The White Rim is a bucket-list bikepacking trip. However, most don’t usually tackle it fully self-supported over 3-days. It’s common to see people take support vehicles along for the ride, or cheer on the overachievers as they knock out the 100 miles in a day. We weren’t going to have a support vehicle carrying our water, giving us a reprieve from the heat, or even carting around ingredients for delicious meals each night. It was just going to be us and the desert.

The exposure and the heat make it difficult to take everything you need for 3 days, but we were excited for the challenge, and confident in our abilities to at least try. Coming out the other side, we learned a lot about ourselves and bikepacking…and a cold drink never tasted better.

The process of prepping for a first bike packing trip (and actually executing it successfully) will teach you a lot. I’m here to share everything I learned with you in this comprehensive guide so you can go into your first bikepacking adventure prepared, proactive, and pretty stoked. In this guide you’ll find information on:

• Choosing the Right Bike
• Bikepacking Equipment
• Trip Planning Considerations
• Packing Your Bike
• Important Learnings
• Bikepacking Packing List

Going into this trip, I had a vision in my mind that my rig of choice would be my mountain bike, a brand-new Juliana that I’d gotten at the end of last season. I was super comfortable riding it, it was light, yet it felt burley enough to tackle anything that the trail would throw at us. Sadly, as I came to learn, carbon frame is not the most ideal for a bikepacking trip.

With temps looking to push 100° each day, we knew we would need to bring a lot (A LOT) of water, so a carbon frame was not going to cut it. The amount of weight we were looking to pack on our bikes for 3 days and 100 miles in the desert was not going to play nice with a carbon frame. Plus, it had the potential to mess up my suspension if not adjusted correctly. It was a mess of problems I simply was not prepared to tackle, so I excitedly set my sights on a new bike instead. 

Thus began the hunt for the perfect bikepacking bike. The ideal bike had to be burley enough to tackle desert sand traps and some techy terrain, while still being fun and sturdy on a downhill jaunt, and one that could ensure all of the gear would be attached. Oh…and it couldn’t break the bank. I hadn’t planned for a new bike this season, but came to accept it was necessary for this trip. 

Some considerations that were kept front of mind when looking for the perfect bike were the frame material, frame mounts, a dropout eyelet, and reliable (but affordable) components.

• Frame Material- When looking for a bikepacking bike, I set my sights on a steel frame, which would allow the bike to be durable enough to confidently strap weight to it without worrying about bending from the weight being strapped to it. Steel is a great choice for a first bikepacking bike particularly because of its durability, as well as its ability to be easily repaired. Plus, it’s generally a more affordable option when it comes to bike frames.
• Frame Mounts- An important factor for this bike were the inclusion of frame mounts. These are something you might have never noticed on a bike until you actually look for them. These mounts are small screws and washers on the frame that allow you to attach things like extra water bottle holders and frame bags to your bike, ultimately allowing you to customize your gear setup and carry what you need. The bike I chose had frame mounts across the frame, on the front fork, and the back, allowing me to attach extra equipment and carry the right amount of gear for 3 days.
• Dropout Eyelet- Another key feature needed on this bike was a separate dropout eyelet by where the bike’s rear thru axel sits. This extra eyelet that is typically not found on traditional mountain bikes and many road bikes allows you to easily attach a rear rack, which acts as an additional attachment for saddle bags and other gear you’re looking to carry.
• Components- Components can be tricky, because they can drive the price of a bike up exponentially, but they also make a huge difference in riding and reliability. It really comes down to what’s important to you on your trip and in your bike. Smoothness and reliability were important factors for me, but I also didn’t want to break the bank. I was willing to pay a little bit more for slightly better performance, and to make sure my derailleur didn’t fail on me 50 miles into the desert, but was willing to sacrifice the best of the best to stay within budget.

Ultimately, after scouring Marketplace and numerous gear shops around the Salt Lake Valley, I ended up getting a Kona Dr. Dew. This steel bike had all of the requirements I was looking for while landing in my ideal price range of around $1k. Additionally, I felt comfortable with this bike as an around-the-town cruiser once the trip was done just in case I didn’t end up liking bike packing (which, spoiler alert, I now love).

Like any bike, what you choose should fit your riding style comfortably. Everyone’s needs are different and it’s up to you to decide what factors will be most important to you on your trip.

If you’re a clinical overpacker like myself, you might want to think again when you start planning out how and what you’ll be packing on your trip. The more you pack, the harder it will be to pedal, especially on the uphills. So planning your equipment setup is essential in knowing how much you can and will be able to pack.

Route planning: Set aside a good chunk of time to plan out your routes, mileage, campsites, permitting, and start/finish lines. Each piece is going to be essential in making sure you trip goes smoothly. For our trip, planning out our campsites and applying for permits as soon as they opened was a necessity as campsites were few and permits went quickly once they opened.

Once you know where you’re looking to get on each day, you can go about planning out your mileage and elevation. This doesn’t matter to some people, but we really liked knowing what was ahead of us each day.

Meal Planning: Knowing this information can also help you plan out your meals for each day. If your daily mileage is more than you’re used to riding, maybe bring some extra food to stay fueled. If there’s a pretty flat day, maybe you might eat less. But staying fueled is key! We decided on freeze-dried meals with high calories as they were lighter and more compact.

Prepare for the Unexpected: All of this said, be prepared that not everything is going to go smoothly, even with the most precise planning. One of our least favorite but most memorable moments from our trip came as we were rounding out Day 1. Two in our group were tracking mileage, one with a bike computer, and after 25 miles were coming up on our final 5 miles of the day (allegidly). It was a steamy trudge, stopping every so often for shade and reprieve from the sun, and when we hit the end of those 5 miles where our campsite should have been…there was no campsite. We had misread the GPS and still had another 7 miles to go.

In the spirit of You Don’t Have a Choice, we continued on, with our friend mumbling under her breath “you and your stupid computer”. 

Some helpful tips:

• Plan out Strava segments to view mileage and follow your trip
• Buy a physical map (just in case!)
• Plan out the types of meals you’re bringing plus their weight implications
• Be prepared for any hiccups
• Lay out a training plan a head of time
• Know it’s going to be hot? Plan to start your days early.

Ensure that you explore all necessary permits and processes before you set out on your own trip!

Another fun, custom element of bike packing is getting to pack your bike. While much of this is based on personal preference, there are some similar philosophies to bike packing and backpacking.

Weight: Weight will be one of the main considerations when you’re deciding which gear to take. Because everything will be attached to your bike, it will affect your efficiency depending on your fitness level, how long you’ll be pedaling for, and the elevation gains on your ride. If you pack too much, the riding will be tougher. However, as you run through things such as water and food, the load will become lighter.

Gear Placement: In terms of where your gear will go, make sure the items you’ll need while you’re riding accessible, and keep heavier items and the things you won’t need until camp within the frame and saddle bags. Housing items such things as a map, your phone, and extra snacks in a handlebar bag keeps these items right at your fingertips if you need them.

Take time about a week or two before to practice pack! A practice pack is valuable to make sure everything attaches properly, and to test if all of your water, food, clothes, and camping supplies will fit. Taking time in your driveway or garage figuring out where items fit best and in what pack will help eliminate any chances of you figuring out that everything won’t fit right while you’re at the trailhead. For instance, I discovered that my waterproof saddle bags wouldn’t fit on my rear frame with Trunkbag on top, so I knew I’d have to fit everything within the slightly smaller saddle bags that were integrated into the Trunkbag. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than getting to the trailhead to find out what I had originally planned actually wouldn’t work…like at all.