Bikepacking Packlist Ideas

My packlist for bikepacking trips in Oaxaca.

Packlists are very much ‘each to their own’. Now that I’m familiar with Oaxaca – its variable weather and its various challenges – this is the list that works for me, be it a few nights away or a week or more. Give or take personal preferences, it would likely work for anyone considering one of the routes we’ve been posting to Bikepacking.com, like the San Jose del Pacifico Grand Dirt Tour.

Different strokes for different folks. Full frame bag, partial frame bag, and panniers.

GENERAL STUFF

  • Bags: A bikepacking-style setup works great, but a couple of small panniers will do just the job nicely too. Only carry what you really need and your legs will thank you (and me) later.
  • Stove: Given that tasty, affordable food is easy to find in Oaxaca, it’s relatively easy to ditch the stove if you prefer to travel light and you’re not hooked on coffee. My stove, a Trangia, uses denatured alcohol, which is easily sourced in bulk in Oaxaca City. Ask for alcohol industrial in a hardware store, where it’s often available to buy in bulk (approx 40 pesos per litre) . Or, you can find alcohol pura (typically sugar cane, 96% alcohol) in pharmacies and general stores, but it’s more expensive. You can buy compressed camping gas bottles too – the shop is called La Gran Montaña and it’s on Miguel Hidalgo.
  • Take-aways: We often pick up takeaway tacos or a torta for dinner – hence the reusable containers in the packlist. A Stasher bag is ideal as it’s good with hot food, but a few stout Ziplocks also work well.
  • Food: We like to carry fresh produce, fruit, a loaf of sourdough, a bag of totopos, or a flask of mezcal, so the setup I run intended to expand and contract, for the finer things in life.
  • Granola: On the subject of food… it’s hard to beat a visit to Boulenc bakery on your way out, to load up with tasty treats for the first couple of days. Their homemade granola is excellent.
  • Water capacity: I can get by on about 3-4 litres of water between reliable refills. If in doubt bring a foldaway water bladder too. Dry season? Add water-carrying capacity and subtract waterproofs.
  • Clean water: I don’t carry a water filter as I know most of the springs that are local to me, and I have a stomach tuned to Oaxaca living. But it’s probably a good idea to pack one.
  • Garrafones: On the subject of water, we also fill up at restaurants and offer a few extra pesos, or drink tap water in areas where locals say it’s fine to do so. Otherwise (and especially when riding in company), spend 20-ish pesos ($1) on a 20l sealed water jug (called a garrafon) available in many grocery stores, filling up your bottles/drinking to your heart’s content. Then return the jug to be re-used. Explain what you’ll be doing to the shopkeeper in advance, and you won’t get charged for the jug itself.
  • Rainproofs: Rainy season? Add extra waterproofs and subtract some water capacity. Make sure all your important gear is fully waterproofed. It’s often possible to find a shelter to weather the worst of a storm but if you get caught out, you’ll be drenched in moments.
  • Dusty dust and Rainy rain: Bring more lube than you think you’ll need. In the dry season, it can be dusty. And in the rainy season, bikes get wet overnight. Some kind of tarp to throw over your chain could be a good idea.
  • Mud: On the subject of the rainy season, some of the lesser travelled roads in the Mitla valley can become muddy immediately after rainfall, so reroute onto compacted gravel roads. Luckily, it’s only in isolated places and the roads dry out within a couple of hours.
  • Things that bite: There are mosquitos, black flies, and occasionally poison ivy, so having some Benadryl if you’re sensitive to any of these can be useful. Watch out for scorpions and brown recluses, too.
  • Sleeping bag rating: Although there are occasional frosts, the temperatures themselves don’t change all that much, so I find a 40f/5c bag is sufficient all year round, especially teamed with extra layers.
  • Sandals: I ride almost exclusively in sandals and recommend them highly for bikepacking in Oaxaca – my favourites are Bedrocks. Otherwise, it’s nice to have some crocs or flip-flops for around camp, as it can be warm and humid at lower elevations.

MY PACKLIST

Sleeping
  • Tarptent Double Rainbow Lithium (black flies/mosquitos can be an issue and we spotted brown recluses too, so an enclosed setup is recommended)
  • Exped sleeping mat
  • Foam sit mat
  • Big Agnes Fussell (40f/5c) quilt
  • Silk liner
Kitchen
  • Trangia alcohol burner
  • Clikstand ti support
  • 900ml ti Evernew pot
  • 300ml bottle of alcohol/meths (bigger bottle for longer trips, alcohol can be purchased by volume in Oaxaca City, see map for details)
  • GSI coffee filter
  • Spoon/spork
  • Opinel no 10 knife
  • Small Bic lighter
  • Small vial of sea salt (for avocados!)
  • Stasher silicone bag or stout zip-locks (sandwich size, for leftovers and low waste touring)
  • 2 x 1.5L Nalgene bottles or 3L Hydrapak 3L silicon water bladder
  • 650ml water bottle
Clothes + riding gear
  • Riding shorts (Outdoor Research Ferrosi are light and dry quickly)
  • Riding T-shirt
  • Long sleeve sunshirt (especially in the dry season)
  • Fast-wicking boxer shorts
  • Lightweight running shorts (around camp or if my riding shorts are soaked)
  • Riding socks
  • Riding mitts
  • Patagonia Houdini (windproof)
  • Patagonia Nanopuff
  • Thin thermal leggings
  • Rain poncho and/or lightweight waterproof jacket
  • Helmet
  • Baseball cap (under helmet, as it’s so sunny)
  • Bedrock sandals, or mtb shoes if riding bigger and burlier trails
  • Crocs (for camp, if I’m riding in mtb shoes)
Electronics
  • Fuji X100V + 2 batteries
  • Phone 7 Plus (Gaia GPS/Mapout nagivation apps)
  • Quad Lock mount
  • Anker USB-C 10,000 mah cache battery (QI fast charging)
  • Anker QI USB charger (2 ports)
  • Various USB cables
  • JBL Clip 3 speaker (music + podcasts)
  • Earbud headphones
  • Wahoo Roam (+ RWGPS Premium account)
  • Petzl USB-charged headtorch
Sundries
  • Basic gear repair kit (sewing/patches/glue etc)
  • Passport/ID + money purse (paperwork backed up to the cloud)
  • Small Moleskin journal
  • Sunglasses
  • Washbag (t-brush, small refillable toothpaste, eye drops for dusty roads, face oil, nail clippers, Dr Bronner, eye mask, ear plugs for noisy hotels/dogs barking)
  • Toolkit, including tyre plugs if running tubeless
  • Basic medical kit
  • Pump
  • 1 x inner tube
  • Multi-tool
  • Lube and rag

BAGS

I run a Tailfin AeroPack, with easy-to-access Nalgene 1.4L water bottles on either side. My Buckhorn custom framebag holds the rest of my gear. One drinking bottle sits in a stem bag where it’s quick to access and stays clean. Another takes charge of my snacks – sometimes I run a top tube bag for additional treats.

For occasions where I’m trying to go light (singletrack-heavy routes), I carry my tent, wrapped in a sit mat, on my handlebars, using a G-Funk handlebar mount. Otherwise I use a roomy Goldback Medium, by BXB Bags.

I like to use a dropper post for both burly singletrack routes and dirt road riding too. I carry my camera in a Dos Erre Hip Bag or a Rockgeist Big Dumpling.

Tailfin AeroPack with 2 easy to fill Nalgene 1.5L bottles. Custom framebag by Buckhorn. And G-Funk mounts for the tent, though I also run a BXB Goldback bag when I need a bit more room.

Comments (6):

  1. Jack

    28 December 2021 at 3:41 pm

    Thanks for putting this together, Cass! Am heading to Oaxaca in late February and your notes are giving me a lot to be excited about. Any chance you’ll be about?

    Reply
    • Cass

      12 August 2022 at 4:42 pm

      Hi Jack,

      Apologies for the delay! This site gets so many spam comments that I forget to check it for real ones!

      I expect you’ve been and gone. I hope you had a good time. If I’m around, I’m always up for an early morning ride!

      Reply
  2. Moe Nadeau

    25 October 2022 at 12:42 am

    Hi Cass!

    Thanks for the informative route. My partner and I are on our way to Mexico after riding the divide. We are starting on the southern Baja and intending to get to Oaxaca and try to rent there! We hope to see you out and about and get to know the bikepacking community :).

    Cheers,
    Moe

    Reply
    • Cass

      25 October 2022 at 4:26 am

      Hi Moe,

      If I’m around, I’m always very happy to meet up for a local ride or a campout! Have a great time in Baja and the mainland.

      Reply
  3. Stephan Raczak

    5 November 2022 at 7:21 pm

    Hi Cass,
    just getting super excited by your travel reports in Oaxaca.
    I will be coming in this coming January via Puerto Rico and Mexico City.
    Do you know if https://www.oaxacamtb.org/wp/ or any other bike places in Oaxaca offer high quality mountain/gravel bikes. I don’t bring mine on all the previous flights. Cheers 🙂

    Reply

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