Is this 'bikepacking'?

[psling]

I've just had a nosey through the latest Cycle magazine (the magazine of Cycling UK) and there is an article titled Great Rides Bikepacking Beginners [subtitled: Bivvying under a tarp isn't the only bikepacking option]. So far so good.

The article relates the story of a couple of gents who went on a six day ride. They "chose not to camp. It would mean carrying extra gear, which would be harder. We'd rather spend money on B & Bs or hotels..."

Now, that's fair enough. Their bikes were kitted out with saddle packs and bar rolls rather than panniers plus their route did include some bridleways and cycle paths. All accommodation was pre-booked.

But... is it bikepacking? Or is that really light-touring? Or credit card touring even?

I think the article title is misleading and somehow further diminishes what Bikepacking actually is.

Or does it really matter, it's all riding after all.

[RIP]

uh-oh. <hides behind sofa>

("all accommodation was pre-booked". Harumph! Pre-set route as well?)

[Dave Barter]

I suppose it is because backpacking doesn’t mean carrying a tent. It means carrying your stuff.

[thenorthwind]

I knew exactly what this was going to be about before I opened it

I read the same article and thought "that's not what I would call bikepacking", shrugged inwardly and carried on with my life.

My wife, who isn't a bikepacker, but has a vague understanding of what I do, happened to read it, and, unbidden, said "they're not really bikepacking are they?"

I don't think they're BAM material

[JackT]

There's a consensus that the first usage of the term bikepacking was a National Geographic article in May 1973, about the Hemistour, a bicycle journey from Alaska to Patagonia, undertaken in part by Dan and Lys Burden and in full by Greg and June Siple. During their journey they founded the Adventure Cycling Association.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... _id=628383

In the last decade or so, the term seems to have become a bit linked to soft strap-on luggage rather than traditional racks and panniers.

In the five decades since 1973 countless people have re-used the term, and used it in their own way to describe this or that. I don't see how anyone can legitimately claim one usage is in some way the correct usage. And the meaning of the term may have changed, from much longer journeys as in the Nat Geo article, to fast-and-light type excursions and maybe a bit more off-road, though from the photo below, it looks as though the off-road part was in there from the very beginning.

The term I'd use for the tour described in the Cycling UK mag is credit-card touring. Nowt wrong with that. Puts more money into the places you're travelling through, and arguably a richer experience in terms of meeting people along the way (am fully aware that some people of this parish go bikepacking specifically to avoid encountering other people ).

If authenticity is important, then riding from hostelry to hostelry is probably the original format for a multi-day bicycle journey, as most people back in the day (1880s - 1960s) didn't own tents. From the 1930s onwards, youth hostels were a big part of it.

[psling]

Thanks for that insight Jack, very valid points

In the last decade or so, the term seems to have become a bit linked to soft strap-on luggage rather than traditional racks and panniers.

It's interesting that rear racks are increasingly being favoured along with soft strap-on luggage, albeit lightweight racks not necessarily designed for panniers.

If authenticity is important, then riding from hostelry to hostelry is probably the original format for a multi-day bicycle journey, as most people back in the day (1880s - 1960s) didn't own tents. From the 1930s onwards, youth hostels were a big part of it.

That's very true; back in the 70s we (my friends and I) would backpack with heavy canvas tents but cycling would be youth hostel to youth hostel

[psling]

I knew exactly what this was going to be about before I opened it

[voodoo_simon]

Bikepacker - leaving your mug on the outside of luggage to collect sheep sub standard

Tourer - leaves mug inside luggage



Think it boils down to mentality for bikepacking rather than being defined by types of luggage/length of trip/bicycle etc etc

Weird example and on a tangent but I trained for a year to do an ultra marathon, in all of that time running, I never felt like a runner. Just never felt the zen of it all, yet I met people running who were doing less miles/started later than myself than myself who would call themselves runners (this isn’t trying to be elitism as I do believe each to their own). It felt to me that I was more of a cyclist on a sabbatical It a funny old world

[fatbikephil]

No bogs, no tussocks, no cowering under a thin sheet of nylon in the rain, no slugs. Where is the fun in that?

A better version is to carry proper bikepacking stuff (cue further argument ) but stay in hotels / B&B's hostels / bothies. I did my first Highland trail like that and I was definitely bikepacking

[sean_iow]

I don't see how anyone can legitimately claim one usage is in some way the correct usage.

Of course we can, you do know this is the intent and that's how it works

I think if you travel by bike from place to place carrying all the stuff you need for that journey then it's bikepacking. It's not what most of us do but why not?

I'd be fine staying in B & Bs etc. on a trip, even if I was carrying my tarp if I'd been out for a while and was looking for respite from the rain for example.

[JackT]

It may be my advancing years but I increasingly feel as though sleeping out of doors is a May-September thing in UK climes, especially this winter/spring. That's not to rule out occasional one-off nights in the S24O style, but for a trip of a few days or more, even now in early April, I'd favour a roof over my head. Come June and July, it seems madness to pay for a room when the evenings are long and sleeping out is such a pleasure.

[Bearbonesnorm]

It's nowt to do with the type of luggage you use or where you stay but a mindset IMO.

I saw a post on FB the other day with the usual soft luggage v panniers type stuff and one chap said, " why would you not use panniers, you can fit loads more in them" ... this bloke does not have a bikepacking mindset.

[thenorthwind]

you do know this is the intent

Are tarps not bikepacking then?

[redefined_cycles]

Edited and deleted.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Slightly weird to think that bikepackers as many here will know and recognise them are already a minority amongst bikepackers . Something of a dying or at least diminishing breed I feel.

[JackT]

It's nowt to do with the type of luggage you use or where you stay but a mindset IMO.

I saw a post on FB the other day with the usual soft luggage v panniers type stuff and one chap said, " why would you not use panniers, you can fit loads more in them" ... this bloke does not have a bikepacking mindset.

People can carry too much stuff (too much for whom?? ) whether in panniers or by strapping every conceivable bit of bikepacking luggage to their bikes.

I hate to sound like the retro dude (actually I don't, because I think people were once a lot less up themselves and eager to look down on others who didn't conform to their own idea of how to do things), but people used to do a fortnight's touring on the continent with just a Carradice saddlebag. And on the Crane cousins Journey to the Centre of the Earth they used panniers, and were incredibly minimal.

[Hyppy]

Technically I'd say no, but I'm giving them a pass as a) CyclingUK/CTC are the national cycling organisation as far as I'm concerned, and b) it was a Steve Behr piece which makes for a nice blast from the MTB past.

[whitestone]

It's nowt to do with the type of luggage you use or where you stay but a mindset IMO.

I saw a post on FB the other day with the usual soft luggage v panniers type stuff and one chap said, " why would you not use panniers, you can fit loads more in them" ... this bloke does not have a bikepacking mindset.

People can carry too much stuff (too much for whom?? ) whether in panniers or by strapping every conceivable bit of bikepacking luggage to their bikes.

I hate to sound like the retro dude (actually I don't, because I think people were once a lot less up themselves and eager to look down on others who didn't conform to their own idea of how to do things), but people used to do a fortnight's touring on the continent with just a Carradice saddlebag. And on the Crane cousins Journey to the Centre of the Earth they used panniers, and were incredibly minimal.

Right tool for the job and all that.

We've credit card toured the outer hebrides using a Carradice saddlebag, road toured in Ireland using panniers and done all sorts using "bikepacking" bags.

When we did the King Alfred Way we took the tent along with "bikepacking" bags (https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpB ... p?p=263139 - there's a shot of our bikes near the bottom of the post) and had plenty of room for everything for the three nights we kipped out. Short of taking collapsable seats, etc, I'm not sure what we were "missing". No-one we saw on the route had significantly more kit than we had, can't remember seeing anyone with panniers.

[fatbikephil]

I suspect Stu is along the right lines...
Interestingly, over on that Bikepacking.com, all the young dudes are strapping saddle packs, bar rolls, front pouches, frame bags, multiple stem cells / gas tanks / other wee bags, fork bags on there bikes and also carrying bum bags (I'm looking at you Northwind!). My usual thought is "If you are carrying that much stuff just bung a set of Ortleibs on a cheapo Blackburn rack, save yourself loads of packing time and save a fortune..."

I don't care really...

[faustus]

Always interesting to read these debates on here, as i'm not much of a bikepacker by the general standards of this forum. There's a leaning towards 'type 2 or it didn't happen' on here sometimes It might be my advancing age, but also because i've got two young kids, and they provide enough fun of that variety at times! I mean, over the weekend I was scooping up sick from a bed and everything in it, and then waking up every hour or so to grab a bucket for more potential pukes. The desire to sleep badly in a wet wood isn't that strong sometimes. However, I do keep my mug on the inside, I love travelling slowly and lightly, and I like kipping in my hooped bivvy. I probably do have the mindset, but where I stay is flexible, and it might be under a roof or paid-for accomadation - for me that choice isn't what defines 'bikepacking'.

Back to history lessons, just plucked these two books out as reminders of the term and of mindset: 'Bikepacking' from 1978, and 'English Country Lanes' from 1988 as recommended by JackT (bought one of the last 2nd hand copies left, as you must have recommended it to loads of people who also bought Lost Lanes titles! )

[JackT]

'Bikepacking' from 1978

Was just about to post this one! The Foreword is a really good summation, and I think stands the test of time:

"Like all beginners, I made every mistake possible. As there was no authoritative textbook on the subject, I learnt the hard way. My self-instruction was carried out during my formative years, in this country and on the Continent. Although I gave up cycling for many years during my service abroad, I took up lightweight camping again as a hobby on my reversion to a civilian state: I was at once made aware of the many changes in equipment and techniques that had taken place in my absence. Lightweight travel today can be accomplished with so much greater comfort than in the days of my youth that there is no need to "rough it any more. As an American outdoorsman once said, "We do not go to the woods to rough it - we get it rough enough at home. We go to the woods to smooth it

The advent of nylon, foam and plastics have ensured that this is even more true now. Naturally, the new gear is as equally suited to cycle camping as it is for backpacking, but as soon as I began once again to use a bike for leisure travel, I realised how different are the techniques of backpacking and cycling. Despite their differences however, each pastime stands for a yearning to throw off, if only for a short space, the burden of modern living with its technological assistance and its motor-driven vehicles. Something within many of us is more consciously seeking a greater independence and self-reliance than is normally available within our motorised televised, computerised and sedentary lives. By lightweight camping, whether by bike or on foot, we are making use of technology to keep us warm and sheltered and well-fed while we gain access to the diminishing wilderness and open spaces of our countryside.

What I describe in this book is simply my own approach to cycle camping. My style has changed over the years, and I am no longer a Spartan in my outlook, if indeed I ever was. For me, the American term "Bike-packing" describes best the sort of riding and touring that appeals to me. It gets the feel of the enterprise more than just calling it "cycle-camping". Times change and so does terminology. As always though, lightweight camping is essentially a very personal thing, an exercise in doing without. Whether you are a beginner or not, I hope that by showing you my style of bikepacking. I will be able to start you off with enough ideas for you to develop your own style in due course. In the final analysis, equipment doesn't mean everything, what matters is getting out on the road and enjoying yourself."

[sean_iow]

And on the Crane cousins Journey to the Centre of the Earth they used panniers, and were incredibly minimal.

There's TLS, then there's take even less than that and then there's what the Cranes packed for that journey. On the front cover the panniers look to be about 10 litres max.

Great book, I've a first edition hardback copy I bought second hand, and it's signed by Richard Crane, although it's dedicated to Dave, Ann, Michael and James. It also says 'all the best for your adventures' hopefully they made it back and the book wasn't sold off by their executor

[Lazarus]

I think if you travel by bike from place to place carrying all the stuff you need for that journey then it's bikepacking. It's not what most of us do but why not?

I think you need to carry your camping equipment. With your definition i could carry tools and an inner tube and turn up at hotels and still be bikepacking, I would be touring, as are the people mentioned

I don't think you need type 2 but you do need to have everything on you to be self reliant and not need anything else [ food and water aside]

[Bearbonesnorm]

People can carry too much stuff (too much for whom?? ) whether in panniers or by strapping every conceivable bit of bikepacking luggage to their bikes.

Too much in terms of making the act of riding more difficult and harder work than it need be. Yes, I've often suggested that before buying luggage people should first decide what they're wanting (actually needing) to carry. If not, then you'll look to fill all your new bags in a effort to justify having them.

With regard to the mindset, I think John's mention of self reliance is important as it provides greater opportunity for freedom and exploration which are two of the prime ingredients for adventure. Having something booked or prearranged has the opposite effect and can lead to the destination becoming more important than the journey.

I've begun to find it quite odd that people still argue about the definition of 'bikepacking' as once upon a time it seemed to be pretty clear cut and simply accepted. I don't see anyone disagreeing about what football is or the definition of tennis

[Dave Barter]

Football and tennis have rules written down and governing bodies. Bikepacking just has pitchforks