It’s been an exciting year of bike and gear reviews for me. Trying to step outside my comfort zone while also understanding the nuances of the bikes and pieces of gear that have always appealed to me is an interesting balance to strike, but one I feel good about. With more miles, trips, and nights outside, I picked out a few items and ideas that have served me well, hoping they might provide some value to you for my summer 2026 Editor’s Dozen.

Bell XR Spherical Helmet

290 grams / $150-250 at Bell

When I first joined the team, I shadowed Logan for a week in Brevard as part of my onboarding process. Among other things, we discussed gear preferences and past experiences. “I’ll never wear another helmet without magnetic closure,” he said. I didn’t totally understand. Having used a traditional plastic buckle on all my past helmets, I couldn’t comprehend how he had such a staunch stance on a feature that seemed so superfluous.

While I can’t say I’ve developed the same fierceness in opinion, my year and some with the Bell XR Spherical has introduced the unfortunate convenience of a magnetic closure buckle. It’s a small detail, but it’s much less of a hassle; beard hair doesn’t get annoyingly snagged in it, actuating the buckle while on rough trails is actually possible with one hand, and it has never come undone in a treacherous moment. In addition, the Bell fits my head nicely, has the perfect vent spacing for storing sunglasses, and works with cycling caps—an accessory I’m rarely ever without. The dial adjustment is also granular enough to get the right fit, and even in the Southeast’s sweaty summers, it never smells too bad.

Topo Designs River Shorts

206 grams / $89 at Topo Designs

Folks are often surprised to learn that I never ride with a chamois. Though I don’t ride as much as I used to, I still spend a lot of time in the saddle. All of those miles are in some variation of shorts or pants. One of my favorite pairs of shorts is unfortunately no longer in production. Because Topo Designs changes up their models every season, by the time I figured out that this version of their river shorts is damn near perfect, it was too late. Ever since, I’ve scoured the internet for new old stock, accumulating a collection that I hope will last me a lifetime.

Much of this is down to personal preference, and a big part of my love for this model is that they fit my ginormous backside nicely. Aside from that, they’re light, wick moisture well, dry quickly when sodden, and have a simple but effective internal buckle system that keeps adjustments quick and simple. Newer iterations of the shorts added buttons and other complexities that just didn’t need to be there. These are zipperless, save for the one rear pocket, svelte, and hard-wearing. As a testament to this, I run a Brooks Cambium on most bikes, and none of these shorts have worn through—a consistent issue for other materials that interact with this saddle.

Topo, if you’re reading this, back up the dump truck of deadstock river shorts to my house, please. You know where to find me.

MSW Airlift 200 Mini Pump

151 grams / $30 at Wheel and Sprocket

Recently, I had the misfortune of having a bag stolen. I didn’t lose many essential items, but one that’s no longer in my possession is the pump I’ve used since my early days as a cyclist. The Topeak PEAKINI is the first, and best, pump I’ve owned. It’s lightweight, works with both Presta and Schrader valves, and never failed me in my seven years of carrying it on pretty much every ride.

Forced into buying another option, I picked up this MSW Airlift Pump. Expecting to be underwhelmed, I’m quite happy I was pushed into my new everyday carry. If I have one critique of the Topeak, it was that the style of attachment to the valve allowed for the valve core stem to bend if you weren’t careful; something that’s easy to do when pumping a tire up on the side of the road. While I’ve exclusively had negative experiences with pump heads that thread onto the valve core, as they can unthread it, some element of this pump’s design has meant it has never happened. I’ve tried it a number of times, and the MSW seems to somehow lock onto the valve core without detaching the entire system—something that has been an issue with some other threaded pumps. Its per-pump volume is also better than that of many other hand pumps I’ve used, and it has built-in seals that keep out grit and grime. Though I haven’t had it for all that long, I’m thoroughly impressed, as it seems to maintain the benefits of a threaded pump without any of the drawbacks.

Brother Moto Fellow Mug

301 grams / $35 at Fellow

Years ago, I bought this Fellow travel mug from one of my favorite coffee shops of all time. Brother Moto was a coffee, retail, and motorcycle co-op garage based in Atlanta, Georgia. They served excellent coffee, had immaculate styling, and emphasized a DIY ethos that has stuck with me to this day. Because of the sentimental attachment I’ve ascribed to it, the few pieces of merch I still have are near and dear. Among them is this Fellow travel mug.

I consistently bring it to coffee meetups outside, on overnighters, or just out and about when I want to have a cup of coffee safely and securely. It’s not the slimmest of travel mugs, but the insulation is exceptional, and the opening is wide enough to brew directly into with either a V60 or an AeroPress. The ceramic interior doesn’t impart any taste to the coffee, and the hard-wearing exterior has survived falls from mountain slopes and rocky crags. It’s a great companion for a bikepacking trip in low temperatures, and I hope I never lose this version. My one qualm is that it doesn’t fit in a standard bottle cage, but it’s a relatively minor complaint as it never leaks inside a bag. Long live Brother Moto.

Oveja Negra Super Wedgie Frame Bag

280 grams / Made in Salida, Colorado / $120 at Oveja Negra

With gravel bikes getting slacker, and hardtails taking up more of my riding time, I decided to take the plunge on an Oveja Negra Super Wedgie bag last year as a sort of universal option. It lived on my Ritchey P-29er for most of the last year and change, but it has since graduated to other bikes.

Simple as it may be, it’s a great design that works well on a variety of bike frames and tube shapes. Its capacity is impressive; it’s well-made, keeps the world out, and has two large pockets with clear places for the things you bring on day rides and bikepacking trips. It’s also lined with a bright green liner so that even the smallest items don’t get lost in its cavernous pockets.

Flat Bars

One of the many things I didn’t understand when I was solely a reader of BIKEPACKING.com is the apparent preference for flat bars. Averaging nearly 7,000 miles per year at the time, I thought, “How can these people ride so much and seemingly do most of it on flats?” How young, dumb, and numb to the wonders of flat bars I was.

I could fill an entire article with the reasons why I now prefer flats over drop bars, but, in short:

• It’s much easier to pack gear on the front of a set of flat bars than to fit it between drops.
• Technical riding is far more fun with flat bars.
• The hand positions aren’t that limiting once you dial in the right set of bars at the correct width.
• Grinding up climbs is easier and more satisfying when paired with the leverage provided by a set of flat bars.

It’s not an exhaustive list, but I think it ultimately comes down to the fact that drops do a lot of things well, whereas a good set of flat bars does one thing really well. Maybe it’s a sign of my age, maybe just a change in terrain, but I prefer the knife to the axe these days. Flat bars provide the kind of incisive precision my daily riding requires, and they’re much better for bikepacking.

The Sound of Silence

I’ve spoken about my love for music on rides before, but recently, something changed. I lost my headphones for a few days, and I was forced to head out on some long rides without any tunes blaring in my ears. Initially skeptical of how much I’d enjoy the ride without an album or podcast running through my ears, I was surprised when, after a few hours, I’d hardly noticed.

In the last few years, life has gotten significantly more complicated. Managing a house, job, personal relationships, and a growing list of responsibilities is a privilege, but one that necessitates decompression. Escaping the life I used to have meant getting in tune with my body, allowing some cacophonous noise to sync up with a trail, and losing myself in the dirt dance that ensued. Now, I don’t want to hear anything. Just the rush of blood as I push myself up a climb, the sound of the tires as they rip through a soft patch of earth, or the oddly peaceful clinks and clanks of my favorite mechanism as I rocket through roots and rocks. It’s an acquired taste, but one I’m getting more accustomed to with every ride.

Raide Research 650mL Bottle

46 grams / $29 at Raide Research

I picked up a consistent trail-running habit when things were frozen over this winter. As a result, I got into the gear side of trail running and picked up the Raide Research LF 2L. It’s a transformative piece of equipment that significantly boosts on-foot endurance by adding 2 liters of storage to your waist. But the included 650 mL collapsible flask is undoubtedly the best part.

Neil highlighted the function of these in his 1L bottles video, and this rebranded HydraPak Ultraflask works just as well. For those nights at camp when you know you might need extra water storage, this packs down to an incredibly small size, features an excellent locking nozzle, and works with HydraPak’s filtration cap. For those not looking to purchase the belt, it’s available separately. For $30, it’s a higher quality flask and top cap than I’ve seen elsewhere.

Chinese Camp Stove

95 grams

My friend Jason helped me out a lot when I first got into bikepacking. He set up tubeless tires on my Surly Straggler, invited me on some overnighters and multi-day trips, and passed on wisdom that has stayed with me to this day. Of all the things he parted with, the material good that has stuck around is this Chinese camp stove. It’s brandless, small, lightweight, and seemingly cheap.

I carry it on every trip because it works, has never failed me, and doesn’t require any external spark to get going. It has a built-in ignition system that is still going almost seven years after he gave it to me (and he used it for a while), and while the platform isn’t ideal, I’ve always found a way to make it work on even the most mishapen rocks.

Nemo Chipper Foam Sit Pad

136 grams / $25 at REI

I’ve yet to find the appropriate space for a small camp chair on overnighters. Some of that is down to wanting to keep my pack size small, but another part is because this foam pad has done the trick since my early days sleeping under the stars. It’s nothing more complex than a shorter version of NEMO’s closed-cell sleeping pad, but it’s lightweight, packs easily enough onto a rack platform, and makes a world of difference at a campsite when getting creative with where to sit.

I’ve even been known to bring it on flights and to coffee shops when I know I’ll be seated for extended periods. It’s getting a little worse for wear, but it’s been years since I picked it up, and it has provided comfort not just to me but also to friends and partners who join me on adventures. For $25, you could do much worse!

South City StitchWorks Long Top Tube Bag

210 grams / Made in St. Louis, Missouri / $ Varied at South City Stitchworks

Last year, I reached out to Zach Smith of South City Stitchworks to commission a custom long top tube bag. I’d seen them on the rigs of the best and most eclectic bikepackers in the world. At the time, I’d all but imagined the Ritchey P-29er to be my forever bike, so I took the plunge. Though I’ve since spent time on more progressive hardtails, I put a significant amount of time into my custom long top-tube bag. Not only are Zach’s craftsmanship and attention to detail evident, but the benefits of a custom option are also apparent in the design.

Inspired by my friend Kendra’s top tube bag, it’s complete with removable dividers, a non-drive-side stash pouch for garbage and other small items, an offset port that works for routing headphone cables, and a two-way zipper. I’ve used it on all kinds of rides and trips, and have never felt better about spending money on a bag. It’s stable, secure, convenient, and one of the best bags in my arsenal.

Turn Right at Machu Picchu

310 grams / $20 at Penguin Random House

Reading can be hard for an editor. It’s a privilege to work with words, but when you stare at them all day, it can be difficult to make space for text outside the orbit of BIKEPACKING.com. That said, a few past reads keep making their way into my life. Mark Adams’ Turn Right at Machu Picchu is one of those books. I’ve re-read it about five times since 2020, and I enjoy it almost every time. It’s not so much that it’s a great literary work with subtext and commentary on society, or one that contains great philosophical prose; rather, it’s just a fun, insightful read.

Following one man’s journey looking at the existence of the legend that is Machu Picchu, Mark Adams writes in an easy-to-digest, funny, and entertaining manner that keeps you on the heels of this incredible journey. He’s got a few others that follow a similar concept, like Meet Me in Atlantis and Tip of the Iceberg, but this is the zenith of that formula, in my opinion.

That’s it for my summer Editor’s Dozen. Did something stand out to you? Have you also found some of these items and ideas valuable? Let me know in the Conversation below…

Further Reading

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