Olivia and Eric are currently bikepacking across Europe and Asia trying to find interesting routes, and less explored roads. They photograph and write about their journey at ridingwild.org. At the time of writing they have been on the road for 11 months, cycling in North America and Asia.

Which packing system are you using?

Frame bag - Porcelain Rocket makes a great frame bag, although its pretty pricy. I like it because it has a roll top and we can stuff loads of things in there without having to worry about breaking a zipper. 

Revelate harness - Revelate harness is burly and simple. It allows for us to take the bag off the harness, without having to unstrap the harness itself, which saves a lot of time. Other harness systems expect the bag to be on the handlebars at all times, which would be a big pain for us. The bag we use in conjunction with the harness is a Sea to Summit 20L extra durable. 

Carradice super C - We chose the Carradice super C as a middle ground. It is much more agile and lightweight than panniers, but allows for a little bit more carry room than a traditional seat pack. While I would love to use just a seat pack, and would if I were to go on 1-2 month trips, the Carradice allows for the room we need for 2 year adventure, plus all the photo equipment we like to carry. In combination with the Carradice, we use a Tubus rack to stabilize the bag, and a handful of handmade straps to keep it in place. We picked up this method from Cass Gilbert and his explorations in South America. 

The dreaded backpack - yes one of us carries a backpack, but no, it is not a necessity when backpacking long distance. We are lovers of taking photographs and a good solution for the camera to feel "safe" while on bumpy jeep roads, or single track, is for it to be on my back along side our laptop, used for editing photos. It is horrible in the tropics, but I hardly notice it in cold weather. It is handy to walk around town and have all of our valuables in one place. 

Can you explain shortly how do you pack?

Camping equipment is up front, food and stove is in the frame bag, cloths and miscellaneous electronics in the Carradice, camera and laptop in the backpack. Gas tank has our tools/ parts, and Jerry can has first aid.

How much food and water can you carry?

Our food is in our frame bag, and if we really need more space, we also carry frameless backpacks rolled up and stored in our Carradice which we could use and carry practically all the food we want. Our frame bag set up, without the backpacks allows for 4 days of food comfortably, and can be pushed to 5. 

Would you start the same way again?

I think about this question often, the main two things I would change about my bike is smaller tires with suspension. Currently we don't have suspension and in order to compensate we have giant 2.5 - 3" tires. These are fun, and confidence inspiring, but heavy. I would consider downsizing to 2.4" tires to lighten the bike and adding suspension for those bumpy rides. Also, I constantly think about getting rid of the Carradice, and going with a seat pack, if I could I would do this. I may also consider an aluminum frame, but really, I do not know what this implies in terms of comfort, but feel confident aluminum could handle a long distance bumpy ride. 

How is the riding on rough trails?

Its great, and the rigid frame maximizes the power, and minimizes the breakable moving parts. Although I do wonder about suspension and how that would feel. 

© ridingwild.org - thanks Olivia & Eric for sharing this information

Justin rode from Canada to Patagonia. With a particular interest in riding off the beaten track on trails and dirt roads, he quickly realized the advantage of traveling light. He uses what is called a "typical" bikepacking setup. But he straps the Carradice Super C saddlebag which Olivia & Eric are using in their setup, to the handlebar. A very unusual, but clever solution.

How did your setup change over time?

At the beginning of my bike trip, I had a fairly typical touring setup. While riding I spent a lot of time thinking about how to make my bike more comfortable and suitable for rougher roads. In Ecuador I had the chance to change bikes and streamline my gear. With lighter weight camping equipment and by getting rid of things I didn't need, I was able to pack everything I needed on the bike without the use of racks or panniers, saving a lot of weight and creating a more comfortable ride. 

How is your system now?

My system now includes a handlebar bag, framebag, seatpost bag, and just using whatever spare space on the frame (fork and tobtube) I can fit things into. I have a small, packable backpack that I use only when absolutely necessary to carry extra food for longer stretches in between resupply points, and often just drape it over the handlebars instead of wearing it if the riding isn't too rough or technical. 

You use a saddlebag on your handlebar. Why?

The trickiest part of the setup was finding a way to carry a small laptop, which I solved by mounting a Carradice Super C saddlebag to the handlebars. The Carradice has just the right size and provides a bit of cushion and with some minor modifications it works brilliantly in the front. The way I've set it up it up is probably the most stable with the Jones handlebars, but I'm sure it would work with others as well.

How do you pack?

Handlebars (Carradice Super C saddlebag) - 11" laptop, down sleeping quilt, sleeping pad, bag of chargers for various electronics, 1L pot. Left side pocket: Trangia alcohol stove and stand. Right side pocket: bag of tools.

Handlebars (Porcelain Rocket DSLR slinger) - mirrorless camera, lens, and rain jacket. (Other bag): headlamp, Steripen water filter, phone charger

Right fork bag - tent, rain pants

Left fork bag - random junk I shouldn't have

Top tube bags - little random things

Framebag (homemade by my dad) -  Food, tent poles and stakes, spares, water bottle with alcohol fuel, various bottles (chain lube, sealant, etc.)

© Justin Bill - thanks Justin for sharing this information

More than ten years we were bike touring with a regular touring bike and the classic Ortlieb setup. On our last long-term trip we have reduced our luggage more and more until finally making the step to a rack-free bikepacking system on a hardtail. With this change we have saved 10kg each and we have more options in the selection of far-out routes.

What kind of bags do we use?

Our equipment fits in a 14L seat pack, a 20L front roll with an additional acessory bag and a frame bag. For the seat pack and the front roll, we use Alpamayo Designs bikepacking products. Paul from England has designed and tested them on his own bike journey from Alaska to Patagonia. And these roots are noticeable when taking a closer look at the products. They are well designed, robust and practical. Alpamayo relies on a harness system in which special drybags are packed. These can be removed with a simple click from the harness.

We pack the front roll into a lightweight backpack from Exped (Black Ice 30l). This offers us the possibility to trek (also practical for hike-a-bike sections) and to transport more food if necessary.

The frame bag is self-made and comes without a zipper. The experience has shown us that zippers are a weak point on long-term trips. For us it was therefore obvious that we don't want a zipper on the frame bag. The lid of our bag runs over the upper tube of the bicycle frame and can be closed with three buckles. This design allows us to take full advantage of the frame size.

Additionaly we have two Revelate Design feed bags: They sit on the stem and serve as a container for water and fuel bottles, as well as sun cream and smartphone.

Why did we choose this setup?

We have always been pushed away from highways. For us, traveling begins where the asphalt ends. We were often riding remote routes with our touring bikes, but with a hardtail and light equipment the whole thing is simply much more fun. Where we pushed before, we pedal today, where we had to take a detour via the main road, we hike-a-bike over the hiking trail. It was important to us that loading and unloading is just as straightforward as with panniers. Therefore the harness system is ideal for us. In order to keep the amount of luggage small, we deliberately omitted additional bags such as a gastank on the top tube or Anything cages on the front fork.

What do we pack where?

If you are traveling as a couple, you can divide some things like a tent or a stove into two packing systems. However, we could also do it with the described setup when riding alone. We always pack the same way, but don't have a strict division like "camping equipment front, clothes back". We look that we have items that we might need during the day (for example Gore-Tex jacket, gloves, etc.) in the seat pack as they are easy accesible there. The framebags are used for food and tools.

Would we change anything?

During the changeover we experimented with various daypacks and have now ended up with the front harness solution. The Exped backpack is not perfect as a front roll (see riding on rough trails). There might be a backpack without a foam frame (for example, Mountain Laurel Designs Burn CF 38L), which would sit more stable in the harness. But we wouldn't like to do without a backpack. When doing programming work on the website we sometimes hit the limits with the iPad mini. A laptop would be handy. But we don't have room for one. Maybe a Windows Tablet would be the solution.
Our bike is limited to a maximum tire width of 2.4". If we ride longer off-road winter or desert routes, it would be great if we had the option to mount wider tires. 

How do we transport supplies and water?

We have room for provisions for four days. If we need more loading capacity, we use the backpack, which travels usually over the original drybag on the handlebar. We fill the backpack with light stuff like sleeping bag and down jacket and distribute the additional food in the seat pack and the front roll. So we can load up to 30 liters over the normal setup. On the bike we have each place for 2.5 liters of water in bottles (feedbag and bidon holder on the lower tube). In addition, we have both a 4 liter water bag from MSR, which we can tie with a bungee cord to the rear harness. In an emergency there is also room for a 2 liter PET bottle on the front harness.

How is the riding on rough terrain?

We have a lot of weight on the handlebars, but everything sits firmly on the bike. The load remains compact, provisions and heavy tools are centered in the frame bag. So even single trails and bumpy dirtroads are good to ride. On rough sections, the backpack in the front harness can turn slightly and we have to retighten the straps from time to time. Since the straps are guided through a daisy chain on the side of the backpack, it can't fall out.