Pat Valade is an OnwardUP Sales Representative based in Squamish, BC.
In July 2019, my pal and co-worker, Ross Mailloux and I embarked on a 1000km bikepacking race, from Merritt to Fernie BC. The goal was to try and do this in 4-5 days, pedaling long hours and mixing up camping and motels depending on how our bodies were feeling, and how the race was going. This race is all on gravel logging roads and rail grade, so having a lightweight camping setup is key! Bikepacking (like bike touring, but generally off road) has adopted the techniques and equipment of ultra-light backpacking to the bike.
If you’re unfamiliar with bikepacking, here’s the general layout of the set-up:
1: The frame bag carries food, stove, pump, tent pegs
2: The saddle bag carries all my spare clothing (extra food if needed)
3: The front roll is where I carry my sleep system. Tent, quilt and sleeping pad. The front accessory bag carries items I need quickly (knife, headlamp, wet-wipes, batteries, sun-screen, toothbrush)
I decided to go as light and small as I could at the time, which meant:
– A one-person tent rather than two (weight is more important than spare comfort room)
– A mummy style pad, and in a short length
– A quilt rather than a sleeping bag (the race was in July, so I combined the quilt with long johns and a lightweight insulated jacket for cold nights)
One of the brands we proudly represent is Nemo Equipment, who are known for making cutting edge, compact and ultra-light camping gear. It made perfect sense to put together a superb NEMO race kit. My entire sleep system on this trip weighed 1850grams (or 4 pounds). It’s kind of mind boggling that you can stay warm and dry in the outdoors and carry this little!
Quilt: Nemo Siren Quilt
It’s rated to -1, weighs 600grams and is lighter and more compact than ever. It has a backless design with a footbox that wraps around your sleeping pad. You can use the included cord system to keep your pad in place, but I just took that off (to save a few grams).
Sleeping Pad: Nemo Ultralight Tensor Insulated / Short-Mummy
Light, small, warm and quiet! That’s all I need. Nemo makes this pad in a variety of lengths and sizes both insulated and non-insulated. This pad includes a vortex pump sac, for very easy inflation, thermal-mirror metalized film for a quiet insulation. This pad also avoids that “water-bed” feeling you can get with other inflatable camping pads. It’s 3-inches thick. It’s comfortable. No matter how light your kit is, you’re always going to feel better the next day, if you can actually get a good night’s sleep. Some people don’t like the idea of a short pad, I get that. But if you’re height-challenged like me, it’s not that short, and I just toss some spare clothes under my feet if needed.
Tent: Nemo Hornet 1P
I chose to go 1 person here, where Ross brought the Hornet 2P. Personal preference really, but I love that this tent comes in at exactly 2 pounds, and fits perfectly in my front roll when I remove the poles from the divy sac. It has a large door and vestibule for gear, and when staked out using volumizing guyouts and struts to create quite a roomy feeling.
