How to Design a Bikepacking Trip

[caseygreene]

It's taken me a few years to really ask myself this question, and a couple months to develop an answer. It's a response to that question which always comes up here on bikepackingdotnet, in other forums, and with correspondence I have with folks through Adventure Cycling Association, and it usually goes something like: "how do I plan a bikepacking trip?"

My typical canned responses use to revolve around what routes, resources, or gear to use, and while all of those are great, a lot of times I don't think that is what the person really wants to know. (To make matters worse, I don't think they know what they want to know.)

So out of sheer curiosity of trying to figure out how I design trips, I've sussed out a framework that I've unconsciously used over the past few years. Here it is:
http://greenecasey.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-i-design-adventure.html

It's by no means definitive, but I hope it can help some with trip planning.

[gdillon]

Nice post. I like your idea of trip design. It is something I've subconsciously done as well for 20 or so bikepacking trips.

The part about who you're riding with is huge. I would say it's the first thing I think of before conjuring up anything. That helps to set up the distance, terrain, pace, etc. 80% of my rides have been with a partner or group, and all of those were 1 or 2 night trips.

Having never designed a longer group ride, I can see how it could be a black hole of question marks. How far can I go in a day? How far can we go in day? If we shuttle vehicles, how long will it take to ride between them? Will we even make it? If I'm asking myself this, should we do something really conservative? Should we go at all?

Your framework is helpful for communication to the other person(s) in your group. It's an informational map to let everyone know where you're coming from.  People sometimes need a way to do their homework well. When someone asks you what to wear/do when going out for the day, you can't really give an answer other than "it will be 37 degrees and a little bit windy" or "it's 50 miles with 4,000 feet of climbing."

[landel]

Great post, thanks very much 

[caseygreene]

The part about who you're riding with is huge. I would say it's the first thing I think of before conjuring up anything. That helps to set up the distance, terrain, pace, etc. 80% of my rides have been with a partner or group, and all of those were 1 or 2 night trips.

That's a really good point!

I still like designing a trip and then asking - or SteveDoom calls it "pushing" - the appropriate folks to go on it. And, sometimes they have great things to add.

I'm lucky in the sense that all of my trip partners are always in better physical shape then I am. So, by default I don't have to worry about that stuff. Where I do have to worry is in regards to partners mental and emotional "shape" - mostly in regards to lack of experience. I've always found that to be more problematic.

NWhen someone asks you what to wear/do when going out for the day, you can't really give an answer other than "it will be 37 degrees and a little bit windy" or "it's 50 miles with 4,000 feet of climbing."

lol. True that!

[Kent F]

Great post. Thanks for that. As someone just starting out, I'm struggling with many of these things, particularly routes/distance/time. It's partly due to not knowing my limits/capabilities fully yet, but I know that will come. I also feel like once I get a substantial trip planned and done, it will boost my confidence and make future planning maybe a little less stressful.