Difference between Bikepacking vs Touring

At the core, both are [literally just] bike-supported travel.

Marketing buzzwords are the primary difference between Bikepacking and Bike Touring. I know, I know... The riding surface is the second primary difference, if not equal.

Tongue-in-cheek aside, touring and bikepacking achieve a similar objective but are defined by the different surfaces you want to ride on. The roads, or trails, you plan to ride most have a big impact on equipment choice and the gear nuance you shop for.

Acknowledging the difference…

TL,DR Version:
- Bikepacking combines mountain biking with self-supported travel.
- Touring combines road biking with self-supported travel.

There is an ocean of nuance, so let’s break it down. Bikepacking first, Touring second, followed by how Gravel bikes fit into the mix.

What is Bikepacking?

Literally founded on the idea of backpacking with a bike, a mountain bike is a great starting point because of the unpaved nature of the route.

Bikepacking is commonly defined by minimalist bags, wide knobby tires, loose clothing, remote unpaved roads, and singletrack trails. All good things.

Why minimalist bags?

Pros — Using a frame bag, seat bag, and handlebar bag, helps minimize the chance of catching your stuff on trees or rocks while enjoying narrow trails.

Cons — Storage capacity is reduced, compared to loading up multiple backpack-sized panniers.
*Also, personally, I’ve never been a fan of seat post bags. Every seat post bag I’ve tried flops around to an annoying extent, no matter how well its mounting system is designed or how hard I cinch it down. Others have great luck with them. To each their own!

Why wide knobby tires?

Pros — Comfort and traction off the pavement, plus the ability to run tubeless tires. Bikepacking adventures typically involve connecting singletrack mountain bike trails, jeep roads, and gravel, so the knobby is nice.

Cons — Sluggish on pavement and more weight. Note: rolling speed is greatly affected by the tread pattern and not by the width.

Why loose clothing?

Pros — Comfort and ventilation. By not riding as fast, generally, on trails as one does on an open highway, the benefit of lycra is entirely eliminated. Also loose fitting, more “normal” clothing is far more comfortable when you enter grocery stores and restaurants.

Cons — I don’t really know of any. Just always opt for wool if you can, and avoid cotton on sweaty days if you can’t.

Why remote unpaved roads and singletrack trails?

Pros — Fewer people and more nature. A peaceful feeling of the unknown. A disconnect from the noise of developed infrastructure.

Cons — Fewer amenities and conveniences. Slower pace, overall, and an increased chance of getting stranded without access to outside help.

What is Touring?

Touring has long been accompanied by the silhouette of fully loaded backpack-sized panniers, padded shorts, and high-visibility windbreakers. Also all good things.

Why fully loaded backpack-sized panniers?

Pros — More creature comforts and conveniences. Simply put, you can bring more stuff when you have more storage. By having more gear available you can be ready for more unpredictable situations while carrying more food and water for long stretches.

Cons — The size and form factor of pannier bags, while effective for carrying stuff, is wide and easy to catch on nature if you ride a narrow route. Rocks and branches love to grab panniers, and since they’re secured to the bike, you can easily get pulled down with them.

Why padded shorts and high-visibility windbreakers?

Pros — Padded shorts greatly assist the sit-bone comfort on long days, especially for new riders. High-visibility items are simply a no-brainer, no matter where you’re riding, even if fluorescent isn’t “cool.” You’ll get hit if you aren’t visible.

Cons — On long trips, the pads of padded shorts will get gross. Find a saddle you love, then give riding in wool boxers and shorts an honest try! There will likely be a brief (pun intended) adaptation period but your on-tour laundry schedule will thank you.

WhAt AbOuT GrAvEl BiKeS?!

Gravel bikes were born from a fascinating blend of some people wanting wider tires on their road bikes (comfort, backroads, etc), and other people wanting drop bars on their mountain bikes (form factor, hand positions, etc).

Gravel bikes provide us with a crazy amount of access to differing preferences and possibilities!

The gravel bike might prove to be the best thing to happen to the cycling industry when the next generation looks back. Born from an endless gray area of nuanced desires. They’re great and I’ll digress.

The Center at this Web of Division

Let’s get to the root core of this conversation and point out the biggest division in cycling: road bikes and mountain bikes.

Road bikers have had Touring for decades and Mountain bikers want their own version of it (formally) which brought us Bikepacking.

People have been traveling by bike, loaded up with camping gear, on paved or unpaved routes, for decades!

None of this is new or recent, aside from buzzwords taking hold in social media and marketing materials.

The division between communities (road vs mountain) does not eliminate crossover, if anything it encourages it.

Crossover makes stuff confusing!

Heck, just glance at the term “mountain bike” and you get multiple categories: full suspension, hardtail, rigid, trail, enduro, downhill, etc.

“Road bikes” also vary from endurance to tri-bikes, TT, and we even see an unpaved deviation with cyclocross.

It gets hairy fast because of all the options.

“Gravel bikes” now hold a definitive subcategory to further blur the lines: all-road, drop bar mountain bike, light gravel bikes, etc.

Expanding on the Division

So people have been riding road bikes off-road and others have preferred the flat bar of mountain bikes on expedition-length tours for decades.

I would say that the term “BIKEPACKING” covers a broad modern audience — partly because it’s a buzzword, but also — because it gives a dedicated product category for people to search for online and embrace as a community.

Bikepacking, in my mind, includes unpaved routes as a priority but likely includes paved roads to connect the unpaved sections.

“I want to do mountain bike trails but don’t want to ruin my knobby tires on the pavement!” — #BikepackerProblems

Touring, in my mind, includes paved roads as the priority but can easily lead you down gravel roads or jeep trails, to get to a campsite or small town. To this point, gravel is cool but unpaved routes aren’t for everyone.

“I don’t want my smooth tires to slide out on the dirt road!” — #TouringProblems

Enter the Gravel Bike

The past decade has led to a lot of awesome product developments!

There now exists a solution for the grey area between touring and bikepacking, while simultaneously providing endless nuanced options in the market for you to pick from.

Gravel bikes are (almost) the quiver killer we’ve all been looking for, and they’re great for either application (probably).

Controversy!

Slow down Kris, IPAs are cracking and Espresso is pulling at an alarming rate all of a sudden!

“Gravel bikes aren’t rugged enough for the gnar that I ride!” “Gravel bikes aren’t road bikes, they’re too… whatever!”

I just posted a pain point.

Let’s keep digging.

I’m simply sharing the core difference so we can build from it. Everything spiderwebs outward and around the division of function and interest between road and mountain bikes.

Backpackers are always looking for ways to carry more gear and Touring cyclists benefit from the newer streamlined bikepacking gear when they want to ride farther faster on pavement.

Gravel bikes fill a high amount of that gap but still aren’t specialized and that’s what makes them wonderful.

Recap

Bikepacking

• Unpaved routes sleeping in dispersed, wild, and off-the-beaten-path campsites.
• The basic tool to get started is a mountain bike.
• Generally preferred tools: “bikepacking” bags carry less and are more streamlined to avoid contact with obstacles on rough routes. Frame bags, bar bags, seat post bags. Think backpacking with a bike.

Touring

• Paved routes, more towns, established campsites, and housing accommodations (Airbnb, Warm Showers, etc).
• The basic tool to get started is a road bike.
• Generally preferred tools: classic/standard touring road bags, (rigid racks and panniers) that carry more. Think self-supported travel over long distances, primarily utilizing established routes and resources. One might find the activities sharing a root with “tourism” by bike.

Conclusion

At the core of this division, bikepacking prioritizes unpaved routes and touring prioritizes paved travel.

What’s the takeaway?

Ride your bike! Do the thing and enjoy a bike-supported adventure in the way that works for you.

What is my preference?

I personally wouldn’t go on a bike trip without the option for off-road exploration.

I have enjoyed multi-month tours on a Salsa Fargo with Schwalbe Marathons, a 1980s steel road bike on really narrow tires, as well as multi-week bikepacking adventures on my Specialized hardtail with Maxxis DHFs. No two adventures are the same.

I crave the long-distance efficiency of developed and well-maintained roads but want to camp in the wilderness without worrying about flat tires or damaged panniers.

I am not a super skilled mountain biker but I’m very comfortable on all singletrack when not in a hurry.

My Compromise

I want a pavement-oriented gravel bike with bikepacking bags and the option for wider tires. I think 700x50 (~29x2.0) is the perfect width for everything I plan to do unless it’s a mountain bike specific route, such as the Colorado Trail.

On that note, my ideal bike is awkwardly somewhere between the following: Kona Sutra and Salsa Cutthroat.

I prefer a road-oriented “endurance” geometry with drop bars.

Options are getting better every year and I am very excited about a lot of bikes that are on the horizon.

Get out there and enjoy your bikepacking cycle tour!