Bikepacking represents the next obvious step in my personal development (as of the time of writing). It combines fitness, self-reliance, competence, planning, resilience, courage, and curiosity, all of which are on a different (higher) level than shorter efforts.
I can go harder during my 24-hour mountain bike races to get a similar effort, but it's not the same as knowing the race will last three, five, seven days, spanning across biomes and weather, giving the chance for every mechanical known to bicycles to happen, testing grit for days straight.
Couple this with the travel part of getting to see new places and meet new people and I'm all in.
Side note: there are a gagillion bikepacking guides that exist, but writing this and having it readily available is useful for me.
Gear
Bike
Bike choice is the starting point and depends on the route, priorities, and ability:
Route:
How smooth is it? Percentage of road, gravel, singletrack? How rough is the gravel or singletrack, if any?
How many resupply points are there with how much distance between each? Can the bike hold enough materials to last between resupply points? Remember that repair gear is approximately fixed.
Priority:
Speed: Opt for a lighter, more aerodynamic bike (gravel)
Comfort: Opt for a bike with more suspension (full suspension)
Safety: Opt for a bike with minimal mechanical risks and good control (hardtail)
Ability:
Fitness: Fitter riders can ride with less gear, nutrition, etc
Repair: More mechanically apt riders can ride with more complex bikes
[FINISH]
Bike Type
Pros
Cons
Gravel Bike
Fastest and most efficient on roads and smooth trails
