Bikepacking combines bike touring and camping — you carry everything you need to do both on your bike. It’s an amazing experience that lets you connect with nature and see new places, kind of like backpacking, but on two wheels.

At least, that’s what bikepacking is on paper. I went on an overnight bikepacking trip with 718 Outdoors, a cycling adventure company in Brooklyn, New York, to find out what it’s really like. Below I share my experience, plus all the essentials I think every bikepacking beginner should make sure they have before they set out on their trip.

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What is bikepacking?

Bikepacking and bike touring are often used interchangeably, which can be confusing. Historically, bike touring involves multi-day trips on roads, with heavy bike racks and bike bags carrying all your things. Bikepacking, on the other hand, is more like backpacking: off-road cycling on backroads, dirt paths and mountain trails, with lightweight gear suited for rough terrain.

The two disciplines have converged in recent years and are so mixed up that one can be indistinguishable from the other, in my view.

My bikepacking essentials

Bikepacking, like backpacking, is all about planning. You need to pack and bring almost everything you’ll need for the day(s) to come, depending on your planned route. Our route started in New York City and headed about 60 miles upstate, meaning mostly paved roads with plenty of grocery, convenience and bike stores along the way.

Below is nearly everything I used on my trip. It’s a mix of items I’ve used for years and gear I requested samples of to test from popular backpacking and bikepacking brands. Bikepacking is not one-size-fits-all, so use this list as inspiration and make swaps where necessary to fit your specific needs.

A timelapse of a group of people hanging out outdoors around a large stone fire pit. — Bikepacking with a group is a great way to make the whole trip easier and more fun, especially if it's your first time.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Water

Riding long distances means staying hydrated, which means you need an easy way to drink water while riding. Most bikes have spots to mount a water bottle cage, where you can keep your water easy to grab and put back while riding.

Specialized Zee Cage II Bike Water Bottle Holder
Lezyne Power Cage Bike Water Bottle Holder
HydraPak Polar Bottle (20oz)
Bivo Trio Mini Insulated Stainless Steel Bike Bottle

Bike bags

How are you going to carry all your stuff on your bike? This is a crucial question with almost limitless answers.

My answer? Ortlieb. Ortlieb makes excellent bike bags for commuters, bike adventures and everything in between — I’ve used the brand for more than a year with no issues. Each Ortlieb Gravel Pack pannier holds 14.5 liters, and while some might argue they are large, a large bag is much easier for a beginner to pack than a small, just-barely-enough-space alternative.

A red bike with bags attached, leaning against a stone wall. — My bike, a Salsa Journeyer, with most of my gear attached.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Dry bags and stuff sacks

Dumping all of your things inside of a big pannier is a messy idea that will leave you desperately digging around for your sunscreen or rain jacket when you need them most. Nesting your smaller items inside of dry bags or stuff sacks is a common organizational practice in bikepacking and backpacking.

Dry bags are great for storing items that cannot get wet: your sleeping bags, extra clothes and electronics, for example. Stuff sacks are better for bulkier items that aren’t as sensitive: think food, toiletries, bike tools.

I tried a few different brands for organization, and Sea to Summit’s bags were far and away the best. Its Evac Ultralight Compression Dry Bag was essential for compressing my bulky sleeping gear into something that could actually fit into my panniers.

Clothes

A video of NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz cycling in the rain. — During a rainstorm, everything, including my camera lens, got wet, but I stayed dry thanks to my Ornot Magic Shell.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Clothes are the most subjective thing on this list — everyone is different, and finds different things comfortable when riding their bike. I prefer cycling-specific clothes, but the majority of the people on my trip wore a mix of cycling gear and casual clothes like t-shirts, loose button-ups and Teva’s (not kidding). Most people on my trip packed one set of clothes for riding and one set of clothes for camping/sleeping in.

Regardless, a rain layer of some kind is essential for the East Coast, and my Ornot Magic Shell did a fantastic job keeping me dry during a two hour downpour.

A compact tent

A Nemo bikepacking tent setup in a grassy field in the woods. — I practiced setting up my tent indoors before going on my bikepacking trip.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Your tent is one of the hardest things to pack on your bike because the tent poles are very long — they’re too long for most bike bags, and usually require a creative solution. However, nowadays, there are a few bikepacking-specific tents on the market designed with shorter poles: 12 inches long rather than the typical 18 inches.

I tested the Nemo Dragonfly OSMO Bikepacking 1-Person Tent from the brand and it checked my three top boxes: easy to use, easy to pack, lightweight and comfortable. Many people in my group preferred two-person tents like the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL Bikepack 2-Person Tent, as you get a lot more space for not much more weight.

But bikepacking-specific tents are expensive. Regular tents like the REI Co-op Trailmade 1-Person Tent or 2-Person Tent are much more affordable, but are harder to pack.

Sleep gear

A video of a man laying down inside a tent, pulling his arm out of a sleeping quilt. — The Zenbivy sleep system felt like sleeping in a real bed compared to a traditional sleeping bag.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Sleeping is personal, but most people on my trip carried an inflatable sleeping pad, a sleeping bag or quilt, and a camp pillow.

Still, sleeping was one of the things I was most nervous about — my bed at home is a lot more comfortable than sleeping outside in a tent. To that end, I tested gear from Zenbivy, an up-and-coming brand that makes an outdoor sleep system that’s a bit different from your typical sleeping bag. It’s a sheet, quilt and pillow that clip together in key areas, meaning I could shift, roll around, keep an arm or a leg outside the quilt, and generally sleep like I would at home. I paired it with a Nemo Tensor All-Season UL Insulated Sleeping Pad, which kept me insulated from the cold ground.

Zenbivy is expensive, and all the separate pieces take more time to set up than something like a Nemo sleeping bag and Nemo pillow (which I also tested). Lower-priced alternatives I would also consider include the REI Co-op Trailmade 25 Sleeping Bag, REI Co-op Traverse Insulated Air Pad and Teton Sports Camp Pillow, to name a few.

Hygiene

Camping doesn’t mean skipping out on skin care and brushing your teeth (at least for me). Whatever you decide to bring, travel sizes are your friend — they’re smaller, lighter and easier to pack.

First-aid kit

An outdoor emergency kit is a must have for bikepacking, backpacking, hiking and anything in between.

Hart Outdoor Day Hike First-Aid Kit

Bike tools

Having the tools (and know-how) to replace a flat tire or fix a chain can turn a trip-ender into a short break instead. Going in a group environment like 718 Outdoor also means shared knowledge (and extra hands) for more complicated fixes.

Electronics

A power bank charging an iPhone and Apple AirPods on the floor of a tent. — My anker power bank has two built-in USB-C cables, meaning less cable clutter in my bag.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Nothing in the list below is essential, except for the power bank: It’s a nice-to-have that quickly becomes a must-have if you plan on using your phone for navigation. Camera gear is a total luxury item (albeit a very fun one).

Everything else

You may also want to pack a few more essentials that are harder to categorize: a comfortable bike helmet, a headlamp and bug spray, to name a few. Another standout I would recommend, if you have space for it, is a camp chair like the Helinox Chair Zero. Nearly everyone on my trip had a camp chair — it’s great to be able to sit in an actual chair, and not on the ground or a rock, after a long day of cycling.

How to prepare for bikepacking

Plan your route

I believe route planning is the single most important part of bikepacking. Biking on a peaceful rail trail is world’s apart from biking on the side of a tight two-way highway. I’ve planned routes using a combination of Ride with GPS and Google Maps for years, but there are plenty of other popular options (Komoot, Gaia GPS, MapOut, to name a few). Spend time getting familiar with these apps and existing routes in your area before planning your own.

Be sure to mark things like convenience stores, bike shops, places to refill water, urgent cares, train stations and major roads on your map, plus “bail out” points if you need to abort your trip. Riding with an organized group like 718 Outdoor usually means you’ll be following a good route that’s been time-tested by others beforehand.

A POV video of someone riding a bike on a paved trailway in the woods. — The Empire State Trail in New York is one of the best places to ride a bike away from cars.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Test your bike (and gear)

Your bike should feel comfortable and familiar to you long before you go on your trip. Yes, that means comfortable with all your gear attached to it. Be sure to do some test rides with all your gear packed onto your bike before going on any big bikepacking trip.

Go with a group

I was nervous before my bikepacking trip. Going with a group of more than a dozen other people helped calm those nerves tremendously. I had other people who would support me (if needed) and could answer questions about the route, camping and nearby stores. Plus it made the whole thing more fun.

A group of cyclists with their bikes, standing in a rough circle. — The 718 Outdoors group, getting ready to leave camp on day two.Courtesy Harry Rabinowitz

Why trust NBC Select?

I’m a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology, fitness and outdoors, including stories on hiking boots, wireless earbuds, fitness trackers and camping for beginners. For this piece, I went bikepacking with 718 Outdoors for a weekend in New York State, and put years of cycling and bikepacking theory I’ve learned to the test.

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