The Dad Mindset Show

Bikepacking 4000km with a family of 5 across New Zealand

Listen on

Episode notes

From riding the rapids of the Yukon to bike packing 4000km across New Zealand, the Braaksma family are beacons of how to live a life of adventure with a young family.

In this episode Adrian Braaksma describes:

  • White water rafting with young kids in the Yukon
  • Avalanche monitoring and guiding
  • Easing kids into adventure so as not to put the kids off at an early age
  • Making everything fun and ease the pressure (turn a 5 day walk into 7)
  • Make it more about the journey, not the destination
  • Bob Trailer
  • Chariot
  • Cars giving them a wide-berth due to the buggy
  • Danny MacAskill
  • Two week tester
  • Culling gear
  • The essentials
  • You don’t need a lot
  • Food is the bulk of the gear
  • Peanut butter, nuts and raisins
  • Dry clothing at the end of the day
  • Hardening to the conditions and living outdoors
  • Hills and backroads
  • Getting excited about helping each other
  • The worst day
  • Looking after a remote lodge
  • Starting the North Island at the end of the winter
  • Learning on the road
  • Learning the geography first-hand
  • Connecting with each community
  • Things you miss
  • Keeping in touch with friends
  • Relating to adults
  • Avoiding burn-out (no downtime)
  • Like doing a 10 day trip one after another
  • Pre-plan as much as you can and modify with weather and COVID
  • Take three tents so you could have time-out
  • Campsites, cabins and random free-camping
  • 8-10 punctures in one day
  • 20in tyres have many more revolutions than bigger tyres
  • Lost a couple of steering heads and cranks
  • Cycle shorts (fat nappies) a must
  • The gear (20L dry bag) Older kids carried 26L paniers
  • Carrying up to 20L+ of water on some days
  • Needing a water filter
  • 90% of route was gravel road or trail
  • Taking the long route to stay on trails
  • NZ is a big place and a small place all at once
  • How would you do it different
  • Putting bikes on planes
  • Alaska, Nepal and seeing sloths in South America
  • Missions closer to home
  • So many options in the world
  • Seeing glaciers carving
  • Stand out features
  • Best activities
  • Hot water beach in Coromandel
  • Getting a lift on a jet boat
  • Planning for a trip like this
  • Better to buy a cheaper, bigger tent so that it lasts
  • Ulcers and muscle cramps due to porridge noodles and wraps (where’s your veggies and meat)
  • Multivitamins as fruit and veg not always available
  • Dream food
  • A couple of weeks to adjust back
  • The bikes lasting
  • Camping in a sand storm
  • Essentials (disc brakes due to buckles, good gearing)
  • Regular bike maintenance
  • Homeschooling by correspondence (almost 3 banana boxes)
  • Laptop mainly for homeschooling
  • Getting reception
  • InReach satellite-text device
  • Snow storms and wind storms blowing bikes over tents
  • Riding in the dark
  • When a river runs through your tent
  • Teddy out the pram moments being amplified by being tired
  • Next trips
  • The same amount of packing required for 5 days as 10
  • 5 sets of gear to tidy up
  • The benefits of stringing trips together
  • The kids in charge of their own gear and food
  • Building the kids’ confidence