Thanks for the tip, I may just do that, it's daunting the thought of soloing the first trip

Leerowe76, sounds like we're in a similar situation.
Glad to read the comments about the colder weather producing amazing memories, gonna get my stuff together pronto and get planning that first overnighter

Wow, great response from everyone, thanks. Got a good welcome feeling for a newbie :-bd I am way more comfortable on my five but with the rear suspension set up there's not much room for a frame bag. I was definitely over thinking it, backpack and a bar roll sounds a perfect combo for a first trip. ...

Not sure yet
I want to head off road predominantly, probably in the Brecon beacons, just wondered what the general feeling is for which is best, they both have obvious pro's and cons

Hi,
I'm getting things together ready for my first bikepacking session, though I'm still undecided as to which bike to use. Would you use:
A) an Orange Five, full suspension mountain bike with 26" wheels
B) a gravel/road bike with off road tyres (700c)?

Any opinions most welcome!

Give me a shout if you fancy some company, I'd be up for going and seeing how other people do things!

Thanks guys, I'll take a look

Hi all, just getting kit together to go on my first adventure, can anyone recommend an entry level bike GPS nav unit to mount on the bars?

Great, sounds good, I'm a bit dubious about getting started but the more I read and hear about bikepacking the more I wish I'd have tried it years ago! Gotta start getting some kit together!

Recommend the Gower as a good starting ride?

Wow that was a quick response! I'm in llantwit major, near bridgend. Ah probably too short notice for me as I haven't got a lot of the kit together yet. Yeah from looking online there are Gower routes that look good, would be up for that sometime, would ideally like to start with a 1 night bikepack ...

Hi all,

I'm a new wanna be bikepacker living in South Wales. I'm looking for advice on how to get started and also to see if there are any experienced bikepackers willing to let me tag along on a trip to show me the ropes!

Cheers