Bikepacking is minimalist bike touring. No racks, no hard panniers: you strap soft bags directly to the frame, handlebars and saddle. The result? An agile bike that handles roads AND trails.
The bags: the core system
Bag
Typical contents
Volume
Recommended brands
Price
Saddle bag
Sleeping bag, pad
8-16 L
Apidura, Restrap, Ortlieb
$90-200
Handlebar bag
Tent, clothing
8-15 L
Apidura, Revelate, Miss Grape
$90-180
Frame bag (full)
Food, cooking, heavy tools
4-8 L
Apidura, Revelate
$80-150
Top tube bag
Snacks, phone, battery
0.5-1 L
Apidura, Restrap
$28-55
Cargo cages (fork)
Water, compact tent
2-4 L
Blackburn, Salsa Anything
$22-45
Bag budget: $330-660 for a complete setup. Apidura Expedition is the benchmark (quality + waterproofing), Restrap offers excellent value (made in England).
Sleeping setup
Item
Recommendation
Weight
Price
1-person tent
MSR Hubba NX 1, Nemo Dragonfly 1P
1.0-1.5 kg
$220-440
Bivy (alternative)
OR Helium Bivy, Alpkit Hunka XL
0.3-0.5 kg
$90-220
Sleeping bag
Cumulus Lite Line 200, Sea to Summit Spark SP1
0.4-0.8 kg
$165-330
Sleeping pad
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT, S2S Ether Light XT
0.35-0.5 kg
$130-220
Sleeping budget: $550-990 for a comfortable 3-season setup. Most important piece: the sleeping pad. A good pad transforms recovery.
Cooking
Item
Recommendation
Weight
Price
Stove
MSR PocketRocket 2, Soto Windmaster
70-90 g
$44-77
Pot
Toaks 750 ml titanium, MSR Trail Lite
100-200 g
$28-55
Utensil
Titanium spork
20 g
$9-17
Water bottles
2x CNOC Vecto 1L (soft, compressible)
60 g
$22-33
Water filter
Sawyer Squeeze, Katadyn BeFree
60-90 g
$33-55
Tools
Item
Recommendation
Weight
Bike multi-tool
Crankbrothers M19, Topeak Mini 20 Pro
150-200 g
Inner tubes (x2)
Compatible with your tires
200 g
Tubeless kit
Plugs + insertion tool
50 g
Chain tool + quick link
Integrated in multi-tool
—
Pump
Lezyne Pocket Drive HV
100 g
Total weight budget
Category
Weight
Bags
1.5-2.5 kg
Sleeping
2.0-3.0 kg
Cooking
0.5-0.8 kg
Tools
0.7-1.0 kg
Clothing
1.5-2.0 kg
Food (1 day)
0.8-1.2 kg
Water (2L)
2.0 kg
Total
9-12 kg
Rule: aim for under 10 kg of gear (excluding food and water). Beyond that, climbing becomes painful and bags affect handling.
Beginner mistakes
Too much gear — first trip you pack too much. Second trip you remove half.
Not enough water — always plan 1L more than expected, especially in summer.
Bad saddle bag — a swaying bag is miserable. Apidura Saddle Pack = stability.
No test run — do a weekend test before the big trip.
Ignoring weather — in mountains, temperature drops 6°C/1000m. Pack the puffy jacket.
L'Atelier helps you check accessory compatibility with your bike. Seatpost diameter, handlebar width, frame mounts — ask your question.
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