{"id":37491,"date":"2026-07-30T10:19:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/bikepacking-7-tips-from-susi-saito-for-planning-your-first-trip\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T10:19:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:19:24","slug":"bikepacking-7-tips-from-susi-saito-for-planning-your-first-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/bikepacking-7-tips-from-susi-saito-for-planning-your-first-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Bikepacking: 7 Tips from Susi Saito for Planning Your First Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every bikepacking trip begins long before the first pedal stroke. It’s born in the planning, which turns insecurities into confidence and paves the way to discover landscapes, meet people, hear local stories, and feel the freedom of the wind on your face.<\/p>\n

To help those who dream of experiencing this for the first time, Susi Saito, bikepacker, writer, and founder of the collective \u201cWomen Bikepackers” (Mulheres Cicloviajantes), shares seven tips to make your bikepacking trip safer and more transformative. Susi is one of the featured voices in the book Women in Nature \u2013 Practices, Inspiration, and Welcoming in Outdoor Activities (Mulheres na Natureza \u2013 Pr\u00e1ticas, inspira\u00e7\u00e3o e acolhimento em atividades ao ar livre) , which will soon be released by Gear Tips.<\/p>\n

1. Start with yourself<\/h2>\n

Is the desire to go on a bikepacking trip genuine? What sparked that desire in you? Most of the time, it’s exactly that reason that sustains the motivation to overcome obstacles with safety, determination, and purpose.<\/p>\n

“When the decision is born out of comparison or the wish to do what others do, it tends to lose strength in the face of the first difficulties. But when that desire comes from within, it becomes fuel to keep going,” explains Susi.
\nSo, before planning a bikepacking trip, ask yourself a simple question: does this dream really belong to me? If the answer is yes, you’ll find your way.<\/p>\n

2. The best bike to start bikepacking is the one you already have<\/h2>\n

It’s not the price of the bike that determines whether you’ll travel or not. What matters most is that it’s in good working condition and safe. After your first experience, you can make whatever upgrades you consider necessary, always according to your budget and priorities. Those upgrades should prioritize, above all, safety and comfort, not just performance or looks.<\/p>\n

So the bike should never be an obstacle to taking your first trip. What makes the difference is the willingness to start. The rest can be built up gradually, ride after ride.<\/p>\n

3. Choose your route and balance your planning<\/h2>\n

A bikepacking trip doesn’t need to be long. It can happen around your own city or pass through a landscape you already know, but seen from a different perspective \u2014 an advantage the bicycle gives us.<\/p>\n

Susi’s tip is to balance planning with surrendering to serendipity (one of the traveler’s favorite words, representing chance), leaving room for the unexpected, which is always the icing on the cake. For your safety, mark important points on the map, such as places to resupply, find water, food, lodging, and spots to recharge your phone, even if it’s just a day trip or a weekend. Once that’s done, let yourself be surprised by the unexpected!<\/p>\n

“A bikepacking trip lets you take the blindfold off your eyes, see the world differently, shed prejudices and preconceptions. Arriving in places without the pretension of already knowing everything, remembering that interacting isn’t just talking, but listening to local stories. By quieting down to listen to the road, you hear the sound of the waterfall, the river, the birds, as well as the voices of the people we learn from. And beyond that, our own voice emerges \u2014 so often forgotten in everyday life.”<\/p>\n

\n
\"Susi<\/p>\n

Susi on a bikepacking trip through Chile, from December to January 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"On<\/p>\n

On Susi’s bike, herbs given by a host<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

4. Focus on your safety<\/h2>\n

Mirror:<\/strong> At the top of Susi’s safety checklist is the mirror, equipment required by law, which helps prevent accidents both on the road and in the city. Affordable models can be found at stores like Decathlon.<\/p>\n

“The simple movement of turning your body to look back can cause a fall or an accident. With a mirror, you keep a watchful eye on what’s behind you, which helps avoid risky situations, like vehicles passing too close.”<\/p>\n

Reflective vest:<\/strong> although still not widely used in Brazil, the reflective vest is mandatory in many countries and makes a huge difference in a cyclist’s safety. It’s easy to put on over any clothing, including winter coats. Remember to wear a helmet too.<\/p>\n

“The lime-yellow color already stands out from a distance, and the reflective coating can be seen from far away during the day and, especially, at night, when we become invisible and more likely to become accident victims.”<\/p>\n

\"Susi <\/p>\n

Susi Saito equipped with mirror, vest, and helmet<\/p>\n

Mechanical know-how:<\/strong> it’s essential to learn how to change a tire and fix a chain. So, before setting off, be sure to stop by a bike shop and make friends with a mechanic you trust! Also, carry spare parts.<\/p>\n

Technology and communication:<\/strong> to make your first bikepacking trip safer, it’s worth using the Wikiloc app, which lets you plan routes, track your progress, and share your location during the trip, in areas with cell coverage. For trips to more remote areas, it’s worth buying or renting a personal satellite tracker, like the SPOT.<\/p>\n

“This tracking is important because, if an accident happens, people can see where you’ve been and identify the point where the signal stopped transmitting, which makes search and rescue easier,” explains Susi.<\/p>\n

It’s also a good idea to join groups like Mulheres Cicloviajantes<\/a>, to exchange information about destinations, get safety tips, and have a support network in case of emergency. Also, keep family and friends informed about your route and share your location whenever possible. Google Maps, for example, allows real-time sharing as long as there’s an internet connection.<\/p>\n

5. Think about comfort with health in mind<\/h2>\n

“When I talk about comfort, I’m not referring to aesthetic items, but to the relationship between your body and the bike during the trip. It’s important to remember you’ll spend hours pedaling, so the more comfortable you are, the better the experience will be,” says Susi.<\/p>\n

The tip is to use a rear rack to avoid carrying weight on your back. If you don’t have one yet, a small backpack may be enough for a first trip, especially a short one. For longer trips, though, it’s worth investing in the gear.<\/p>\n

Over time, you can add bags designed specifically for this kind of use, like panniers. They’re a bigger investment and can come later, without holding back your first experiences.<\/p>\n

“If the bags aren’t waterproof, a simple solution is to pack your gear inside feed bags or dry bags before loading them. Besides protecting your equipment, this keeps soaked luggage from gaining weight and causing problems along the way,” Susi suggests.<\/p>\n

6. Practice detachment and minimalism<\/h2>\n

“The weight of your luggage tends to be proportional to the size of your fear. Caution, yes. Excess, no,” explains Susi. Traveling certainly calls for caution, but on a bikepacking trip, every gram matters throughout the day. So it’s worth asking yourself: is this really necessary? Water, for instance, is essential, while food should be packed according to the distance between resupply points. Everything else calls for simplicity.<\/p>\n

“I like to think about the logic of pilgrims: few clothes, few belongings, and everything with a clearly defined purpose. From the start: detachment, minimalism, safety, and functionality.”<\/p>\n

7. Don’t forget to take contemplative breaks<\/h2>\n

It’s common to get so caught up in the ride that breaks end up being skipped, but the real goal isn’t to reach the destination as fast as possible.<\/p>\n

“Time deserves to be treated properly on a bikepacking trip. It’s not a race against it, but a contemplative journey along the way. The goal isn’t to reach the end. Because, as the word itself says: that’s the end.”<\/p>\n

Susi also points out that much of what a bikepacking trip offers happens within us. So go without rushing, feel the place where you are, and change your perspective. What matters is the journey!<\/p>\n

As a final tip for inspiration, we recommend reading Susi Saito’s book, Cyclotouring Soul \u2013 An Adventure Through the European Valley<\/a>, the first book written by a woman about bikepacking in Brazil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every bikepacking trip begins long before the first pedal stroke. It’s born in the planning, which turns insecurities into confidence and paves the way to discover landscapes, meet people, hear local stories, and feel the freedom of the wind on your face. To help those who dream of experiencing this for the first time, Susi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3586,"featured_media":37288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1746],"tags":[1687,1979],"class_list":["post-37491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bike-travel","tag-bike-en","tag-bikepacking-en-2"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}