Bikepacking for beginners: your first trip on the bike you already have

Bikepacking for beginners starts with a simple idea: load just what you need onto the bike you already have and spend one night away from home. You don't need a new bike or expensive kit. You need a well-chosen route, water sources located and the urge to see where the trail ends. This guide takes you from the first doubt to the first night.

The bike: start with the one you have

Almost any bike will do for a first bikepacking trip if it's in good shape. A gravel bike is the most comfortable option because it rolls well on tarmac and on tracks, but a hardtail mountain bike or a trekking bike work brilliantly on track routes. With a road bike, choose quiet tarmac routes and slightly wider tyres if they fit.

Before you set off, take it to the workshop or check it yourself: brakes, tyres with no cuts, a lubed chain and tightened bolts. Carry a spare inner tube or your tubeless repair kit, a small pump and a multi-tool with a chain tool.

If you fancy a bike built for this, have a look at the second-hand gravel bikes on bicis.net: many come with the mounts for the bags you'll use.

Bags or panniers

Panniers go on a rack and carry a lot, but they weigh more and the bike feels clumsier on tracks. Bikepacking bags strap straight onto the saddle, the handlebars and inside the frame: the bike stays nimble and you don't need a rack.

• Saddle bag: clothes and sleeping bag. Soft stuff goes here.
• Handlebar bag: the tent or bivvy and anything that isn't too heavy.
• Frame bag: heavy items and what you use most: tools, food, power bank.
• Top tube bag: phone, a snack and sun cream within reach.

For the first time, don't buy everything: borrow, use a small backpack or strap a dry bag to the handlebars. You'll see what you really need before you spend.

What to take on your first trip

The rule is to take just what you need. Everything you carry, you haul up every hill.

• Sleeping: a sleeping bag suited to the night's minimum temperature, a mat and a light tent or bivvy. If you'd rather start without camping, book a hostel or a rural guesthouse and just take clothes and toiletries.
• Clothes: one riding kit, a warm layer, a rain jacket and something dry for the evening.
• Water and food: bottles or a hydration bladder and food for the whole day, even if you pass through villages.
• Lights: front and rear, even if you plan to arrive in daylight.
• First aid and documents: plasters, antiseptic, chamois cream, ID and health card.

How to plan the stages

To start, think of a single night away and two short stages. Better to finish wanting more than to arrive after dark with nothing left. With a loaded bike you go slower than usual, especially on climbs and loose tracks.

• Look at the elevation before the kilometres: you feel the weight much more going uphill.
• Locate water: fountains, villages with a bar and open shops. In summer and in dry areas, that's what shapes the route most.
• Have a plan B: a village with accommodation halfway or a train station nearby in case something goes wrong.
• Check the weather: the riding weather gives you wind, rain and temperature hour by hour so you can pick the day.

Where to sleep

Wild camping is regulated differently in each region and each protected area, and in many places it's banned. The easiest way to start is a campsite, a hostel or a rural guesthouse. If you want to bivvy, check the local rules beforehand and always respect the surroundings: don't light fires and take your rubbish with you.

Where to start: regions with the most gravel

Gravel routes are the backbone of bikepacking: wide tracks, little traffic and villages every few hours. These are the regions where gravel makes up the biggest share of bicis.net routes:

Data from Ciclismo en cifras as of 11 November 2026 (n = 1,227 routes in Spain and Andorra). Routes traced on OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

For a first time, take a one-day gravel route near you and turn it into two stages with a night in the village in the middle. You'll find them all in gravel routes, with their GPX, profile and measured surface. Once you gain confidence, there are long crossings designed for several days, like MontañasVacías, between Teruel, Cuenca and Guadalajara.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special bike for bikepacking?

No. To start, the bike you already have will do if it's in good shape: a gravel bike, a hardtail mountain bike or a trekking bike. What matters is choosing a route that suits your bike.

Bikepacking bags or panniers?

Bags keep the bike nimbler and don't need a rack; panniers carry more and work better on long tarmac trips. For a short first trip, bags or whatever you can borrow are more than enough.

Can you camp anywhere?

No. Wild camping depends on each region, town council and natural area, and in many places it's banned. To start, sleep at a campsite, a hostel or a rural guesthouse.

How many days should a first bikepacking trip last?

A weekend is ideal: two short stages and one night away. That way you test your kit and your pace without stress.