Silk Road Mountain Race 2026: High Scratch Rate and a Look at Tents, Sleeping Bags & More
The Silk Road Mountain Race came to an end on Saturday. And anyone who followed the race on Dotwatcher quickly realized that this year it was even more demanding and harder than ever before. The route was longer and there was also more elevation gain.
That resulted in the second-highest scratch rate in the history of the SRMR, at 63%. As of August 30th, 3 PM, 84 participants have finished in the General Classification or came in (or will still come in) over time. The remaining 145 participants scratched.
For context: the scratch rate has always been the ratio of scratches to participants, meaning it’s already adjusted for field size. A high number of participants therefore doesn’t automatically explain a high rate, since the number of participants is already in the denominator. The fact that 2026 reached near-record levels with 229 starters while the rate simultaneously climbed to 63% isn’t a side effect of field size, but a finding in its own right – especially since 2025 had even more people at the start with 236 participants, yet only a 44% scratch rate.
And of course there were once again countless stories from out on the road, of cold, rain, mud battles, and heat. So I went back through the two “Rigs of SRMR 2026” posts on Bikepacking.com, in which a total of 120 participants presented their setup. However, information on tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, stove, or bivy sack could only be found for 87 of them.
This data is of course not representative, since there are only 87 data points out of 229 participants in total. But it gives a good indication of what’s being used. In any case, it’s a first piece of information for anyone who also wants to ride in Kyrgyzstan, or who is generally interested in what gear is used in races like this.
Tent or Bivy?
Let’s first look at the topic of tent or bivy. 21 riders were out with a bivy sack, 62 with a tent. Back then I also rode the SRMR with a tent, partly because it allowed me a bit more comfort and weather protection than would have been possible with just a bivy sack. And the country is simply so remote that you don’t always find shelter for a bivy sack.
Among the bivy sacks, the Outdoor Research Helium was used the most. You can find my review of this bivy sack here. Interestingly, there were also occasional combinations of a tent or tarp plus an additional bivy sack (SOL Escape).
The Most Popular Tent Models
Among the tent models, this year the Aper Apex 1 was one model that appeared a total of 9 times. Not a bad share, considering it’s only been available since May. And that means there should also be a lot of real-world experience to draw on, which I’m already curious about. I have an Apex 1 myself and will be testing it more extensively in the fall and winter.
Big Agnes and MSR were also each mentioned 9 times.
Big Agnes mainly with its Fly Creek (4x) and Copper Spur (3x) models. I also rode the Copper Spur in Kyrgyzstan back then and can highly recommend it. You can find my reviews of the Fly Creek here and of the Copper Spur here.
For MSR, the Hubba Hubba models (5x) were mentioned most.
There were also models from Durston in use, especially the X-Dome (3x). And also the UL tents from Zpacks, especially the Zpacks Plex Solo (3x).
The Nordisk Lofoten, which is especially light and compact, was also mentioned four times.
Anyone who wants more information on the topic of ultralight tents up to 1kg can find a lot of information and a model overview here as well:
Sleeping Bags and Quilts
The nights are cold, so it’s crucial which sleeping bag and which sleeping pad are used. This is about weight and warmth performance, but also compactness and the smallest possible packed size.
Among the sleeping bags, Sea to Summit had the most mentions (15x). They also have the right models on offer with their Spark series (7x).
Behind them, Cumulus (10x): the Polish manufacturer is now considered the gold standard and was represented mainly by the X-Lite models.
The Therm-a-Rest Hyperion sleeping bag (4x) was also used, as was the RAB Mythic Ultra.
Interestingly, there were also 11 participants who used quilts, mainly from the brands Enlightened Equipment (4x) and Feathered Friends (3x), which were unknown to me until then.
Sleeping Pads: Warmth for the Tien Shan
A warm sleeping bag or quilt is only one side of the coin: a good sleeping pad is just as important.
Here, Therm-a-Rest pads dominate (26x), and especially the NeoAir Xlite model (21x). Behind them, with 8 mentions each, are the Nemo Tensor (a good and lightweight alternative to the no-longer-available TAR Uberlite) and pads from Sea to Summit. All the pads have a correspondingly high R-value, in order to provide sufficient insulation in the cold of the Tien Shan.
Stove: Clearly in the Minority
Finally, a look at the topic of stoves: I could only count 6 in total. This is certainly not the full picture, but it shows that only a minority carries a stove, with the rest relying on ready-to-eat warm meals along the way.
Tobias and I also rode with a stove back then, and in the evenings either made our expedition food or, later on, Chinese instant noodles.
Outlook: Taurus Mountain Race
With that, I’m signing off from this year’s SRMR Bikeanalytics and am now looking forward to the Taurus Mountain Race in October, which is taking place for the first time.
