Bikepacking or Bike Touring: How to Approach Your First Adventure

September 02, 2021

If you can ride a bike and you are adventurous, then backpacking or bike touring could possibly be a thrilling adventure for you.

Bikepacking or Bike Touring: How to Approach Your First Adventure

Basically camping on two wheels, the two activities are alike, but a bike tour takes you on a certain path that is guided and mostly paved, whilst backpacking takes you off the beaten track into a whole new world of untamed adventure.

Through the sport, you can discover some hidden and untamed parts of nature, some secret caves, and various species of flora and fauna – so enthralling, but the packing before the trip is a bit daunting.

Because you have to fit all your camping gear on your bike, it will take a certain skill to know how to include all the essentials and still leave room for you to sit and paddle away comfortably.

This article will guide you on all that you need to set up and get going to your new escapades.

Get the Right Clothing

Depending on the track you’ll take, the terrain you will maneuver and the weather conditions where you’re going, you will need biking shorts and shirts that will withstand all that.

You will of course need a good helmet, some gloves, and whatever else you generally wear as you cycle around, just to make sure you are comfortable. Check out this week’s best deals on the yofreesamples site for discounts and bargains on all biking clothes.

You can get up to 40% off using the Amazon codes they provide on the site.

a bicycle parked beside a wall

The Right Bicycle

Not every bicycle is made for long trips or dirt roads and winding terrains. You will definitely need a bike that has a wide range of gears, something with a comfortable saddle as you will spend most of your time sitting, thus a mountain bike is your go-to ride for the trip.

Our recommendation is this Marin Four Corners bike.

Packing Light

It is important to carry light when cycling long distances, thus the choice of bag or pack is very crucial. You will need to make wise choices on how much luggage you carry with you and not overlook the weight of your packing.

Here’s a list of the perfect carriage and camping equipment.

1. The Expedition Saddle Pack

You might be able to tell from its name, a saddlebag is clipped behind the saddle. It is a very light pack that can fit as much as your roll mat, pillow, and assorted tools.

No matter how bumpy the ride can get, the pack holds itself in a very firm position and will not be moved by any knotted bumps. You can get a waterproof saddle pack – should the weather take a turn on you, your pillow will still be nice and dry.

2. An Alpkit Sleeping Bag

It’s also a great fit for your adventure. You can fold it and pack it down to the size of a fat water bottle with a weight of only about 865g.

As much as it is super light it is rated to the comfort of -6C, which can even be improved by a sleeping bag liner. You can easily carry this in your frame pack.

3. Don’t Fret Too Much About Your Accommodation

You can ride through the wilderness with the perfect hotel on your handlebars or frame pack. Check out the Hubba Tour tent. With the weight averaging around 2kgs, this tent gives more than enough space for sleeping, you can even fit your bike in it.

**4. You obviously will need cutlery and the Sea to Summit equipment is just perfect**.

With this set, you will have a collapsible bowl and cup, and the highest note, a collapsible 2.8L pot. All this is packed in a disc with just a couple of centimeters of height.

a bicycle parked towards the wall

Repairing Your Bike

One skill that cannot be taken for granted is that of repairing a broken-down bike, be it a flat tire or a snapped chain.

Any of these two can compromise your adventure and it would be of great help learning a few repair skills prior to your adventure. Find yourself an expert who can help impart the needed skills.