The Tour Divide: My Favorite (& Least Favorite) Gear
Reading Time: 8 minutes I may have beaten up my gear worse on the Tour Divide than on any other trip to date (except maybe for my Grand Canyon rafting gear—a month in the Canyon does some severe damage).
Having only completed a few long-distance bikepacking trips before (and never having done one with speed as a priority), I didn’t quite have my kit as dialed as I would have liked. That said, I did a lot of research, riding, and testing of my gear before starting the Tour Divide, and I am quite pleased with the results overall.
Compromises were made in the interest of saving space and shaving weight. However, I also made sure to bring everything I (suspected I) would need if the weather turned terrible or my bicycle needed field repairs.
Here are my favorite and least favorite gear from the Tour Divide.
Katabatic Flex
The Katabatic Flex is an ultralight quilt I kept stuffed into my handlebar roll alongside my shelter. It’s available in various temperature ratings, and wanting to be as lightweight as possible, I opted for the 40°F version in a 6′ size with 900FP ExpeDry Goose Down. It might have been wise for me to get the 30°F version instead, as the beginning of the ride was ludicrously cold and I ended up sleeping in all my clothing, but ultimately the 40°F version worked out and I survived the ride; it was also nice to have when temperatures warmed up in New Mexico at the end.
Assos TACTICA Kieskäfer Gravel Bib Shorts T5
The Assos TACTICA Kieskäfer Gravel Bib Shorts T5 were something I considered for a while before hitting the Tour Divide. It ultimately came down to these or the Rapha Cargo Bib Shorts, but I went with Assos because I found the straps to be more comfortable and the cargo pockets to be more functional. The cargo pockets have small folds at the top, which allow you to ensure whatever you’re storing in there has an extra bit of protection when faced with the possibility of falling out. I brought only one pair of bib shorts for the Tour Divide – a choice I would make again. That said, every night I changed out of them and put on a pair of Merino boxers to sleep in.
Rogue Panda Frame Bag
Rogue Panda is a Flagstaff-based bikepacking company that makes custom bags to fit every style of bike, including my Salsa Cutthroat. Their framebag is hugely customizable and available in various colors, patterns, and configurations. I had the full style bag (as opposed to a half-frame bag), in Ultra 200X fabric, bolt-on attachments all the way around, a double-decker style bag split halfway down (with a horizontal partition in the middle creating two separate pockets, one on top of the other), and a side pocket (I loved this feature). The one thing I might have added was stretch fabric below the zippers, but I managed fine without it.
Garmin Edge Bike Computer
I can’t imagine doing the Tour Divide without my Garmin Edge Bike Computer. It was my guide for the entirety of the route, and rarely did I have to open my phone for additional navigational help. Loaded with the route’s GPS file, this device helped me through climbs, gave me turn-by-turn directions, helped me with all the stats I needed throughout the day, and was easily rechargeable via USB-C—even while I was actively using it. The touch screen worked well and was always easy to read/operate (even in the cold or the rain), and the battery was fantastic as well. Would not recommend taking on the Tour Divide without one of these.
SlingFin SplitWing
I used the SlingFin SplitWing bikepacking the Arizona Trail, and for dozens of other trips, both backpacking and bikepacking. It’s a single-person shelter with a generous footprint that packs down incredibly small. It consists of a mesh interior (almost like a bivy you can sit up in) and a tarp (with an optional footprint and vestibule, which I did not bring). Hikers with trekking poles can use these to set it up, but when bikepacking (or backpacking without poles), I instead use a pair of carbon fiber poles that pack down nicely to stow with the SplitWing. The SplitWing, its poles, and my quilt all fit inside my handlebar roll without issue. On days when. Iwas especially tired, I would just use the mesh body as a footprint to lay on top of or as a bivy (without the poles).
Park Tool I-Beam Mini Tool
I brought a robust repair kit on the Tour Divide, but 99% of the time, whatever I needed to fix or adjust could be accomplished with the Park Tool I-Beam Mini Tool. It lived in my Top Tube Bag most of the time, and it weighs just 3.88 oz / 110 g. It has 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm hex wrenches, an 8 mm hex socket, a Torx T25 wrench, and a flathead screwdriver. I don’t think I’ll ever go on any bike ride again without this tool tucked away somewhere.
Oakley Sutro Sunglasses
I didn’t think I would form such a special bond with my glasses, but I used my Oakley Sutro Sunglasses daily and was very happy with how well they performed. In fact, I brought two pairs – one photochromic and one polarized – and I would bring two pairs again (they’re light but a bit bulky, would probably be my only complaint). They were comfortable, fit my big head, never fell off (even when I crashed), and weren’t difficult to clean. I’m still using them post-Tour Divide as they did not get destroyed on the ride. Honestly, I didn’t want to love these Oakley glasses, but I do.
kLite ULTRA Adventure Lighting System
The kLite ULTRA Adventure Lighting System was and is the first and only dynamo-powered lighting system I’ve used on a bike, and it worked fantastically. I don’t understand how or why anyone would do the Tour Divide without a dynamo hub and light. What’s a dynamo hub? It’s a wheel hub (that part in the middle of your wheel where the axle goes through and where your spokes connect) that produces power as your wheel turns. This can either power a light or be used (in the case of the kLite) to charge a USB device (I suggest charging a battery pack and then using that battery pack to charge another device). If you’re going to set out on the Tour Divide, I highly suggest you invest in a dynamo hub and light.
Least Favorite Tour Divide Gear
Unfortunately, not all the gear I brought with me on the Tour Divide served me as well as the above items.
Here is a list of the gear I never used, broke, or should have left at home.
- Showers Pass Crosspoint Brights Waterproof Socks: I brought waterproof socks because I anticipated being wet a lot and wanted to avoid trench foot, I guess. I never used these and instead kept rotating my Darn Tough socks. Should I have used these? I don’t know. Maybe I should have just brought another pair of Darn Toughs.
- GoPro: I thought I would be taking a lot more photos and videos on the Tour Divide, but it turns out that when you’re actually focused on driving yourself to exhaustion every day, anything more than pulling out your phone and snapping a few photos or recording yourself talking every once in a while isn’t worth the effort. I think I took maybe five photos on my GoPro. Not worth it.
- Ben’s 100 Max Formula Insect Repellent: Bugs were one of the things I was worried about driving me crazy while on the bike, so I brought some DEET with me. How many times did I use my DEET? Zero times. There were a handful of times (one on a particularly terribly-placed hike-a-bike) when the bugs got really bad, but stopping to DEET up was never an option. It was just go, go, go, go. Bugs bothering you? Pedal (or push) faster.
- Body Glide for Her: I brought Body Glide, thinking chafing may be an issue during the ride. Chafe was not the issue; saddle sores were the issue. I should have left the Body Glide at home and brought a massive tube of Chamois Butt’r instead.
- Mack’s Maximum Protection Soft Foam Earplugs: I anticipated ahead of time that I wouldn’t have much trouble sleeping on the Tour Divide, but it turns out the inverse was true; I had trouble staying awake. Earplugs don’t weigh much, and I’m not mad I brought them, but I definitely didn’t need to.
