Backpacking vs Bike Touring

[HikeBikeCook]

This topic is on my mind since I have crossed back and forth with backpacking and bike touring. In either case, I found I fall into what I call "pack creep". I think I did it more on my AT thru hike because every hostel and some Post Offices had hiker boxes. This was a box, or a bin, where other hikers left stuff they no longer wanted or needed. Fellow hikers were free to scavenge for "good stuff" like that pair of mini-scissors that I had to have and still carry.

Any way, my definition of "pack creep" is where you keep adding those "tiny things" until your pack or panniers are now filled with an extra few pounds of what is really useless crap. You rectify pack creep by completely emptying your pack(s) and (without emotional attachment) put more crap into the hike box (or mail it home) than you took out on your last 5 scavenges. 

[ray b]

This topic is on my mind since I have crossed back and forth with backpacking and bike touring....

Also on my mind as I pack for a 3-month trip, and found myself debating about where to store the electric razor....

In looking again at your kit, here's a video produced by a talented guy who has similar taste in camping equipment and takes a very rational approach to packing. That said - this is one of many how-to-pack videos out there, and I do NOT encourage you to waste your time watching videos. You have your packing list already made out. Looking at what others carry might allow you to add or more importantly scratch-off items before you get on the road or trail for the first time.

https://youtu.be/7QyTUjTvoSY

[KathyE]

So much good information. The mindset in bikepacking is similar to backpacking with trying to stay as light as weight as possible. I was planning on bringing several days of food but now realize I don't have to do that. Great advice. I just ordered a compression bag for my sleeping bag so that will help. I bought "Ultralight Bike Touring and Bikepacking: The Ultimate Guide to Lightweight Cycling Adventures" and have begun reading it. My plans on camping last night were thwarted when I was the only one at the campsite (not comfortable with that yet). I understand the issue with bringing too much. Right now I'm using my car as a holding area and safety net but know I will need to break loose from it eventually.

I did get into a minor collision yesterday when the rider in front of me veered right and then made a sharp left in front of me. Nobody was seriously hurt but it was my first, and hopefully only, bike accident. 

 

[ray b]

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I did get into a minor collision yesterday when the rider in front of me veered right and then made a sharp left in front of me. ...

Right. For what it's worth, this was the other rider's error and not yours.

Example of just one of the reasons that even after some years of bumping shoulders, elbows and hips with other riders while racing, ​I prefer to ride alone.

Trick you might not have heard from those with whom you're riding - if you want to draft behind another rider, watch the front wheel and not the rear..

That said, when touring, always better to hang back and enjoy the view around you. You won't see anything new if you're spending all your time watching the rear end in front of you.

As regards philosophy of solo camping as a woman, a search should pull up a couple of recent threads and strategic thoughts. I mean, one of the rules for a good night's sleep is to find an environment in which one feel's relatively safe. Sometimes tricky even for old tough guys with lots of training. At which point, I'll not the ACA maps and similar routing resources can make the planning a little easier. Through the decades, I've rarely been at a campsite on a major cycling route without at least a couple other cyclists on camp.

New adventures. Have fun.