Bikepacking-specific bags are a component of what differentiates bike-packing from bike touring. The minimalist bags offered by Cycle Touring allow you to carry essential gear for your trip while emphasizing holding your bike light and elegant so it will handle well on off-pavement terrain.
When you’re piling up for a bike-packing trip, it’s completely fine to pack your stuff into Bike packing bags, and if you have a rack and panniers at home, you can use those, too. However, after a few trips, you may see the value in using lighter, more streamlined bike packing bags, particularly if you like to swing narrow singletrack trails where a broad load can get hung up on obstacles.
Packing your bike for bikepacking mandates you to think strategically about where items go and be wise about allocating weight. A loaded bike will never handle as well as one that has nothing extra on it, but when you pack well, you’ll find you can successfully steer off-road terrain and have fun doing so.
How to Pack for Bikepacking
- Put lightweight, bulky items in your seat pack and handlebar pack: Overloading Bike packing bags can negatively affect the handling of your bike. Many backpackers put things like clothes, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad and a tent in their seat pack and handlebar pack.
- Put heavy items in your frame pack: Packing your stove, fuel, bike tubes, extra food and other heavy items in your frame pack keep your bike’s centre of gravity low to assist conserve your bike’s handling.
- Keep oftentimes utilized items within reach: Things like snacks, water bottles and a cell phone are satisfactorily kept in stem bags, top tube bags or cages where you can get to them easily.
