Bikepacking is an excellent way of spending some serious quality time with your bike, while exploring new roads, tracks and whole areas on two wheels. However, there’s an awful lot to consider before embarking on your first ever expedition, from merely planning the ride and figuring out what to pack. With all of that, a lot can go wrong if you’re not prepared, so learn from my mistakes and read on for my top beginner tips.

What is bikepacking?

To me, bikepacking is as simple as a multi-day trip carrying all your essentials on your bike or person. I will add, however, that bikepacking has at least an element of off-road adventure and a sense of remoteness which sets it apart from road-based ‘touring’.
There are many official, well-trodden routes in the UK for those seeking a bikepacking adventure, and they all, to more or less of an extent, include varying terrain, and many routes will take you far from civilisation. It is important to understand these factors for your chosen route, as they’ll have a big impact on how you’ll need to prepare.

Plan your route

This kind of adventure, of course, needs a bike, but which one? Bikepacking can be achieved on anything ranging from gravel bikes to full-suspension mountain bikes. A rigid gravel bike with 35c tyres could be the perfect rig for smoother, long-distance trips which have a heavier road bias. On the other hand, a mountain bike might be more suitable if you’re trekking through the Scottish Highlands, riding lots of technical terrain. Understand the route you intend to ride and ensure the bike you plan to ride it on is suitable.
Sigma Ride app
Sigma Ride app (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Planning the route is best done with some kind of navigation app, such as OS or Komoot. You can also research well known official routes and download a GPX file, which you’ll need to put on whatever device you choose to navigate with. Navigation devices tend to either be dedicated bike computers from brands such as Garmin, Wahoo and Hammerhead, or you can use apps on a phone. Be aware that mounting your phone to your bike is a little trickier; you may need to keep it dry, and battery life will deplete quickly, so if you’re planning to do lots of trips or hoping to spend hours upon hours on the bike, I’d recommend investing in a good, dedicated bike computer.

Some decisions need to be made on how you intend to travel. Going fully self-sufficient with sleeping and cooking equipment allows you to be more remote for longer and more flexible as to when you stop for the day, but it will result in a slower-going heavy bike. On the other hand, booking accommodation along the route will allow you to pack less and move more quickly, but you’ll be tied to a fixed timeline each day. If you plan to wild camp, research the laws and understand the legalities of where you may end up sleeping. It goes without saying that “leave no trace” and camping from dusk till dawn are good ways to go about it.

Whichever approach you decide on, some things to consider when planning your trip:

Plan your food stops/resupplies
I like to make a note of every shop which is on route, along with their opening times, so I know when food and water are next available. This ensures you won’t go hungry and, if you need to buy your evening meal at 10 am because that’s the last shop you’ll see all day, then so be it. On well-travelled routes, you may come across honesty boxes outside locals’ homes. These can be an absolute godsend when you’re hungry, low on sugar and need a pick-me-up. Be sure to have cash on you for these!
Even the best made plans don’t always work out

Plan exit routes and build in contingency. It pays to have an idea of where the route can be cut short or where civilisation can be reached in the event of a mishap, poor weather or an overambitious day.

If you intend to use a train, bikes are typically free to bring aboard, however, you do need to book a space for them – don’t get caught out. If you intend to stay at pre-booked accommodation, it is worth calling ahead to check they’re happy with you turning up in a muddy mess with bikes. Secure bike storage is high on my priority list and not always fully understood by your hosts.

Get prepared for any eventuality

Your route is meticulously planned, so how can you prepare? Ensure your bike is up to the job by carrying out some pre-ride checks. Maintenance such as checking brake pads, tuning gears and ensuring bearings are in good working order is very important. You need a reliable bike, so carrying out preventative maintenance will save you bother in the long run.
2021 Hutchinson Puncture Patches for Tube Type Tyres
2021 Hutchinson Puncture Patches for Tube Type Tyres (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
On that note, any good bike shop can carry out these checks for you, but I strongly recommend getting skilled up to do them yourself. There are courses available to learn the home mechanic skills which’ll become invaluable when you’re in the middle-of-nowhere and something bike related breaks. It’ll also save you a bit of cash.
Aside from the bike-based preparation, here are some other things to consider:
Devices
We always need to charge something, so think about everything you’ll need to charge and how you’re going to manage power. Power banks will keep a phone charged for a day or two, maybe you can boost this with a little solar panel or be completely self-sufficient using a dynamo system. At a minimum, carry a small power bank for emergencies.
Do a dry run
Pack up your bike with some representative weight and build up to the distances you’re planning to cover. You may be familiar with single-day epic rides, but it’s worth practising long rides one day after another and being comfortable riding in a fatigued state. This is also a great opportunity to test your kit and iron out any kinks before heading somewhere more remote.

Make sure you pack what you actually need

What you need to pack will be different for each person and will vary from trip to trip, however, there are some essentials which should be consistent for any bikepacking journey. This might be obvious, but if you’re doing a trip with someone else, discuss packing lists and don’t double-up unnecessarily on equipment – bike tools spring to mind.
  • You’ll never be able to cover every eventuality, but it pays to be prepared for punctures, broken chains and bolts rattling loose. On the puncture front, running tubeless is recommended, as is carrying tubeless repair plugs, but always carry at least one spare tube with some repair patches.
  • A ‘get out of jail free box’ – a small tin or pouch with a selection of commonly found (or lost) bolts. Stuff like cleat bolts, seat clamp bolts, chain master-links, spare tubeless valves and valve cores, zip ties, and a gear cable all safely stowed away.
  • A tiny backpack or spare shopping bag can be useful for dinner-time food runs.
  • Always pack for rain (a thin coat even in summer)
  • Always pack light, you never know how the day will go
  • Evening shoes are a nice little luxury – sliders, flip-flops or barefoot style shoes don’t take up much space
  • Carry enough water but not too much – soft bottles and hydration vests can be good ways for extra water capacity
  • Consider a water filter if remote enough, as finding fresh water could be a problem
  • Pack spare straps for repair – things break! Ensure they’re good quality, such as Restrap Fast Straps or Tailfin Cargo Straps
  • A small first aid kit is recommended. Carry pain killers, antihistamines, and fixes for personal niggles such as a knee brace or blister patches. A tiny pot of Sudocrem helps with chaffing repair overnight
  • When packing, ensure easy access to emergency layers and food
  • A small zip-tie style lock is handy if you’re riding solo and need to nip into the shops for quick resupply dashes
  • One spare pair of bib-shorts, which can be alternated each day

Now it’s time to set off

So we’ve got a route, we’re prepared and packed – time to get adventuring! If this is your first bikepacking trip, it’s worth setting some expectations now to help readjust the Instagram-style preconceptions of what it’ll be like.
Yorkshire bikepacking-7
Yorkshire bikepacking-7 (Image Credit: Suvi Loponen)
Even on well-trodden and ‘official’ routes, the going is hard to predict. Some sections can become a real test of perseverance, whether it’s an hour-long climb at the end of the day or a mile-long bog; keeping morale up isn’t always easy. Being at the mercy of the weather certainly can take its toll, too. Here are some pointers to consider when travelling:
Take it easy

Don’t be a hero. Sometimes the terrain can be technical and regularly exceed the fair limits of a gravel bike (for example), whilst it can be tempting to try and ride these challenges, bear in mind the big picture. One wrong move can result in bike breakages or worse, and suddenly drop you into quite a predicament.

Don’t be disheartened by slow progress

Travelling through varied terrain is hard to predict, and whilst we all have a rough timeline for the day, don’t feel like you must keep up with it. Trudging through a bog with a heavily loaded bike will always be slow going, but this can work both ways with a smooth section of road feeling like a gift to gain some time – literally take the rough with the smooth.

Start early – always!

Even if you have a relatively short day in mind, it pays to get going with plenty of spare time. It can be easy to enjoy a nice breakfast and a slow start to the day, but the risk of something going wrong later in the day could suddenly make that day longer than initially intended.

Eat and drink regularly

Don’t underestimate the calorific cost of bikepacking. Aside from eating lots, be aware of your mood and morale because if it’s starting to dive, you may just need a little sugar pick-me-up. Hitting the wall, or ‘bonking’, is easier to deal with if caught early and can become a real problem if blood sugar levels start to drop.

Soak it up

Try not to be too task-driven. It’s easy to get lost in the task at hand, navigating and thinking about the next food stop or big hill ahead. Don’t forget to actually enjoy where you are. The views, the quiet, the wildlife and the simplicity of riding your bike are things to savour, and I’ve certainly been guilty of missing the point, getting wrapped up in the logistics of it all.

Don’t be afraid to change the plan

Things don’t always go as you expect, so don’t be too stubborn to deviate from the original path. If the daylight is disappearing or you’re running out of energy, being adaptable on the fly will help keep the trip alive.

And finally…

It pays to check your bike over at the start of each day. Assess brake pad life, check all bolts are tight and applying some chain lube will do wonders for maintaining a reliable bike.

Hopefully, you’ve gained some handy tips for your bikepacking trip and now feel a little more prepared to get out there and have a suitable, tailored adventure. As with all these things, mistakes will be made and lessons learned, but for me, that’s part of the fun. In my opinion, bikepacking is one of the best ways to travel through the land, covering meaningful distances and carrying only the essentials – a great way to immerse yourself in the wild.