I had planned on doing such a trip once upon a time. I may try it again this year because I think I'll have more free time. You may want to check out the Palm Beach Bike Tours blog site. He has a ton of information there about riding the LOST. The comments of this post contain a lot of info as well as the post itself: http://www.palmbeachbiketours.com/lake-okeechobee-scenic-trail-lost-map/

Anyone know of a good source for FL bikepacking information? I know of plenty of good singletrack, but I'm not sure where I could go for a multi-day offroad trip with camping involved.

I somehow lost track of this thread, but thanks for bringing up the Riv article.  Actually, that article and the Riv site in general have been pretty influential in getting me out and off the beaten path more. 

The sub 24s are a great way to get out and clear my head after stressful weeks at work.  I really need to do more of those than what I have been doing.  On such trips I rarely bring along panniers.  90% of the time it's with a CamelBak and a saddle bag (Carradice Super C - the thing is massive).  The other 10% I'll add a handlebar bag but only if I'm riding Midge bars.  My trips don't normally involve singe track though as there just isn't any single track in the area that I can actually camp on.  Scenes like the one in the header of this site just don't exist in my area of the world, but I try not to let it get me down too much 

Those are some pretty good explanations, especially with the personal experiences.  So, I'm gathering then that bikepacking - in the sense that it is practiced on this forum - is about the trail. 

I don't live in a mountainous or what you would call "vast" area, so my singletrack experience is trails that don't really go anywhere.  They basically form loops or a system of trails, but they don't leave the confines of whatever park or forest they may be in.  Some destinations close by have up to 40 miles of single track available, but it isn't a trail that leads anywhere except back to the trail head.  I take it then that bikepacking in that case would be riding out and doing part or all of the 40 mile trail network, spending the night somewhere on the trail, then waking up and riding the trail the next day, heading home after.  Similar in a way to bike camping, but as you pointed out bike camping is more about riding to a camping spot expressly for the purpose of camping.

Armed with these definitions, I think I can safely say that bikepacking is something very feasible for me.  My ultimate goal is touring; I'm setting a goal for myself to ride the GDR some day - not as a race but to see a beautiful stretch of North America and enjoy the ride.  That's going to require a lot of time and money though.  Bikepacking sounds like something I can do on weekends and holidays.  Thanks again for the information.

Trying to define the differences in my mind.  I've been reading some here, and some folks seem to be talking about racing in the same breath as bikepacking. Is it a competitive sport?  I can see that the gear is a defining difference - bikepacking as defined by some on this forum does not involve panniers and racks from what I can glean.  What is the difference though that defines a particular ride as one or the other?  Personally I'd consider the GDR as loaded touring, but I've also read people who did it with a more minimal (bikepacking) setup.

Is the length of the ride a defining factor?  Is bike camping the same as bikepacking?  Is bikepacking more along the lines of day trips?  Pardon my ignorance in this but I haven't come across any real definition of it.  Most references I've found on the web equate it with either touring or bike camping.  I get the impression from these forums that it is something else.