What kit to pack for the Headstock 200

Striking the balance of fast & light (i.e. dangerous and unprepared) and slow & clunky (i.e. excuse to pack your fears and the aeropress) is a challenge.

It's taken me a few years to learn not just to download the packing list from <insert bikepacking legend> and copy them - adding a few extras so I don't feel completely unsafe. But its very tempting because outsourcing this type of important decision making to someone with a solid set of cycling palmares seems a clever idea - if they managed to win <insert bikepacking race> sleeping on a rolled up pizza box, then it'll be fine for me too!

It wont, I know from experience.

My experience? My first bikepacking race - a 2000km, rainy slugfest across the UK, I consulted the oracle of bikepacking.com and the Tour Divide packing list of none other than Lael Wilcox. She managed to get through the race using a Western Mountaineering prototype HotSac VBL (used as an emergency bivvy in combination with some down clothing and NO SLEEPING BAG) so I assumed I should take an ultra lightweight bivvy and no sleeping bag too! 1 week of crawling into my bivvy damp from a rainy day & shivering through the night saw me scratch from the event having learnt a valuable lesson.

UK in August bringing all the rain!

A nights shelter from the rain in a YHA is a luxury if you don't pack well!

All this said, here is what I'm taking on the Headstock 200, All Mountain Adventures event on the 3rd May. I think this strikes a good balance for all eventualities, without going overboard. The theory with the sleep kit is, pack good kit, because weight doesn't really slow you down much and getting a good, warm, kip makes it actually worth the stop.

Top Tube Bag

• Snacks (Flapjacks & Mentos!)

• Phone

• Tracker

• Dynaplug

• Credit card & cash

• 10,000 mAh battery pack & cable

• Caffeine & hydration tabs

• Emergency gel!

Frame Bag

• Arm & leg warmers

• Warm gloves

• Buff

• Skull cap

• Tailfin straps

• Spare tube

• First aid kit & emergency foil blanket

Frame Bottle

• Lezyne mini pump

• Tyre lever

• Tyre & tube patches

• Needle & thread

• 2 x brake pads

• Zip ties

• Multi tool

• Super glue

• Valve

• Knife

Bar roll

• Insulated/down pants & jacket

• Sea to Summit, Spark SP0 (ultralight) sleeping bag

• Warm socks

• Inertia X Frame mini mat & pillow

• SOL esape bivvy

• Ultralight rain pants

• Waterproof socks

• Real food in the front pouch (sandwiches, crisps, peperami)

Osprey Siskin 12 Rucksack

• 2: water bladder

• Factor 50 suncream

• Alcohol gel, tissues, toothbrush/paste & wet wipes

• Rain jacket

• Long sleeve merino jersey

• Real food in the stash pouch (sandwiches, crisps, peperami)

And the rest...

• All Mountain Adventures cargo shorts, vest, jersey & cap

• Gilet

• Mitts & merino socks

• Merrell blaze sieve sandals

• Victory Chimp photochromic glasses

• Poc ventral spin helmet

• Exposure 6 pack, diablo & blaze for lighting

• Garmin 530 for navigation (phone with Komoot for back up)

Tailfin kit makes deciding what to pack an absolute breeze!

The beauty of this kit list is the way it's stashed in my Tailfin bags - all the day kit is in my frame bags & rucksack, and overnight kit goes in the bar roll. If I choose not to sleep on the 200 ride, I don't touch the roll.

This sets me up perfectly for the Headstock 500 at the end of the month, where I will need my sleep kit. I have zero change in setup between the two rides, and zero risk of being caught out by bad weather or a cold night on the 200!

The benefits of a scratch are found in the cafe!