Tour Divide Gear Breakdown

When I was preparing for the Tour Divide on my first attempt in 2022, I was a complete newcomer to the sport. I did not know anyone else involved in the sport that first year and had no one to bounce ideas and questions off of. Since that first year I have quite a few seasoned bikepacker friends and bikepacking has only grown in popularity, there more videos and lists to be found than back then but I felt it was good to document this all the same.

The gear below is being used on our 2026 Tour Divide. It seems like a lot at times and not enough at others. It's similar to what I have brought in the past and has kept me safe and comfortable enough.

Ashley's Bike

BIKE: I will be riding northbound on a custom steel Woodpecker Cycle Co. frame, handbuilt by Daren Beenen for off-road touring and long days on the Divide. The frame has the fit, stability, frame space, and cockpit flexibility needed for a fully loaded bikepacking setup. The build uses a 30T chainring with a 10-51T Garbaruk cassette, carbon DT Swiss XRC 1501 wheels, a RockShox SID SL fork, Reform saddle, Salsa Rustler flat bars, and Profile Design aerobars.

BAGS: Paper Roads custom frame bag, Cyclite front aero bag, Apidura top tube bag, Revelate Feedbags x2, and a Mountain Laurel Designs rear bag mounted on a Tumbleweed rack.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: The cockpit has several custom prototype parts, including an aero bottle holder, Nitecore light mount, and Wahoo mount. These were designed specifically to keep the cockpit clean, space-efficient, and easy to use over long days.

GPS DEVICE: Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3, with iPhone running RidewithGPS.

Richard's Bike

BIKE: I will be riding a 2024 Trek Supercaliber - Shimano XT Spec. Profile Design aerobars. 30T chainring with a 10-51T cassette.

BAGS: Paper Roads custom frame bag, Cyclite front aero bag, Apidura top tube bag, Revelate Feedbags x2, Tailfin CargoPack 18L.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I made several custom prototype cockpit parts for this setup, including an aero bottle holder, Nitecore light mount, and Wahoo mount. They were designed to keep the cockpit clean, space-efficient, and easy to use with aerobars, lights, bottles, and navigation all competing for space.

GPS DEVICE: Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3, with iPhone running RidewithGPS.

Clothing

Head, Face & Visibility

• Beanie — Smartwool thin wool beanie
• Helmet — Giro Eclipse Pro Spherical — aero, with a good Virginia Tech safety rating
• Cycling cap — Café Du Cyclist — must have to look cool
• Transition sunglasses — Tifosi Fotech
• Buff — thin wool
• High-vis vest — Amazon special — being as safe as possible

Jerseys & Shirts

• Wool short sleeve jersey — 7mesh — adds warmth even when soaking wet
• Light-colored short sleeve jersey — Cadence Cycling Jersey — for the hot New Mexico sun
• Short sleeve shirt — TBD — spare shirt for laundry days

Warm Layers

• Puffy jacket — Patagonia
• Insulated vest — POC — weighs nothing and adds a ton of warmth; new favorite layer
• Arm warmers — Pearl Izumi
• Leggings — 7Mesh — great layer; mild compression helps with leg swelling

Rain & Weather Protection

• Rain jacket — Men’s Syncline CC Jacket — hood fits over or under helmet; pit vents; baggy fit but works
• Rain pants — Mountain Hardwear — longtime pair with added velcro to wrap excess fabric around legs
• Sun sleeves — Outdoor Research — less sunscreen, plus an aero bonus for Chewbacca arms

Gloves

• Fingerless gloves — Giro
• Knit gloves — Showers Pass Crosspoint — compact and good in light rain
• Waterproof gloves — Showa Temres blue gloves — commercial fishing gloves for truly bad conditions

Shorts, Bibs & Socks

• Cycling bibs x2 — POC Cadence — two bibs are a must; ask me how I know
• Running shorts — Nike — nice for getting out of bike gear at the end of the day
• Bike socks x3 — Silca / Darn Tough Wool

Footwear

• Bike shoes — Giro Gauge
• Shoe covers — Velotoze
• Sandals — foam sandals

Tools, Repairs & Small Spares

Bags & General Carry

• Voile straps for bags x2 each
• Plastic bags x2
• Cash for remote areas
• Spare velcro strapping
• Zip ties stored in aerobars
• Duct tape
• Fabric patches - Sleeping Pad, Tenacious Gear Tape

Bike-Specific Spares

• Derailleur hanger
• Spare shifter cable and crimps
• Spare M5 12mm bolts for bags etc
• Spare frame slider bolt
• Spare bolt for cleats x4
• Spare cleat
• Spare brake pads x2
• Spare chain links
• Reusable Quick Links

Tire & Wheel Repair

• 2 Tire levers
• Spare sealant
• Puncture kit — patches and bacon strips
• Spare tubes x2 — butyl and TPU
• Tire pumps x2 — electric for setting exact pressure, manual backup
• Fiber Spoke emergency kit
• Spoke key — part of multi tool

Chain & Drivetrain Maintenance

• Chain lube - Silca Synergetic
• Microfiber towel in ziploc
• Toothbrush for cleaning chain

Adhesives & Assembly

• Super glue
• Loctite
• Carbon paste

Tools

• Leatherman Squirt PS4 - small plier, knife, file
• Crankbrothers M19 - multi-tool, spoke keys, chainbreaker, etc
• Pliers - Knipex 86 04 100
• Wolftooth Masterlink Pliers

Sleepkit

• Tent - Six Moons Design Lunar Solo Backpacking Tent - This only weighs 740grams! It's a single wall tent so condendation will build up but its much more comfortable than a bivy. Small weight, volume, and set up time penalty but we aren't racing.
• Sleeping Bag - Big Agnes stored in an ultrasil bag.
• Sleeping Pad - Marmot Micron Down 40 Degree Bag