Packing For Your Trip

How to Pack Your Panniers and Bike Bags

Whether you’re planning a cycle touring or bikepacking trip, you’ll need to think carefully about what you want and need to bring with you and how you’re going to fit it all on your bike. You’ll need to think carefully and strategically. You’re likely going to be faced with some tough decisions about what to bring and what to leave behind. These choices will impact the type of trip you’ll make. If you’re planning to go on a cycle touring trip, depending on the length of the trip, you’re likely going to be carrying around 10-20 kgs (22-44 pounds) of stuff on your mike (more if you’re intending to include camp on your trip), including clothing and gear. You’ll be trying to fit this stuff in rack-mounted panniers as well as frame bags, a trunk bag, a handlebar bag, and a seat bag. If you’re planning to go on a bikepacking trip, you may have different needs and/or philosophy about how you want to pack for your trip. For example, you’'ll probably not want to use panniers on a bikepacking trip, as they get in the way, so you may be forced to bring much less with you on a bikepacking trip.

Pack Thoughtfully and Strategically

There’s an art to packing panniers and bike bags so that items are not only stowed away properly aqnd protected from the elements but also in a manner that allows you to get at certain stuff that you may need to access quickly on your ride, such as a windbreaker or rain jacket. In addition, you will need to think carefully about proper and even weight distribution to ensure that your bags don’t adversely affect the handling of your bike or cause you to tip over. We suggest that you lay all your stuff out on the floor so you can see everything you need taken together, check off your inventory, and start to consider how it’s all going to fit together in your bags and on your bike. This will also allow you to quickly see the more superfluous items or nice-to-haves as they sit next to your must-haves.

Think About Space

Next, start organizing your stuff by grouping related items together, and be sure to put all your dirty or messy tools and equipment in a separate bag from the rest of your stuff. We suggest putting this stuff all together in a frame bag, where it’s easily accessible. To maximize space in your bags and the carrying capacity of your bike, fill up any unused space by putting smaller items inside larger related items. For example, put socks inside shoes and dishes or utensils inside cooking pots. Rolling your clothing into tight rolls tends to maximize packing space better than folded clothing. You should seal your clothes in dry bags before packing them in your panniers. While most panniers are waterproof, they can get puntures just like your tires. You can strap stuff to the top of your panniers and on your bike racks that you’re not worried about getting dirty or wet, such as a tent or sleeping mat or pair of flip flops.

Think About Weight

Ideally, your bike should be evenly weighted in every direction with a 50/50 weight distribution from side to side and back to front. Side-to-side weight distribution is easier to manage than front-to-back, especially if you’re using rear panniers and not front ones. The upfront stuff can go in front panniers (if you’re using them) as well as a handlebar bag. The handlebar bag is where you’ll want to stow items that you’ll likely need to access frequently on your trip, such as your phone and/or camera, wallet, sunscreen, sunglasses, and electronics (such as chargers and battery packs). If you’re not using a frame-mounted bike lock, you may also want to store your bike lock in your handlebar bag. As noted above, we recommend that your bike tools and equipment (including emergency air pump and/or CO2 cartridges and spare parts) as well as your first aid kit all go in a framebag where it can be easily accessed on your ride. A framebag is a great way to pack this heavier stuff, as it uses wasted space on your bike and keeps this heavier stuff in the centre of your bike for even weight distribution. Heavier items and items that you don’t need to access on your ride should go in the bottoms of your panniers. Lighter items, such as clothing, can go on top of the heavier stuff in your panniers. Inside and at the top of your panniers is where you’ll want to stowe items that you want to retrieve first or that you may need on your ride, such as shoes or a shirt that you may want to change into from your riding shirt. The most important thing to bear in mind when packing and removing and returning stuff to your panniers is to be sure that you keep an even side-to-side weight distribution.