I first met Charlotte Inman at the Kendal Mountain Festival in 2024. She runs Sisters in the Wild—a supportive, inclusive community for women, non-binary, and trans riders in the world of bikepacking and gravel adventures. From the moment she shared her passion for building a supportive and inclusive community, I was hooked and knew I had to learn more. It didn’t take long for us to connect after that, and as we talked, I discovered that Charlotte had also taken on the world’s hardest bikepacking race, the Silk Road Mountain Race, alongside one of our very own ambassadors, Becky (Girl Outdoors). With connections like that, it felt inevitable that our paths would cross eventually! Now, I’m thrilled to share our conversation—read on to uncover the story behind Sisters in the Wild and the incredible drive behind Charlotte’s vision.
What first drew you to gravel riding and bikepacking?
I got into riding bikes through a love for travel, and after seeing a talk by a gal who had ridden across the US on a £100 bike. I thought, “maybe I could do that”. I was drawn to the idea of slower travel, and of the encounters with people and places off the usual tourist path. My early cycling trips were an escape from a stressful 9-5 job, and I was lucky enough to be able to take a year off to go on a big bike adventure. We went to South America, and rode from Brazil, west to the Andes and north to Colombia.
Bikepacking for me started with the traditional 4 panniers + the kitchen sink, and evolved during a trip to South America where we started to seek out the gravel roads that took us away from the busy highways. Travelling this way for a year changed by perspective on what was important to me, and needless to say, when I went back to the office, it was hard to settle! I soon left, and started working as a guide for a cycling company, then in 2021, I started to run Sisters in the Wild bikepacking trips in the UK, and that is now my full time life!
What’s your favourite part of a bikepacking trip: the start, the journey, or the end?
The journey! I love when the rhythm of the trip has set in and the daily routine almost becomes meditative. Everything distills down to the simplicity of eat, sleep, ride, repeat and the stresses of everyday life seem to get put into perspective.
Photo credit: @a_girl_outside
If you could only ride one gravel route for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Great question! It’d be a toss up between a day ride on my home trails of the Lake District, a route following one of the long rides we do at our Summer Gathering festival, and the 7 day route we ride on our SITW Spanish Andalucian trip. The former gives so much bang for your buck in just 70km or so, with a chance to see the Lake District away from cars and is full of lake dip opportunities and great view.
I love our Spain route because the diversity of riding from day to day is something you just wouldn’t imagine from that region. We go from limestone big mountain scenery around Granada, to otherworldly desert scenery, to high alpine forests and eventually down to the coast. The fact that lovely local Spanish cafes pop up at just the right intervals is wonderful too!
Photo credit: @a_girl_outside
What’s your favourite way to relax after a long day on the trails?
Campfire, whisky and a big steaming pot of instant mash potato!
Photo credit: @s.hewittphotography
What’s the one piece of gear you recommend to everyone getting into bikepacking?
The amount of gear seemingly “needed” for bikepacking can seem really high if your starting from fresh. But we always say to just start where you are and with what you have. If you don’t have bags yet, use cheap dry bags and bungee cords to attach them! Clothing wise, you don’t need the lycra and fancy shoes. Whatever is comfortable for you works.
When you know you love it and want to start investing in better gear, we always suggest starting with a good, light sleeping bag, and a lightweight tent. You can save a lot of rooms and weight in packing with these things, and know that you’ll be warm and dry on your rides.
Photo credit: @s.hewittphotography
What was your journey to becoming involved with Sisters in the Wild, and how did it change your perspective on bikepacking?
SITW is based in the UK, but it's roots are actually in Slovenia. Back in September 2020, in a little window of freedom at the end of the first European lockdown, Slovenian bikepacker Neza Peterca, organised a small gathering for women bikepackers to come and spend 5 days riding and camping together in the Juliana Alps. I saw the ad on a bikepacking.com post on instagram, and it was a true universe aligning moment for me that I couldn’t ignore.
Biking and bikepacking had become a big part of my personal identity. It was how I sought freedom and adventure, and riding a bike in wild places had become where I felt my most confident and true self. But through covid lockdown and a profound personal loss around the same time, I’d started to wonder if bikepacking and riding bikes would still be part of my future.
The trip, as hoped, was pivotal for me. Though the night before it was due to start, I sat full of nerves and decided I just wouldn’t go, the next day's sunshine nudged me forward to turn up at the beautiful farmhouse near Lake Bled. Through beautiful gravel bike rides and slow conversations at camp with other like-minded women, I started to feel a flicker of inspiration and future possibilities ignite inside. I left the camp wanting to be able to share that beautiful space and opportunity that Neza had created with more people. Soon we were plotting a UK version, and since then SITW has grown to what it is today, with 800 riders expected next year across 8 countries.
Photo credit: @s.hewittphotography
Being able to be facilitate that connection and share the positive impact that travelling by bike can have on well-being has felt like a great sense of purpose, and my perspective on bikepacking needing to be about big, long, far way rides has shifted. I think lockdown made us all refocus and appreciate the people and the places closer to home, and being able to share those times with good people.
How does SITW balance skill-building and community connection during events?
Giving our riders an opportunity to build their confidence in bike mechanics and riding skills, as well as the tools and knowledge to get out adventuring by bike has always been at the heart of our events. Great rides are at our core, but we’ve often found it’s the stuff that happens around the ride, and what we can do to facilitate those moments of connection, are just as important.
Photo credit: @s.hewittphotography
We know that it can feel really intimidating coming to a cycling event for the first time, especially if you’re solo! So we focus on creating spaces where riders can connect with each other before the rides, and recognise that we have a whole range of introverts and extroverts in our community, and one size doesn’t fit all. We’re really proud that we get so many solo riders (usually around 70%) on our trips, and that people go on to build great friendships and adventure buddies with the people they meet on our trips.
How does SITW collaborate with underrepresented communities to create a more diverse cycling culture?
Promoting access and representation within bikepacking and gravel riding has been one of our four core principles since we started. We recognise that diversity means many things, and are continuously learning how to reduce the barriers to our events across different demographics.
A big part of this is connecting with communities to understand what barriers exist. A lot of the time, the gap is around understanding and information, so we try to take the time to connect with those groups to demystify events, and put in place initiatives that make taking the leap that much easier. This could be to run targeted events just for that commumunity (e.g. we’ve run Intro to Bikepacking Weekends for women of colour and the LGBTQIA+ community), hosting webinars to explain the reality of what our events are like, and giving subsidised tickets and bike hire to folks who are facing financial barriers. We’ve also supported the training of more guides from a more diverse set of demographics across ethnicity, age and neurodiversity, as we really believe that people need to see themselves reflected in our organisation team.
Our hope is that SITW can be a supportive entry point into a community and wider world of adventuring by bike.
Photo credit: @a_girl_outside
What’s your vision for the future of SITW, and how do you see it evolving?
We’d like to keep doing what we’re doing, to keep creating opportunities for our brilliant community to come together and welcome others, and to curate more once in a lifetime bikepacking trips in wild places. There’s so many trips on our radar. We asked our community what destinations they were dreaming of, and have added Albania, Kyrgyzstan and Wales to our destinations for 2025. Next on the list is Patagonia for 2026…we’re excited to make this one happen!
Alongside this, we’re really re-focusing back onto our representation initiatives this year, and looking at how we can further collaborate and work with communities to enhance access and participation at events. We also want to run more mechanics classes, gravel skills and guide qualifications to help folks build the skills and confidence to do more on their bikes.
Photo credit: @a_girl_outside
Do you have a favourite tent, bivvy, or sleep system for bikepacking? Why does it work so well for you?
Tent all the way! I like the confidence that comes from knowing I’ll have a weatherproof shelter at night, whatever the weather throws at me in the day. I’ve used Big Agnes tents for ages, and my go to is a 2 person Copper Spur. If I’m trying to be light as possible, I also have a 1 person Fly Creek Bikepacking tent that I bought for the Silk Road Mountain Race. I love how long and stable they are, and how much inside space you get for the weight. They’re also super resilient.
What’s your preferred way to cook or prepare food while camping—are you a minimalist stove user or more of a snack-packer?
I always carry an ultralight stove on multi-day trips, and mix up simple, light and cheap stuff like instant mash potatoes and ramen, with the odd Firepot meal for a treat. Recently I’ve started to re-use an old Firepot pouch for soaking my meals and reducing the washing up needed in the pan.
Are there any specific tools or accessories you swear by for maintaining your bike on long trips?
A multi-tool with a chain breaker, a spare chain link and a bit of YouTube knowledge on how to use it are my must haves. I never leave home without some duct tape, a few cable ties, and a needle and thread. It’s amazing how much you can fix with these whilst out on a trip!
What’s the one luxury item you always pack, even if it’s not strictly necessary?
Coffee and powdered oat milk! Though I wouldn’t count this as a luxury….
Can you tell us about your bike setup? What frame, bags, and components do you currently use?
I’ve got two bikes that I use for bikepacking - a gravel bike and a hardtail mountain bike depending on the terrain I’ve had both bikes for over 6 years now, and over time, bits and pieces have changed on them depending on the trips I’ve had planned. My Planet X Tempest gravel bike is my go to for most stuff - I’ve put easier gearing on it to help with climbing with luggage on, and thicker tyres to deal with looser terrain. My go to for big adventures is my Surly Karate Monkey hardtail that I’ve rigged with fat tyres in the deserts of Baja California, and a big suspension fork for big mountain descents. My 16.5L Ortieb Saddlebag usually carries my clothes, sleeping bag and mat, and I have my tent up front in a harness or roll bag. Bits and pieces go in an Ortlieb frame bag, and I have some custom made What Happened Outdoors stem bags for water and snacks.
Photo credit: @a_girl_outside
Are there any brands or pieces of kit you think are especially good for beginners getting into bikepacking?
Sisters in the Wild has been running Introduction to Bikepacking weekends since 2021, where a gang come together to try out bikepacking for the first time. We kit them out with all the bags and gear that they need, and have used Ortlieb bags since day one. They’re waterproof, so perfect for handling the great British weather, and we love that they’re still in as bombproof condition as they were 4 years ago. I also love the Sea to Summit collapsable cooking stuff. They’re so good for reducing bulk in packing, and just really fun to use!
Photo credit: @a_girl_outside
Thank you Charlotte!
As my conversation with Charlotte drew to a close, I found myself deeply inspired by the insights she shared. Through Sisters in the Wild, she has not only built a vibrant, inclusive community but also challenged the status quo in traditionally male-dominated spaces like cycling and bikepacking.
Her reflections on embracing vulnerability, breaking free from limiting narratives, and redefining adventure as a deeply personal experience struck a powerful chord. They reminded me that the outdoors means something different to everyone—whether it’s solitude, adrenaline, connection, or curiosity—and there’s no right way to define what it should be.
If Charlotte’s story resonates with you as much as it did with me, I encourage you to explore Sisters in the Wild. Whether by attending an event, connecting with their community, or letting her journey inspire your own, there’s so much to discover.
