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How To Pack For RAGBRAI

Before we jump into the good stuff, if you’re wondering what Ragbrai is, you’re not in the right place. Hop on over to our guide for first time Ragbrai riders, to learn more about one of the greatest adventures you can have on two wheels!

Packing a bag that weighs 50 pounds or less, that has to contain most of what you’ll need for 7+ days on the back of a bicycle while riding across an entire state, known for its crazy weather patterns is just about as complicated as it sounds. Ragbrai is an adventure, and packing for it is no different. 

After successfully riding bikes across the state of Iowa, we feel like we can shed a little light on what you really need for an adventure of this magnitude. 

If you want a downloadable copy of this packing list you can print one out here, we’ve even included a blank spot, where you can add any items personal to you!

 

Two Quick Notes:

We’ve broken this packing list into 6 Categories to keep things organized!  All the gear listed here is gear we have used and loved on RAGBRAI. We would never recommend a product we didn’t have complete faith in. However, this packing list is based on our experience as self- supported riders, using only the basics, and loading our bags onto the RAGBRAI luggage transportation daily. 

 

The links provided in this blog post are affiliate links. If you end up purchasing some of the gear listed, we get a very small portion of the sales, with no extra cost to you. Thank you as always for supporting us and our wild life!

The Basics

Official Ragbrai Rider Documentation

Can you ride Ragbrai without registering? Technically, yes. Should you ride Ragbrai without registering? Absolutely not. Registering keeps you and your bike safe on the ride, allows you access to sag services (the van that picks you up in case of a breakdown), event medical coverage, and the use of the baggage truck to carry all your stuff. Make sure you have all your paper work with you (should arrive by mail a few weeks before the ride) when you show up, otherwise things get messy, fast. 

The Bike

Don’t roll your eyes. Yes, it’s a bike ride, and yes, let’s assume someone wouldn’t forget to pack a bike to a bike ride but hey ya, never know, plus there are some good details worth sharing here. 

“What type of bike is best for Ragbrai?”

This is probably one of the most common questions we have seen on the Ragbrai Newbies Facebook Page (another great resource for all your burning questions). People ride all sorts of bikes at Ragbrai and some um, well not bikes, for example last year there was a team of rollerbladers who took the ride by storm. Our honest opinion is the best bike for Ragbrai is one you’re comfortable riding for long distances, and that can perform well on hills. We ride road bikes because they are literally built for this type of ride but we saw lots of riders cruising on trikes, tandems, gravel bikes, and even some hardtail mountain bikes- with all the hills this is definitely not a place for a bike with rear shocks that don’t lock out- you’ll thank us for this bit of advice later. 

Women’s Liv Avail:

Liv makes road bikes specifically designed for women and the female frame, which is incredibly important when you’re tackling the type of mileage and terrain that Ragbrai will throw at you. The best part of the Avail is that its offered in a series of bikes from the basic Avail (what I rode) which is a super great starter road bike, with a budget friendly price tag all the way up to a pro version which may cost you your first born child, but at least you’ll look cool riding it. 

DJ’s Very Old Giant:

Proof perfect you don’t need a fancy bike to get the job done at Ragbrai, just one that is serviceable, safe and efficient. When the search for a “new” bike for DJ came up empty, we resorted to the time-honored tradition of the “hand-me-down”. The giant bike he rode was well over 20 years old, it wasn’t the prettiest or the fanciest but it crossed and entire state, best of all it was free. 

A Good Sturdy Waterproof Duffle

No matter how you choose to ride Ragbrai; self-supported, or with a charter you’ll need a duffle bag to house your gear that can take a beating, hold a decent amount, and most importantly is waterproof. That last bit is true especially if you are using Ragbrai’s luggage service- your bag can be left out for hours in all kinds of weather and there is nothing worse after a long day of riding than a bag of soaking wet gear. We carried 2 bags and both held up to the test, and kept all our gear safe and sound.

 

What Goes On The Bike

Tube Bag

A tube bag is exactly what it sounds like, a bag to hold your spare tube, maybe a small tire repair tool, and if there’s room a snack, or some rehydration tabs. There are a lot of people around on Ragbrai to lend you a hand with a tube change in case you have the unfortunate luck of popping a tire, but you’re going to be out of luck if you don’t luck a spare tire tube on you to replace the busted one.

Spare Tire Tube

Not to be redundant, but a spare tube or two is a must. Just like on a car bike tire tubes are a specific to the tires on your bike, so its up to you to make sure you’ve got the right tube for your bike. You can pick up spare tubes at almost any bike shop, Walmart or just order them in advance off of Amazon. Don’t count on being able to find a perfect match for your tires during the ride.

Pump or CO2 Cartridge Spare Tire Tube

So you’ve got your new tube on your tire, now what? You’re going to need to put some air into that bad boy, and there’s only two ways to do that. Either with a bike pump or with a handy dandy Co2 cartridge. We carried this small pump because we had the room on DJ’s pannier rack but if we hadn’t we would have opted for the slightly more expensive Co2 canisters just because they can fit snugly into the tube bag and don’t take up a ton of room.

Bike Tool

We opted to carry one of these between the two of us, and by some miracle never needed to bust it out, but it would have been worth the weight if we had. There is no end to the amount of people willing to help you if you have a breakdown on the road. In fact, the Airforce Cycling Team is literally there for that purpose (those guys are great). But a little self-sufficiency could save you a solid chunk of time waiting for an assist.

Bike Lights

Most riders begin their day between 4:30 & 6:00 am, it’s highly likely that at some point during Ragbrai you’re going to be riding in the dark, making bike lights an absolute necessity. A white light on the front, and a flashing red light on the rear is a safe way to indicate to other cyclists and the occasional car that you are where you are, keeping you safe in those early hours on the road.

Water Bottles

This one seems obvious, but we can’t tell you the amount of people we ran into on Ragbrai who wished they had brought more water bottles than they had. We both rode with two and generally found that, that was enough, but honestly, 3 would have been ideal for the days where the stretches in between pass-thru towns were a bit longer.

Helmet

You cannot ride Ragbrai without a helmet- they simply won’t let you. Moreover, you shouldn’t ride Ragbrai without a helmet. Accidents happen, we saw plenty of them, and sometimes they’re bad. Breaking an arm would be terrible, breaking your head would be even worse. A good helmet doesn’t need to cost a lot, if it fits you well, is structurally sound (no previous crashes, a crashed helmet is a trash helmet), and gets decent airflow through it, it’ll work.  These are our two favorite helmets we ride with.

Small Bag For Riding

This is the one thing we regretted not having. We started the ride using a pair of panniers on Dj’s bike to hold all our extra stuff, which turned out to be a terrible idea. The extra space added a ton of weight to DJ’s bike that he didn’t need to be cycling with and it was just downright bulky. Looking back and seeing that other riders had, we could have really benefited from ditching the panniers and carrying a small fanny pack like this one from Skog A Kust or something similar to carry anything that wouldn’t fit in the tube bags.

Cash ($50 per day)

Want to know a secret about Ragbrai? Almost no one loses weight while riding it because there is no shortage of delicious, indulgent food available everywhere. Cash is king on this ride, a lot of vendors are smaller operations that can’t afford to pay the additional fees for running a credit card and or where you’ll be riding will be in areas with little to no cell signal to run a card with. We found that $50 per day per person was plenty for us. We pre portioned it before the ride into baggies so that we could just grab a new baggie out of our duffle each day.

Sunscreen

Forget your sunscreen and you’ll be in a world of hurt. The worst sunburn either of us ever suffered happened during Ragbrai. The sun is no joke, especially when your skin is exposed to it for 12+ hours a day, every day for 7 days straight. Sunscreen will save your skin and keep you out of a world of hurt during the ride. We normally opt for reef safe sunscreen since we spend so much time in the ocean but for this ride, we recommend something super waterproof to stand up to all the sweat.

Chamois Butter

We all know how bad a sunburn can hurt, but have you considered the amount of pain you’re going to be in if you get a chafe on your naughty bits, or any other part of your body for that matter? That’s where the Chamois Butter comes in, apply it in the morning, and then re-apply throughout the day to make sure you’re covered. A bad enough chafe can ruin your entire ride. Personally, we carried the big bottle (fear of running out was serious for us) but we saw plenty of other riders using the sample size pocket packs. Grab whatever you think will work best for you, just don’t forget it!

Hydration Tablets

As Bobby Boucher would say, there’s nothing quite as good on a long, long bike ride as some “high quality H2o”, but in this case you’re more than likely going to need something with a little more to it to replace all those salts you’re sweating out, and give you a little electrolyte boost, and that’s where hydration tabs or packs come into play. Rip a pack open, drop into one of your water bottles and you’re good to go. We have big love for both of these:

Protein Bars

This is a Ragbrai packing item that is highly debated among a lot of riders. Why bother packing protein bars when there is no limit to the amount of yummy foods for sale along the route. Why? I’ll tell you why. Because sometimes the line for those yummy foods (especially first thing in the morning) are exceedingly long and you don’t feel like stopping when you just started riding. Or, you underestimate how hungry you are, skip a snack stop, and then find yourself in the middle of nowhere Iowa, stranded and starving in a cornfield. In that moment you’ll be grateful you packed that bar. I promise.

ID Card

Wristbands are the fashion statement of Ragbrai, you will have one for everything you can think of including, alcohol. So why bother carrying an ID? Because you just never know. Most riders never suffer a severe accident or any other event which would require them to need an ID but in the case that you would, it’s a vital item to have on you.

Small First Aid Kit

Along with our baggie of cash we threw in some small first aid items, just in case of an emergency. Band-Aids, in case of cuts or hotspots, a few single dose Benadryl’s and pain meds, as well as some bio freeze for those achy muscles.  You may never need a single one of those items, but maybe someone else will, and if there’s one thing that Ragbrai is all about, it is helping each other out.

Emergency Toilet Paper or Biodegradable Wipes

This one might seem odd, but the only time you’ll run into a port-a-potty or Kybo as they’re known to Ragbrai riders is in the pass thru towns, that means any other time you’re in need your only real option is the miles and miles of cornfields spread out on either side of you. Unfortunately, these don’t come equipped with TP so it’s a bring your own sort of situation. But no one likes a litter bug, so make sure whatever you pack is biodegradable and planet friendly.

Solar Battery Bank & Charger

Keeping your devices charged can be one of the biggest challenges of Ragbrai. Even if you keep your phone on airplane mode like we did for 90% of the ride, between photos, shooting short little videos, and the occasional text message your battery won’t make it the whole week. This little spare battery pack, with a small solar panel attached saved us time and time again. Don’t forget, to pack your charging cords to go with it.

Action Camera

Ragbrai is hard, but it’s also so much fun. There’s no shortage of memories to be made here and we found that by mounting a GoPro to the front of our bikes it made it super easy to capture all the action, plus a ton of little moments that we would have forgotten completely if the camera hadn’t been running. Do you have to have an action camera to ride Ragbrai, no. Does it make reliving one of the best weeks of your life possible, yes.

Sunglasses

The sun in Iowa in late July is brutal, bouncing up off hot asphalt directly into your face, it can do some serious damage to your eyes. Sunglasses are non-negotiable. Cheap ones work just fine, between the two of us one of us had on a $20 pair from Walmart and the other was rocking a $200 pair of Costas, both worked. Just make sure to do a dry fit with your helmet on to make sure they work together.

 



Camping Essentials

Ragbrai is part bike ride, part festival style camping adventure. Having the right gear to get a good night’s sleep is everything, when you’re riding a bike up and down hilly roads for 50 miles or more a day. 

Tent

Having a tent that can keep you cozy is quick to put up and take down, is a non-negotiable for this ride. We saw all kinds of tents from teeny, little things to giant condos. We used our favorite 2 person backpacking tent, the Kelty Wireless, with two entrances (no climbing over one another to get out in the middle of the night), and two vestibules so our gear stayed separated and organized, after 7 days we became even more convinced this might just be the most perfect tent ever invented. 

Sleeping Pad

Other than your bike, this might be the most important item that you pack. A good sleeping pad can be the deciding factor between a good night’s sleep and a restless night of flip flopping. We opted for the Big Agnes Q-core deluxe, zero regrets. 

Camp Pillow

Sure you can bunch up some stinky bike clothes under your head and call it a day if that works for you or you could invest a few bucks into a quick inflatable camp pillow and not have to sleep with your face in the stink for 7 days. We’re huge fans of Ballas Pillows. They’re not exactly your traditional camping pillow, they were actually designed to be used on the beach, but they make the perfect camping/ travel accessory.   Biking across a state, flying on a plane, sleeping on a train, or backpacking through a national park, ours go everywhere with us. 

Sleeping Sheet 

Iowa gets hot, like really hot. We had no idea, but we learned. If you’re someone who needs some sort of cover at night but don’t want to sweat to death in a sleeping bag, then this is exactly what you need. They’re cheap, cooling, and give you just enough coverage while you snooze. 

Sleeping Bag 

You’ve got 50 lbs. to play with in your duffle, so if you’ve got the room why not pack a sleeping bag in addition to the sleeping sheet. During the 2022 ride the weather got chilly in the evenings and we were incredibly happy we had our bags to snuggle into each night. 

Battery Powered Fan

On those hot, hot nights, you’ll be glad you tossed this bad boy into your bag. It’s a fan, it’ll keep you cool while you snooze. That’s all there really is to say about it.

Headlamp

Ready for a little Ragbrai Vocabulary lesson? Kybo= port-a-potty, weird I know but it’s a Ragbrai thing so you’re going to need to learn to embrace it! And there is nothing less pleasant that heading to a kybo in the dark, which is one of many reasons why you need a headlamp. We have used our same headlamps forever and they have stood up to every test we’ve put them through.

Eye Mask

Optional item alert. If you’re someone who can’t sleep unless its pitch dark out, a good night’s sleep on Ragbrai might be tough for you. A cheap eye mask could make all the difference. 

Ear Plugs

Another optional item, camping at Ragbrai means a giant slumber party with 1,000 strangers nearby. Sometimes those strangers snore, loudly. Sometimes those strangers get on the road at 4am, and don’t respect the fact that you’re trying to catch up on some much needed Z’s . If you’re a light sleeper who is easily bothered by noises a pair of earplugs needs to be in your bag.

 

Ear Plugs:  Get It Here!

 

Clothing

 

 

 

 Bike Shorts 

They might look stupid, and be a bit revealing for the guys, but about an hour into sitting on that bike seat and you’re going to be so grateful for the giant pad attached to your butt. We’re big fans of buying multiple brands/ styles so that if you do start to develop a chafe or a sore spot you have options that won’t rub you in the same spot day after day. 

Bike Shoes 

Bike shoes means shoes you’re comfortable biking in. You can spend the big bucks and get fancy clip in shoes if you can easily use them (they are super-efficient) or go with any old fitness shoe that feels good. Whatever you decide to ride give them a few test spins before committing. You only get one pair for 7 days so you better like them! 

Socks

Just like whatever shoes you choose to bike in, your socks that go with them need to fit right and be breathable.  There are lots of options out there, choose what works for you. 

Comfy Camp Shoes 

There is nothing better after a day of riding than a cold beer, taking off your biking shoes comes in a close second. This is all personal preference, but if you’re planning on “showering” during the ride than a shoe that doubles as a shower shoe is a good option. Personally, we love our Olukai Flip Flops, whatever you choose make sure they let those piggies breathe. 

Bike Jerseys 

You don’t need a fancy or expensive bike jersey, just some type of moisture wicking workout top that you can comfortably ride a bike while wearing. Lesson learned from Ragbrai past, if you’re worried about burning get a top that will cover your shoulders, and back. 

Camp Clothes

Ripping off your bike clothes and slipping into a loose-fitting T-shirt and some shorts will make you feel like a new human, even if you didn’t shower before you did it. In the past we packed 3 outfits for in the evenings, we found out fast we just kept resorting to the same outfit over and over again. Our best advice? Don’t over pack on these items. Go light. Laundry services are available if you really need them. 

 

Cold Weather Clothes

Ragbrai generally takes place at the end of July, and usually that means heat, and a lot of it. But on rare occasions the nights can get a bit cool, and sometimes downright cold. If you have the room, it never hurts to toss in some warmer layers in case things get chilly. 

Bike Shrug or Jacket

Weather is always the most unpredictable part of any adventure but if you come prepared for it, it can make the suffering suck just a little less. A light riding jacket or shrug will keep you warm in the cooler early morning hours or during an afternoon rainstorm. 

Hygiene

Baby Wipes

Showering on Ragbrai breaks down to three things, paying for a shower, using a community pool locker room, or lastly splashing off in a nearby water refill station. If you’re too lazy for any of the above, baby wipes are the best alternative. Nothing feels better than wiping off the fine layer of sweat and road dirt you accumulated during the day before sliding into sleeping bag at the end of the day. 

Toothbrush & Paste

Unless you’re super fancy, the likelihood of you showering everyday of Ragbrai is slim, but unless you like having furry teeth you should be brushing your teeth every day. 

Feminine Items

If you think you’re going to need them. Pack them. Self-explanatory. 

Deodorant

Ragbrai is a sweaty event, but it doesn’t mean it needs to be stinky one. Apply liberally at the beginning of each day. You and all your new friends will be glad you did. 

Hair Ties to Spare

If you have longer hair you will want these, and then some. Losing or breaking a hair tie can literally ruin your day. Pack some, and then pack extras.  Two is one, one is none, the golden rule when it comes to hair ties. 

Hairbrush

A small travel sized hairbrush is necessary to tame the mane. 

Pain Reliever

At some point something is going to hurt, unless you’re incredibly lucky, if you’re one of those people that ignore this. If not, make sure you toss a small bottle of your pain reliever of choice into your bag. 

Butt Paste For Chafes

100% optional but speaking from personal experience, Butt Paste designed for healing diaper rash is a miracle cure for a fresh chafe and can save your butt, literally. 

Bio Freeze

Sore muscles are just part of the package when you’re riding a bike across an entire state. Hour after hour on a bike seat, will cause things to start to ache in some very strange and unexpected places. Bio Freeze to the rescue. We’re big fans of the small packs for the bikes and the big bottles for the tent. 

Quick Dry Camp Towel

From quick dips in rivers, to full on showers, and pool time, a quick dry towel is worth the investment in the space and weight it takes up in your bag. 

 

 

Electronics & Gadgets

Mini Solar Panel 

In addition to our solar battery packs, we also threw this small solar panel setup into our bags to get some extra juice into our devices at the end of a day of riding. Totally worth it. 

Spare Memory Cards 

Memory cards weigh absolutely nothing and having a couple of spare 128 GB cards to pop into your action camera takes the worry out of running out of space to hold all the amazing memories you’re going to make on this epic ride! 

Extra Camera Batteries

Obviously spare batteries are a must especially in an environment like Ragbrai where the opportunity to charge up is rare. Combine your spare batteries with the solar charger and you can have a healthy battery in your camera while the dead one is charging by the power of the sun. It’s a win, win! 



Extras

Things you don’t necessarily need but you’ll be glad you have.

Recovery Drink Powder 

Good recovery is essential to waking up every day for seven days and hopping on the back of a bike. No matter your fitness level your body is working harder than it normally would to get this job done. Supplementing your amino acids with a recovery powder can give it the little boost it needs to heal faster and be ready to go the next day.

Bike Speaker

Ragbrai is fun, that’s the whole point of the event. No party would be complete without some good tunes. A small waterproof blue tooth speaker can turn those long miles into thousands of smiles with the right playlist.

Bathing Suit

Pools, rivers, lakes, and of course the mighty backyard slip-n-slide are all things that you’re going to see on Ragbrai. How you participate is up to you. We live by a core travel rule, “always pack a bathing suit” so you know where we stand on this one! 

 

 

And there it is… the complete list of everything you’ll need to ride across the great state of Iowa, all that’s left to do is pack it all up in your duffle and hop on your bike! 

We hope you found this gear list helpful! If you have any questions about the gear mentioned here, or the ride, drop them in the comments section and we’ll be sure to get back to you! 

 

 

Thanks for sticking with us!



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