As much as I enjoy pretending to be a dirtbag while traveling on my bike, I have to admit that bikepacking gear can be spendy. As my adventures have escalated I’ve grown more comfortable investing in quality gear, but I still get excited about great deals.
That’s why I’m a big fan of buying used bikepacking gear, regardless of whether you’re bikepacking on a budget or can afford to splurge. Think about it: you buy a brand new shiny item and after a couple trips it’s “used” anyway, by you! Why not start with something lightly used, maybe by another nice bikepacker who tried it on a couple trips and decided it wasn’t for them, and save some money to spend later on plane tickets and cheeseburgers.
I’ve bought quite a few items of bikepacking gear used, including bags, bike parts, camping gear, and clothing, and many still occupy key spots in my gear collection. It makes me happy to get value from these items knowing I saved money and am doing my tiny part to help reduce waste.
Since used bikepacking gear is still a somewhat narrow niche, it does help to know where to look. Some places might be obvious (yes, eBay is great) and some are a bit harder to discover. I’ve created this list of places to find used bikepacking gear with the goal of helping you build out your gear collection and give some pre-loved gear a new life on the road or trail.
Don’t forget: you can sell gear in all these places too! Maybe your riding interests have evolved toward a more rugged setup, or a new bikepacker has joined your family and changed the way you pack gear, or your definition of “lightweight” has changed. Selling old gear is a great way to give yourself a discount on whatever you replace it with and make sure it continues to enjoy the adventurous existence it was made for.
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General Online Marketplaces
Let’s start with some old standbys for used stuff of all kinds: eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook. If you didn’t already know, all these platforms allow you to set up alerts for specific queries so you don’t have to search every single day to catch the best deals. For example, you could ask to be notified by email when a new item is posted that includes the words “bikepacking” or “Revelate” or “inflatable sleeping pad.”
eBay
I hate to start with such an obvious one, but eBay is where I’ve found a majority of my used bikepacking gear and lots of other outdoor gear too. My Revelate Viscacha seat bag, Arc’teryx Beta AR jacket, and my first-ever pair of SPD bike shoes were all lightly used eBay purchases. It’s also a great source for used bike components like wheels and forks, which are often still in great condition but sell for a fraction of their new price.
For example, right now an eBay search for “bikepacking bags” pulls up a number of good options from Revelate, Ortlieb, and Arkel. I also see a few Big Agnes tents, some good deals on used Garmin eTrex nav devices, and several pre-owned NeoAir Xlite sleeping pads. Have fun! 🙂
Craigslist
Depending on where you live, the old standby Craigslist might help you snap up used bikepacking gear from someone local. If you’re lucky enough to live in a biking and outdoor paradise like Bend, Boulder, or Durango (I’m jealous!) your odds are especially good.
Facebook Marketplace
Similar to Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace is a way to connect with people selling their used gear. It can be sparse depending on where you live, but not all deals have to be local. For example, my query for “bikepack” just brought up a couple of nice-looking Big Agnes bikepacking tents with shipping available.
Facebook Groups
Though Facebook isn’t my favorite place to spend a lot of time, it’s definitely worth poking around the groups when it comes to bikepacking. In addition to loads of helpful informational groups and local communities, people use Facebook groups to buy and sell used bikepacking gear and bikes.
Here are some bikepacking-specific groups:
Don’t forget backpacking-focused gear groups too. They’re a great place to find camping gear and clothing that also works well for bikepacking:
Online Gear Exchanges
A number of companies both big and small are attempting to reduce waste and help used outdoor gear find new life. These options aren’t bikepacking-specific so they tend to be best for general items like tents, sleeping pads, stoves, clothing, and cycling gear.
If you’re looking to sell your gear, pay attention to the terms of each program. Some pay you right away for your gear and then take care of listing and selling it, while others simply provide a platform for you to list your gear. Naturally most take a commission or offer lower prices than you might get if you sold it yourself, but that’s literally the price you pay for convenience.
REI Co-op Used Gear
The REI used gear shop accepts and sells used versions of items they also sell new. The inventory includes items that members have traded in for gift cards, or sometimes just returned, which means lots of items are still in excellent condition. Used gear is only available to members, but you should have an REI membership anyway — it costs a small one-time fee and offers tons of benefits and savings.
The cycling category is a great place to start, and has an especially good selection of deals on cycling clothes. Right now I’m seeing killer deals — like over 50% off on items in excellent condition — on pedals, saddles, a dropper seat post, and lots of cycling clothing and shoes. In fact, I just snapped up a pair of shoes for myself! 😉 The gear category is also great for tents, stoves, etc. Many REI stores have a used section too, if in-person shopping is more your style.
GearTrade
GearTrade is a well-established online platform for selling and buying used gear. They have a huge selection of cycling clothes across all styles, a good amount of camping gear, and a very respectable selection of used bike components. Their “saddle bags” category even has a fair number of bikepacking bags. You might get lucky and find some more specialized items too; right now I see an Enlightened Equipment down quilt!
Looking to sell? They’ll take a box of your used gear, free shipping label provided, and pay you when it sells.
Patagonia Worn Wear
There’s a reason people joke about “Patagucci,” but this notoriously pricey brand does offer a nice used gear store. It’s limited to Patagonia clothing only, but some items — like their famed Capilene base layers and down jackets — are great for bikepacking. They seem to have quite a few kids’ items too, which is a nice way to gear up fast-growing young cyclists for kidpacking expeditions.
Out&Back
Out&Back is a smaller outfit that entices sellers with a convenient system: send in gear and get paid right away, regardless of whether it sells. The selection is more limited than many of the other exchanges in this list, but it’s a good place to check for general camping gear and clothing. For example a search for “rain jacket” turns up a number of jackets that would work well for bikepacking, most at nearly 50% off retail prices.
Rerouted
Rerouted is another small and young venture started by an outdoor enthusiast. I didn’t find any bikepacking-specific gear there when I looked, but I did see some excellent deals on bikepacking-friendly tents including the Zpacks Plex Solo and Big Agnes Copper Spur, plus lots of outdoor clothing.
Bike-Specific Online Gear Exchanges
Pinkbike Buy / Sell
The mountain bike site Pinkbike has a large buy / sell directory mostly focused on bikes and components. Their bike bags category, though possibly intended for the kind of bike bags you use for traveling with your bike, is also well-stocked with a number of bikepacking bag brands for sale at varying levels of discount, mostly in the US and Canada.
Apidura Revive
UK-based bag maker Apidura has a nice program where they repair and refurbish packs used in product testing and development. At the moment they only have a handful of bags available and the discounts aren’t particularly big, but it’s worth checking the Revive site before buying a new Apidura bag.
Local Bike Shops and Used Gear Shops
I know shopping online is more convenient, but there’s no substitute for seeing an item in person, holding it in your hands, and trying it on your body or even your bike. If you happen to live in a town with a strong bike scene, you might be lucky enough to have a used gear shop with some premium picks. I once snagged a Revelate Designs seat bag and top tube bag at Gear Fix in Bend, Oregon.
It’s also worth checking with any bikepacking-friendly local bike shops. I got my Salsa frame bag and handlebar harness used at Good Bike Co. in Prineville when I got my Salsa Fargo. They rent out complete bikepacking setups (such a cool idea) and the bags were from their rental and demo fleet.
Embrace the Cycle
When I first fell down the rabbit hole of outdoor adventuring, I thought the goal was to buy a single set of quality gear that would last forever and work for everything. Hah! I’ve since realized that half the fun lies in following my evolving interests wherever they lead as my skills and ambitions grow. To get the most out of that process, sometimes I need to change my gear setup.
The beauty of buying (and selling) used bikepacking gear is that we can all play a role in each other’s cycles of growth and exploration. The gear you’ve outgrown is exactly what someone else needs to get started or take their own next step. So don’t be afraid of pre-loved and pre-dirtied gear — it’s going to get dirty after five minutes on your bike anyway! By buying and selling used we can all save a bit of money, reduce waste, and feel a little more free to experiment with our setups.
More Bikepacking Resources
If you liked this post, be sure to also check these out:
- Bikepacking From Idaho to Arizona on the Western Wildlands Route
- Scenic Oregon Bikepacking Routes for All Riding Styles
- Bikepacking Water Filters: Choosing the Best for Your Trip
Or visit the bikepacking section for lots more.
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Alissa, founder of Exploring Wild. I’ve traveled over 19,000 miles by bike and still can’t stop planning my next ride (and helping you plan yours). Pavement and panniers or singletrack and seat bag, I love it all. On my bike I feel free. Learn more about me here.
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