Bikepacking vs bike touring… are they the same thing?
Bikepacking and bike touring are two terms often used interchangeably. Both terms mean a multi-day bicycle trip during which a cyclist rides to a new destination each day. Over the course of a bike tour or bikepacking trip, a cyclist may travel hundreds or thousands of miles around the world.
However, even though these two terms are used interchangeably, they can have separate connotations. Generally speaking, bikepacking refers more toward off-road cycling (gravel and mountain rides).
Bike touring, on the other hand, is a more generic term for a long-distance bike ride. As a term, bike touring has existed longer than backpacking, and generally refers to longer distance, on-road travel.
Let’s take a deeper look at what constitutes bikepacking vs bike touring. By reading through this guide, you can learn more about each style of bicycle travel to help pick the best one for your cycling style.
What is bike touring?
Bike touring is a general term for long-distance bike travel. Using the adjective “long-distance” lightly, a bike tour could range from as little as 40 miles to over 10,000.
Bike touring is more likely to take place on mostly paved roads or light gravel roads. Wide mountain bike tires are not necessary for most tours. Instead, you’ll find that most touring bikes look like a regular road bike or gravel bike.
Related: What is bicycle touring?
There is no one set way to bike tour. Many bike tours overlap with what would often be considered bikepacking. When touring, you can choose to camp or stay in hotels, cycle through urban areas or remote landscapes, and ride for a week or a year.
What is bikepacking?
Photo by Robert Thomson (license)
Bikepacking setups are more rugged, with wider wheels ideal for off-road cycling. It’s not uncommon to tour on single tracks and rocky mountain paths while bikepacking, so having proper tires is necessary.
In addition, bikepacking almost exclusively means you’re spending most nights camping. Whereas on a bike tour you may frequently travel through cities, bikepacking trips are more off-the-beaten-path. You might cycle through dense, isolated forests and quiet, scorching hot deserts with little towns to speak of.
Because of this, most bikepackers carry self-supported gear like a tent, sleeping bag, and camping stove. Bike tourers may also carry these items if they plan to camp, but nearly all bikepackers will have this setup.
Traditional bike touring setups have more storage space compared to bikepacking
One of the key differences between bikepacking vs bike touring is in the way you attach bags to your bike frame.
Whether on a bike tour or bikepacking trip, you’ll have to carry your belongings on your bicycle. Unless you sign up for an organized tour with a luggage-transport vehicle, you’ll be lugging around the weight of your belongings with every pedal stroke.
Most cyclists on a bike tour attach racks to their touring bike, which allow you to place pannier bags onto the rack. You can attach two bags in the front and two bags in the rear of your bike, although some tours only warrant panniers on the rear of the bicycle.
Related: Bike touring tips and tricks: Our top 45 secrets to know
Panniers have an impressive amount of storage space. While touring with a pannier setup, you don’t have to be as cautious about packing ultralight or forgoing essentials. And, if you’re traveling a long distance through a rural area, you can have more than enough room to store several days’ worth of food and water.
In addition, many cyclists like to attach a handlebar bag to their bike for easy-to-access items, and even trunk and frame bags for additional storage. With so many options, most long-distance bike tours are done with this type of setup.
Of course, more storage means more weight. Bike touring setups are often heavier than bikepacking setups, which can slow you down on the ride.
Bikepacking requires you to pack more lightly, but it offers more flexibility with routes
Bikepacking bikes may not always have rear and front mounts. Therefore, you’ll see bikepackers forgo panniers for other types of bike bags.
Even if their bike does have mounts for panniers, the panniers stick off the side of your bike, which can get in the way while cycling through narrow, rugged terrain. This makes it a less-than-desirable option for some bikepackers.
Instead, bikepacking setups may utilize frame bags, saddle bags, and handlebar bags to store belongings. When using these bags, they can be attached directly to the bike itself. This means you don’t need a bike with frame mounts and racks.
Photo by Htcltd (license – no changes made)
Attaching bags directly to your bike has a few advantages. First, it lessens the chance of your bags hitting obstructions on the path, such as unexpected tree branches.
On my recent bikepacking trip I used a pannier setup, and when one of my panniers hit a tree branch I went flying off my bike. A few cuts and bruises later, I now see how using a bikepacking setup could be beneficial!
Another advantage is that there is less gear to worry about while bikepacking.
While bike touring with panniers, there is more chance of parts breaking, such as your rack and pannier attachments. When touring on rugged terrain, the constant shaking of these parts can wreak havoc on their durability. If they break, you’re out of luck until you can find a solution.
When bikepacking, you simply attach the bags directly to the bike.
Related: 12 most useful tools to pack on a bike tour
Not everything about bikepacking bags is perfect, however. The biggest downside to using a saddle bag, handlebar bag, and frame bag over panniers is that you’ll have far less storage space.
Having less storage space may mean purchasing ultralight gear, forgoing any non-essentials, and making more frequent runs to convenience stores—whenever possible— compared to bike touring.
Of course, how one cyclist prefers setting up their bike can vary from another cyclist’s preferences. You’ll see plenty of bike tourers forgoing panniers for bikepacking bags and vice versa.
Bikepacking vs bike touring: bike design
One mistake many newbie cyclists make is focusing too much on the type of bike they buy. Truthfully, you can bike tour with any type of bike, although some styles of bikes may be better suited for a particular route than others. You can bike tour on paved roads with a mountain bike if that’s all you have, but it won’t be the most practical.
There are a few key differences between bikes for bikepacking and those for bike touring.
Touring bikes, used for bike touring, can handle heavier loads, with some having a load capacity of up to 180 kilograms, or 397 pounds. Even accounting for the weight of the cyclist, there is more than enough load capacity for heavy bags on the bike.
Second, touring bikes should always have mounts on the bike, preferably in both the rear and front. This allows cyclists to attach panniers in the back and front of the bike, further increasing storage capacity.
Because panniers are often used in bike touring, touring bikes have longer chainstays. Having a longer chainstay increases the length between the pedal and rear dropout so that your heel does not hit the back pannier while pedaling. This is extremely important to ensure you can attach panniers to your bike and still ride effectively.
Bikepacking bikes are built for off-road riding. The tire clearance on bikepacking bikes allows you to use tires far wider than a typical touring bike. This greatly increases the variety of terrain you can ride through. While you can use a gravel bike for some situations, a bikepacking bike has wider clearance perfect for more technical mountain bike trails.
Bikepacking bikes do not usually have mounts for panniers, but they often have cargo cage mounts for storing accessories and bags on the fork and downtubes.
The bottom line: bikepacking vs bike touring
Bike touring and bikepacking share many similarities, although they differ in riding terrain, bike mechanics, and bag setup.
Truthfully, most bike trips may involve parts of both. While you might cycle on paved paths and stay in a hotel one day, you could be on a gravel road and camping the following day.
Researching your destination and route helps you decide the best type of bicycle to bring. It also helps you find the most efficient way to set up your bags.
There’s no right or wrong way to bike tour. Some cyclists prefer the long haul capabilities of a touring bike with panniers. Others, though, enjoy the quicker pace and terrain capabilities of a sturdy bikepacking bike.
Planning a bike trip? Check out some of our favorite inspiration:
