Bicycle camping: what two riders carry and use

Belén Castelló: existing gear on a two-day tour

In Belén Castelló’s selected two-day bicycle trip, the tent and sleeping bag come from equipment she already owns. The tent rides in a roll at the handlebars; the sleeping bag and clothing fill one rear bag. The other rear bag holds the sleeping pad, food, a small cooking kit and personal items. Tools and a spare tube sit in a frame bag, with water in bottles on the bicycle. The approximately 14-kilogram load includes food and water.

She rides to a campsite, unpacks the tent and sleep kit, makes an evening meal and spends the night there before repacking and riding onward the next day. The tour uses a conventional tent, bag and pad rather than a race-oriented setup. Her existing kit shapes the luggage: the bulkier tent needs its own roll, while the items needed after arrival share the rear bags.

Jenna Phillips: fitting a camp onto the bike

Jenna Phillips’s selected two-day bicycle-camping trip also reaches a campsite and includes a tent night. Her sleeping bag and clothes ride in a rear-rack bag; a tent and pad are grouped in a handlebar roll. Food and cooking items sit in a second rear bag, a small front bag holds rainwear and snacks, and a tool pouch and water bottles complete the load. The camping and travel contents weigh about 12 kilograms in the selected example.

The front bag stays accessible at stops, while the tent roll is opened when she reaches camp. She rides with the load in place, then takes out the shelter, bedding and cooking kit for the overnight. The video shows the bicycle packed as well as the equipment being used.

What is worth the space

Phillips keeps a small pillow because she wants it for the night, but leaves a camp chair behind because it would take space she prefers to use for food and clothing. At camp she sits on a folded layer instead. Castelló keeps her existing tent and sleep kit, accepting the larger handlebar roll so she can use equipment she already has.

The two choices lead to different compromises: Phillips preserves an easily reached front bag and a small sleep comfort, while Castelló makes room for bulkier items she knows. Both accounts follow the journey and camp, so the packing choices can be seen in use rather than only arranged on a floor.

Belén Castelló’s cycling work

Castelló’s cycling work also includes route design, books and video. Her Tout Terrain biography names her as a co-author of Bike Life and 50 Ways to Cycle the World.

References: Tout Terrain

Sources and attribution

1. Tout Terrain

   Adventure Team: Belén CastellóPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 22, 2026