Packing for a bicycle tour

28 Oct Packing for a bicycle tour

Sang’s unpacked stuff.

One of my favorite things to do before I go on a bicycle tour is planning out what I need to bring and how I should pack most of my stuff on these adventures.  I was told or read somewhere that each pannier should represent a room in your house so you should pack the items that are grouped similarly that way.  Up to this point, I own 2 panniers and spent 4 days straight on the road so I have not had any experience loading 4 panniers and what to consider.  So to help us out, here is a video I found by the Adventure Cycling Association that can provide some assistance.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to0YTIj_tyY]

This video taught me the following things.

1. Put more weight in the front panniers to distribute weight of your stuff and account for your own body weight.
2. 60% weight in the front pannier and 40% weight in the rear panniers should be the goal.
3. I knew about the rolling your clothes method but learned about the Russian doll technique to fill empty spaces like shoes with stuff as well to help save space.
4. Lay out all your stuff to help purge and validate what you will be bringing on your bike tour.
5. Go out on test rides with all your stuff and make adjustments before you embark on your journey.

Are there any other tips you have for packing panniers on a bike tour?  Please leave a comment below about your tips for our readers.

Here is a post on “How Much Stuff Should You Pack for Your Tour”.