10 Reasons Bikepacking Is Better Than Backpacking

I’ve done a lot of backpacking; I’ve also done a lot of bikepacking. While I’m by no means the most experienced person on Earth when it comes to either, I feel that I have enough experience with both to warrant a comparison of the two.

The verdict?

Bikepacking is, objectively and in every context imaginable, better than backpacking.

Before you start yelling that I’ve taken an incorrect stance on the issue, please remember that 1) this is only my (completely justifiable and rational) opinion, and that 2) you are wrong.

You Cover More Miles

We’ll start with the most obvious reason bikepacking is better than backpacking – you can cover far more miles on a bike than you can on foot. I bikepacked the Tour Divide – from Banff, Alberta (in Canada) to the US-Mexico border – in under 20 days. The Pacific Crest Trail, which is approximately the same length (and where no bikes are allowed), took me almost seven times as long. Maybe I saw a lot more things on the PCT than I did on the Tour Divide, but what’s the value in seeing the same thing for a week straight when you could be experiencing different ecosystems and landscapes on a near-daily basis? Covering miles on a bike while bikepacking makes backpacking sound like a fool’s errand.

You Get to Just Chill

Covering distance bikepacking is awesome, but so is the downhill. Cruising downhill on a hard-earned descent on a bike makes all of the suffering and climbing worth it – quickly erasing the strain you endured to reach the top of your climb. When you’re backpacking, the descents can be just as brutal as the climbs – sometimes worse. I know many backpackers who gladly climb a mountain while dreading the descent waiting on the other side. On a bike – typically – the worst you’ll contend with on the descent is riding your brakes the entire way down.

You Are More Interesting

Let’s be honest; often, there’s little to distinguish a backpacker from a vagrant. You might get looks in town, you might not get picked up by hitches, you might be purposefully avoided by your fellow humans due to your disgusting and horrible-looking state when you wander out of the mountains. But you take that same disgusting-looking person, and you give them a bicycle loaded with gear, and suddenly they’re interesting. Suddenly, people want to talk to this person – ask them where they’ve been, where they’re going, what they’re doing. A bike is a tool – not only a tool that transports you from one place to the next but also a tool of conversation and intrigue.

You Can Crush Pavement

Road walks are the bane of many backpackers’ existence. Often, the worst part of any trail will be the road walking sections (if there happen to be any). Pavement on a bike? Pavement miles are practically free (don’t tell that to the road cyclists). Compared to walking that same stretch of road versus being on a bike, I don’t know who would rather be on foot (unless maybe you don’t know how to ride a bike). Bicycles have all the same rights on the road as cars, whereas pedestrians are often not permitted on roads and are forced to walk on shoulders that can be overgrown and awful. Road biking? Objectively better than road walking. Point, bikepacking.

You Can Carry More Gear

While minimizing the gear you load your bike with is still advisable, you’re in a much better and more comfortable position to carry more on a bicycle than in a backpack. Traveling across Europe and wand a computer? Sneak a tablet and keyboard into a pannier bag. Getting that same device into your backpack? What a pain. Maybe keep it outside in the front mesh – but then what if it rains or you want to lean against something with your pack on? The bicycle and its mechanical advantage means you’ll end up with a much more forgiving weight penalty for any additional gear (or food) carried. You can even wear a backpack while riding, which could effectively double what you can carry while backpacking.

Towns Are Fun

When taking time off from a hike in a town, navigating your newfound and temporary environment can be a slog. Going to the market? Ugh. Visiting the laundromat? So far. Heading to a restaurant? Why bother? But on a bike!? On a bike, town is incredible – fun even. You can cruise to the shop, cruise to dinner, cruise to the laundromat, or – dare I say – just cruise around for the joy of it. Walking around town when you’re backpacking is the absolute worst. What’s one of the most amazing things you can find in a town when you’re backpacking? Rental bikes (even better if they’re free). What’s better than rental bikes? Having your own bike.

You Have All the Data

When you’re backpacking, you can collect some data: GPS data, heart rate data, time, distance, and maybe even cadence and speed data. On a bike? On a bike, you can quantify the entirety of your ride – from the power you’re putting down on your pedals to your cadence, speed, and heart rate. The data you can collect on a bike is far superior and far more accurate than the data you can collect while backpacking. This may not be the most important aspect of an outdoor adventure to everyone, but it certainly makes things more interesting. Being able to tweak and play with your numbers on a bike – whether it’s gearing/cadence or the weight of your wheels – is much more engaging than what’s possible on foot. You can accurately quantify the difference in your effort if you remove or replace a heavier piece of gear or bicycle component. This could help you make more precise decisions when deciding whether weight is worth shedding; i.e., you could come up with data like, “if I make my bike 500 grams lighter, I will expend X% less energy, and I’ll be able to travel X distance further every day in the same amount of time.”

There’s More Community

I’m not going to lie; there’s a lot of toxicity in the backpacking community—particularly the ultralight community. And then when you get to town, sure, you can head to a gear shop, but these shops are often filled with people and employees who have zero context for the adventure you’re on. Meanwhile, if you head to a local bike shop while in town, you’ll likely find a crew of well-informed and well-intentioned bicycle enthusiasts who would love nothing more than to talk to you about your setup, help you get rolling again, and maybe even sit and have a beverage with you. It’s an entirely different vibe, and there’s a great chance that instead of attempting to fearmonger with what they’ve heard around town about the weather, the bike shop crew will instead give you awesome beta for the upcoming section and be stoked to follow your journey as it progresses.

You Can Backpack While You Bikepack

This may be blurring the lines between bikepacking and bikepacking, but I feel it’s still a point in bikepacking’s favor. What is it? The fact that you can incorporate backpacking into your bikepacking trip. It would be easy to strap a backpack to a rack (or wear a backpack) or stash a running vest in one of your bike’s bags and then use the pack to peak bag or explore otherwise inaccessible areas during your bikepacking trip. Backpacking while bikepacking sounds more correct than bikepacking while backpacking. How are you supposed to do some casual bikepacking in the middle of a backpacking trip? Doesn’t make sense, right? Right.

You Can Charge While You Ride

When in the backcountry (or at least out of town), the limiting factors are generally food and power. Sure, you may argue that power is unnecessary, but in today’s age, it’s a fact of the trail for many that a charged phone, GPS, headlamp, camera, or satellite messenger is a requirement to be out on the trail. Typically, folks in the backcountry will bring a power bank (or power banks) or keep devices charged. They’ll then charge these power banks when in town as needed. However, on a bicycle you can harness the power your wheel produces and charge devices (and power banks) while rolling. With a dynamo hub, your bike’s wheel can power lights or recharge devices, allowing you to stay out on the trail as long as you can stretch your food supply.

Wrap Up

If you haven’t yet waded into the world of bikepacking, I welcome you, friend. Bikepacking opens up a whole world of new adventures where backpacking falls short. Whether you’re exploring a new country, making friends at the local bike shop, or crushing pavement miles through town, bikepacking is the clear choice when it comes to your next great adventure.

Heading out for something more rugged? Get a bike with suspension and flat bars. Something more akin to the Tour Divide? Maybe a rigid frame and drop bars are more your speed. There’s a bike for every endeavor, and you can never have too many (bikes or adventures).

Not convinced? Leave a comment and let me know why you think I’m wrong. It won’t change anything (as the argument laid out here is entirely flawless), but I’m still interested to hear what you have to say.

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