EP9: What's In All These Bags?!

Talk Gnarly to Me: What’s in our mountain biking bagsSteph and Julia do a full bag dump of their mountain biking gear, comparing what actually lives in their ride bags, what’s purely emergency backup, and what they keep carrying even though they barely use it. The conversation turns into a practical, funny inventory of trail essentials, desert-specific gear, and the real-world mistakes that shape what goes in a pack. It’s part gear check, part trail-safety chat, and part coaching talk, with a surprise fan-mail unboxing at the end. If you ride in hot, dusty conditions or just want to know what experienced riders actually carry, there’s a lot to steal from this one.Key topicsSteph breaks down her three-bag system: a car duffel, a hip pack, and a coaching bag, each with a different jobJulia compares her simpler setup and explains why she keeps a hand pump, spoons, and cactus tools instead of trusting her tire gadgetBoth hosts talk through hydration habits, including extra water bottles, bladder cleaning, and why water bottles often beat bladdersThey cover desert ride essentials like sunblock, lip balm, eye drops, cooling towels, and backup layers for Arizona’s surprise cold morningsEmergency gear gets a lot of attention: first aid kits, hemostats, gauze, saline, bandages, gloves, and nosebleed suppliesThe hosts share real stories of flats, failed CO2 cartridges, a tire explosion scare, and why hand pumps are a must-have backupSteph explains her coaching kit, including cones, two-by-fours, and how she uses them to build rider confidence on obstaclesThere’s a long detour into trail-specific tools, like tire plugs, chain tools, multi-tools, and the mystery items neither host fully understandsThey talk about what to carry on group rides versus solo rides, especially when riding with newer or unknown ridersThe episode ends with fan mail from Erik Lantz, who sent them Arizona mountain biking guidebooks and sparked ideas for a future history-focused episodeLink to Fat Tire Tales and Trailshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0966476905?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallbackJust a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors.Instagram:TGTMStephJuliaSound Design:Loui StrumOur website:tgtmpod.comOur email:[email protected]