What to Bring Mountain Biking – The Mountain Bike Field Pack

Packing the right gear, snacks, and tools can be the difference between a fun day out on the trails and a grueling walk back to the rig, or worse, a trip to the emergency room. Gearing up for a ride depends on several factors like the trail and the weather. When biking long distances into the backcountry, your mountain bike packing list will look a lot different than a day at the local bike park. Regardless of the ride length though, there are a handful of essentials that should come with you every time you hop on your mountain bike.

Mountain Bike Gear & Tools

One of the best parts of mountain biking is the sheer distance that you can cover in a single ride. While technology has come a long way in making this easier and more fun, bikes are still complicated machines that can breakdown and leave you stranded on the trail. Unless you have the tools to repair your bike yourself, you could be facing a long walk out, and that is certainly not fun. There are several pieces of gear, and tools, that are essential to have with you on a mountain bike ride in the event of any issues.

1. Helmet: Protecting your head is a no-brainer. Every mountain biker should wear a properly fitting helmet. A helmet is the very first bike accessory you should be thinking about every time you leave the house.
2. Spare Tubes and a Patch Kit: Flat tires are the most common mechanical failure on mountain bikes. Having a spare tube is essential to keeping you riding, and not hiking. Even if your mountain bike is set up with tubeless tires it is a good idea to carry a spare tube on longer rides as a backup.
3. Bike Pump or CO2 Inflator: To fix your flat tire, you need something to inflate your spare tube. This is why a small handheld bike pump, or a CO2 inflator is the next must-have on our list.
4. Tool Kit: A basic tool kit should have at least the following, tire levers, a bike-specific multitool, a few links of chain, a quicklink/masterlink, and zip-ties. Riders going on longer mountain bike rides might want to carry additional tools and spare parts like an extra derailleur hanger and spare shifter cable. (Pro Tip: wrap a few inches of duct tape around your tire levers since, you know, it can fix pretty much everything.)
5. First Aid: Everyone takes a digger sooner or later, it is just the nature of the beast. That’s why having a small first aid kit or a few bandaids is a good idea, in the event that you or one of the crew are the ones that need a patching up.
6. Backpack, Fanny Pack, or Frame Bag: Once you’ve collected all of these goodies, you’ll need some way to carry them with you on your rides. The backpack is the tried and true method, we recommend a bike-specific pack as it will be low profile and built to distribute weight better for mountain biking. Some riders prefer a fanny pack style hip bag, or a saddlebag due to their greater mobility.
   

   Snacks & Hydration:

   Mountain biking is hard work, it’s important to keep your body fuelled up and hydrated so you can stay on the trails and have the best time possible. Start your day off with good pre-ride hydration and give yourself a head start with a good carbohydrate and protein rich meal. Don’t eat too much though or you may feel bloated and sick on your bike. Since hydration is so important ensuring you have proper water storage is paramount. From regular hydration packs to fanny packs to on-frame bottle cages, there are a number of ways to carry that sweet life juice.

   In your pack it is best to have some mid-ride consumables to keep you riding at full speed all the way back to the parking lot. Nothing too fancy here, just something light and sugary. Some fan favorites around evo are Sour Patch Kids, apple slices, almond/peanut butter packets or the trusty granola bar.