Figuring out where to put the tent can be the hardest part of packing for bikepacking. Panniers and rack make it easier, but with a rackless bikepacking bag setup there’s no obvious place to bungee a tent.
Unfortunately a bulky tent, with awkwardly long poles, may not fit inside your seat bag, frame bag, or any other bag. Even a lightweight solo tent with short bikepacking-specific poles can still be too big for bikepacking bags. What to do?
I’ve tried many different ways of packing my tent (and everything else) on my bike during 20,000+ miles of bikepacking and touring on various types of bikes, from drop bar to hardtail. This post shares 7 creative ways to pack your tent on your bike while bikepacking, and a few extra tips I’ve learned along the way.
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Two Straps + Your Handlebars
Bikepacking doesn’t have to be all about the fancy gear. To prove it, let’s start with the simplest and most budget-friendly way to carry a tent on your bike: two straps.
Simply wrap each strap around one side of the handlebars, secure the tent to the bars, and voila! You’re well on your way to a bikepacking setup.
This $4 set of straps will work just fine; it’s what you see in the picture below. If you’re looking to invest in your bikepacking future, spring for a pair of these stretchy Voile straps which are a bit easier to work with and more versatile.
Simply strapping your tent to the handlebars works especially well if:
You have flat MTB-style handlebars. Most tent poles, with the exception of bikepacking-specific models, won’t fit between the sides of drop handlebars on bikes like the Salsa Fargo.
You have somewhere else to pack your sleeping bag, which is the other thing people often pack in their handlebar harness. Your saddle bag is a good place for the sleeping bag, but then you still need somewhere to put those warm layers…
Your tent is reasonably compact and lightweight. It’s reasonable to carry a few pounds on your handlebars without impacting steering too much, so most modern lightweight 1 and 2 person tents are no problem. But that vintage department store 3-person car camping tent? Maybe not.
Handlebar Harness
A bikepacking handlebar harness mounts to the front of your bars and uses two straps to secure an item, usually something cylindrical like a stuff sack or dry bag, against the harness. It’s an upgraded version of the “two straps” solution above but more stable, durable, lifted away from cables and housing, and easier to pack and unpack.
A handlebar harness is the perfect place to carry a tent, especially if you have wide flat bars or a tent with short poles. Harnesses are also often used for a sleeping bag and clothes. And as we’ll get into in the next section, many harnesses can accommodate both at once.
Integrated Handlebar Bag
This style of handlebar bag combines a dry bag and handlebar mount into one. It’s a bit less flexible because the bag is attached, so you can’t simply remove it and strap your tent there instead. However, if your tent happens to fit inside the handlebar bag then it’s also an excellent option for carrying your tent.
Popular all-in-one options are the Ortlieb Handlebar Bag, the Revelate Designs Sweetroll, or the budget-friendly RockBros (see my review here).
Double-Loaded Handlebar Bag / Harness
A handlebar harness or bag is prime cargo real estate for stuffable items like your sleeping bag. If you don’t want to dedicate this space to your tent alone, look for a harness or bag that can hold more than one thing.
This might mean a second set of straps (like the Revelate Harness when using the Egress Pouch), an adjustable front flap (like the Revelate Sweetroll), or daisy chain webbing for you to fasten Voile straps through.
One downside of this method is that it’s not always stable, and it’s easy to overload your handlebars. If riding technical terrain, too much weight will make bike handling harder. If you’re a small rider on a 29er bike (* raises hand *) you’ll need to watch out for tire rub if the load sags while riding.
A major upside of this method for drop bar bikes: your long tent poles can still fit on your handlebars. It works great on my Salsa Fargo. The dry bag sits between the drops while the tent sits out in front. If you have space above your tire the tent could also ride below the drops.
In / On Your Seat Bag
A larger seat bag may be an option for carrying a compact tent, especially if you remove it from its stuff sack and split it into pieces. Tent poles placed along the bottom of a seat bag can provide helpful support and keep the bag from drooping onto your rear tire.
If your seat bag is already full, you can strap a small light tent to the top (use more than one strap just in case). This might be a bit too much weight back there for technical riding, but with a stable enough seat bag it’s doable for dirt and gravel roads.
It’s not a common feature, but I’ve even seen a seat bag with pockets that fit tent poles on the outside, the Olliepack:
Split It Up
Maybe you have a bulky tent and a bike with narrow drop bars, or full suspension, or a small frame and minimal tire clearance. Don’t give up hope! This is the method for you.
Most tents come in multiple parts. Maybe there’s a mesh inner and a separate rainfly, or a separate footprint. In almost all cases, the poles – the trickiest part to fit into oddly shaped bikepacking bags – are separate from the rest. Let’s take advantage of this.
Stuff the separate fabric pieces wherever they go best, like a handlebar bag or seat bag. If you’re sharing a tent with another rider, this is a great way to share the load.
As for those pesky tent poles:
- Tall people can sometimes fit poles in their frame bag.
- Try the bottom of your seat bag – helps prevent sagging too!
- Strap them to your top tube if they fit.
- If not, try the down tube,
- Or even the side of your seat tube.
- If the bundle is too thick, split them up in two different places.
Secure the poles with velcro straps or a pair of short Voile straps. The latter are easy to cinch down and the rubber will help keep the poles from slipping. If you’re really looking for luxury (and want to protect your poles from rough conditions), Tarptent makes a pole pouch designed specifically for this purpose. You could also always make your own.
Strapped to a Rear Rack
Though I’ve focused on rackless bikepacking setups because they pose a bigger packing challenge, there’s no rule against bikepacking with a rear rack. In fact, sometimes it’s helpful or even necessary (see Panniers vs. Bikepacking Bags). If you’re a small rider tackling a remote trip with long food and water carries, for example, a rear rack might be your only option.
Strapping a tent to a rear rack is usually easy and straightforward. I recommend a couple of sturdy Voile straps. Voile even makes adjustable rack straps which are nice for variable-size loads, but personally I find the regular straps easier to use.
Forget The Tent
A discussion of bikepacking tents wouldn’t be complete without mentioning an increasingly popular alternative: going without one.
Weight-focused bikepackers often turn to bivvy sacks to cut ounces and save space. They’re not comfy to spend a lot of time in, but for races or ultralight missions they do the trick. I use Borah Gear’s water-resistant bug bivy, paired with a waterproof layer like a n ultralight tarp or SOL emergency bivy in case of rain.
Lightweight tarps are another good weight-saving option. Many lightweight BACKpacking tarps are designed to pitch with trekking poles, which BIKEpackers obviously don’t carry. But you can sometimes buy ultralight collapsible poles instead, or get creative in pitching your tarp with your bike.
Do You Need a Special Tent for Bikepacking?
Maybe you already have a tent sitting in your garage. Do you actually need to run out and buy a brand new tent specifically for bikepacking? The short answer is no, but there are a few things to consider.
The Tent You Already Have?
If you haven’t bikepacked much yet and have an old backpacking tent sitting around, I’d encourage you to just get out there with the tent you have. After one or two short trips you’ll have a much better sense of what you need and like.
Lightweight Backpacking Tents Can Work
With the backpacking industry being much larger and more mature than the bikepacking industry, most bikepackers “borrow” our gear from the backpacking world. Lucky for us, the backpacking industry has been fine-tuning compact and lightweight shelters for a long time, and many of them are excellent.
One secret of the lightweight backpacking world is that much of the best and lightest gear isn’t found at REI or other big stores. For an entry point into this world, including a list of well-regarded brands and their websites, check out my post on lightweight backpacking tips.
Beware: many lightweight backpacking shelters are so lightweight because they’re designed to be pitched with trekking poles, thus the poles aren’t counted in the tent weight. This is very clever if you’re a hiker, but if you’re a bikepacker it means you’ll need to carry trekking poles or buy additional poles as a substitute.
Freestanding Tents for Bikepacking
Bikepackers are more likely than hikers to find ourselves pitching a tent on a hard surface: parking lot, inside a church or classroom, someone’s patio or front porch. This is especially true if you intend to bikepack or bicycle tour internationally, but I’ve also found it to be a factor at home in the US.
Therefore, I recommend that bike travelers consider freestanding tent designs, especially if you plan on longer trips in more populated areas. These can be pitched without the need for stakes or tie-out points. They tend to be slightly heavier than their stake-dependent counterparts, but worth it in my opinion.
The popular Copper Spur from Big Agnes is freestanding. So is my personal favorite, the Big Sky Soul.
Bikepacking-Specific Shelters
Big Agnes is the first brand I know of to release a bikepacking-specific line of tents. As mentioned above, two of their most popular models come in “bikepack” models with 12 inch folding poles to fit between drop handlebars. This does make the packing puzzle a bit easier to solve, though as the rest of this post is dedicated to explaining, it’s far from essential.
In 2020 my favorite solo tent, the Big Sky Soul, was released in a bikepacking-specific version with shorter poles as well! More recently I’ve tested MSR’s bikepacking version of the popular Hubba Hubba. It’s awesome to see gear manufacturers getting on board with the bikepacking boom.
More Bikepacking Resources
If you’re wondering where to pack your tent, you might also find these helpful:
- Drop Bar Mountain Bikes: What’s All the Fuss About?
- Bikepacking the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
- What Goes in a Bikepacking Repair Kit?
Or visit the bikepacking section for lots more!
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Alissa, founder of Exploring Wild. I’ve traveled over 20,000 miles by bike and still can’t stop planning my next ride (and helping you plan yours). Pavement and panniers or singletrack and seat bag, I love it all. On my bike I feel free. Learn more about me here.
Bikepackers: Join me on Patreon for my most current and personal writing, individualized trip prep help, and a community of likeminded supporters.
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Love seeing the posts and what gear works for you. I live in Redwood City, and am quite familiar with the locations in your read. Thanks !!
This was very helpful article.
How are you attaching your water bottles?
Thank you,
Liz
Hi Liz, if you’re referring to the fork mounted bottles they’re strapped into Blackburn Outpost cages.
Tent poles…find an old inner tube, or something similar …I had used a piece of old piece of a yoga mat before but inner tube works better… and slip them into that, fold over the ends and secure with elastic bands, then lash to your top tube/down tube. Shouldn’t rattle much.
That’s a great tip, thank you!
Copper Spur UL 2 Bike Packing vs. Copper Spur UL 3 or 4 with two strap method.
Which one is the way to go? I have a hardtail mtb with a flat handlebar. Thanks. I initially expect one of my kids to follow for the bikepacking trip but eventually more as they age, which is why 3 or 4 person tent I am considering to buy.
I think that decision depends entirely on how much space you need. If you need the 3 or 4 person tent, you can adapt your setup to carry it. Two adults in a 2 person tent is a tight fit but doable. When I bikepack for a long time with my husband we like a 3 person tent for the extra space.
Thank you for the response. We went for 3 person one. Yeah 1 adult with 2 kids with all gears in the tent were very tight. I cannot imagine doing it with 2 person tent. Two strap method worked for me! Again, thank you!