Bikepacking: on an adventure in your own country (and beyond)
Strap bags to your bike and you’re off. Countless people have been doing it for decades. In the Netherlands, we always just called it a bike trip. So what’s so different and special about Bikepacking then? Is it just a buzzword or is it something else entirely? In this blog we want to introduce you to the wonderful world of Bikepacking and how you can prepare yourself to go bikepacking properly.
Adventure and Freedom
Above all, bikepacking is about adventure and freedom. Going on long tours, cycling all day through nature. Take a tarp or tent, sleeping bag, gas burner, food and drinks; click in and go. Not so long ago it started with pouring over paper maps, figuring out what roads and trails were rideable. Nowadays there are top notch apps like Komoot, Trailforks and Strava with which you can plan your route through nature. The rest is up to you. It’s your own legs, your own energy that takes you to where you want to be. Which incidentally, that makes bikepacking perhaps the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way to vacation.
Bike bags
Whereas in the past bike bags were hitched to bike racks on touring bikes, bikepacking is generally done with road bikes, gravel bikes and mountain bikes with bags strapped directly to bars, frame and seatpost. And that has inspired the creation a new series of bags, including saddlebags, handlebar bags and frame bags that are designed to fit these types of bikes optimally. On our bikepacking collection page you'll find much more information about our bike bags. With these bags on your bike, there’s nothing to hold you back from seeking out your adventure.
BIKEPACKING BAGS
Bike bags by Robert Gesink and Wout van Aert
It's not the first thing that comes to mind, but top road cyclists also see the charm of bikepacking and sometimes need bike bags. In the #everydayriding portrait that we recently made of Wout van Aert, he mentioned that he dreamt of going on his own bikepacking adventures. And Robert Gesink actually approached us with a product idea at the beginning of 2020.
“We as professional cyclists, living in the mountains have cold mornings and warm afternoons. You want to bring a jacket and gloves, but you are limited in terms of back pockets in your shirt. And you don't want to ride with your pockets full all day long.”
Robert wanted to be able to take 12 bars or gels with him for a 6-hour training session. He wanted to be able to put the wrappers from those bars easily in a front bag.
- Bar Bag Handlebar Bag Venture
As low as €50.00
- Green Sphere material: recycled water-repellent Polyester
- Inner side mesh pockets
- Inner divider
- Removable shoulder strap
- Usable as handlebar bag and as frame bag
- Roll Bag Handlebar Bag Venture
As low as €40.00
- Material: 100% recycled Polyester (Greensphere)
- Highly reflective AGU logo (3M reflection)
- YKK (water-repellent) zipper closure
- Side mesh pockets
- Water repellent DWR-coating
Robert added that a “regular” cyclist might also want to store a camera there. As we started developing the bag, he came back to us with even more input and from there the Venture Bar bag was created. When Wout van Aert saw the design of this handlebar bag, he let us know that he preferred a smaller bag that would hang a little lower and that would be more perpendicular under the straight part of his handlebar. And with that input we came to the design of the “Wout van Aert” Roll Bag handlebar bag.
The magic of bikepacking
So, if you too feel the temptation of bikepacking, then you are in good company. The great thing about this activity is that it comes in all shapes, sizes and distances It’s really up too you how dar you want to take it. A single overnight stay in your own country can give you the feeling of being away for days. Several days out on the roads and trails and you’’ll experience the intensity of bikepacking as the adventure of a lifetime. But maybe you dream of weeks on end, the steppes of Mongolia, the pampas of Argentina or the Scottish Highlands. One or more days, one or more bags, alone or with buddies, the choice is yours. And whatever that choice is, AGU has got you covered.
Read all about the different bags we have for going on a bikepacking adventure in our bikepacking guide.
