Justin “Trauma” Lichter has hiked over 40,000 miles and is known for completing the first winter thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. More recently it appears that his focus has turned to bikepacking as he’s teamed up with Justin Kline to release a pair of books, Basic Illustrated Bike Touring and Backing in 2015 and Ultralight Bike Touring and Backpacking in 2016. As someone who has always aspired to bikepacking (particularly the 285-mile Palouse to Cascades Trail) I probably should have started with the basic book but since I already have a rack and pannier system in place I decided to jump right into the ultralight stuff. Of course, the very first thing the book says is that racks and panniers are heavy and outdated – ouch!

The book starts out with the history of bikepacking and then covers trip planning (including an amazing four-page Gantt chart), carrying and packing gear, backcountry skills such as water treatment, repairs, and concludes with some of the author’s favorite trips as well as complete gear lists for various outings. It also has a chapter on competitions (if you’re into the whole months-long bike racing thing) and features several guest columns from various bikepacking celebrities. One of the columns on foraging for food is particularly interesting.

My only complaint about the book is that it assumes some knowledge of bikepacking terminology (“hike-a-bike” etc.) which is never explained but since this is an advanced/ultralight book and not targeted at beginners I think that’s acceptable.

What I Learned

  • Frame-based bags (such as one for the triangular gap in most frames between the pedals and the seat) are the new hotness, replacing crappy rack-and-pannier setups such as the one I’m currently using.
  • Revelate Designs is one of the pioneers of ultralight bikepacking gear.
  • As far as packing, triangular frame bags are good for snacks, first aid, and repairs. Cylindrical handlebar bags such as the Revelate Designs Harness are great for your shelter and sleep system whereas often-used items should go in handlebar bags which sit on top of or behind the handlebars.
  • You can put gear cages such as the Salsa Anything Cage HD on your front fork. I would never have imagined.
  • They mention yellow HEET as a superior stove fuel to denatured alcohol because it’s cheaper and burns more cleanly. Sadly, my Kojin stove is only designed to be used with denatured alcohol.
  • Outside of the USA alcohol stove fuel is commonly available as purple window cleaning fluid. Example: Rustins methylated spirits.
  • Keeping your alcohol in a soft-sided bottle allows you to reduce volume as you consume fuel. Obvious, but I like my semi-rigid Vargo alcohol fuel bottle because it’s graduated – if I had a soft bottle I’d likely have to get a measuring cup as well.
  • A leather saddle (seat) has excellent breathability and molds to your body and is considered to be superior for long-distance bikepacking.
  • “Chamois” is the word for padded bike shorts. These are a necessity.
  • A wind jacket (such as my Massdrop Veil) is fantastic insulation for cold weather and downhills.
  • A tire boot is like a patch for your tire sidewall. Although I’ve taken several bike repair courses I don’t believe this product was ever mentioned.
  • One of Justin’s favorite snacks is Nutella and potato chips wrapped up in a tortilla. To each their own.
  • By their estimation an ultralight bivy paired with a quilt setup adds about 5-10F of warmth.
  • In the first aid section they mention that an empty zipper bag can be used to ice injuries by filling it with ice, snow, or cold water. This had not occurred to me. It can also be used as an occlusive dressing.
  • This last one is my favorite. When the sun is low on the horizon you can estimate the amount of daylight remaining using only your hand. All you need to do is cover the sun with your thumb, palm facing you. Every finger above the horizon is approximately 10-15 minutes of daylight.

I also learned the format for mailing things to a post office for pickup aka General Delivery:

Your name
General Delivery
City, State, Zip Code
ETA: XX/XX/XXXX

Final Word

I’m not an experienced bikepacker so I’m taking a lot of this advice on faith but Ultralight Bike Touring and Backpacking has given me a laundry list of ideas and techniques for lightening my current setup, including several leads on bikepacking-specific companies and products that I had no idea even existed. If the net result is that I can drop several pounds from my frame by replacing my current outdated storage system then it will have been a worthwhile investment.

($11.51)