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As 2023 comes to a close, Hailey Moore shares the gear that she turned to again and again this year. Read on for the products that have become indispensable in her bike-touring setup, a couple of apparel recommendations, an off-the-bike surprise, and her 2023 Ride Playlist.
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Finding the right tent for a bike trip is always tricky. It’s all about striking the balance of size, weight, livability, storm-worthiness, and durability that fits you and your plans.
Before heading to Turkey, I knew I wanted to try to eliminate full-sized panniers from my setup, which meant leaving a few things back home and downsizing a few other pieces of gear to make that possible. The tent was one of the first items I looked at since my Tarptent Stratospire 2, while super bomber and massively spacious, is not the smallest option when packed, and probably a little overkill for this trip.
That’s when I landed on the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo. On paper, at $250 (minus stakes, pole, and seam sealer) and sub-1kg all-in, the Lunar Solo ticked an awful lot of boxes in terms of size, space, and cost, so I gave it a shot. After a year and countless nights in the mountains of Turkey, the Andean Puna, and the forests of Michigan, I’ve come away impressed.
Big Agnes’ Bikepacking Collection features lightweight tents that pack up into stuff sacks that fit perfectly on your bike’s handlebars. These tents feature shorter poles and have tons of details specifically-designed for bicycle touring and bikepacking. After some production delays, the entire Bikepacking Collection is in stock at Big Agnes, including this impressive Tiger Wall UL3 3-person tent. See the full Bikepacking Collection at Big Agnes.
If you’ve had the chance to use the Big Agnes Bikepacking tents, then you know how convenient they are. With the short tent poles and bike harness pack, these tents pack down to a manageable size for bicycle touring. New for 2021 comes the Copper Spur HV UL3 and the Tiger Wall UL2/UL3 Bikepack Solution Dye (pictured). Head to Big Agnes to check out the full Bikepacking line in detail.
Our friends at Big Agnes are always pushing the boundaries of shelter design. A current example is their new for 2020 “Crazylight” lineup, featuring tents lighter than a pound, like the new Scout 1 tent. This single-walled tent uses either trekking poles or alternative tent poles to create a large, head-entry door, with plenty of room for your gear and proper ventilation. This ain’t a glorified bivvy sack. With a trail weight of 369g and a packed weight of 539g, this three-season tent is indeed “crazy light.” See more information at Big Agnes.
Howdy, you wonderful people. After pushing the limits of his ultralight bikepacking tent, Ryan and I think it’s time to move on to a more rebust platform. Right now, we’re looking at the Hyperlite or the Zpacks tents but wanted to reach out to you, the readers, to see what experiences you have had with tents? High winds, rain, and constant use are the deciding factors we’re concerned with. What thoughts do you have?
Finding a tent that strikes a balance between weight and durability is paramount for bikepacking. Then, finding one that has cycling-specific details is near impossible. Luckily for the brand Big Agnes, whose ultralight backpacking tents have been readily co-opted for bikepacking, adapting their most popular models to fit into the activity of bikepacking and bicycle touring was easy.
Big Agnes recently announced the Copper Spur UL1/UL2 Bikpeacking Edition and Fly Creek UL 1/UL2 Bikepacking Edition. The Copper Spur UL2 bikepacking edition tent features shorter tentpole segments, designed to fit between the shifters on a drop bar handlebar, in a frame bag, or just saving room in any pack. The bikepacking specific compression sack is built to withstand the rigors of the trail and designed with a versatile daisy chain attachment system. The tent has bike specific design features including a helmet sleeve under the fly and larger interior storage areas for bike gear.
Both of these models, the Copper Spur and the Fly Creek have been my favorite bikepacking tents for years and I cannot wait to see this system in person. Check out more detailed photos below, and keep an eye on Big Agnes for more information!
After the Oregon Outback, Benji at Poler showed me the sample tents, covered in his new “Rainbro” pattern, I lost my shit. Poler’s making some big moves in the next few weeks, some of which involves The Radavist, so stay tuned. Til then, head over to Poler and see all the new products – One Man Tent, Two Man Tent and Napsacks – covered in “Rainbro”…
Seriously, this is amazing guys!
