Hello and welcome to the 2025 Campfire news roundup! Given that we’ve already had a couple of 80F+ days, “winter” suddenly feels like the wrong season for the title. But alas, it’s the desert.
We hope everyone has had a great start to the year so far, and we’re excited to share our first series for the year. This time around we’re focusing on the continued opportunity to support the people and communities affected by recent natural disasters. There are hundreds more that could use our help, so feel free to drop them in the comments below for others to see. Thanks for reading!
Rebuilding post-Helene and Eaton
It’s been almost five and half months since Hurricane Helene passed through the Southeastern United States, devastating the area with catastrophic flooding, triggering tornadoes, and racking up over $70 billion dollars in damage across a half dozen states.
The fires in LA were just two months ago, and before long, it’ll be out of the news cycle as well, a piece of not-so-long-ago history. Our feeds don’t hold on to anything for too long, lest we stop looking, but the reality is that those communities will continue to deal with the repercussions for years to come. Of the hundreds of businesses and millions of people affected, I wanted to start the year off by highlighting two groups that could still use our help – Rockgeist and the Lowelife’s Respectable Citizens Club.
I’ve been using a variety of custom and universal bags from Rockgeist since 2018, and after many thousands of miles across a few continents, there’s only been a failed zipper to speak of, with hardly a stitch out of place. Back then, Rockgeist was in its early stages, and Greg Hardin was incredibly kind to help Katie and I out with some bags for our first bikepacking trip together. In the years since, Rockgeist has become one of the finest makers of bikepacking gear and a staple in the community at large. They’ve pioneered innovations like the Spacelink and are now a go-to for welded waterproof bags, handmade in Helene-stricken Asheville, North Carolina.
Their workshop was flooded and most of their fabric, machines, and inventory destroyed back in September. Now nearly six months on, they’re working to get back up and running with a new workshop and are currently selling through the inventory they were able to rescue. To help rebuild, they’ve also recently released Hurricane Helene relief shirts inspired by a print of Katsushika Hokusai’s “Under the Wave off Kanagawa.” The shirts are being offered by donation, with a recommended minimum of $35. I picked up one for myself and one for a friend recently, and you can do the same here.
On the other side of the country, the opposite disaster hit with the Eaton Fire in early January, burning for over three weeks, destroying 9,000 structures, and killing at least 17 people. The fire tore through the San Gabriel Mountains, which is the home turf of the all volunteer-run Lowelife’s Respectable Citizens Club that maintains and restores trails in the range north of the city. Since 2019, the group has logged over 10,000 hours of trail work, often pedaling supplies in by trailer or longtail bikes.
Founder Matt Baffert lost his home in the fire along with the crew’s entire tool inventory. I’ve not had any immediate interactions with Lowelife’s, but I have pedaled in the San Gabriel Mountains and understand how important the access is to Angelinos. Similar to Tucson, the range offers a stark contrast to a big city down below, and their work is needed now more than ever. You can donate to their restoration work here.
More news!
- The Great Southern Country: Contemplative film following Lachlan Morton’s around Australia record. Something like 300 miles per day for a month. That’s mega.
- Rene Herse Corkscrew Climb Tire: A semi-slick from my go-to tire company!
- Bags X Bird Upper Hand Framebag: Tucson’s BXB just debuted a zipperless half framebag for quick access and zipper-free longevity. There are a handful in stock and custom orders are open.
- Onur’s Bike and Story: I sometimes forget how the bike world is a brand new space for a lot of folks. I met Onur at Presta recently and really enjoyed reading his story and seeing bikes and the bike community through fresh eyes.
- Jjjjustin’s Roads & Trails to the 2025 Tour Divide: Simple, minimally-produced video series documenting Justin McKinley’s third attempt at the Tour Divide.
- Alex Kowalksi’s Ti Black Sheep: Old school titanium, tweaked here and there for the likes of Tour Divide and Atlas Mountain Race, with some unique custom bags that are worth checking out.
- Greg McCahon in Southern Mexico: One of my favorite bike travel series is back with another video after a bit of a hiatus.
- Building Momentum: A women-led bikepacking workshop developed to equip and encourage women to explore the wonderful world of bike travel. May 27-th – June 22nd in Nelson, British Colombia
Leaving you with a scene from our recent overnighter on the Black Canyon Trail – Josh cutting around the corner in the afternoon light.
