Alaska’s Lost Coast by Bike and Packraft: Gear Packing List

In late July, writer-photographer-adventurer Cameron Lawson and a near stranger will use fat-tired bikes and packrafts to travel approximately 350 miles along Alaska’s Lost Coast. Getting from Yakutat to Juneau will take 14 to 17 days. The majority of this adventure is highly isolated and void of civilization and will entail lots of beach riding, river crossings, bushwhacking, and a couple open ocean crossings. 

Simple is good, especially when traveling the backcountry. From experience, I’ve learned to reduce the amount of gear I take on various excursions and bring only what’s essential.

I expect fairly temperate conditions along Alaska’s Lost Coast between Yakutat and Juneau during July. Since taking this photo, I’ve ditched the Patagonia R1 jacket in favor of a Patagonia NanoPuff. I also cut my sleeping bag in half to save both weight and volume. On a similar trip in 2010, I didn’t have a Thermarest and I ended up shivering most nights. This year I’ll be bringing Cascade Design’s NeoAir. It’s light, packable and I can wrap it around my toro and secure it in place with straps, as a makeshift PFD for water crossings.

By going light, trips are often more fun, because of the nimbleness found in not being burdened down with excess equipment.

Below is a gear list of items I’ll be bringing along on the trip.

PERSONAL CLOTHES OUNCE KILOGRAM Patagonia Torrential rain pants (M) 8.8oz 0.25kg Patagonia Torrential rain jacket (M) 13.6oz 0.39kg Patagonia mid-weight top (L) 6.4oz 0.18kg Patagonia silkweight short sleeve top (L) 4.8oz 0.14kg Patagonia silkweight long sleeve top (L) 6.4oz 0.18kg Patagonia mid-weight bottoms (M) 6.4oz 0.18kg Patagonia NanoPuff jacket (M) 12oz 0.34kg Black Diamond ice gloves – shells only 4.8oz 0.13kg NRS neoprene socks 4.8oz 0.13kg Smart Wool ski socks 2.4oz 0.07kg Smart Wool ankle high socks 1.6oz 0.04kg Oboz Traverse Running Shoes 16.6oz 0.47kg Ball Cap 1.6oz 0.04kg Patagonia Lotus Designs Skull Cap 1.6oz 0.04kg Pearl Izumi bike shorts (M) 7.2oz 0.20kg Moutain Hardwear 3/4 tights (M) 6.4oz 0.18kg Mosquito Head Net 0.8oz 0.02kg