I’m getting more & more into bikepacking & still trying to perfect my packing…being lightweight, but also comfortable enough. I’m still trying to find the balance between minimalism for ease of weight while biking, & comfortability when stopped & settled at a campsite. I am wondering what your must-have items are on tour to add that extra bit of comfort. Even when “roughing it” I really love being comfy!!
For example, something I didn’t know existed until recently was an inflatable pillow & also…sleep mat (I was camping directly on the cold hard ground for the majority of my life, what a game changer that discovery was!!) I’ve also learned what a difference an extra pair of shoes can make even though they take up space.
I also can’t bikepack (or travel in general tbh) without a special pillow from my childhood…thankfully it’s down & so it’s easily compressible! Does anyone else have something similar they bring for more mental/emotional comfort on their tours?
I take a poncho tarp. I use it to cover my bike at night. If it rains, I can stop, sit down somewhere with the poncho protecting me while I sit on my camp chair. I can pull it up over my head and watch videos on my phone while it rains. I can tie it up in a tree over the entrance to my tent in rainy weather. I can tie it up as a sunshade to a fence, pole, table, wall, tree or whatever.
I think the best thing about it is if it starts raining hard, I find a park bench or something to sit on, put the poncho tarp on, and just sit and wait it out, fully protected, only a little damp from spash. Getting caught in the rain with no protection sucks, and the poncho tarp solves that problem.