Navigation
iGPSPORT BSC500 vs Garmin Edge Explore 2: What Twice the Price Buys
Two touchscreen mapping units with three buttons each, one at about half the price. Rerouting, real battery figures and support record compared.
Louis Raveton
Editor
Louis runs GravelPacker and is accountable for what it publishes. He wrote the scoring rubric the product reviews are graded against and decides what ships. The pieces under his byline are the desk-research ones: comparisons and explainers built from spec sheets, owner reports and the rubric, not from a test lab.
Comparisons
11 
Navigation
iGPSPORT BSC500 vs BSC300T vs BSC200S: Which One to Buy
One reroutes, one shows a map but cannot reroute, one follows a line for under half the price. Specs from iGPSPORT, August prices and a clear pick.
Bags
Blackburn Outpost Elite vs Topeak Wishbone vs Restrap Holster
An alloy rail wing, a bolt-on brace and a stiff holster, compared on sway, clearance, fitting and hardware. Only one is built around a dropper post.
Bags
Deuter Cabezon vs ROCKBROS 14L vs Blackburn Outpost
Three seatpacks between $80 and $140, the range where budget bags stop and premium starts. Two separate into a harness and a bag, one does not, and it shows.
Cooking
MSR PocketRocket 2 vs BRS-3000T vs Jetboil Flash
Three stoves from $17 to $130 judged on boil time in wind, pot stability, fuel economy and what each one costs you in grams. None is the answer for everyone.
Bags
Rhinowalk 10L vs ROCKBROS vs KEMIMOTO: The Cheap Seatpacks
A 10 L Rhinowalk, a 3 L ROCKBROS and an 11 to 13 L KEMIMOTO compared on waterproofing claims, sway, clearance and owner reports. Only two carry overnight kit.
Sleep Systems
Quilt vs Sleeping Bag for Bikepacking
An 850FP quilt, a hooded down bag and a convertible hybrid compared on warmth per gram, drafts, packed size and price, and who should skip the quilt.
Navigation
Garmin Edge 540 vs Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM V3 vs iGPSPORT BSC300T
Three bike computers from $173 to $419 compared on battery under navigation, screen legibility, route handling and what you actually lose at each price.
Bags
Seatpack vs Panniers vs Frame Bag: Choosing a Load Layout
Three ways to carry the same kit, compared on capacity, handling, cost of entry and off-road tolerance. A winner on every axis, and a different one each time.
Bags
Ortlieb Seat-Pack L vs Topeak BackLoader 15L vs Restrap 14L
Three large seatpacks compared on sway, waterproofing, camp packing, tyre clearance, weight and price per litre. A winner named on every one.
Bags
Ortlieb Seat-Pack L vs Zefal Z-Adventure: Which 16L+ Seatpack?
Both score 4.4 and sit about $90 apart on Amazon US. The Ortlieb is lighter and fully welded, the Zefal is a harness plus a removable dry bag. Which one suits your bike.
Explainers
9
Gear
Is Decathlon Gear Good for Bikepacking?
The MT900 down bag now sells as Simond and carries a lab-tested ISO rating. The bags are heavier and fussier to mount, and US stock is thin.
Maintenance
What Tyre Width and Pressure for a Loaded Gravel Bike?
Widths by surface, a pressure starting point that accounts for your kit weight, and why the number on the sidewall is the wrong place to start.
Gear
How Many Days of Food Can You Carry?
Grams and calories per day, why four days is the practical ceiling on a bike, and how to plan a route around resupply instead of hauling a week of dinners.
Gear
Do You Need a Dropper Post for Bikepacking?
What a dropper actually buys you on loaded descents, what it costs in weight and seatpack compatibility, and the frame sizes where it is a bad idea.
Bags
Are Cheap Bikepacking Bags Any Good?
What a $30 bag gets right, what it gets wrong, and the three failure points that separate it from a $170 one. Fabric is not one of them.
Bags
Are Bikepacking Bags Actually Waterproof?
Most bikepacking bags are water resistant, not waterproof. What welded seams, roll-top closures and IP ratings actually mean, and what to do about it.
Hydration
How Much Water Should You Carry Bikepacking?
Litres per hour by temperature, how to size a carry to the gap between sources rather than to your bottle count, and the number that has no safety margin.
Bags
What Size Seatpack Do You Actually Need?
Litres by trip length, why a half-full big bag sways more than a packed small one, and the tyre clearance number that decides it for you.
Gear
How Much Should a Bikepacking Setup Weigh?
Real weights for a weekend bikepacking setup, where the kilos actually hide, and the point at which chasing grams stops making you faster.