Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
Probably the two biggest questions for the beginning bicycle tourist are (1) what in heck should I bring? and (2) how to haul all of that stuff? Bringing too much stuff is unlikely to end up being very fun and bringing too little stuff is also unlikely to be very fun. So you need a balance. Typically bicycle touring is done by folks from the richer countries in the world who usually wildly overestimate what they need to go out and have fun. A quick survey of any outdoor store will show you that the modern world has a pretty wild definition of what "essential" things you need to engage in most any outdoor activity. My advice is to try to be pretty zen and minimalist and you will likely have more fun. Remember everything you take with you is purchased by the pound and paid for by the mile.
There are four basic approaches to carrying stuff while cycling:
Modern lightweight camping gear is very light and very compact and can be had for quite reasonable prices. It is quite plausible with very little effort to put a basic kit together (tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, camp stove, cook pot, &c) that weighs less than 7lbs and with a little effort and research and perhaps spending more money less than 5lbs. Since on a bike tour you have quite a bit of flexibility that a backpacker does not have (namely, you aren't committed to camping out every night and there isn't any reason to not flop at a motel if the weather is lousy miserable) you can go a little thinner on the camping gear than you otherwise might if you were backpacking. My experience on bicycle tours on acoustic bikes was that most bicycle tourists sleep in a bed one night out of four on the average.
Here are a few videos that are pretty good presentations on what to bring and how to carry it:
There are four basic approaches to carrying stuff while cycling:
- You can carry everything in a backpack. For all but the shortest trips and lightest loads this isn't likely to be very fun or comfortable. So I won't further discuss it here.
- You can use a trailer. Trailers are great if your bike doesn't have eyelets to allow the attachment of racks and if you need to carry lots of stuff. Trailers are not so great because they give you the ability to carry lots of stuff. Sometimes finding a decent place to park a bike with a trailer can be quite awkward as well.
- Traditional bike touring, at least since the 1950's, have used two or four panniers attached to front and rear racks, possibly with the addition of a handlebar bag (or other front bags like rando or porteur bags) and a rear saddlebag. Such systems are highly evolved and generally work quite well for bicycle touring.
- Bikepacking style bags have evolved in recent years to solve some of the limitations of traditional touring systems. A lot of modern bikes that are otherwise suitable for touring are not well-suited to carrying a rack or panniers, and racks on bikes with suspensions are at best still problematic. A further problem is that if you are traveling on narrow trails panniers will often get hung up on obstacles and otherwise not be very fun. Bikepacking-style bags generally strap onto the handlebars, frame, or seat post with velcro straps. Two big disadvantages of bike packing bags is that generally you have a smaller volume to work with than panniers, and that volume is often awkwardly shaped so it can be challenging to efficiently pack your gear. Another minor disadvantage is that the velcro straps can be quite abrasive, especially when wet and/or dirty, and can do quite extensive damage to your bike frame unless precautions are taken.
Modern lightweight camping gear is very light and very compact and can be had for quite reasonable prices. It is quite plausible with very little effort to put a basic kit together (tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, camp stove, cook pot, &c) that weighs less than 7lbs and with a little effort and research and perhaps spending more money less than 5lbs. Since on a bike tour you have quite a bit of flexibility that a backpacker does not have (namely, you aren't committed to camping out every night and there isn't any reason to not flop at a motel if the weather is lousy miserable) you can go a little thinner on the camping gear than you otherwise might if you were backpacking. My experience on bicycle tours on acoustic bikes was that most bicycle tourists sleep in a bed one night out of four on the average.
Here are a few videos that are pretty good presentations on what to bring and how to carry it:
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