Half backpacking and half bike-touring, bikepacking is a enjoyable selection for biking buddies, {couples} and households who journey collectively. It permits you to cowl extra miles than mountain climbing, plus you may entry filth roads and trails which can be inaccessible to different autos. Rides vary from native overnighters all the best way as much as epic cross-country path rides.
Should you’re inquisitive about getting began bikepacking, learn on to find out about:
What bike to journey: You want one able to dealing with the terrain you select
How one can pack your gear: Choices embody daypacks, panniers, body baggage and extra
What gear to deliver: You may want primary bike gadgets, plus backpacking gear
Journey-planning ideas: Be taught the place you may bikepack
Driving ideas: Carrying all that gear can take some getting used to
Bikepacking assets: There are a variety of nice on-line assets for much more info
Bikepacking Bikes
Many bikepacking locations are reached through forest-service roads or singletrack trails, so a mountain bike makes an excellent selection. However nearly any bike that may mount racks and/or storage baggage can be utilized. New handlebar grips or bar ends may be added to extend consolation for lengthy days.
Avid bikepacking fans might tailor their bike for driving fashion or terrain, however most upgrades purpose to attenuate upkeep or maximize consolation.
The best for a lot of: a inflexible (no suspension or a suspension fork with lockout) 29er or 27.5 mountain bike with mechanical disc brakes and a multi-position handlebar. Inside gear hubs are common, too, as they reduce upkeep (draw back: They’re more durable to cope with when repairing a flat). Whereas good, such a setup will not be required to have enjoyable.
Be taught extra in our article, How one can Select a Bike for Bikepacking.
Gear Carrying Choices for Bikepacking
Bikepackers carry the identical gear as backpackers plus spare bike instruments and tubes. Fortuitously, you’ve gotten extra locations to hold it on a motorbike.
Not like backpacking, you don’t need to carry numerous weight in your again. As a substitute, a lot of the weight ought to be positioned low as doable in your bike. This improves bike dealing with and your driving consolation.
A typical gear setup for learners:
Daypack: Good for mild, cumbersome gadgets or something delicate to vibration.
Dry bag secured to a rear rack: Holds heavier gadgets.
Handlebar bag (or dry bag lashed to the bars): For mild to reasonable gadgets (e.g., tent, pad, clothes).
Water bottle cages: Retains water weight low and centered.
Panniers: Optionally available for heavy gadgets (e.g., water, meals, range).
Bike trailers: Optionally available for group/household gear or very heavy gadgets.
Bikepacking fans who journey singletrack trails search a extra streamlined method. Panniers are skipped as a result of their width makes them simply broken on slim trails. A rear rack is left behind to save lots of weight and to scale back the prospect of mechanical failure.
A typical gear setup for fans:
Massive seat bag: Good for mild, cumbersome gadgets.
Handlebar bag: For mild to reasonable gadgets (e.g., tent, pad, clothes) or gear wanted shortly (e.g., map, digital camera, GPS).
Water bottle cages: Some riders connect an additional cage beneath the downtube or to the fork.
Body baggage: Widespread for heavy gadgets reminiscent of a hydration bladder, meals or instruments.
High-tube/fuel tank/bento field bag: For snacks or digital camera.
Daypack: Optionally available for mild, cumbersome gadgets or gadgets susceptible to vibration.
Many riders grow to be knowledgeable at lashing gear onto the bike with tie-down straps or repurposing gadgets to fulfill their wants. A tent, as an example, may be connected to many handlebars. A bento may be positioned backwards on the rear of the top-tube. Almost everybody experiments to some extent to see what gear setup works finest.
Be taught extra in our articles, How one can Select Bikepacking Luggage and How one can Pack for Bikepacking.
Gear to Carry Bikepacking
Your bikepacking gear ought to embody the standard backpacking gadgets, reminiscent of a sleeping bag, tent, range and Ten Necessities you’d deliver on any such journey.
Along with backpacking gear, bikepackers ought to carry some primary bike gadgets: helmet, tube/tire-repair package, spare tubes and a multi-tool that features a chain device. For prolonged journeys, add chain lube, chain pins/energy hyperlinks, spare cables and even a light-weight lock for in-town resupply stops.
Different gear ideas: Improve flat-tire safety by utilizing tire liners and sealant. Driving in the dead of night? Use a high-output bike mild (mounted in your helmet or handlebars) to enrich your headlamp for the campsite.
Padded bike shorts and gloves make any journey extra snug, and SPD-compatible mountain bike sneakers (if utilizing clipless pedals) maximize pedaling effectivity and permit regular strolling. Take note the added weight might have you ever strolling greater than traditional, so keep away from road-bike sneakers with very stiff soles or restricted traction.
Contemplate an additional pair of informal sneakers for camp and relaxation days. Packing a small tarp to guard your bike in foul climate can be a good suggestion.
Tip: Purpose to save lots of weight when doable, however with out compromising security or consolation. Light-weight gear could make driving simpler and extra enjoyable.
For an entire record, see our Bikepacking Guidelines.
Store Bikepacking Clothes & Gear
Bikepacking Journey-Planning Ideas
The place are you able to go bikepacking? Listed here are a number of concepts for first-timers:
Close by state park or regional park
Forest-service roads
Rails-to-trails corridors
For native recommendation, speak to the workers at your nearest REI retailer.
As a rule of thumb, bikepackers can cowl 3 occasions extra distance than they’d if backpacking the identical route on foot. The precise distance, in fact, will differ by the route and the person. Do not overdo the space; Take time to benefit from the surroundings and route.
“S24O” (Sub-24-Hour In a single day) bikepacking journeys are fairly common. This sometimes means rolling out on a Friday after work or noon on a Saturday, taking again roads or trails to a secluded tenting spot, then heading again the subsequent morning. It’s nothing fancy or sophisticated; only a easy getaway from every day life.
Be taught heaps extra about planning your journey in our article, How one can Plan a Bikepacking Route.
Bikepacking means you’ll be carrying your personal weight and the load of your gear. This requires extra driving precautions. Be sure you:
Restrict your pace, particularly on downhills.
Enable longer stopping distances.
Enable extra room for cornering.
Trip in a neater gear than traditional to scale back fatigue.
To help the added weight, add a bit extra air to each your tires and your air-sprung suspension (in case your bike is so geared up), or add preload to the coil-spring varieties.
Lengthy rides may end up in hand fatigue, however a number of grip positions in your handlebars will help. Contemplate getting a motorbike with drop bars (word: drop bars can’t be used on most mountain bikes with out making substantial modifications to the match, so see the specialists at your native REI bike store). Or, you may add bar ends, improve the grips or use a multi-position bar.
Further Bikepacking Sources
These web sites provide extra bikepacking ideas and galvanizing rider tales: