie-down straps)
Waterproof Drybag

Inside the Waterproof Drybag (left to right)

Extremities bag containing: Gloves, Beanie, Windbreaker Jacket, Windbreaker Vest, Spare Buff, Arm and Leg Warmers
Mid-layer in the middle
Clothes bag containing: Socks, Underwear, Riding Shorts, Shirt
Rain jacket
Poncho

Rear Handlebars

Left Camera Bag: Sony RX1RII
Right Camera Bag: Sony A7RII with 55mm f/1.8 lens, Spare batteries
Front Top Tube Bag: Lip balm, Compass, Imodium, Ibuprofen
Rear Top Tube Bag: Headlamp, Hand sanitizer

Frame Bag

Top Left Pouch: Bluetooth keyboard for smartphone, Electrical converter (connected to dynamo), Cash battery, Charging Cables (Lightning, USB Micro), Spare spokes and nipples (6x)
Top Right Pouch: Toilet paper, Air Pump, Multitool, Sun Screen, Hex key ratchet and torque set
Tool Roll: S&S coupler tool, Spanner wrench (eccentric bottom bracket), 12 x 10 mm open end wrench, 8 mm Hex Key (pedals)
Lower Right Pouch: Light cable lock, Rag, Puncture Kit(Patches, Cement in 3x small tubes), Valve tool

Left Rear Pannier

Designated the “camping pannier.” Contains all the major items for camping.

Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow.
Personal hygiene: Dopp bag, liquids bag, towel

Right Rear Pannier

The low use pannier.

Electronics Bag
Charging block
Charging cables
Repair parts
Replacement carbon drive belt
Inner tubes
Spare tire

Rear Rack Top Deck / Photography Backpack

Photography Backpack

85mm lens
Plate Graduated Neutral Density Filters and Lens Mount
Battery Bag
Spare camera batteries
SD Cards
Cleaning kit
Sensor Cleaning Kit

Experimenting with different frame and camera bags. Was still running a front rack, which I eventually removed.

Notes on the Load Plan

Everything has a place, and everything is stowed in its place. This makes it easier to organize and maintain accountability of your kit.

Don’t strap bare inner tubes to the frame of my bike, exposing it to the elements.
I don’t strap stuff to the forks.
Level the load between the panniers where possible.

Carried on the body: I use the sling bag for quick items.

A Note on Photography Gear

To quickly access my camera gear both on and off the bike. Accessing my photography gear was difficult. I found myself passing up good shot because I couldn’t be bothered with digging out my camera. On the bike, the cameras ride in pouches mounted to the handlebars. Off the bike, the cameras are carried in a photography backpack, which normal is strapped across the rear panniers. With the exception of the cameras, when I’m riding, all of the photography gear resides in the photography backpack strapped down across the rear panniers. The photography backpack comes on and off with two straps. Waterproof bags protect all camera gear and other sensitive items. Sometimes I carry a tripod, other times I don’t. It’s situation dependent.

Panniers Versus Saddle Pack

Why I prefer a pair of small rear panniers versus a saddle pack. Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of great saddle packs. I just like working with two small panniers rather than one saddle pack. It’s a personal preference. Longer rides require more gear and the two panniers proved the needed capacity. Plus, I can better organize my kit in the two bags versus one pack. Panniers are more convenient to pack, unpack, mount, and dismount. It’s a bit of a hassle clipping and unclipping saddle bags. Panniers come off and go on in seconds. Bungeed down with a pair of ROK straps for extra security, the panniers don’t rattle on rough roads or trails.

Quality of Life on the Road

Comfort is king, especially on the bike. I want to be able to ride the bike all day long day in and day out and am willing to forgo some camping and cooking comforts if I can ride a lighter bike. All of my computing, writing, and image workflow is completed on my iPhone and a Bluetooth keyboard, so I don’t carry a laptop or a tablet. Bivy sacks tend to be confining. So, I use a light backpacking tent. It’s nice to have a retreat from the road, the elements, and biting insects. Comfort on the road means riding in Vibram FiveFingers with flat pedals.

Ready to hop a Chinese bullet train. The Divide is in a bike bag, or as the Japanese say, “Rinko.” The handlebar bag and two panniers connected with a carabiner. I’m wearing the photography backpack with the cameras.

Striking the Right Balance

Finding the right balance between comfort and convenience and traveling as light as possible is the big challenge. Whatever you want to live within the camp is what you have to carry on the road. The majority of the time is spent riding the bike, so traveling as light as possible is a major plus, and it’s a form of comfort too. I’m not laboring over an over-laden bike each day. A lighter bike is easier to ride. I prefer comfort on the bike more than I do off of the bike. Riding a heavy rig becomes burdensome and a downright drag.

Available Budget and Resources

In setting up a rig, we have to operate with our available resources. “Buy once, cry once” is my philosophy. I eventually took the plunge on a higher-end bike, and fortunately, haven’t regretted the decision. My journey began with a decent bike and gear that allowed me to travel, while I saved money until I could afford a bike I really wanted. I was able to sell my other bikes once I got the latest one, which I’m still riding today. If you can, save your money and get what you really want. For me, it was worth the wait. Again, there are more economical options that will do just as good. It’s a personal choice.

Wrapping It Up

With the exception of a few bits and bobs, this is my current setup. The bike, the kit, and load plan give me the capability to go where I want and do pretty much whatever I want. It’s clean and tight. The bike weighs in at around 16-l7 kgs (35-38 lbs). Without food and water, the gear, including camping stuff, runs about 18 kg (40 lbs) or so. The entire rig is light enough I can lift it over a barbed wire fence or carry it up several flights of stairs to a hotel room.

In the end, you have to do what makes the most sense to you. Get a bike and gear that most suits your style and riding conditions. Set it up and load the gear that best fits the way you travel.

On the next post, I’ll follow up with a current build of my Co-Motion Divide. Over the past three years or so, I’ve made a few changes to its original setup to better suit my riding style.

Please comment and share. Let me know what you think. I’d be interested in hearing how you set your rig up for the open road. Please contact me if you have any questions.