New film from Kona promotes their Unit plus bike as a bike-packing bike ripe for Scandi adventures.

Bear with us here. This video features beards, singlespeeds, rigid forks, coffee obsessions and er, not a whole lot of riding to be fair.

BUT it’s a lovely video about having an adventure with a mountain bike. The end of the year is upon us. And what a year it’s been. There must be plenty of you out there contemplating running away and hiding out in the hills until civilisation regains its senses.

This is a video all about getting away from it all. It’ll quickly have you wondering and idly plotting a potential version of this escape for yourself.

In the accompanying words with the video there’s some really nice handy advice about adventuring. Here they are…

Steps to a quick getaway

Set up everything for a quick start before going to sleep. I fill my Jetboil with the right amount of water for porridge and coffee and keep it on standby in the tent’s vestibule. Have all the food you plan to eat ready (but don’t do this in bear country!). Then, this:

1. Make sure your alarm goes off loud as f@ck in the far end of the tent so you’re forced to get up to turn it off
2. Open the valve of your air mattress
3. Get up and light up Jetboil
4. Shut off the alarm
5. Put on riding clothes
6. Stuff sleeping bag
7. By now the water is boiling. Pour it into your favourite titanium cup and add porridge flakes. Eat and scrape the sides with your spork. Pour more hot water and add instant coffee.
8. Since the coffee is likely too hot, pack your stuff and roll up your sleeping mattress while it cools.
9. Enjoy your coffee. It also cleans your mug from the porridge. Kind of.
10. Stuff your gear into your seat and frame bag, then take down the tent and pack it along with your dry base layer.
11. Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.

Tips for big days

– Eat light and fast in the morning. Ride for about 1-2 hours, take a dump and have a second breakfast ?
– Have food ready on your stem bags to eat on the go.
– Eat something once per hour even you don’t feel hungry. You don’t really need a big lunch break, just keep on going and remember to eat.
– Hydration is key. I always have one bottle with electrolytes and one with plain water. On longer legs I fill them from my bladder or other source and try to keep the balance.
– Your favourite candy and something salty like beef jerky is good motivational food.
– If you eat at a restaurant or gas station during the day, don’t eat in. Order 3 hamburgers and a coke, eat one standing and continue with the two burgers in your jersey pockets. The satisfaction of eating a cheeseburger while coasting along a gravel road at 25km/h is heaven.

Kona’s video description

“Our Finnish friend Erkki Punttila is quite the character. Through his blog, PackGoFind, he approaches his bikepacking excursions and his position on Kona’s Super Grassroots team with a straightforward manner and plenty of dry humor. We set Erkki off with a new Kona Unit for an adventure “not far from home”. Below you’ll find the video from his trip, as well as some tips, Erkki style, for your own overnight trips – even if they’re not far from home.” – Kona Bicycles.