Air
Gear To Make Your Break For It
Winter was hitting hard. Ten-foot-tall snowbanks had us looking westward toward a sunny 3-day credit card tour in Napa to get away. From Utah’s snow-capped Wasatch Range to wine country’s verdant hillside vineyards, here’s the gear we used for air, car, and bike travel, and what you’ll need to get going successfully wherever your next adventure takes you.
Protect Your Baby
Flying with a bike is naturally concerning, but SciCon’s Aerocomfort 3.0 TSA Road Case instills confidence and demystifies how to pack your bike securely. Time after time, it’s gotten our bikes there safe and sound.
Weight Conscious Packing
EVOC’s Pro Road Bike Bag offers the kind of hulking stance you want in a bike bag and gave that sense of assurance we needed. But that added security does come with added effort to keep total checked weight down.
Roll To The Terminal
You might be flying into or out of major airports with lots of walking between car parks and terminals. On both legs of our trip between SLC to SJC, the SciCon and EVOC both rolled like pros and didn’t slow us down.
Load up the best bike racks & add-ons for you & your crew.
Get started with simple bike bags & packing ideas for your first tour.
From SLC to wine country, watch our 3-day credit card tour in search of sun.
Car
Racks For Your Rides
Our CA-based ride mate picked us up in San Jose and we drove off for Glenn Ellen to the start of our ride. Thule’s T2 Pro XTR and the 2-bike add-on extension held all our machines out back.
Easy Loading For The Road
The add-on looked big—we admit it—but the rack was still a cinch to load and had ample leg-space between trays. We could even open the car hatch with the trays fully loaded.
Fit For Adventure
One feature we love about the Thule is each tray slides to fit whatever bikes you may have. All three of us rode different frame sizes and customizing the bike spacing reduced risk of overlap and rubbing.
Room For More
Looking at all our bikes loaded on the back we couldn’t help but appreciate the range of adventure possibilities. We could fit one more bike and still have the entire roof open for a car-top box or cargo bin—weekend camping trip?
Get started with simple bike bags & packing ideas for your first tour.
Pack up with the bike cases we used & more we recommend for air travel.
From SLC to wine country, watch our 3-day credit card tour in search of sun.
Bike
The Right Bags For Your Ride
Maximalist preparation, minimal quantities. Front to back, we went light-heavier-light with weight distribution for ideal ride quality. Our vests and snacks went in the bar bags to keep the steering light and responsive. Jackets, bike lights, and mini-pumps were stashed in frame bags, and street clothes and mini-tools in saddle bags. We had everything we needed—and we needed everything.
Expect The Unexpected
We wanted sun, but the cold still found us on Day 2. Luckily, we had extra layers and a warm puffy stashed in a 16L backpack. The USWE Shred 16’s chest strap and hip belt kept the pack stable despite all the gear. 10/10 would shred in it again, anywhere.
Convenient Stashing
Ortlieb makes some mighty fine bike-touring bags. We decked out the MOG with their roll-up waterproof bar bag and saddle bag, as well as an easy-to-access top tube bag. Larger inner-triangle bags work well for longer trips if you don’t mind removing bottle mounts.
Enjoy The Ride
If you ride far enough, you’ll find the sun. We stopped for wine in the warm rays at the end of Day 2 in St. Helena and happily roasted on the climbs back to Glenn Ellen on Day 3. After 140 miles and a few bottles of the good stuff, we got the CA we were hoping for. Cheers to that. Where will you travel next?
Pack up with the bike cases we used & more we recommend for air travel.
Load up the best bike racks & add-ons for you & your crew.
From SLC to wine country, watch our 3-day credit card tour in search of sun.