Going camping has various levels of difficulty and comfort. On the easy end is of course RV camping. You basically bring a house with you. Then there is car camping where you can bring lots of extras. Boat or canoe camping where you can pack a lot of gear and let the water take the weight. Backpacking where you can put a ton of gear into a big backpack which you will then have to carry. Road bicycle camping where you have to consider all the weight and bulk so you can still pedal down the road but you can attach a trailer to carry more gear. And then there is mountain bike camping. Where you will be off-road so have to consider the weight and bulk of everything you take with you on off-road trails. Those who mountain bike extensively know, weight matters.

Mountain bike camping requires special gear or minimalist packing to keep the weight down and allow for stability while riding. There are three main areas on a mountain bike to pack your gear. Under the front handlebars, under the seat, and a diamond pack in the triangle of the bike frame. Also water bottles and bicycle pumps can be stored here. Everything you bring needs to fit into these three areas if you are to be able to handle some rougher terrain. You can also wear a small backpack or a water camelback to extend your available storage space.

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Biking gear.

Helmet, mountain bike, bike packs, and lights (tail light if you are going to be on active roads, headlamp with adjustable band so you can put it on your helmet or your head while camping, extra batteries).

Bike repair kit and tools.

Extra tire tubes, patch kit, bike pump, tire levers, and a multi-tool. Make sure you can repair any normal problem. It won’t be fun hiking your bike out if it breaks and you can’t fix it.

Food and water.

Trail mix, dehydrated foods, energy bars, fruits and veggies, trail-packed foods, and MREs (Meal Ready To Eat). You will need to be smart about food since you need energy but have to consider weight. MREs are military meals intended for soldiers in combat. They are referred to as calorie kits since they pack 5000 calories each. These are self-contained full meals and do not require a stove. Perfect lightweight meals for active bikers. Also if you select foods that don’t require cooking you can forgo the camp stove and fuel since you won’t have to cook anything. Fruit and vegetables are often overlooked but are perfect travel foods. They often come already packaged in their natural form. Apples, carrots, and bananas are perfect trail foods. You can bury the organic remains and not worry about littering as mother nature will take care of it. Water is heavy but you don’t want to run out. Better to have more than you need. You will want an easily accessible bottle for while you are riding and a larger supply packed in your things. Camelback backpacks are a good way to store a lot and have it accessible through the drinking tube as well as have extra space for other things.

Sleeping gear.

Sleeping bag, padding. It is amazing how small sleeping bags can get. They tuck into a tiny bag no larger than a soda can. The padding however isn’t nearly as compressible. This is a good thing to store under your seat.

Weather gear.

Poncho, tarp, and layers if colder weather is a possibility. If you bring layers you can pack a lot of weather gear in a small space. A poncho can serve as all-around wet weather protection. A tarp can be good to serve as a tent to keep the wet off while you sleep. If you like you can find a large poncho that will also serve as a tarp. You can bring a tent but for mountain bike camping but that’s probably overkill.

Cooking gear.

Camping stove, fuel, matches or lighter, cooking kit, pocket knife, spoon, fork. As mentioned earlier if you bring foods that won’t require heating you can skip the stove and fuel to save on weight and space. You should still bring matches or a lighter though in case you need to start a fire. If you bring MREs or some other complete meal system you won’t need cooking kits to eat from either. But a drinking cup is good if you have to rehydrate anything.

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Navigation equipment and maps.

Cell phone, maps, compass. In case you can’t get a signal you will need to bring old-school navigation items. If you aren’t certain of cell coverage you should bring up maps on your phone before you get there so they are saved in your phone’s memory. Solar charging system or extra battery power for your phone. Map and compass so if your tech fails you aren’t completely screwed.

Hygiene supplies.

Soap, washcloth, toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper, sunscreen, wipes, insect repellant, and lip balm. You don’t need to bring a ton of this stuff. Just what you think you’ll need for the duration of your trip. Don’t pack a whole roll of toilet paper.

First Aid.

Bandaids, antiseptic (Neosporin), aspirin, blister kit (moleskin). If you are in a tick area you may want to bring tick remover forks. Tweezers work but aren’t as good. If there are poisonous snakes you may consider a snake bite kit.

These are the basics. You will want to tailor the list to your needs and how much you want to huff with you. Balance comfort, need, and weight.

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