A Size Inclusive Guide to Bike Commuting!

Whether you’re heading to work, class, or just out for errands, what you wear on your bike commute can make or break your ride. Prioritizing comfort, weather readiness, and visibility keeps you feeling great and helps you stay safe out on the road.

Here’s a curated kit that hits all those marks, is size inclusive, and super cute!

Pants That Move With You

Go beyond athletic leggings or stiff denim. Commuter-friendly pants should flex, breathe, and not bind when you pedal. If you’ve got a longer commute, layer padded cycling shorts/underwear under your pants.

Some options:
Ripton Superlite Camo Jeans — lightweight, flexible denim with stretch and relaxed fit so you can move comfortably on and off the bike. These ride-ready jeans have just enough structure to look polished for work or errands while fitting like your favorite everyday pants.

Shredly Limitless Riding Pants- Designed for comfort on and off the bike, these high-rise pants feature a wide, ultra-stretch waistband that moves with you while riding and stays comfortable all day long. The flexible fabric allows for easy pedaling without pinching or restriction, making them a great option for commuting, errands, or casual rides. Thoughtfully designed for real bodies, these pants are size-inclusive and available up to a size 24!

Rain Protection That Works With Your Ride

Unexpected weather? That’s part of commuting — and the right rain gear turns a soggy ride into a dry one.

Waterproof and easy to slip on over layers:
All Bodies on Bikes Rover 2.0 Rain Cape — This rain cape keeps you dry without restricting movement on the bike. Its generous cut lets you wear layers underneath and still stay covered when the skies open up. The best part, All Bodies on Bikes get a percentage of each sale of our branded gear!

Why a cape? Easy on/off over backpacks, doesn’t bunch up when you pedal, and still lets airflow circulate so you won’t overheat.

A Jacket That’s Built for Movement

Commuting weather isn’t always rain — sometimes it’s breezy, cool, or just unpredictable. A versatile outer layer can be your best friend.

My current favorites:
SHREDLY Beyond Tech Jacket — A relaxed, crop jacket that layers effortlessly. Breathable and soft, it’s a great piece whether you’re cruising to coffee or to a meeting.

SHREDLY Oversized Shacket — Stupidly comfortable and cute, this is the perfect combination jacket + sweatshirt (i.e. Shacket!) The quilted inner layer is absolutely perfect for staying warm on the cooler commute days.

Gloves That Keep You Comfortable + in Control

Your hands do a lot — braking, shifting, controlling. Keeping them happy matters!

Warmth and grip without bulk:
Ninja Ice Gloves — These Amazon special gloves offer weather-resistant protection with dexterity for brakes and shifters. These gloves were designed for folks who work in freezers/wet environments, so you know they’re going to be good. I’ve been using these since 2015 in Seattle and they’re still my favorite!

SHREDLY Manatee Gloves — Straight from my “Fast a MF Manatee” Cycling Collection with SHREDLY, these lightweight gloves are perfect for a warmer day.

Marley poses with her Manatee cycling gloves from SHREDLY.

Be Seen, Be Safe

Visibility is non-negotiable for commuters — especially at dawn, dusk, or in rainy weather.

A safety vest with flair:
Lace Safety Vest — A bold reflective vest that doesn’t feel like generic hi-vis gear. It signals your presence to drivers and also brings personality to your commute.

Pro-tip: If lace isn’t your style, check out the selection of safety gear at the next truck stop you go to. They often have extended sizes, and reflective warm gear including jackets, hats, gloves and vests!

Reflective elements are one of the easiest ways to improve your visibility without sacrificing style.

Quick Commuter Clothing Checklist

✔ Comfy, flexible pants that pedal well
✔ Waterproof layer you can toss on fast
✔ Outer layer that moves with you
✔ Gloves for grip + warmth
✔ High visibility essentials for safety

By focusing on function first but choosing pieces you actually enjoy wearing, your bike commute becomes something you look forward to — no matter the weather.

What’s on your commute must-wear list?

Fire, Ice, and Mountain Streams - A Bikepacking Adventure in the Gifford Pinchot

The Gifford Pinchot Wilderness has been on my bucket list of places to ride forever. This massive area that encompasses over 1.3 million acres and spans between Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams in southwestern Washington state offers countless options for gravel riding on forest service roads, dispersed backcountry camping, and exploring through caves, lava tubes, huckleberry fields, and rivers.

As my summer plans started to come together, I reached out to my friend Eliot who’s been a reliable bikepacking buddy for a few trips to see if he was interested in joining. I love planning trips with Eliot because he’s really good at it. He’s literally an Eagle Scout, and embodies so many characteristics I admire (and wish I had): super knowledgable in the outdoors, always prepared, and organized. His job was to plan the route, while I’d take care of food.

Hanging at camp with Eliot

We built our trip with a few goals in mind:

• Get out into the woods

• Spend 3 days riding, and 2 nights camping

• Have fun and stay alive

With these in mind, Eliot put together an incredible route that was built by combining two previously existing routes, The Fire and Ice Cave Loop from Bikepacking.com, and a route from Our Mother The Mountain. Clocking in at 91 miles with nearly 8,000 feet of climbing, this was definitely my most ambitious bikepacking trip, but turned out to be the most rewarding in terms of views, company, and fun.

My Bike Set Up

I rode my do-it-all Cannondale Topstone 4, equipped with a back rack and panniers. I was definitely underbiked for the single-track portion of Day 2, but was otherwise quite happy with my choice of ride. The route is a nice combination of gravel roads, beautiful pavement, and single track, but nothing was ever too technical.

This is the same bike I recently rode both Unbound Gravel 100 and The Oregon Gran Fondo, proving it’s a truly capable bike. It’s currently got the Shimano mechanical 2x12 GRX Groupset on there, with GRX brakes and wheels, and it performed beautifully. There were a few times where I could have used some additional climbing gears, but I’m not too proud to push my bike up a hill when it gets too steep.

For this trip, I ran 700x42 IRC Boken Double Cross tires, set up tubules at 40 psi (both front and rear.) No notes on tires, although Eliot ran 2.2” tires and also seemed to be quite happy, especially on the single track.

My biggest challenge with this bicycle is the size of it. It’s tiny, which doesn’t provide much space for either luggage or water carrying. To solve this, I simply packed in Ortleib panniers and mounted water bottle cages to my front fork. I also carried a hydration pack from Osprey. Fully loaded I was able to carry 2.5 liters of water, which was sufficient with periodic refills from mountainside streams (filtered of course.)

My bike setup

Food, Route Highlights, and More

As mentioned earlier, I was responsible for the food planning portion of the trip. If you know me, you know that I hate even the idea of being hungry, so I majorly overpacked on food. As I was unloading my pannier at camp the first night, Eliot summed it up well: “I packed to survive on this trip. Marley packed to be happy on this trip.” And it’s true - we ate good and were never hungry.

Our meals were:

Breakfasts - Oatmeal with peanut butter, chia seeds & mini chocolate chips, Dried Mango

Lunches - Tortilla wraps with chickpeas, tuna, dried bell pepper, and tortillas with salami & cheese

Dinner - Homemade pasta with veggie sauce & Dehydrated meals

Snacks - Everything including candy, fresh fruit, beef jerky, cookies, and more!

Importantly, we packed and shared a Sawyer squeeze water filter to ensure we had clean safe water to drink for the entire trip. Eliot rode with this at all times, which came in handy during our 11 mile climb on Day 2 where we ran out of water mid-way up the climb and were able to refill from a stream on the side of the road. As you can see in the photo below, Eliot 3-D printed the interface between the Nalgene and the actual filter, which proved to work beautifully. I keep telling him to sell his inventions - but he doesn’t listen to me.

We broke the route up into three days, covering 31, 40, and 20 miles on each day respectively. Day 1 started out with a banger of a climb, gaining nearly 1500 feet of elevation in under 10 miles. Though daunting, we took it slow and made it to the ridge line, which we followed for most of the rest of the day. We were rewarded throughout the day with massive views of Mount Adams interspersed with huge, old growth forests. The route passes through a huge huckleberry field, however, we were up there too early in the season to take advantage of any roadside snacks.

We set up camp for the trip at the Falls Creek Horse Camp, a nice little camp group with a pit toilet, picnic tables, and a stream for water access.

Day 2 was a loop, starting and ending at our campsite, which meant we could ride unloaded! Eliot loaded up his handlebar bag with our lunches and snacks and off we went. The route for Day 2 started with a nearly 20 mile descent, the first 11 of which were on single track. Technically labeled a “blue” for intermediate, the trail was super fun and a bit rowdy in places. Had I of been on a mountain bike, I could’ve ridden the entire thing, as there were no drops over 1 foot and no large obstructions. Because I was on a gravel bike, I did end up walking a couple of sections, however, nothing to complain about.

If you do this route, I highly recommend following the direction we traveled, as otherwise you would have some massive single track climbing, which is definitely not my favorite. After the dirt section, we descended for a few more miles, before starting the long climb back up. I was dreading the final climb all day, which would see us gaining over 2500 feet of elevation in less than 20 miles.

Forever climbing

The climb started out gradual, but we were baking in the hot sun. With temperatures hovering in the mid-90s and most of the climb fully exposed on asphalt, it became a game of seeking out the shade to rest, conserving water, and going at a slow but steady pace. After nearly 4 hours of climbing (with lots of resting in there), we made it back to camp, where Eliot rewarded himself with a dip in the creek, and I took a nap in the hammock.

Day 3 was a 20 mile ride back to the car, with just a few hills. Had it been hotter, we would’ve jumped in Goose Lake, however, we took it as a chance to eat some snacks, chat with some fishermen, and enjoy a few last minutes in the forest.

One of the coolest things about this route was the caves, lava flows, and natural bridges. We took lots of time to explore each one we came across. Even though it was super majestic, photos just don’t do it justice.

Reflections and Closing Thoughts

Throughout the trip, I had a constant narrative going through my head - I am so lucky to get to do this. From having a flexible schedule, to a capable body, to a prepared friend to go with, all the stars aligned for this trip. I owe a massive thank you to Eliot, who really took on the brunt of the planning and routing, water filtering, and carried our tent. I was basically just there for entertainment purposes, and think I did an ok job of it.

I am so excited to get back out to that area and explore further.

Summer 2025 - Dispatches from a Life on the Road

I don’t know if anyone still reads this blog. If you do, hello. Thanks for being here, and apologies for neglecting this space for so long. The extended absence isn’t intentional, rest assured, as I have written a ton of blog posts over the past few years. They just live and die in my head, without ever making it to the page.

Somewhere in the past few years as I’ve transitioned from a full-time corporate career to an independent, self-supported content creator/non-profit entrepreneur, my free time and desire to write for personal content evaporated. I’m hoping to change that however, and this is my first go at it, with an update on my life and travels.

For the third summer in a row, I’ve embarked on a multi-week road trip to the West Coast. My primary reason is simply to get out of Arkansas during the summer. It is oppressively humid and hot, and I frankly don’t want to be there. With this goal to get out of the south for most of July and August, I’ve crafted a summer full of work opportunities, rides, and fun adventures throughout Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

This year, I’m using my mom’s house in Spokane as a base-camp, returning between adventures to do laundry, give my dog some kisses (I’m lucky to have my mom watch her all summer), and regroup. That’s where I’m at currently, prepping for my next round of travel.

My hope is to do more micro-blogging about my specific adventures that can serve as a resource, and inspirational guide for others. Up first in that series will be a bikepacking trip recap for a trip I did last week in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Thanks for coming along for this journey over the years. I hope you enjoy the new format, and let’s hope I can keep it going!

Checking out Devil’s Tower in Wyoming during my cross-country drive!