My buddy and I are planning a 3–4 week bikepacking loop in September: Munich → Austria → Slovenia → Croatia → ferry to Italy (from Split to Ancona) → back to Germany via Austria and Switzerland.
Loadout:
- Handlebar: 10°C sleeping bag, mat, towel
- Saddle: tent, sleeping shirt, zip-off pant legs, first aid kit, arm & leg warmers
- Frame: tent poles, windbreaker, rain jacket, pegs, power bank
- Snack bag: snacks (obviously)
- On me: bib shorts, base layer, shorts, helmet, etc. (My buddy’s carrying the cooking kit.)
We’re uncertain about the Croatia section. We’ve heard the coastal roads can be hectic with traffic, but inland you hit a lot of state roads, which people also warn about. Any recommendations? Should we avoid state roads altogether, or are some—like the D50 and D42—fine? We mapped a few versions; avoiding state roads entirely adds roughly 2,000 m of climbing.
We’d really appreciate any advice—thanks!
by ur-shadow