Cycling

Bikepacking

Bikepacking is a multi-day cycling trip with a frame-mounted bag system. Here is how the four-point system works, which Norwegian routes are built for it, and why a weekend on the Mjølkevegen is a better first time than a week in the mountains.

Bikepacking is the cycling version of the long trip. You ride for several days, you sleep out or at simple overnight places, and you carry everything with you on the bike. The difference from traditional touring is that you do not pack into racks and panniers, but into bags fixed directly to the frame, the handlebars and under the saddle — a system built to be lighter, more aerodynamic, and better suited to uneven surfaces.

The discipline developed internationally from around 2007, when makers such as Revelate Designs in Alaska began producing specialised bags for ultra-racing cyclists. It reached Norway, anecdotally, around 2014–2016, and is today one of the fastest-growing parts of the Norwegian cycling scene. The Mjølkevegen and the Rallarvegen are internationally recognised bikepacking routes — Bikepacking.com lists the «Of Milk and Navvies» route, which combines them, as one of its featured classics.

Packing system — what defines the activity

The classic bikepacking packing system has four main elements:

Frame bag — fits in the main triangle of the frame. The largest single volume, and it holds the heaviest items (food, tools, fuel). The central placement gives the best balance, and it does not interfere with steering.

Handlebar bag — fixed around the handlebars, at the front. Used for light and tightly packable contents such as the sleeping bag, clothing and light gear. Volume typically 8–17 litres.

Saddle bag — fixed under the saddle and to the rear. Classic for clothing and gear not needed often. Requires a compatible saddle and a geometry that allows it. Volume 7–14 litres.

Top-tube bag — a small bag fixed to the top tube. For things you need often along the way: snacks, phone, map, lip balm.

In addition it is common to use small accessory bags on the stem or fork-mounted bags for extra volume on longer trips.

The great advantage of this system is that it works on almost any type of bike — gravel, MTB, hardtail, even a light full suspension. You do not need a special rack; you just need bags that fit your frame. It is a low-threshold way into the multi-day trip that traditional touring with panniers does not have.

Bikepacking packing goes through concrete packing systems and strategies in detail.

Classic Norwegian routes

Norway has several bikepacking routes that are established classics:

The Rallarvegen — 80–82 km from Haugastøl over the Hardangervidda via Finse to Flåm. Built as a construction road for the Bergen railway, opened to cycling in the summer of 1974. Around 25,000 cyclists a year today. A classic first-time bikepacking route thanks to relatively gentle terrain, clear landmarks, and overnight places along the way.

The Mjølkevegen — 250 km between Vinstra in the Gudbrandsdalen valley and Gol in Hallingdal. The southern route is around 100 km, the northern route around 200 km, and they can be combined. Typically 4–10 days. Bikepacking.com has featured the route as one of its international recommendations.

«Of Milk and Navvies» — the combination of the Mjølkevegen + the Rallarvegen, around 350 km in total. One of the most published Norwegian routes internationally.

Numedalsruta (National Cycle Route 5) — 243 km from Smådøldalen to Larvik (or 280 km Geilo–Larvik). Follows the Numedalslågen, passing four stave churches. More road-oriented, but rideable on a gravel/hardtail set-up.

Lofoten by bike along the E10 — around 160 km Fiskebøl–Å. Not a pure bikepacking route (mostly tarmac), but often done as a multi-day trip with bikepacking gear.

EuroVelo 12 the North Sea Cycle Route — 1,130 km in Norway from Svinesund to Bergen, opened in 2001 and entered in the Guinness Book of Records in 2003 as the world’s longest signposted cycle route. Not always bikepacking, often traditional touring, but it works as both.

For those wanting to extend into more experimental bikepacking there are routes that cross various terrain types and require more planning. The Lofoten/Andøya/Senja combination is a classic for those wanting a mix of coast and mountains. Cyclenorway.com and Bikepacking.com both document Norwegian routes with GPX tracks.

The way in

Bikepacking is not the activity to start with if you have only just begun cycling. The way in:

  1. Everyday cycling to build a base and fitness
  2. Longer day trips — 60–80 km in a day to see how the body copes with it
  3. A weekend trip with the packing system — one or two overnight stays, short distance
  4. A longer multi-day trip — 4–7 days once the system is dialled in

Do not skip the weekend-trip step. Many first-time bikepackers plan a week without having tested the packing system and the rhythm in a shorter format. The result is often sore knees, badly packed gear, and an uncomfortable holiday.

The Mjølkevegen’s southern route (~100 km, 2–3 days) or the Rallarvegen in one stretch (1–2 days) are good first-time bikepacking trips. They have infrastructure, clear landmarks, and a low technical threshold.

The packing list

For a classic Norwegian bikepacking trip in summer the packing list is typically:

Bike and packing system:

  • The bike itself (gravel, hardtail MTB, or similar)
  • Frame bag, handlebar bag, saddle bag, possibly a top-tube bag
  • Helmet
  • Cycling shoes and a change of socks
  • Multi-tool with chain breaker
  • Patches, a spare tube, tyre levers, pump

Overnight:

  • Tent or bivvy bag (1–2 person)
  • 3-season sleeping bag
  • Sleeping mat (inflatable, light)

Clothing:

  • Cycling clothes for the day plus a change
  • Windproof jacket and rain jacket
  • A light warm layer (fleece jacket or down jacket)
  • Clothes to sleep in
  • Hat or headband

Food and kitchen:

  • Stove with fuel
  • A light pot and mug
  • Food for each day plus a buffer
  • Water bottles and possibly a water filter
  • Snacks for along the way

Other:

  • First-aid kit
  • Phone with battery and a power bank
  • Head torch
  • Sunglasses, sunscreen
  • Toiletries at a minimum
  • Map and compass or GPS

The total pack weight for a 2–3 day trip is typically 8–14 kg, depending on whether you sleep in a tent or at a lodge/cabin. For longer trips this increases with more food and fuel.

Bikepacking packing goes through concrete strategies for how you actually pack.

Stage length and rhythm

The bikepacking rhythm is different from the day trip. On a bikepacking trip you ride steadily over time rather than pushing to the maximum. Rules of thumb:

  • 40–80 km per day is typical for hardtail/gravel with a load
  • 20–40 km in steep or technical terrain
  • 80–120 km on easy gravel or tarmac
  • 5–7 hours of active riding time plus breaks
  • Short breaks every half hour, long breaks every two hours

The most important thing is not to push too hard on the first day. As with hiking, days two and three are the hardest — the body needs to acclimatise. After day three you have usually found the rhythm, and longer days become possible.

Season

The Norwegian bikepacking season:

  • May–June — the lowland routes open. Mountain routes (the Rallarvegen, the Mjølkevegen, the Snøvegen) open as the snow melts
  • July–August — peak season. Long days, settled conditions
  • September–early October — the colour season, fewer people, still rideable in the lowlands
  • November–April — generally off-season. Fat-biking on snow is a variant of its own.

The Rallarvegen is typically open from the end of June to the middle of September. The Mjølkevegen has a longer season in the lower-lying parts.

For those planning a longer trip in the mountains: check local information before setting off. Climate change has made the seasonal opening more variable — some years the Rallarvegen opens before the middle of June, other years not until the end of June.

Safety on a multi-day trip

Bikepacking safety is about having margin in everything:

  • Food for one extra day — always
  • Fuel for one extra day if camping in a tent
  • Water planning — know where you top up along the way
  • Mechanical margin — a spare tube, a chain link, a bike strap as backup
  • First-aid kit with an emphasis on blisters, minor fractures, and compression
  • Contact — telling someone where you are riding and when you are expected back

For longer trips in remote areas a VHF radio or satellite communication is worth considering. Mobile coverage is absent on parts of the Hardangervidda, parts of the Sognefjorden, and large parts of the coastal and fjord areas of Northern Norway.

Mechanics on the trip goes through what you actually need to be able to fix yourself.

Next steps

If bikepacking is new: do a weekend trip on the Mjølkevegen’s southern route or the Rallarvegen. It is the easiest way in, with good infrastructure and predictable terrain.

If you have done a weekend trip and want to go further: plan a week-long trip — the whole Mjølkevegen, the «Of Milk and Navvies» combination, or part of the Pilgrim Path’s Gudbrandsdalsleden.

For those who want to build up to more experimental cycling: combination trips (bike + boat, bike + train, bike + hike) are the natural next direction. Norway has infrastructure for this that most countries lack — you can take a bike on most trains, and combination routes are easier logistically here than almost anywhere else.

For equipment choices: bikepacking packing goes through the system choices in detail. For route planning: route planning in Norway covers tools such as Trailforks, Komoot and UT.no.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).