
S24O BIKEPACKING GUIDE
S24O is the acronym for Sub 24 hr. Overnight.
It’s defined as any overnight trip lasting less than 24 hours.
I made this guide for the beginner you wants to get their feet wet in the world of bikepacking or as a reminder to those veterans of bikepacking, that not everything trip has to be multiple days long. Lastly, a S24O just might be the answer to all those who think they don’t have time to go bikepacking or to simply ride their bike.
The goal of this guide is to breakdown the planning fundamentals of the S24O and supply you with tips to ensure you get out more, have fun and a stress free time on your bike, while camping in the woods. At the end of the day we all just want to have fun, and to get out more on our bikes. S24O are the perfect way to do just that.
Some people go with the philosophy that adventure comes from not planning and just winging it. If that’s you great, but this guide is for those who might be reluctant to start bikepacking, lack confidence, or just need help planning their first go of it.
For the purpose of this guide, it’s assumed the reader has all the equipment needed to bikepack, has tested it, and has their bike set up dialed. If you don’t the following posts will help:
Do you find this page valuable?
Shopping with our affiliates helps fund the development of content like this.
At Home
There are more than a few things you can do at home that can make your S24O that much more enjoyable. The best way to eliminate the stress of getting out and enjoying yourself is to be organized and prepared ahead of time. You can do this through thinking ahead and getting certain things ready for your S24O. Don’t forget to consider things you’ll need after the ride as well.
Packing
Probably the most important part of planning for a S24O besides planning a good route, is how well you pack. As eliminating stress to increase the fun factor is a goal, you can help accomplish this by becoming a “packing ninja”. I’m not just referring to the packing of your bicycle, read on to see what I mean.
To eliminate packing after you get off work or whatever else you have going on that day, pack everything you need for your S24O the night before. Have your bike completely packed ahead of time. Why waste daylight and ride time packing the day of?
Other Tips
If you’re a coffee drinker, set the machine to have your cup of morning joe ready when you plan to be home. If you like to pack your lunch to work, make it up before hand as well. These things will mean you can ride longer.
Another part of your pre-ride ritual should be making sure your bike is lubed, tires and shock pressure is at the proper levels (the added weight of bikepacking gear will mean higher pressures in both), and any other repairs are done ahead of time.
The goal of everything you do at home is to simplify the process and save time so you can spend more of it on the bike.
Summary
S24O’s are not complicated. When I first had the idea to create this guide I thought it would be much bigger with more suggestions but as I got into it I realized the best approach was to help keep the process simple. The goal became to help the reader to avoid the physical and mental pitfalls that lead one to thinking S24O’s were more complex than they really are.
The bottom line is, some planning and consideration to some off the bike areas will help you keep things simple and hopefully ensure you get out more.
MORE RESOURCES
Read these next or checkout the main resource page.
Gear lists from the AZT, TD and CTR; Pros & Cons; Things I’d do different; and Tips.
In depth look at what I would bring for gear and why, if I rode the Tour Divide, CTR, and AZTR again.
Checkout our bikepacking resource page for more planning help.
CHECKOUT ALL OUR GUIDES
What’s New in Our Store
Cool threads and more!
OB Sucks
Throwing out of bounds sucks!
Class of ____
Celebrate your thru-hiking class with the Class of ___ T-shirt!
R.E.S.R AZTR
It’s June. Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat Arizona Trail Race.
Checkout all our available products in our store, and thanks for the support!
Support the Project
Simply clicking on the links below with our affiliates supports the Project.
Or checkout our Deals page to save big!