What I’ve packed to bikepack 183miles on the C&O Canal during peak leaf changing season (mid-October).
The C&O Canal in mid-October, my bike, my gear, the weather, and how it’s all sorted out. Also, there are only 3 affiliate links in this post- everything is just my personal preference.
While the weather can be unpredictable in Mid-October here in Maryland, it is still one of my favorite times of year to go bikepacking along the C&O Canal due to the fall foliage creating a beautiful canopy of colors as you pedal along this historic, car-free path. If you want to join future bike tours (hoping to go to Oregon, Atlanta/GA, Maryland, and maybe New England next year!) please check out my tours here. 2027 tours have not been released yet, but check back in December as they begin to roll out.
This will be my 4th time completing the entire C&O Canal in full (I’ve done the first 60 miles more than I can count), and each time I cycle on it, my setup changes ever so slightly. And this time around, I have barely healed in time from the fractured hip I got from cycling from Montreal → Halifax this summer (YouTube video to be released soon!), so there has been a LOT to unpack from the corners of my mind in preparation for this trip!
Let’s Get Into It.
Weather/Conditions
High of 77F, sunny
Low of 35F, sleeping at night
One afternoon of moderate rain, 63F
A flat gravel trail, can be quite muddy/bumpy at times
Only 1-2 restock points each day- fairly remote
The Bike
My Velo Orange Polyvalent
Bike Bags
Ortlieb front Fork-Pack(I desperately need to buy some new racks for my other bike)
Outer Shell Mega Bar Bag
Outer Shell Half Frame Bag (size large)
Outer Shell Small Saddle Bag
Outer Shell Top Tube Bag
Camp Gear
Nemo switchback sleeping pad (attached to rear rack w/Modl Infinity Straps)
Big Agnes Copper spur HV UL1 bikepacking tent (borrowed from a friend)
Big Agnes Anthracite 20F degree sleeping bag
My portable kitchen (backpacking stove cookset (super compact) + fork/spoon/knife, gas, matches, soap + small brush, small microfiber cloth)
A small pillowcase to shove clothes as a pillow
String lights/lamp for my tent
Headlamp
2 battery packs (one large, one small) + cords for devices
Clothes
2 pairs alpaca socks + extra thick wool socks
SPD Gravel shoes + water resistant shoe covers
2 pairs chammy shorts
Down camp slipper shoes
Flannel pajama pants
Rain jacket
Crocheted wool beanie
Alpaca fingerless gloves
Lightweight down jacket
Merino long sleeve
Toiletries
Toothbrush + toothpaste
Hand sanitizer
Bug spray
Other
Bike lock
Repair kit (2 spare tubes + patch kit + multi-tool + mini pump + zip ties)
Pocket knife
3 stainless steel Bivo bottles + a LifeStraw water filter & rollable bottle
Modl Infinity straps (several)
Camera equipment- heck my YouTube for a video recap of our trip by January of 2027!
My Tunisian crochet project (I’m making a bolero)
Front & rear bike lights
Food
oatmeal mix for 3 days (2.5 cups oats, 3tbsps chia seeds, 6tbsps raisins, 1/2 tbsps homemade pumpkin pie spice- about 1.25 cups of this mix is a full breakfast meal! + peanut butter)
6 Jif 2 go packets
dark chocolate
some pumpkin spice homemade muffins (really enjoying this recipe at the moment!
a bunch of homemade honey cough drops (they were hard to make! I followed this recipe using fresh holy basil, rosemary, mint, and ginger from my garden. Excited to see how it turns out)
1.25 cups of rice + 2 lentil/bean packets
1.5 cups of pasta + leftover mac ’n cheese powder
half loaf of seedy bread
kiwis/clementines
instant coffee
dehydrated hummus I made (you just make regular hummus, then dehydrate it for half a day at 110F until crumbly)
Anything else will be purchased along the way!