I do most of my riding solo. And I am guilty of not having a bike recovery system in my backpack, but I know I need to get one added.

I know there are at least a couple of very well regarded kits available. The "Pro" kit from Cascade Rescue looks like the bees knees, but it also appears rather bulky and (possibly?) heavy. And the $310 price point is steep.

I'm wondering if anyone here has cobbled together your own recovery kit. If so, what parts did you choose? How much did you spend? How bulky is it? Does it actually work in practice?
Or, should I just spring the $300 for the Cascade kit??

 

Hi FT.

Check out Martin's article on self rescue. He has some good stuff on his site.

MotorcycleJazz - Dirt Bike Self-Rescue KitQuick Reply

 

Thank you sir.

Yeah I’ve read his article on the Cascade kit and watched his video too. No doubt a real slick setup they offer. Just wondering if there are other/cheaper/better alternatives if a guy were to piece his own kit together.

 

That's just a high zoot Z-line drag system. All you need is a non stretchy rope, two prussiks and two actual climbers carabiners. Used this many times in my 12 years as a whitewater raft guide.
You can get the good carabiners and accessory cord to make the prussiks at a good outdoor store. You don't want a fancy, stretchy, way expensive climbing rope. Lowe's nylon rope will be more than fine.
Oh, you will also want a length of webbing long enough to wrap around a tree for your anchor point. The webbing you want is about an inch wide I think, get the hollow kind. Climbing store will know hollow webbing.
You will need to know how to tie a water knot on the webbing. <simple> and how to tie a prussik, once prussik is tied you keep it tied.
You could do without the brake prussik if alone as you kinda need a person to babysit it so it doesn't get sucked into the anchor point carabiner.
Here's instructions...
https://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/z-drag-system
https://www.animatedknots.com/water-knot

Oh yeah, as far as rope length goes, keep in mind you will be pulling 3 feet of rope for every foot the bike moves. Sounds weird I know.. You should be able to do this for less than 60 bucks and be more compact and lighter than the kits.
I keep thinking of stuff to add... I would suggest using a figure eight on a bight to tie rope to your bike. Will not come loose yet will be relatively easy to untie after being loaded.