Bikepacking is the format of self-supported multi-day cycling in which the kit is carried in soft bags strapped to the frame, the handlebars and the saddle rather than in rigid panniers on a rear rack. The bag system was developed in the American mountain-bike racing scene in the late 2000s and has since spread across the entire long-distance cycling world. The advantage over traditional touring is weight, aerodynamics and the ability to carry kit on any bike - not only on bikes specifically built for rack mounts.
The Norwegian bikepacking scene has expanded substantially over the past five years. The long inland mountain routes - the Mjølkevegen, the Peer Gynt road, the various coastal and fjord routes - are increasingly ridden in self-supported bikepacking format, with overnight stays at DNT cabins, simple roadside hotels or wild camping under the right-to-roam law. The Norwegian Bikepacking Network publishes route descriptions, GPS files and condition reports for most of the major routes.
What bikepacking adds to a Norwegian cycling trip is autonomy: longer days, more remote terrain, the option to chase good weather windows rather than fixed reservations. What it asks in return is more equipment work, more fitness and more comfort with mechanical self-sufficiency. We arrange supported variants of the major bikepacking routes - same terrain, same daily distances, but with the bag transferred by support vehicle and the overnight in a hotel. Tell us which version fits.