Is Electric Bikepacking Is The New Black? - Chapter 1

Ebikes have finally started to catch on with North Americans in the last couple of years and people are starting to use them for all manner of reasons. Electric mountain bikes are a thing. Electric city commuter bikes are a thing. Electric cargo bikes are definitely a thing. But electric touring bikes? Are they a thing?

They are indeed a thing, and we believe they are poised to propel more people into bigger/longer adventures as more and more companies design bikes with bigger batteries and faster chargers.

Planning Your First Bike Overnight

"Thinking about something is often far more daunting than actually doing the thing"

Planning your first bike touring trip or bike-overnight can seem like a daunting affair - especially if you're not used to camping. But with some careful planning, route selection, not biting off too big a challenge your first time out, and the right mix of gear, it can open the door to a great experience and whet your whistle to do more trips, longer trips, and more adventurous (remote) adventures.

Rodebud Rambler 2018

Connor, Mr. Pillows, and Chris overlooking the Rosebud River Valley

In the never ending quest to ride in new places the 3 of us set off on a mostly-gravel bike overnight to the Canadian Badlands, destination Drumheller, Alberta. Our route was based around avoiding pavement as much as we could and would take us through Rockyford, Rosebud, Wayne, and eventually to the giant dinosaur in"Drum".

Day 1 Strava
Day 2 Strava 

Swift Campout 2018

For the last 4 years, Swift Industries - bag makers extraordinaire - have been hosting their free-form "Swift Campout" bike camping weekend right around the Summer Solstice to help inspire folks around the world to gather their friends together and get outside for the weekend. This year, we were finally able to pull together a trip and 12 brave adventurers joined us for our an weekend of pedaling and camping.

Day 1 Strava
Day 2 Strava

We hope this little adventure inspires you to go bike touring, bike packing, or even tackle a day trip you've been thinking about. Enjoy!

Comes With Baggage Movie

Bikepacking The Bitterroot Loop 2.0

Last year, I rode the Bitterroot Loop solo and upon my return, my brother was intrigued by the adventure and decided we wanted to give it a go too. So, here we are again.

The only change from last year to now was we decided to go a few weeks earlier to make sure we could traverse through the Taft Tunnel (it closes at the end of September) and avoid the beginning of hunting season in the area. Avoiding going up and over the tunnel was also on the agenda as that fireroad climb is brutal (mostly a hike-a-bike actually).

Please enjoy our little photo essay and leave us a comment if you have any questions.

Bikepacking the Powderface Trail

Friend: Hey! I was looking at the map and it looks like a 2-day/1-night bikeovernight from Calgary along the Powderface Trail and back again would be fun.

Me: Whoa. Ya. Could be fun. In between the crazy elevation gains and complete lack of services for 100+kms.

Friend: Exactly!

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Fast forward a couple of years and we finally rode it. Starting at the shop, we headed out during a very hot afternoon with a light breeze pushing us towards the mountains. Our route would take us:

Calgary -> Bragg Creek
Bragg Creek -> West Bragg Creek trails -> Station Flats
Station Flats -> Rainy Pass
Rainy Pass -> Powderface Trail
Powderface Trail -> Sibbald Area
Sibbald -> Calgary