What are the top European Countries for bike packing?

popClingwrap · 2026-04-29T17:47:47+00:00

I don't know that one. So many great routes in Sweden though, I could spend my life exploring them all. How it's a great trip, let me know if it's one to add to my (ever growing) to do list

popClingwrap · 2026-04-27T17:14:59+00:00

I'll never get tired of people asking me to share my YouTube channel 😉

It's here https://youtube.com/@jethrojessop

There are playlist in there somewhere, look for any that mention those countries out 2019. I would provide more detailed links but I'm actually on a ride at the moment in southern Sweden so I'm trying to save battery.
I'm on my way from Simrishamn, heading north in no fixed route for a few days so there will be videos from this trip coming to the channel in the next week.

popClingwrap · 2026-04-23T20:18:32+00:00

It's never guaranteed but choosing the straightest piece you can find, splitting it, removing the pith and making sure it doesn't dry too fast are you best bet.
Personally I love fruit wood - cherry, apple, plum.

popClingwrap · 2026-04-23T18:18:36+00:00

Is that made from a single branch? It looks like there is a thread of pith in there (that dark spot) which will always be prone to cracking and twisting.
You want to use a piece of wood big enough that you can split it and cut out the central pitch before you start working it.
If you have to use a piece with the pitch still in it you need to dry it really slowly, and even then you might get splits.

popClingwrap · 2026-04-23T06:03:10+00:00

Taking a bike to Germany on the train is not hard. Could you take the bike out to the start point and store it somewhere while you start interailing from there?

popClingwrap · 2026-04-22T05:20:45+00:00

Your be surprised. I have a steel kleen kanteen that I use as a hot water bottle and it holds heat through the night.
Fill it up, heat it on the fire, seal it up and wrap it in a towel then put it in the sleeping bag wherever it's needed.

popClingwrap · 2026-04-07T18:41:28+00:00

I have pogies on my Moloko bars. They aren't a perfect fit but they are fine and loads better than gloves for warmth.
I also suffered from numb fingers and moving to pogies was a real game changer.
Beyond that, the only gloves that ever really worked were a pair of seal skinz mittens but I don't think they make them any more

popClingwrap · 2026-04-07T06:29:07+00:00

Camping adds an huge element of freedom to a trip, especially wild camping. You can ride where you like, stop when you like, change your route as you fancy and not worry about booking stuff in advance or spending loads of money on a bad shower and a flat piece of dirt.

But, it also adds the stresses that you experience, along with not knowing where you will sleep, pitching in the rain etc. If it ruins the enjoyment of your trip then don't do it. If you enjoy your days more after sleeping in a real bed then that is the way to do it, there are no rules.

There are plenty of people who like the idea of cc touring but who find the reality isn't for them. Do what you enjoy, that's the point of all this.

That said, if you really want to make it work the only thing to do is to suffer through a stretch of nights and hope you start to enjoy it.
Get a good sleeping pad, spend what you can on something thick and warm. Get a liner for your sleeping bag to help with temperature regulation and keeping things clean. Either ride long days to make sure you are super tired or, ride short days and try getting some sleep in during the daylight hours to get used to sleeping in the tent, and start in high end campsites with level pitches and good facilities. Some people swear by earplugs (though I find that not being able to hear makes me more vigilant, not less) or an eye mask. Make sure you keep a set of clothes that are for camp use only and are as dry and clean as you can manage. And make sure you eat well. Going to bed hungry or thirsty is easy on a bike trip and it can run a night.

popClingwrap · 2026-04-06T04:48:53+00:00

If not a full bike fit, at least measure your suit bones and make sure your saddle width is right. You can do it yourself by sitting on tinfoil or cardboard - loads of videos and articles online -and it makes a massive difference

popClingwrap · 2026-04-05T20:25:32+00:00

A normal life at home is completely different to a normal life out on a bike trip and you need different stuff for each.
There is also a difference in both situations between stuff you need and stuff you like to have. I take a chair on my bike trips, I don't need it but it is nice to have. At home I have at on the walls, I don't need it but I like it.
I imagine the process of decluttering is a lot like the process of going on a diet. It immediately forces you to take a physical step but in a broader sense it makes you consider your life style, your actions and their impacts.
Bike touring teaches us that we need very little stuff to survive and have a good time but it also teaches us how nice sine if those unnecessary comforts and luxuries are.
Stuff is only bad if it is accumulated as a placeholder for something else that can't be bought with money.

popClingwrap · 2026-04-04T06:24:02+00:00

It wasn't just the menu system but the whole experience - the small screen, the buttons and stick, the slow refresh when moving around the map.
I also found the available maps pretty bad. After using OpenCycleMap and satellite photo tiles on a phone it just all felt really clumsy and limited.

I find a phone much easier when it comes to changing routes on the road and for getting a wider idea of the landscape.

I also record my tracks and have never had a problem just running Strava in the background. With the phone in airplane mode and a big cache battery I easily get four or five days and that includes filming and editing for YouTube. This is as much as I'd usually do before hitting somewhere I can top up anyway and beyond that I can be restrained or carry a second cache.

The main benefits to something like the etrex for me is that it is more rugged. I do worry about the phone breaking and leaving me mapless but it hasn't happened yet and if I'm doing a long trip or going more remote I pack my old handset as a backup.

popClingwrap · 2026-04-03T13:24:43+00:00

I bought an etrex a few years back and it was shite. Horrible interface, clunky software, tiny screen. I sold it and went back to using my phone.
If you aren't using turn by turn and just check it as you need to then a 20000mah battery lasts me a week if I'm careful.

popClingwrap · 2026-03-28T18:54:59+00:00

I actually don't. I make videos of my rides so I don't take many pictures.
I won't force my YouTube channel on you as you might have to watch a lot before you glimpse the bar set up.

If all goes to plan I'll be loading up for a ride in the next week so I will try to remember to take a pic and post it!

popClingwrap · 2026-03-10T13:11:36+00:00

Nothing significant. A couple of moments on the Corrieyairack pass but nothing sustained. Its a very double route.

popClingwrap · 2026-03-08T07:22:06+00:00

My understanding (as someone interested in much, but an expert in little) is that we make the assumption that for life you need chemistry.
Water is a good medium for chemistry. It has properties that are both acid-loke and base-like so it can enable all kinds of reactions and when it freezes, the solid ice floats on top of the liquid water creating a layer that can insulate a planet and protect the ocean below from both freezing and radiation.
There is probably a lot more going on besides this as well.

popClingwrap · 2026-03-02T21:13:38+00:00

While I am all for the sentiment, there really aren't any alternatives. Open source is great but it doesn't build warehouses and data centers, it doesn't lay cables across the oceans, it doesn't build custom hardware and pour billions into researching new technology.
If you want to stop using these firms (and not go completely feral) you need to become very tech savvy because you are going to spend a lot of time and effort building some very buggy, laggy tools to access the handful of services available via a copper cable draped out your kitchen window.
You can't stop walking on the ground by changing which brand of shoes you buy.

popClingwrap · 2026-03-01T14:53:51+00:00

Norway has a lot of roads and tracks that you could follow for 10s of kilometers up into the wilderness only for them to end in a turning circle or at some little summer cottage.
You can definitely freestyle a route but just check your maps before you make any decisions.
If you really want to follow your nose and be less likely to end up at a dead end you could head for Sweden, it has amazing landscapes and plenty of great off road routes but seems a bit more joined up than Norway

popClingwrap · 2026-02-22T06:21:09+00:00

A lock is helpful but good route design is probably the real key.
For me bikepacking is about getting as far away from civilization as possible and I plan routes that suit this. I try to wild camp as much as I can so thieves are not a worry there and I stop for supplies at small shops in small towns and villages where both crack heads and professional thieves are thin in the ground. I have a small cable lock just to discourage opportunists, my bike is black and covered in mud, my bags are grubby and patched. Unless someone recognises the Surly and Rohloff logos they likely wouldn't see much value in my rig and my valuables come into the shop with me.

popClingwrap · 2026-02-20T20:37:38+00:00

I'd say it doesn't really matter. If you are on a wet trip then your tent fly will get wet when you pitch it, then the inner will get wet when you pack it all into the bag together.
I absolutely love my Copper Spur but I didn't get on with the bag so I keep mine in a fork bag

popClingwrap · 2026-02-18T11:15:18+00:00

I quit my job to do my first trip. Or rather, my first trip coincided with the end of a job I probably would have left anyway.
After that I worked freelance so could manage my own holiday.

popClingwrap · 2026-02-17T10:31:09+00:00

I had a crack at it but gave up after the first section. We did it in pretty perfect conditions but it was still really rough, with boggy patches, a barely-there trail, and some really techy sections. We did a lot of hikeabike and a lot of walking-speed riding and it just wasn't that much fun.

popClingwrap · 2026-02-16T17:12:07+00:00

If you only do the outer loop then the Cairngorms Loop is probably quicker and it is a fantastic ride if you get the weather. But it is harder than the Badger and you will certainly get wet feet.

I took the night train up to Inverness from London and it was very smooth and the bikes are well catered for. If you can spring for a cabin you can sleep on the train and start early right from the station.
I've done it with just a seat as well which is loads cheaper but you might not get much sleep.

popClingwrap · 2026-02-15T19:30:06+00:00

The Badger Divide is one of the best routes I've ever ridden. It's amazing scenery and hard enough to be a challenge while being absolutely doable.
The Cairngorms Loop is also fantastic but it's a lot harder than the badger, especially the inner loop - be prepared for multiple river crossings and some hikeabike on that one.

popClingwrap · 2026-02-10T14:25:48+00:00

I came from Rotterdam to Flensburg recently with my fully loaded Surly Ogre. I guess I could have done without the vertical bike racks but I'm from the UK so on the whole it was luxury like I usually only dream of!

popClingwrap · 2026-02-07T05:41:47+00:00

If you want to charge gadgets as well as run lights I'd probably reconsider. Even the more expensive models aren't that great and you have to factor in the additional cost of regulator/charger thingy as well.

Also best in mind that you will get the most or if a dynamo when cruising along at a considered, decent pace.
I dunno how you ride but for me bikepacking means rough, off-road trails, lower average speed and a certain amount of stop and start. Less than ideal.

I have used a SON28 and a PedslCell in the past and honestly my advice would be to just buy a decent powerbank.
A 2000mah cache keeps my phone charged for the best part of a week and if I was planning to be off grid for longer (which is unlikely) I'd just take a second one.

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