Bikepacking 1000km Across France – Paris to Lisbon

Cycling 1,000 km across France taught me more about bikepacking, food, and life than I expected. In this reflection, I share what I learned on the road: why the hard part isn’t really hard, how I live with my camping setup on two wheels (Big Agnes Copper Spur tent, Exped Ultra sleeping pad, Mountain Equipment Olympus 300 sleeping bag, Helinox Chair Zero, and a Flextail electric pump), why food is more than fuel, and how small steps create big goals.
👉 Watch my Camino experince here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSMQ5ycpNA
France was a journey of simplicity, freedom, and flavor. From croque monsieur in Paris to Bordeaux wines and coastal mussels, every meal became a memory. Every camp felt like home. And every day reminded me to stay in the moment—because bikepacking isn’t about numbers, it’s about love: cycling, travel, outdoors, food, and a healthier lifestyle.

👉 Watch the full Paris to Lisbon series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL17H-8t_nLUUUldd0h6WHgGZaDRd6dA3C&si=QhLQCEsS84r81b2Y

🚴‍♂️ My 2025 Bikepacking Equipment List
🛠 Bike & Components
Bike: Trek Checkpoint SL6 (Carbon frame)

Wheels: DT Swiss GR 1600
Handlebar: 46 cm with 53 cm flare drops
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Efficiency 45 mm
Groupset: Shimano Ultegra R8000 Di2
Crankset: Ultegra 48–31
Cassette: SRAM 11–36 (yes, it works 😉)

🧳 Bikepacking Bags
Rear: Tailfin AeroPack (20L)
Side Panniers: Tailfin Mini Panniers (2 × 5L)
Frame Bag: Bontrager Adventure Frame Bag (5L)
Handlebar Bag: Apidura Expedition (14L)
Valuables: Ortlieb Ultimate 6 Handlebar Bag (6L)
Top Tube Bag: Apidura Expedition (1.2L)
Feed Bags: 2 × Food Pouch (1.2L each)

📸 Navigation, Filming & Electronics
Navigation: Garmin Edge 1040
Action Cameras: GoPro Hero 13 & Hero 11
Drone: DJI Mini Neo
Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S23
Tablet: iPad Mini 6 (for editing & entertainment)
Power Bank: Anker Prime 27,650 mAh
Phone Mount: Quad Lock with wireless charger

🏕 Camping Gear
Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1
Sleeping Pad: Exped Ultra 3R LW
Sleeping Bag: Mountain Equipment Olympus 300 Long

🧭 Planning & Routes
Route Planner: Komoot

How can something I love be hard? That’s the question I keep asking myself while cycling across France. But bike packing is like life. The hard moments and the good moments together, they make the story. For me, my trips have always been more fun, more rewarding, and more full of lessons than they’ve ever been hard. I started in Paris with more than 1,000 kilometers ahead of me. That number alone can feel overwhelming. But here’s what I’ve learned. You don’t need 1,000 kilometers to enjoy backpacking. It’s not about chasing the biggest numbers. It’s about the love of combining cycling, traveling, the outdoors, food, and living a healthier life. The most common question I get is, “What was the hardest part of your journey?” Or people say to me, “I could never do that.” But the truth is, you can if you really want to. You need to want to do hard things and you should do hard things. Everything I need fits on this bike. It all rolls with me. It’s simple, but is enough. That simplicity makes life richer. Each campsite becomes a little world of its own, and every night feels like I’ve earned the right to rest. You don’t need the most expensive or lightest gear for your first bike packing trip. On my five tours, I’ve used different bags, tents, and sleeping pads. After a lot of trial and error, this is the setup that works for me. The key is don’t let gear stop you. Just go on your first trip. If you want to upgrade later, you will. For me, less is more. I carry everything, so every item has to earn its place. That’s why I skip cooking gear. It takes too much space and weight for how little I use it. But I do allow myself a few small luxuries. The first is my Helenox Chair Zero. Just 500 g and surprisingly comfortable. The second is the electric pump I bought after falling for a Instagram ad. Honestly, no regrets. It inflates my mattress in seconds, doubles as a camping light, and only needed charging once the whole trip. My sleeping pad is the Xed Ultra 7 cm thick, comfortable, durable. [Music] My tent is the Big Agnes Copper Spur. One person roomy for its size with clever storage pockets. If I ever go on a really long trip, five or 6 weeks, I’d probably upgrade to the twoerson version for extra space. And my sleeping bag is the Mountain Equipment Olympus 300. A perfect town summer back. Not everything goes to plan. Some days I rode much longer than I wanted. Some towns felt too touristy, campsites were full, and more than once I had to keep pedalling into the night. But I try not to over plan my trips. My favorite time of the day is just after lunch or at my coffee and cake stop when I look at the map and decide where I might sleep that night. The freedom of not knowing exactly where I’ll end up is amazing. That’s the beauty of bike packing. It teaches you to adopt, to find patience in the detours. And in the end, those moments you didn’t plan for often become the ones you remember most. Because the unexpected isn’t the problem, it’s the adventure. Food isn’t just fuel, it’s memory. That pizza in a small town, musles by the coast, pan of chocolate at the sunrise. There’s much part of this trip as the roads and the landscapes. Every meal became a little story, something that connects me to the place and its people. And for me as a chef, that connection is even deeper. The highlight of writing through France was discovering the simplicity of its food. I love sitting down to taste what each region has to offer, whether it’s a local dish or a glass of wine that only exists there. Porto of course won the wine round. But the most unexpected pleasure came right at the start. My very first meal in Paris, a simple croc majure. It reminded me that food doesn’t have to be complicated to be unforgettable. 1,000 km across France sounds huge, but really it’s just one day at a time, one pedal stroke at a time. Bikep packing reminds me that the big goals on the road and in life are just small steps repeated until you get there. And remember, it’s never about the distance traveled. It’s about the memories you create along the way. If your main focus is only on speed or distance, you will miss the mountains in the background, the river winding beside you, or the coastline stretching into the horizon. Stop where you feel like it. Take the photo. Sit for a moment. Look around. Because in backpacking, as in life, less is more. Friends wasn’t just the first stage of my ride to Lisbon. It was a lesson in slowing down. Being present and finding joy in the little things. Bike packing isn’t about speed, distance, or numbers. It’s about love. The love of cycling, of traveling, of being outdoors, of food, and living a healthier, fuller life. In France, I learned to stay in the moment because that’s where the magic really is. [Music]