I thought I’d put together a few thoughts on bikepacking and why I love the concept, but as a new genre of biking I think there needs to be some order so I created my own 5 rules of bikepacking…….
1. First rule of Bikepacking
No panniers allowed. This is a strict door policy because bikepacking is about rackless riding, panniers are brilliant if want to go cycle touring slowly on smooth surfaces and take the kitchen sink, but to me that’s not bikepacking. Bikepacking’s about packing or strapping kit onto your bike so it’s balanced, secure, lighter, faster and actually fun to ride on any surface from tarmac to rocks. Take a basket for some flowers and your baguette if needed but racks and panniers are a no go.
I don’t have a picture of me with a basket and flowers, but this is in Tenerife where I went with my lightest setup yet on a 3 day trip:
2. Second Rule of bikepacking
The kit you pack should weigh less than your bike (I’ll exclude water and food so the equation =k-f-w-b
3. Safety first
Don’t risk taking so little kit you’re likely to die if something goes wrong or the unexpected happens. If I have no tent or Bivvy bag because I’m staying in a hut, B&B or bothy but heading off into the mountains then I always take a foil bag and full waterproofs. Likewise if it’s dry you need to carry enough water. Look at bottle cages on forks or rear seat stays to expand what you can carry. Always ensure you will have totally dry clothing for the evening. Always carry a basic first aid kit, it’s easy not to – until you need it.
Overall it’s a balance of risk and probability based on where you’re riding so don’t take a rifle for the polar bears if you’re passing a Zoo but in Svalbard it might be a good shout. This rule is all about thinking through what could go wrong and ensuring you’re prepared.
This isn’t a Polar bear but here’s a Panda, equally as vicious to cyclists…well ones that resemble bamboo like me!
4. You have to actually leave your front door to classify as a bikepacking trip.
You can’t bike pack in your own home, so no turbo Zwifting or other nonsense. What I mean here is the hardest step is actually committing to a trip and physically setting off. It’s very easy to find excuses “I’m too tired this weekend” or “the weather forecast is mixed”. When you live in Scotland a mixed weather forecast is a positive thing! Just go and you’ll never regret it (unless there’s biblical rain/sleet forecast then maybe some doubts should creep into the equation…).
leaving the front door at night has its rewards….
5. There are no defined routes or minimum distance.
For me bike packing’s not a competition, any trip will be fun regardless of speed or distance it’s just great to go and explore somewhere new and be outside! If you’re nervous about planning then follow a defined route or even join a planned ride/event to have a sociable ride, but it’s way more interesting to just make up your own route and see what happens; however once completed don’t forget to upload it to the web and call it something like ‘Ed’s Epic 106 route ITT – First completion and fastest ever time’!
Bikepacking isn’t about the need to set ridiculous targets or epic mileage, while I am the first to admit I enjoy covering ground fast, I also like to explore areas or adapt the pace and distance to the conditions. An epic pre-planned route can ruin what could have been a perfectly good trip. The most common response from TransContinental riders I hear is “I wish we had time to explore X place more”.
If it all comes together and you cover 400km in 24 hours, under clear skies then great. However if you find a good cafe because it’s raining, find some great singletrack to detour on or even the perfect camp spot by a hot spring then chill out and enjoy. Basically when planning look for potential shortcuts or long cuts and ride a route according to what you find!
Hopefully some advice to think about and if you have any more ‘rules’ I missed add them below in comments!
