I know it's early, but I have stated the bike mock-up process on my 2013 Salsa Vaya in anticipation of our 2026 Tour and Micro-Tour Season.

This isnt a "Top 5" list, or a lest of the "Best of 202x", it's just some tips that are rattling around my head that I'd like to share after leading over 175 group bikepacking trips

718 Outdoors Tours are like our Micro-Tours in many ways (If you are coming to this post first, please first have a look at our "What is a Micro-Tour" article), but with some key differences. I have led over 175 self-supported bikepacking group tours, and these are my observations. For descriptions about Gear, Bikes and the "Self-Supported" nature of these Tours, check out our "What is a Micro-Tour"  article. Check out our upcoming Tour Schedule here. See what others have t

I have given this some thought, and came up with 5 items for the bike camper (or regular camper, or regular person, or yourself) that I feel

Trying to figure out the whole bikepacking thing without braking the bank? Here is some bikepacking gear to consider

I've led over 175 trips since 2014, and I really wanted to challenge myself to see if I can truly describer what a Micro-Tour is.

2025 Micro-Tour 12 was a 58 mile (each way) self-supported bikepacking trip from NYC to Mountain Lakes in North Salem, NY on November 8-9, 2025

I led a lot of tours in 2025 (25 to be exact) and have taken hundreds of people thousands of miles. One of my favorite parts of this job is being exposed to so many types of bikepacking gear that folks bring on tour. Here is a list of the 5 best items I've used or seen on Tour.

A window into our 2026 bike tour schedule planning process

Since returning from our 2025 Vermont Tour in August (which was primarily a loop of the north half of the Granite State), I have been thinking about a route that would explore southern Vermont and The Berkshires.

(Note: I am an Arkel Dealer. Clicking on links below in the body of this post will get you 10%, off, and gives 718 some $$ as well). As someone who basically hauls gear on a bike for many 1000's of miles per year, I am always looking at refining my setup. My setups have meandered over the years, but I do like to find consistency for a year or two so that I can get used to a system. For a vast majority of 2024, and the entirety of 2025, I ran with the system shown above. Prett

2025 Micro-Tour 11 was a 44 mile self-supported bikepacking trip from New York City to Croton Point Park (NY).

(as posted to Substack ) It’s no secret that I have migrated from “big” to “small” in terms of my business these last 17 years. I use the mantra “Growing Smaller”. I worked on getting rid of the things that I didn’t enjoy doing or that didn’t make me any $$ (and there were a lot of “things”) was my deal. I find myself on the cusp of 2026 with no employees, no physical location, no real connection to the bike industry, or any real quantity of inventory ( selling it off here! )

This article is primarily Bike Rail Travel with your bike via Amtrak in the Northeast of the United States

My initial thoughts on the Fuji Instax Mini Evo Camera

The backstory on my 2013 Salsa Vaya is one that will stay with me forever.

How I Build my First Aid Kit