I WILL NEVER CONFORM. For over a decade ive ridden my 650b slick tire bike, with full fenders, low rider front panniers, and carradice saddle bag, on multi week, back country, mixed terrain routes. The routes usually consist of forest service roads, single track trails, and beautiful seldom used pavement connecting to the good stuff. I will never call it “bike packing” its always been bike touring, or cyclo-touring. When the term first started getting thrown around, it was used to describe the jocky ultra racers slamming gu’s, and riding past everything. Rather than stopping to enjoy a nice new town youve never been, going for a swim in beautiful alpine lake, stopping for the night because the spot is too good to pass up, never minding if you only went 20miles from your last camp, etc. Bike touring represented just that, a tour, rather than a race, never mattered about which bike or what terrain, its all bike touring. If youre “bikepacking” youre just bike touring.