IWBP New Member Guide
Start here if you're new to the group, considering joining, or just want to know what Idaho Women's Bikepacking is all about.
What is bikepacking?
Bikepacking is a form of adventure cycling that combines off-road biking and minimalist camping, allowing you to go further and explore more remote areas by carrying all your gear on your bike.
How did IWBP get started?
Idaho Women’s Bikepacking was founded by Laura Heiner in 2020.
After bikepacking and racing the Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400 (SNF) for a few years, she grew frustrated by how few women she saw bikepacking. So she offered to mentor anyone who wanted to begin a training and education program with the goal of racing SNF in fall of 2021. The interest was immediate and huge!
The program gradually expanded in size and scope. We surpassed 1000 members in 2024, and support all forms of bikepacking, from competitive racing to casual dirt touring.
Laura still runs the group, and her husband, Cody, helps out as well.
Who can join?
The name says it all. If you identify as a woman, have interest in bikepacking in any form and at any level, and live in or near Idaho, the group is for you! We also have many members who live further away, but have found the group useful for education and support.
Why women only?
We want IWBP to be a safe and supportive space for women, free of judgement, competition, or intimidation that can sometimes come from more mixed crowds.
You may notice a few men who do participate as mentors at Laura’s request. These are individuals we know well and trust to maintain the IWBP spirit of respecting and empowering women.
What if I’m not into racing?
While self-supported bikepack racing was more of an emphasis in the first couple years of IWBP, we have since branched out more and welcome those interested in any form of bikepacking or dirt touring.
What’s the cost?
No cost, no catch, and this is not a business. We love bikepacking and empowering women. We’ll keep doing it for free until the interest dwindles or we get too old :)
What if I don’t have all the gear?
We have a free Gear Library for that! Read all about it here.
How do I join?
Follow these steps to officially join.
Please first make or update your Substack account to include your real full name and a recognizable photo of you. We understand that many like to keep a low profile online, but this step is important to enable us interact as a community, and to keep our men, bots, and fake accounts.
Subscribe to our women-only and members-only Substack that is called “IWBP: Private Group.” Note that this is separate from our public Substack that you’re reading right now!
We will then review and approve your request, and that’s it!
What about the old Facebook group?
We started on Facebook, and transitioned away from it in 2025. If you’re interested, read more about that here.
What about your Instagram Account?
We are also on Instagram. This account is public, and more for fun and general community interest. Follow us there as well if you like, but remember that the real action and community take place in the private Substack.
How are expenses covered?
Through a combination of volunteer time and donations. Some top local donors include SWIMBA, Boise Mountain Bike Festival, Biondi Brand, and George’s Cycles
Why join — what are the main benefits?
Overnight rides. These monthly events are the real key to the group’s success — see below for more information.
Private group access. Anyone can post and comment. We learn a lot together, and are very proud of how kind, knowledgeable, and supportive the group is.
Education. Watch for or search back in time for posts and videos. Anyone can post questions, tips, gear finds, or routes. If you have the question, chance are others have too.
Workshops. Two to three times a year we host hands-on workshops. Example topics include bikepacking basics, how to pack your gear, biking skills, and trailside mechanical repairs.
Find your people. Participate for a while and you will find others that are a good match for you. We love it when members meet via IWBP, then branch off to do training or trips separately. If you’re planning a trip, post that and most likely you’ll find others to join you.
Gear Library. While this is available for free to anyone in the community, IWBP members get priority access.
I’ve just joined, now how do I get started participating?
We recommend the following for new members or those who have watched for a while and are now ready to start participating.
Read these two key introductory articles.
Make an introductory post in the Chat. Tell us a bit about yourself, what type of riding you’re interesting in doing, what experience you have so far, and whatever else you want.
Look through past posts, events, and live videos. This will give you a sense of how the group works.
Look through our Route Guides here on Substack to see what types of rides we do.
Familiarize yourself with the Gear Library and how it works. Consider checking out The Bikepacker’s Guide for a really nice overview of all the basics of bikepacking.
Sign the participation waiver.
How do I get started going on overnight rides?
Please see our dedicated article on this topic entitled — IWBP Overnight Ride Guide.
How do I communicate with you?
Contact Laura via text, Substack DM, or Instagram DM.
To learn even more about IWBP:
Bikepacking.com articles
Podcasts Interviews
Femme Cyclist Podcast: Bikepacking For Beginners With Laura Heiner
The Nature of Idaho Podcast: Bikepacking
The Town Bicycle articles
Idaho Public Television segment on Outdoor Idaho
Best sleeping bag or quilt that compresses, GO!