
The Right Bags for Your Bikepacking Adventures
Get on your bike and go! With the right bag setup, nothing stands in the way of a bikepacking adventure. Here’s what you need to know.
Bikepacking: the fast tour with slim luggage and lots of adventure. Bike during the day, sleep outside at night – whether you’re on a micro-adventure right behind the front door or on epic tours. Unlike a traditional bike trip, you don't store your bikepacking equipment in large panniers, but directly on the bike. This maintains driving dynamics and fun – even off-road or at high speeds and off the beaten track. The general rule for equipment is simple: less is more! The less weight you carry on your bike, the more pleasure you will have.
Gravel or mountain bikes are especially good for bikepacking. They are robust, suitable for off-road use and offer enough space for your equipment. In principle, however, every bike can be a bikepacking bike. Just attach the bikepacking bags, load your gear and off you go on your adventure.
As little as possible, as much as necessary! A bikepacking adventure in the Scottish Highlands naturally requires different equipment than the quick after-work adventure. You can divide the equipment you need into the following categories:
The foundation of any bikepacking adventure lies in bikepacking bags. Here you can store everything you need while on the road. Depending on the position of the wheel, the following types of bags can be distinguished:
Waterproof bags, such as those from the bag and bikepacking specialist ORTLIEB, are a good choice especially in autumn or winter and for tours in bad weather. Alternatively, you can also protect your equipment in a stuff sack with a so-called dry bag (waterproof stuff sack).
You can find detailed buying advice on all types of bags and an overview of what luggage belongs where in our blog.
This is where things can get tricky. This is because sufficiently high weather protection, sufficient warmth and adequate comfort must be accommodated in a small area and as light as possible on the bike. What "sufficient", "enough" and "appropriate" mean for you and your cycling adventure, however, is a matter of personal preference. You should always pay attention to a few things:
Here you will find little helpers that can really come in handy before, during and after tours. These includes, for example, repair sleeves for tent poles or care products for your bikepacking equipment, plus useful accessories such as microfibre towels that can be packed especially small or seat cushions for nights around the campfire.