During 40 days in Anchorage, Alaska, we explored the city’s extensive network of bike trails. Ranging from paved paths along urban streams to root-infested single-tracks in the hills, we never tired of the natural beauty and varied terrain available for cycling in Anchorage. Seeing a few moose was certainly a highlight. But there were other surprises, like airplanes flying so low overhead you felt as if you could reach up and touch them. Next we’ll fly up to Prudhoe Bay at the very top of Alaska, and begin heading south by bike.

If you are a bikepacker, bicycle tour enthusiast, or lightweight camping connoisseur, this post is for you. Starting from the base of equipment that we used to successfully complete the Western Wildlands Bikepacking Route (WWR), we delve into the updates and changes we’ve made to our cycling gear for the long ride from Alaska to Patagonia. We’ve included some commentary on aspects of our kit that we think worked particularly well on the WWR, as well as a few items we’re keeping for this trip with some caveats. With all the additions and subtractions from our gear, we even managed to shed a bit of weight!

We’re laying out plans for another cycling trip, and we’ve got our sights set on a big one: a 20K+ mile (32K+ km) route from Deadhorse, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. After pondering lots of options, we’ve settled on a tentative route with a diverse mix of dirt, gravel and pavement. But there’s more to consider than just the direction of travel. Many sections of the route have limited seasons for comfortable bicycle touring. And some areas, like the Darien Gap, should be avoided for other reasons. In this blog we lay out some of the key timing and planning issues we considered, and how they could affect our overall bikepacking trip.