Bike Packing 

1. A form of self-supported adventure cycling where a person travels long distances by bike while carrying gear (usually in frame bags or backpacks), camping overnight in the wilderness. Think backpacking, but on two wheels.

2. (increasingly misused) When someone bikes to an Airbnb with a backpack and calls it “roughing it,” despite access to WiFi, wine, and a hot tub.

Annalise said she was bike packing on the island, but I’m pretty sure her biggest hardship was forgetting the Netflix password at her lakeside Airbnb.

Bike Packing by CaptainJJ July 7, 2025

bikepacking 

"Bikepacking," coined by Noel Grove, a National Geographic staff writer, was first used to describe the Hemistour Bicycling Expedition in NG's May 1973 issue. "Bikepacking Across Alaska and Canada," described a long-distance bicycle tour, partly on gravel and partly on pavement. No weight was carried on the rider's backs--it was all hauled via panniers and handlebar bags, or strapped across the luggage racks. Weight carried varied from 35-60 pounds per rider, depending on the quantity of food and water carried. Hemistour, comprised of 30 riders who rode varying distances, traveled from Alaska to Argentina, and was the first north to south bicycle tour of the Western Hemisphere. The term "bikepacking" has nothing to do with the age of the rider, nor the pace of the rider, nor the number of miles ridden per day. It has more to do with the intention of riding long distance (touring), and being self-sufficient. No rules dictate what bikepacking is, but on Hemistour no motorized support was utilized, most overnights were camping out, and quite a bit of the cooking was done over a camp stove.
--June J. Siple, Hemistour rider

No rules dictate what bikepacking is, but on the Hemistour Bicycling Expedition no motorized support was utilized, most overnights were camping out, and most of the cooking was done over a camp stove.

bikepacking by Hemistour June May 5, 2016

Bikepacking 

Just like backpacking, but with a bike.

I just got back from a week long bikepacking trip in the UP. What a time!

Bikepacking by Aar0n p September 23, 2019

bikepacking 

Similar to the term “backpacking”, the term “bikepacking” is the sport or activity of exploring new places on your road bike while carrying a backpack. Not to be confused with the word “touring”, which many associate with old people leisurely tooling around with panniers and helmet mirrors at painstakingly slow paces.

“We went on a two-day bikepacking trip from San Fran to Morro Bay. What a beautiful ride along the coast!”

bikepacking by Laura Coombs January 21, 2008