Bikepacking Load and Daily Distance Planner
What your loaded bike weighs, how far that gets you in a day on road, gravel or trail, and whether the food you packed covers the route.
Weight breakdown
The two things worth getting right
- Water is the heaviest thing you carry and the only one that is genuinely dangerous to run out of — which is exactly why people over-carry it. It is also the one you can most often refill. Carrying three days of it past a river is the classic mistake.
- Distance and load are the same question. How far you get depends on what you carry, and what you carry depends on how many days you expect to be out. Planning them separately is how people end up with eight days of food for a five-day trip, or four days of food for a route their loaded bike takes seven days to ride.
- The first day is the hardest, because consumables are the largest share of the load and only shrink from there. Put the difficult terrain later in the trip if the route lets you.
- These are moving figures. Navigation, resupply, mechanicals and simply sitting down all come out of the same day, and none of them appear in a speed calculation.
How to use
- Enter rider, bike and gear weight, then water and days of food.
- Pick the surface and the riding days you are genuinely used to.
- Add climbing per day, which costs more time than distance does.
- Enter the route length to check the food against the days needed.
Frequently asked questions
Why are load and daily distance one tool?
Because they determine each other. How far you get depends on what you carry, and what you carry depends on how many days you expect to be out. Planning them separately is how people end up with eight days of food for a trip their legs finish in five, or four days of food for a route their loaded bike takes seven days to cover.
How much does luggage actually slow me down?
Roughly in proportion to what it adds to the whole system. Ten kilograms on a 90 kg rider-and-bike is a bit over a ten per cent penalty, which matches what loaded tourers report. The tool shows the unloaded comparison alongside so you can see the cost rather than guess at it.
How much water should I carry?
Less than instinct suggests, in most places. Water is the heaviest thing you carry at a kilogram a litre, and the only one genuinely dangerous to run out of — which is exactly why people over-carry it. It is also the one you can most often refill, so carrying three days of it past a river is the classic bikepacking mistake.
Why is the first day the hardest?
Because food and water are the largest share of the load at the start and only shrink from there. If the route allows it, put the difficult terrain later in the trip, when the bike is meaningfully lighter and you have found your rhythm.
Are these distances realistic?
They are moving figures at a steady pace on the surface you chose, and they assume the riding hours you selected. What they do not include is navigation, resupply stops, mechanicals, photographs or simply sitting down — all of which come out of the same day. Treat the number as an upper bound on a good day.
Why is trail so much slower than gravel?
Because a heavily loaded bike handles badly on technical ground in a way road mileage does not predict. Weight high in bags raises the centre of gravity, braking is longer, and the concentration required is tiring on its own. Halve your first estimate for singletrack and see how day one actually goes.
What if I am short on food for the route?
The tool says so, and also says the thing that makes it awkward: carrying more food slows you down, which lengthens the trip, which needs more food. That loop is why resupply planning usually beats carrying capacity beyond about three days.
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