My Bikepacking Setup: Tent, Sleeping Bag and Sleeping Mat
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Since finishing the Old Chalk Way, the question I've had more than any other is "what did you actually take?" So here it is, building out properly over time as I get more of my full kit list written up. Starting with the three biggest decisions: tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping mat.
Quick answer: I picked everything based on size and packed weight first, above cost, above warmth. That's the right call if, like me, you're only planning to bikepack in warm, dry conditions. If you're likely to be out in the cold or wet, warmth and weather resistance need to move up your list. This is what worked for a summer UK trip, not a universal recommendation for every season.
Why I prioritised size over everything else
There are really four factors when you're choosing camping kit for bikepacking: size (packed down), weight, warmth, and price. I made size the deciding factor, because space on a gravel bike is the thing you genuinely cannot get more of. You can always carry a slightly heavier item if it packs smaller, but you can't magic up extra room in a bar bag that's already full. Warmth dropped down my list because I was only ever going to be doing this in warm, dry weather. If that's not your situation, weight that priority differently.
The tent: Vango F10 Hydrogen Air: £259
This was the single biggest space-saver in my whole kit list. I looked at a lot of options and this was the smallest packed size I could find, or afford, in a tent that would still actually do its job properly overnight. Genuinely made the difference between everything fitting in my bags and constantly fighting to zip them shut.
The sleeping mat: TRINORDIC Ultralight Inflatable Camping Mat (with integrated pillow): £27.99
Same logic here. Small pack size, and the integrated pillow means one less thing to carry separately, which sounds minor until you're the one trying to find room for a pillow on top of everything else. At this price it's an easy one to recommend if you're just starting to build a bikepacking kit list without spending a fortune.
The sleeping bag: Fjern Hygge 200 Down Sleeping Bag: £89.99 (RRP £250)
Down over synthetic fill for the pack size, again, same reasoning as the tent and mat. I picked this up well under RRP, which is worth keeping an eye out for since down bags are usually where the real cost sits in a setup like this. Rated for the kind of summer UK nights we had on this trip, not a four-season bag, so factor that in if you're planning to bikepack outside of summer.
The takeaway
None of this is complicated. If you're planning your first multi-day trip in decent summer weather, buy the smallest packed size you can afford in each category, and don't overthink warmth ratings you won't actually need. If you're heading out in worse conditions, this list isn't your starting point, warmth and weather resistance need to lead the decision instead.
I'll keep building this out as I add more of my full kit list; for now, if you want to know what actually went wrong (and right) using this setup on the road, that's here: 6 Bikepacking Lessons I Learned the Hard Way on the Old Chalk Way.
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