Belongs at Cabelas

Recently I came across a photograph of a tent trailer designed to be pulled behind a bike and while it is a nifty piece of equipment, I can't help but think that it is a little over the top.  Those of you who bikepack know how easy it is to pack too much stuff and pulling a trailer would only encourage such behaviour.

This is where it all starts

At Christmas, my son Christopher and I managed to separate ourselves from the women of the family so that we could go and explore all the things we like (which they don't).  This included visiting Cabelas, a monstrous sporting goods store which I had heard about years ago when a co-worker insisted that I would be impressed with that American retailer.

XL sized stuff here!

Its not the variety of goods available at Cabelas but the size of the equipment that made the biggest impression on me when Chris and I ventured down every aisle of the store.  Just about everything was designed for car camping - meaning size didn't really matter.  For those of us who bicycle camp, size matters a lot.  There is only so much gack that can fit in a saddlebag.  There are limitations to how much stuff can be attached to the bike itself and still be rideable.

If you are pulling a tent trailer behind your bike it is too tempting to fill it with large equipment like you would find at Cabelas.  A Coleman stove and lantern, a cooler, a hammock would be nice and how about some firewood for that quintessential backwoods campfire?  And of course if you're having a fire, why not pack a pie iron to make some of those scrumptious desserts to round out the menu?  I'm sure the staff at that giant store would be happy to help you fill a gigantic shopping cart so that your bikepacking experience is all it can be.

Be all you can be