August 9, 2023 Doug Artman invited me to go bikerafting on Stampede Reservoir. As bikepacking loves compound words, bikerafting is the blend of bikepacking = off road touring and packrafting = travel by lightweight inflatable rafts. This route was splendidly that blend of activities, we rode the Truckee Emigrant Trail singletrack to Stampede Reservoir then paddled to find a campsite. We reversed the route and order of operations to return. Check out Doug’s story and others in Twenty Years from Now – Adventures of D&J.

This was my second time in my packraft on Stampede, but first time as an overnight. My bikerafting trips until now had been day trips, big and small, that left me with questions about the logistics of a multi-day trip. If carry my boat and related paraphernalia on my handlebar harness, where would I carry my tent or sleep kit? How do I keep everything waterproof when my current bikepacking bags are not? Not too big of questions. I have done a good job at pairing back what I carry on a trip. I look back on some pack lists of mostly redundant clothing that really takes up a lot of extra space and wonder, what was I thinking? The addition of a dry bag will keep essentials dry.

One big question I had was, how will the Kokopelli Hornet-Lite carry the Meriwether longtail fat bike? It had carried my Surly Ice Cream Truck, KHS Four Seasons, and Opus Spark just fine. The Meriwether packed up just fine and the boat tracked surprisingly well. Doug’s Alpaca Caribou carried his Binary Bicycles Kinetik just fine. Doug’s packraft has the Ti-Zip storage compartments which solve two problems, leg room in the boat and keeping gear dry. If I were choosing a new Kokopelli today I would get the Rogue-Lite with Ti-Zip (in yellow for cheer). But for now my Hornet-Lite is not keeping me from achieving my goals.

Our pedal on the Emigrant Trail was about 8.7 miles of easy singletrack. We had under 1000’ of climbing and descending to get to where we put in. We switched over from boats-on-bikes to bikes-on-boats in less than 45 min. My goal would be less than 30 min. And we were off!

There is a sensation of incredulity that I am floating on the water with my bike. But that quickly passes. We paddled out of the inlet and started along the south shore of the inlet created by Saghen Creek. The afternoon wind was kicking up. The waves and white-caps (small but definitely not flat water) were making paddling challenging so Doug suggested we try crossing to get out of the wind. We weren’t out of the wind but the north shore was a bit easier to paddle along.

We ducked into a small inlet that looked like it had some flat ground. Much of the shore on Stampede is steep and rocky. But we decided to see if there was another option in the next inlet. As the wind was coming up it was getting harder to make forward progress. The next inlet had a rock fire ring and a makeshift bench. The best campsites are found not made. Although we had no interest in fire, it was a great spot for the night.

It was early so we had time to relax and enjoy the view. Wildlife was on parade. We saw deer, bald eagles, osprey, cormorant, merganser, geese, gulls, pelicans, and then once the sun was off the water the fish started feeding. We were both wishing we had our fly rods.

The night was comfortable. Doug was in his 1-person tent and I was in my bivy. The next morning we woke to light fog on the lake and calm winds. We decided we would take advantage of the easy paddling to tour the north end of the lake before returning.

We paddled over submerged brush near the mouth of the Little Truckee River. We saw a handful of roads that came down to the lake shore that could be additional put-in or take-out points on future trips. Eventually we made it to our initial put-in point on the Emigrant Trail.

Tasks were reversed and the boats were loaded onto our bikes for the ride back. There is something about the familiar of the the return trip. It doesn’t seem to take as long. I am paying more attention to the features around me. I am noticing things new seeing them from a different direction. I was surprised and disappointed seeing our vehicles come into view knowing the trip is over.

By the numbers- Day 1 8.7 miles of singletrack on the Emigrant Trail and 3.2 miles of paddling on Stampede Reservoir, about 900’ in elevation gain. Day 2 4.1 miles of paddling, and reversing the same 8.7 miles of singletrack on the Emigrant Trail, with about the same amount of climbing. All in all, this is a great shake down overnight for bikerafting. I am looking forward to my next bike rafting trip. Bikes and boats are a great combination!

My kit- I rode my Meriwether longtail (mid-tail, extended, stretched?) fat bike. It has the most carrying capacity of my bikes, it is the expedition bike waiting for an expedition. The rigid Salsa Cycles EXP Series Anything Cradle is a fantastic way to carry the boat bundle and keep it off the cables and controls on the handle bar. The boat bundle pushes the recommended carrying capacity of the cradle at 8 lbs. The dry bag contained the Kokopelli Hornet-Lite packraft, 4-piece paddle, inflation bag, seat, inflatable life vest, water shoes (I could have left behind, I was wearing Chaco sandals), and patch kit.

In anticipation of fair weather I packed my sleeping pad, synthetic quilt, sleeping bag liner, and bivy sack, all in the seat bag. It was surprisingly cool and foggy at the start so I threw in a soft shell jacket from my truck at the start of the ride. That jacket was bulkier and heavier than what I would have packed but I had room in my frame bag. I probably would have been fine just layering with my Houdini jacket.

The rest of my kit is fairly standard. First aid, kitchen and food, bicycle repair, electronics, and camp chair. For food, in addition to trail mix, I brought Spam Musubi the “Japanese/Hawaiian Power Bar”. I made this myself. It is formed rice, topped with grilled Spam and wrapped in nori. I love them and I don’t have to share with the uninitiated! This was my on the bike snack/lunch. For dinner I had instant soup. Breakfast was coffee and granola. The bicycle repair kit was used to remove the wheels and pedals from the bike. My backup battery and electronics were double bagged in plastic and transported in the dry bag. Keeping essentials dry should be the ultimate forethought. I packed a spare drybag and straps as my just-in-case.

Everything did their job well on this trip. But there is always room for refinement.

Packing the bike, loading the boat- The Hornet-Lite is admittedly a little under-boating for bikerafting. But from the initial reviews I read it was the best value as a gateway to packrafting. Currently it is doing just fine. If it can manage the long-tail fat bike and gear it can carry any bike. The two tie down points are minimalist. I could see adding two more. Obviously rougher the conditions you anticipate, the more securely you want your bike attached. It is hard to imagine what hours of paddling on a choppy lake will do to unsettle your packing job. Once in the boat reaching the contents of my bags was not an option. No amount of imagination will substitute for experience. My method was to bundle the wheels, then attach them to the frame, then attach bike to boat. On Day 2 I attached my straps wider on the bike to try to better stabilize the load. Critical-to-stay-dry items went into the dry bag in the bow of the boat. There isn’t much room left for the paddler, but luckily I am short.

In comparison, Doug’s Alpaca Caribou has the 4 tie down points in the bow, internal storage, larger volume and increased length. It comes at a price of a heavier boat (but not much) and a lighter wallet. I would consider the Kokopelli Rogue-Lite with Ti-zip storage as a comparable upgrade.

There are a few details to consider, load the bike as far forward and balanced side-to-side as possible, drive side up, forks pointed to stern. I removed both wheels, Doug removed just the front. At least remove the non-drive pedal, I removed both. Be aware of rub-points between bike and boat making sure it is impossible for the bike to puncture the boat. There are things that go without saying that need to be said.

Keep in mind the opportunities to go ashore to re-pack or re-inflate (top-off) your boat.

Obviously this little trip write-up can’t be a comprehensive how-to bikeraft, but these are the bits that came to mind. As always, if there is anything I can do to help get you out there please reach out!

My other bikerafting posts:

• Gear Review: Kokopelli Hornet-Lite Packraft
• Packraft on Walker Lake