I don’t like to start small. I ran my first marathon before I’d ever signed up for a 5K. And before I decided on my first cross-country cycling trip, I’d never so much as taken an overnight bike camping trip, nor ridden my bike farther than 60 miles in a day. I had no idea what to worry about, what to pack, or what to expect beyond the general unexpected.

But the weird thing is, my story is far from unique. Lots of cyclists feel the opposite coast calling and jump right into cross-country cycling before they’ve gotten their bike touring “sea legs.” And maybe that’s the right way to do it. After all, nothing can really prepare you for that first big bike journey, and all those little revelations along the way are the foundations of a true adventure.

That said, I could have maybe done a bit more preparation before I set out on a two-month cross-country cycling trip alone a few years back with little more than a phone card and a $15 tent. Here’s what surprised me on that tour—and what I wish I’d known before I left home.


Bike Touring Pack Essentials
High-Capacity Hauler
27L Waterproof Bike Pannier
ROCKBROS 27L Waterproof Bike Pannier
$70 at Amazon
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Keep your stuff protected from rain and puddles.

Waterproof Pouch
Blocker Dry Sack
SealLine Blocker Dry Sack

Available in three sizes: 2.5L, 5L, and 15L. If you have an extra strap or rope, attach it under your saddle.

Racks Hold Your Bags
TetraRack R2
Topeak TetraRack R2
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If your bike doesn’t have bosses to attach racks, these ones just strap on. Available in road and mountain sizes, both front and rear.

Editor’s Choice
Auto-Pilot Stem Bag
Road Runner Auto-Pilot Stem Bag

Keep all your essentials—water, phone, chapstick, camera, snacks—accessible as you ride.

Versatile Straps
Nylon Buckle Variety Pack
Voile Nylon Buckle Variety Pack
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Attach a tent or more bags to your handlebar—or get even more creative.


9 Tips for a Better Cross-Country Cycling Adventure

1. Get a good sleeping bag

    Out of everything I packed for my cross-country cycling adventure, my sleeping bag was where I wished I’d spent a little extra money. It was summer when I left the West Coast for my tour, and I was a kid from Kansas.

    I imagined long days at peak humidity and sticky, mosquito-embattled nights. I had no idea how bitterly cold it could get at night at elevation—and how much time I would spend every morning thawing my water bottles over a camp stove.

    In the mountains, my sleeping bag, a flat fold of polyester better suited to preteen slumber parties, was no warmer than sleeping in a paper bag. The minute I reached a town big enough to have an REI, I blew half my touring fund on a nice, lightweight mummy bag I still use to this day. And thanks to that purchase, I’m alive to tell the tale today instead of buried deep in a hypothermic tunnel in the Cascades.


    Bikepacking Sleep Systems
    Cold-temps mummy bag
    Trestles Elite Eco 30
    Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 30

    Our favorite lightweight and packable sleeping bag, rated for chilly nights down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Insulating Sleeping Pad
    Z-Lite Sol Sleeping Pad
    Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite Sol Sleeping Pad
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    Lightweight, foam mat that accordian-folds up for easy packing.

    Quilt with Toebox
    Down TopQuilt
    Outdoor Vitals Down TopQuilt

    If don’t need a full sleeping bag, a quilt with a toebox will keep you plenty warm, and is lighter to carry.

    Light and Sturdy Tent
    Trail Hut 4 Tent
    REI Co-op Trail Hut 4 Tent

    Packs down small enough to take on a bike, plus it fits two people, so you can split the cost with your travel buddy.

    Hammock with Bug Net
    Skylite Hammock

    Sleep under the stars without mosquitos bites—best if you know you’ll be camping with lots of trees around to hang it from.


    2. Pack light—even lighter than you think

    Extra clothes and/or cycling kit, full-sized tools, that harmonica you never learned to play—chances are, you won’t use half the stuff you thought you’d need.

    The good news with cross-country cycling is you can always send extras home, mail yourself stuff to pick up further down the road (like cold- or warm-weather clothes), or have friends mail you things at post offices marked “General Delivery.”

    Before my first tour, I had no idea post offices even let you do that. I set out with all kinds of odds and ends I didn’t need, and had to hunt for other necessities along the road. But once I’d mastered the art of General Delivery, I had cookies and warm socks waiting for me in every port.

    Just make sure to find a small-town post office along the route and have your loved ones address mail there to your name, “care of general delivery.” (Smaller towns are less likely to misplace the package.) And make sure you’ll be passing through that town on a day the post office will be open.

    3. Don’t always trust the map

    When you’re trying to travel light, it makes sense to carry very little food and plan to stop regularly at supermarkets and convenience stores along the way. But every once in awhile, I’d pull up at the only minimart or restaurant within a 50-mile radius and encounter a sign that read, “Closed on Sundays” or “Out of Business.”

    I learned that one of the first rules of the road during cross-country cycling is to always prepare for services to be closed—even when relying on a new touring guide and not one that’s all weathered around the edges like an old-timey treasure map. I gambled so many times that the single store I needed for a restock would be open (and lost) that I learned to carry far more food than anyone could eat in 48 hours at all times.

    4. Hang your food

    Do I really need to elaborate on this one? It only took me two or three hand-to-hand raccoon battles to learn this lesson, but it’s one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Google “javelina” and tell me if that’s something you want to wrestle away from the last of your oatmeal supply in the middle of the night.

    5. Write down tips from other bike tourists

    If you’re riding a well-worn touring route, you’ll probably encounter other cross-country cyclists headed in the opposite direction. Chances are, they’ll want to stop and share some war stories from the road, and hear what you’ve seen in your travels, too.

    Often they’ve got tips about road detours, places to stay, and pitfalls to avoid. Write this stuff down! Five states later in your cross-country cycling adventure, when you get to that town they mentioned, you’re going to want to remember which campsite they warned you about and what the name of that vegetarian restaurant was. You’re also going to want to get their contact info and whether or not they’re keeping a blog so you can keep up with the rest of their journey after you part ways.

    6. Be open to connection

    So many friends and family members warned me that cross-country cycling would be dangerous that I started to wonder if they might be on to something. But ultimately, what I discovered is that the vast majority of people—in both cities and the small-town, rural areas I spent the majority of my time passing through—were trusting, open-hearted, and kind.

    The hospitality I’ve experienced from strangers has since been unparalleled. Families saw me on the roads and invited me to stay at their houses; elderly church-goers offered to make me food. Yes, even me—at the time, a tattooed gay kid with short, messy hair in a black hoodie covered with punk patches. I’m so glad I ventured outside my bubble long enough to learn that this country is made up of quirky, amazing characters worth connecting with and swapping stories.

    7. Line up lodging in advance

    Before I left, I wish I’d known about WarmShowers—a site that helps set up traveling bike tourists with potential hosts—or some of the other great avenues to finding free or low-cost lodging, like talking to other bike tourists in advance or getting tips from blogs. There are only so many weeks in a row you can sleep in a little one-person tent before the idea of having a real bed and a real shower and a real person to talk to becomes a luminous mirage on the horizon. By the time I embarked on my second long bike tour, I was looking for ways to sleep indoors as often as I could.

    8. Take fewer photos of scenery and more of people

    You’ll want to remember all the oddball characters you met along your cross-country cycling journey. You’ll want to remember the landscapes you saw, too, but that stuff is less fleeting than the faces of the folks who let you sleep in their spare room, or played pool with you all night in that country western bar on the edge of town.

    Sure, it’s awkward to ask to take a virtual stranger’s photo, but 10 years after your trip is over, those will be the photos that mean the most. Trust me.

    9. Remember: Small towns are the best

    When I first set out on my cross-country cycling trip, what I’d always labeled small towns were practically bustling metropolises compared to the zero-stoplight outposts I would spend most of my nights in while bike touring. But what those tiny villages lacked in city services they often made up for in convenience and hospitality.

    Lots of 200-person towns peppered across the Midwest not only allow free camping in the city park but also provide showers and other resources at the local pool or firehouse. And sometimes, even if a city doesn’t have that kind of program set up, you can negotiate a safe place to pitch your tent for free with the local sheriff—or sleep in the basement of a local church. It’s hard to imagine getting that kind of VIP treatment anywhere else.


    5 Great Touring Bikes
    Best Value
    ADV 2.2 Bike
    Co-Op Cycles ADV 2.2 Bike

    Great price point to get up and get out.

    Timeless Style
    Marrakesh Alivio
    Salsa Marrakesh Alivio
    Credit: Courtesy

    Can be converted to a singlespeed.

    A Classic, Updated
    Disc Trucker
    Surly Disc Trucker
    Now 24% Off

    Carry more gear with pack mounts on the fork.

    Best For Long Hauls
    AWOL Expert
    Specialized AWOL Expert

    Integrated lights powered by a Dynamo hub.

    Most Versatile
    RLT 9 STEEL
    Niner RLT 9 STEEL

    Massive tire clearance, and compatible with internal droppers.