They are discussing RAGBRAI on the recumbent list, Bent Rider on Line (BROL). One man says he's going self contained, or bagging. Other people go on to talk about being baggers.

Is that a RAGBRAI special term, or is it a term I've never heard of for going self contained? It is quicker to say or type . . . . . 

I hadn't heard the term either until I started riding RAGBRAI.  To my ear, it sounded like the roadies used "baggers" in a slightly derogatory way -- maybe like I use "roadies" in a slightly negative way.  I've been both a Bagger and a Roadie, so I figure I can kid both sides.

I forgot to mention that "baggers" make up less than 1% of the RAGBRAI ridership.   In that way, we/they are akin to a speedy day rider showing up at the Missoula headquarters of the Adventure Cycling Association and asking for the same free ice cream they give to cross-country cycle tourists.  

What? Day riders show up for ice cream! How gauche. 

Do baggers pay the entry fee? Or are they poaching ? I think that is there term that is used for people who follow along with Ride the Rockies, but don't pay. 

Yup, the entry fee is part of the problem.  Most (but not all) baggers think they are exempt from the entry fee because they don't use the trucks that shuttle their gear.  Yet they take advantage of the traffic-free highways, the town parks & fields that have opened up for camping, and other amenities.

On the other hand, there are a limited number of tickets to ride (something like 10,000) and sometimes the only way to join in on the fun is to just . . . join in on the fun for free.  (For my part, I ALWAYS paid the fee.)

I always thought the baggers were the coolest people, and to a large degree, they were the ones who inspired me to get into bike touring.

I think on RAGBRAI the freeloaders are called Bandits. As Greg mentioned, the number of week-long passes (wristbands) is limited, but there are always some available for resale on the RAGBRAI forum. Also, daily wristbands can be purchased online, or during the ride. I also always paid for the ride and think the fees are very reasonable - $175/week; $25/day - especially for all the services provided in addition to luggage transfer. But this seems to be a minority opinion since the number of actual riders is often more than 20-25,000 riders/day. It's not a ride for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoy it. 

Adventure Cycling Association gives out ice cream to visitors?

I showed up at the ACA office early on a Monday morning and all I got was a bandanna as thanks for being a member for 26 years.

I've never toured through Missoula, so I can't speak directly to the ice cream handouts from personal experience, but I'm pretty sure I've read about that in other people's journals.

I don't really care for ice cream myself, so I don't think of your bandana as a booby prize.  I believe it was an upgrade in appreciation for your 26 years of support.

A friend and I were accidental baggers years ago, before organized charity rides used the Internet for info and pre-registration.

I had done a charity ride metric century on Maryland's Eastern shore for many years that always started at the Talbot County Fair Grounds and. A local biking free newspaper listed all the ride dates and I convinced a friend to go along with me. When we got to the usual starting site - crickets: no cars, no bikers, nothing. 

So, we parked and started doing the route, which I pretty much knew by heart, and began to see the route markings but no cyclists because we were obviously ahead of everyone. We were ahead of the rest stops but when we were at about 45 miles we reached the finish and they had just opened up the food. They waved us over to the food and we explained (they thought we were fast riders) and tried to pay but they had no way of accepting money there and said there was always more food than was consumed, have at it and just send a check in directly.

Dunno about RAGBRAI, but when I did Cycle Across Maryland years ago I asked about them not really checking registration at the rest stops and they said most local riders avoided the CAM route because of the crowds on the roads.

My one time at ACA headquarters was in 2015 during my solo Transam ride.  They give free ice cream to every tourist who shows up, but they only give bandanas to members of ACA.  I was a member so I got both the ice cream and the bandana.  If you are going to pass through Missoula, it's worth a stop just to look at the old bikes that adorn the walls - I have a couple bikes just like this at my house.  The other thing that's worthwhile is that they will weigh your bike and gear using a fish-scale with a rope so you can know your actual weight.  Almost everyone is surprised to find out their bike weighs about 5-10 pounds more than they had estimated. 

Buddy Hall