Which tools and spares should you carry in our backpack or bumbag for enduro? Enduro World Champion and ISDE outright winner Josep Garcia lets Enduro21 look inside backpack to find out exactly what are the must-carry items.

When you go out on a ride with your mates or you prepare for that race, the same question pops ups nearly every time: what do I carry with me?

The last thing any rider wants while on a bike is something to happen or a part to break and not be prepared and able to fix it. But none of us wants to carry a whole toolbox full of spares. Rule number one should be good maintenance always, that’s the best way of preventing the need to get any tools out.

Bu whether you’re out for a trail ride or fighting for a world title, you don’t want to leave anything to chance and having the right things with you can save your ass. Josep Garcia reveals exactly what he carries inside his USWE RAW 3 backpack at an EnduroGP.

Bring the necessary, not more, not less

If you want to overcome every situation that can mean you carry too much, but you have to be practical and know what to bring and what to leave at home. The key, as Josep Garcia says, is to bring enough to get out of many situations knowing that ultimately there’ll be some which, even if you have all your tools, would mean that your day is over.

“I just carry a survival kit to be able to repair the bike if anything unexpected happens mid-race”, Garcia says. “A gear shift lever, a clutch lever and a front brake lever. Additionally, I also bring a spare tip for the rear brake lever.”

KTM riders will know the tool kit that comes with the bike is pretty good and Josep basically brings this with some extras. “Mainly everything I bring is what you get when you buy a KTM. The T-bar with a bit of duck tape rolled on it always comes handy to repair things, plus two sockets: an 8mm and 10mm which means you can nearly tear your whole bike down.

“The other tools I bring are: pliers, so you can tighten or cut stuff; and the front and rear wheel tightening tool that comes with a KTM. Then I also bring a single spanner with 10mm and 13mm each end plus a separate 10mm and 13mm combination spanners in the other in case I need to do a locknut.”

Spare parts and the survival kit

Apart from the levers, Josep says some other spare parts always important. “I also bring a spark plug wrench and a spare spark plug. It’s true that with four strokes it’s not common for them to go wrong but having one with you is always a good idea. It’s also small so easy to carry”.

Your bike relies on the chain to keep going so making a good maintenance and checking it regularly, after each ride, will keep you out of trouble most of the time. But be like Josep and be sure to carry a chain link, if your chain snaps and you don’t have one your day will be more than done.

If you break something and you need to keep it in place then some cable ties and a bit of duck tape will be your best friend. If Toby Price managed to complete a Dakar stage after repairing a wrecked tyre with cable ties then that should be enough reason to bring yours. They’re light and take up very little room.

Another must that it’s not very common is the two-part paste or metal weld. As Josep points, you’ll be able to get out the worst situations like a broken clutch cover because it’s easy to use and doesn’t take much space. “If you make a whole or a leak in an engine cover you simply have to mix the components, apply the paste and go.”

Finally, if you are racing and know you’re heavy on brakes or the dirt is harsh, bring a pair brake pads. “I bring them in case I catch some tape on the rear wheel and it ends up being burned on the brake disc. This way I can change the pads and the brakes work properly again.”

Bumbag or backpack? Best way is to go with just one

The more things you carry on your body the more you’ll be restricting your movement and getting tired. So best advise is to choose one of the two options: bumbag or backpack. It was a tough decision before, going for the bumbag meant you sacrifice hydration and going for the backpack meant you were giving too much storage away.

But it’s a different story nowadays as there are plenty options that combine hydration and storage in either or both – it depends on where you feel more comfortable carrying the weight. Brands like USWE offer solutions for both backpack, with more storage space, and bumbags, which include an hydration bag or a simply a lightweight hydration pack on the back and a bumbag.

Josep used to go with both, but told us he goes for just the backpack these days. “Before I always brought a bumbag, but a while back I decided to use only the backpack. The USWE backpacks, apart from bringing your drink, have some good storage space and since I started using them, I decided to bring my tools there also. Personally, the bumbag wasn’t comfy for me and these backpacks fit really well to the body, so I don’t feel the weight that much.”

Fotos: Nicki Martinez | Enduro21