I love camping.
I love traveling around on my bike.
I’m an aspirational bike packer. I’m spending too much time watching reels and videos of people bike packing in wild, beautiful places.
I’ve got a bit of an obsession with the Munda Biddi Trail in Western Australia. Now that trail has huts for camping, but being able to tent would give you more flexibility.
I’ve been reading things like this beginner’s guide to bike packing in Japan and bike camping in Japan in a shoestring.
I know it seems like it ought to be in my wheelhouse but I’ve actually rarely been bike camping.
I have done trips where we carried all of our stuff and stayed inns and airbnbs. Jeff and I traveled around Manitoulin with the bike trailer staying in inns and motels.
I’ve gone bike camping in Newfoundland twice but both times we had other people carrying all of our stuff.
Sarah and I tried to go bike packing but in the middle of our plans the government closed up all the parks due to covid. Here was our plan but here’s what happened.
I think my only actual bike packing trip where we camped and cooked outside and carried all of our stuff was with Mallory. She planned the trip as part of her Duke of Edinburgh award. She’s also been bike packing since then. I looked on in envy.
Ideally, I’d like to be able to fly places with my bike and camping gear and tour around as long as it suits. I’ve got Norway and Japan and Australia in my bike packing sights. But I think we should practice closer to home first. Lol. Get used to carrying gear on our bikes. Try 3-4 days at a time first.
What’s the attraction? Why not just bike from airbnb to airbnb?
I like independence and not having to commit or make definite plans and reservations. Also, lots of the places I want to visit the distances between places to stay are too big. In places like Scotland, also on my travel list, there are lots of hostels and places to stay reasonable distances apart. But that’s not true everywhere.
So the plan is next summer to head out two or three times and see how it goes. I’d like to do long weekend length trips. Are you an Ontario bike packer? Any routes you’d recommend?
More reading:
Best bike packing routes in Northern Ontario
Everything you need to know about bike packing
Oh, my, this is my one unfulfilled bike dream. Well, there are probably others lurking in the unexplored parts of my brain, but this one…I have always loved Australia & have eagerly read peoples’ journals about cycling there. I hope that in the next couple of years we can fly to Perth & ride a lot. I don’t actually bike pack. I think as a 72 year old grandmother I get to choose not to sleep on the ground any more. But for Munda Biddi I might just find a way.
Have you come across crazyguyonabike.com? It is a website run by one guy & it has attracted tons of cyclists who want to record their adventures &/or trade route information or just about anything, actually, about bike touring. There are at least two I have found there that describe very extensive rides around Australia. I found really helpful adjustments to my route across the southern USA a couple of years back. It’s fun and very useful.
Can’t wait to read about your bike packing adventures!