The Bikepacker’s Guide to the Galaxy
At last! After another long and pandemic-infused winter, it’s almost bikepacking season. With public health restrictions finally loosening up in a world that perpetually declares that the end is nigh, it seems we’re about to go back to ‘normal’.
Except normal isn’t exactly great either. Normal is the unbearable daily grind, it’s the nine to five, it makes most people living on this earth unhappy pretty much all the time as we’re mostly concerned with the movement of small pieces of paper. Amongst many other things, it leaves us empty and longing for more than the prepackaged, scheduled and marketed ‘adventure’ that tourism pretends to be. So if you’ve got time on your hands this summer and want to break away from the rat race, look no further than bikepacking.
Don’t panic
Of course there’s a bunch of ways to tune in and drop out. Hitchhiking can be a blast if that’s your thing, however I can tell you from personal experience that getting picked up by drunks and a wide variety of weirdos ain’t always the safest way to travel. As for train hopping, it’s pretty much a criminal offense, you could lose a leg over the tracks or even worse — become a gutter punk and start a solo suicide folk band. Err on the side of caution.
Anyhow, bikepacking is the way of travel that I fell in love with almost a decade ago (yikes, how time flies). There is something about traveling on two wheels that I just haven’t felt with other forms of travel. No fuel pump expenses, overpriced RV campings, dummy tourist traps. You don’t have to rely on anyone else, it’s simple, it’s dirt cheap (once you own the gear) and if you can handle your own body odor for a couple days you’ll be just fine. In a fast-paced world mapped out for motorized vehicles, the bicycle is the perfect invention to take a step back and see the world at a human pace.
Traveling companions: Bring a towel
Want to hit the road but aren’t sure how? Here are the essentials.
You’ll need a bike — the one you have is good enough — ideally a vintage mountain bike if you’re on a budget. The larger the tires the better. Be sure it’s in good working order and that you have basic mechanical skills. Working on your own bike will teach you how to fix it in case of technical difficulties. You won’t get very far if you don’t know how to fix a flat and don’t carry spare tubes or a basic toolkit. Calvin, that Park Tool guy with the mustache on Youtube is a great place to start. And no, unfortunately he’s not rocking a handlebar mustache. A good bike fit is a must as well as a saddle you can ride all day in (everyone’s different but the leather ones are great when worn in) and road, gravel or touring handlebars. Avoid straight bars or risers at all costs. Your wrists, neck and butt will thank you.
You’ll need a sleeping system. A tent will do but I highly recommend a hammock if you’re going to be in a wooded area. The ones from army surplus are affordable, reliable and work great with the average tarp. It doubles as a ‘mini-tent’ setup if there are no appropriate trees to be found. Of course don’t forget your sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Hammocks lose heat from beneath your body. There are also more hardcore and superlight options such as tarping and bivys if you’re into that (a bivy is basically a weatherproof sarcophagus or an emergency blanket on protein shakes, sort of — I’ve never tried it and I probably won’t).
You’ll need a clothing system. Day clothes, night clothes and of course a small shamwow type towel — you know, for sweaty hyperspace travel. Don’t bring too much. I see some people packing like five pairs of shorts. Don’t do it: you only need one. If when packed your clothing is heavier than your sleeping system, then you’re doing it all wrong. Obviously a couple of extra pairs of socks and an extra chamois are of the essence. Baby towels are nice enough if you don’t have access to a water source nearby. It all depends on the local climate and the time of the year. Avoid cotton if possible as it loses its warmth when damp or wet. As for shoes, I’ve found that bike specific shoes are a pain. They require you to bring along an extra pair of shoes or sandals for comfort at the end of the day and they just might give you knee tendinitis if improperly adjusted. Less is more.
You’ll need a food, water, and cooking system. There’s a bunch of cheap ‘on the road’ recipes out there. Dried potatoes, PB and hot dog buns, rice, canned tuna and margarine, etc. Honestly, someone should write a book about that. The truth is that you’ll need to carry all that in a bag along the way and you won’t want it to spoil. You can pre-prep some of it at home while borrowing your roommate’s dehydrator, buy some more goodies at resupply points or purchase some pre-made dehydrated meals, although those get pretty expensive. You’ll need about 4L of water capacity for hydration and cooking depending on the weather. Bring a water filter or water pills for purification if you won’t have access to clean drinking water along the way. A cooking pot is also highly practical for sustenance as well as a spork (a spoon and fork hybrid), you’ll get to tell everyone how cool it is — or maybe get some chopsticks for bonus points. Finally, for those days when you can’t light a fire, get yourself a fuel and stove setup.
The Meaning of Life is 42
It’s more about getting there than the destination itself. While on the road, I’ve rarely followed the exact same route I’ve set before myself but it’s a good idea to plan beforehand if you’ll be out deep in the woods. There are classic bikepacking routes you can follow but if you want to get creative and make your own, use google maps paired with apps like Gaia GPS for a better understanding of the topography of an area. You can also use websites like Ioverlander to scout for wild camping spots in more rural areas where safe squatting spots are scarce. Warmshowers (like couchsurf but nicer and for cyclists) is a nice network if you’re cool with crashing at a stranger’s place.
Otherwise national parks usually have a much cheaper price for cyclists so that’s to be considered too if you need to recharge your stuff and take a well deserved shower. At last, if you’re going way out of bounds with no phone service and no humans for hundreds of kilometers in every direction, bring a friend or two. If you’re flying solo, get yourself a GPS tracker with the big red “mama come get me” emergency button. You can rent those at outdoor and camping stores as they are quite costly.
Now here are some general pieces of advice. Do bring a few things that you don’t absolutely need. Learn how to play harmonica while no one is listening, bring hard liquor and such things in various quantities, a bluetooth speaker, a can of spray paint — for rust repairs of course, a book or journal, a handlebar mascot (the more vulgar the better), a set of dice, a machete and/or the cheapest plastic ukulele you can find. It’s fun to get goofy once in a while and trust me when I say you’ll use those items way more than that fifth pair of shorts.
Don’t be a dufus: please pick up your trash. Plastic bottles filled with a mysterious yellow liquid are an indicator of trucking activity. Don’t drink the kool aid and make way when logging trucks are inbound. If you are in possession of a CB radio, pick up on that road channel and ask them for fresh beer, over.
Be mindful of wildlife. While roadkill will help you in the assessment of local biodiversity, learn how to hang your food properly, especially in bear country. Hang your food 30 feet from camp, don’t be like lazy me. One morning I woke up face to face with two black bear cubs, never saw the mother as they ran away, survived to tell the tale and never in my life packed my stuff in my bags half as fast as that damn time whilst singing along to Big Sean “I don’t fuck with you”. To be honest black bears are mostly scared of humans but moose, on the other hand, are way more dangerous and prone to attack you if surprised. Ask the locals about this stuff.
Last but not least, and this is probably the most important advice: respect your own limits. Whether physical, technical or mechanical. It’s nice to push it as far as you can but it’s pointless getting stuck in the middle of nowhere because you didn’t plan accordingly. You can always turn around if you don’t feel comfortable. Have fun and stay safe, see you all on the road this summer.
List of resources and further reading
www.bikpacking.com for routes, packing lists, general in depth reading and gear reviews.
www.parktool.com for bike mechanics 101 and www.youtube.com/c/RJTheBikeGuy for help with old school and DIY stuff
google maps and www.gaiagps.com for route planning and navigation
ioverlander.com and www.warmshowers.org for finding a place to sleep last minute
Author: Mathieu P.-Hamel - Professional bike mechanic, ex-bike messenger and aspiring framebuilder
