Discover the joys of bikepacking and learn how to plan your very first journey.
Backpacking is a surefire way to immerse yourself in nature, challenge your mind and body, and fulfill your craving for an adventure. But if the miles are seemingly endless and the pack on your back feels like it’s loaded with stones, turn to bikepacking instead.
Bikepacking is essentially backpacking on a bike, which takes you from point A to B and carries all of your gear, says Kaitlyn Boyle, the co-founder and education and events director of Bikepacking Roots, a nonprofit supporting the growth of bikepacking and its community. “I think bikepacking is really accessible for all sorts of people of different ages and fitness levels,” she explains. “Because there's a mechanical advantage of a bike, and it's just a little less hard on your body than backpacking.”
There aren’t any set-in-stone rules to bikepacking. You don’t need a special bike — a road, gravel, or mountain bike will do the trick — and your trip doesn't need to take place in the middle of a secluded forest, says Boyle. Traveling from town to town on paved roads counts just as much as traversing between mountaintops, she adds. You can spend the night in a sleeping bag right on the dirt, tucked inside a tent, or on a mattress in a hotel or Airbnb — there’s no wrong answer. The only requirement: Your travel involves at least one overnight stay.
“With Bikepacking Roots, we’re trying to help debunk the stereotypes that bikepacking has to be really extreme, you have to ride all day every day, or you have to be completely self-supported,” says Boyle. “Really, bikepacking is just multi-day bike travel.”
Ahead, experts share why a bikepacking trip should be your next adventure — and how to prepare for your first expedition.
Why You Should Go Bikepacking
You can cover more ground in less time.
It might take you an entire day to hike 20 miles, but you can cover the same ground in just a few hours on a bike, says Paul Tolmé, a bikepacker and the content strategy and media relations manager at Cascade Bicycle Club in Washington. “Bikes are one of the most efficient modes of transport — you can just go a little further with a bike [than with your legs],” he adds.
By traversing more distance, you’re typically able to see captivating changes in the environment in a single day, says Boyle. “You experience the whole landscape — both the remote, protected, backcountry places and also the places that are inhabited, in either rural areas or urban areas,” she notes. “It’s a pretty incredible experience because in one moment you're out by yourself and surrounded by nature and then the next moment you're interacting with farmers or folks who are out working on the land, and they're pretty psyched to see you because you're on a bike.”
Still, you can plan your route so you spend plenty of time immersed in nature and away from loud, hazardous cars on the road, says Tolmé. “It's so nice to be able to get onto a trail, where it's just either bikers or hikers,” he notes. “You get to see the trees and the birds and breathe air without car pollution.”
It involves less gear than backpacking.
While you’ll generally carry at least three or four days’ worth of food at a time on a backpacking trip, that’s quite a bit to stash on a bike, which you typically want to keep lightweight. However, most well-designed bikepacking routes will include plenty of stops for re-supplying, so you typically end up carrying less gear, says Boyle. Plus, “with the increased distance that you can travel, it's easy to come across places with food,” she explains. “It's not necessarily your big supermarket, but gas stations that have food lodges or resort-type places that might have a little market and a restaurant. That allows you to carry ideally more like one to three days’ worth of food.”
It’s meditative
Don’t be mistaken: Bikepacking is strenuous, as a loaded bike is much more difficult to propel than one carrying just your body weight, especially if you’re climbing up hills and mountains. But once you get into a rhythm with your pedal stroke, your mind can zone out and enter a flow state, something athletes frequently achieve, says Boyle. “For me, the first couple days are the hardest on my body, but you can really settle into the rhythm, and the longer days are actually easier mentally — time just goes by more quickly.”
You meet new people on the road
Even if you're bikepacking solo, you’re bound to strike up a conversation with a passerby or two while on your journey. “When you're on a bike with overnight gear, people immediately are curious,” says Boyle. “It’s an immediate cultural breakdown, where everyone just wants to converse with you and help you [with food, a ride, or a place to stay.] To most people, even the idea of riding from town to town is pretty wild to them.”
How to Start Bikepacking
Packing a month’s worth of gear onto your bike and hitting the road without a second thought is a recipe for disaster. First things first, pack your bike as if you’re going for a bikepacking trip, then go on a day ride, suggests Boyle. You won’t need to worry about your route or camping. But you’ll get used to the feel of riding a loaded bike, have the chance to see if your bags are in the best position or need to move, and get an idea of how long it takes you to go a certain distance with all of your gear in tow, she notes. “That gives you a much better idea for what kind of route to take on based on your fitness, your bike type, and the terrain you're riding on,” Boyle explains.
Then, take a low-stakes overnight trip to a local campground or friend’s backyard, the experts recommend. “The goal is not for the route to be a challenge but for just the systems to be applied and practiced,” says Boyle. “It's amazing how much people will take away and be like, ‘I didn't need that piece of gear’ or ‘I really wished I had that’ or ‘I need this other strap to keep the bag from rubbing.’ There are little things that are inconsequential over the course of a 24-hour outing but could really make your trip miserable if you are committed to that set-up for a week.”
Once you feel prepared, try a weekend trip, preferably with a more experienced rider, suggests Tolmé. “The best way to learn is from somebody else who is really excited about it and has already done it before,” he adds.
To help plan your trip, reference The Bikepacker’s Guide, the first instructional book on bikepacking, which Boyle co-authored with Bikepacking Roots co-founder Kurt Refsnider. The book features advice on food and gear planning, bike set-ups, navigation, Leave No Trace principles, camp skills, and more, says Boyle. You can also look to the Adventure Cycling Association, which offers online resources and maps for bike travelers, suggests Tolmé.
Once you’re ready for a serious adventure, ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which extends from Jasper, Alberta, Canada to the Mexican border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico along the Rocky Mountains. But until you build up the skillset and endurance to tackle the Appalachian Trail of the bikepacking world, don’t brush aside the smaller routes through parks in your area.