Bikepacking on an e-bike: Is it practical, and what do you need to know?

Bikepacking on an e-bike can make your dream adventure way more accessible. Add a motor and those routes you'd normally cross off for being too remote or too hilly suddenly look far more doable, whatever your fitness level. 

Yes, you absolutely can, and you won’t be the only one out there doing it. The bags still get strapped on, the tyres still get muddy, and you’ll still feel the buzz of camping with your friends all the same. But with 10x more joy. Why, you ask? While electric bike bikepacking isn’t exactly replacing the “effort” factor completely, it can certainly help you redistribute where you’re putting in the effort. This is your sign to go ride that 400km hilly route in your local national park that you once wrote off.

If you truly believe that e-bike bikepacking is a shortcut, a way of skipping the "real" experience, here’s why that’s not true. You still plan resupply points, read the weather, and problem-solve with no phone signal in sight. The motor just stretches the boundaries of who gets to have those experiences. It opens doors for people managing injuries, returning after time off the bike, or riding with a less experienced partner.

The same adventure is now accessible to more people. It’s really a win-win.

Electric assistance changes the shape of a trip. The core values of bikepacking, including self-sufficiency and moving under your own steam, stay the same.

Pedal assistance takes the edge off the parts of a route that would otherwise chip away at your energy all day. Think of it as your personal tailwind push. That saved energy gets reinvested into the ride itself. You arrive at your loch-side campsite with enough left in the tank to enjoy the view, cook a proper meal, and pitch your tent without your being completely cooked. Think about it- wouldn’t it be nice to get to your destination and not be desperate for your head to hit that pillow (or drybag full of clothes)?

Bikepacking has a weight problem. Meaning, a lot of packing always involves an obsessive relationship with how heavy your stuff is. An e-bike doesn't remove that problem altogether, but it softens the consequences of getting it slightly wrong. Extra warm kit, a proper stove, a heavier tent, chunkier fleece is all easier to justify when you’ve got some assistance up those climbs. Especially if you’re riding somewhere hilly, you will find that a loaded gravel bike might feel like a slog a few days into the ride, but an e-gravel bike feels manageable. 

If you’re put off by steep climbs and long days back to back when it comes to picking a bigger route, an e-gravel bike can help you choose that challenge with more confidence. Plus, if hike-a-bike is not your cup of tea, that’s another problem that your e-bike is solving for you - just ride up slow and steady. This, by itself, opens up challenging routes to more people. 

None of this is to say e-bike bikepacking is without its own considerations. So, if you’re asking “can an e-bike be used for bikepacking”, read this part just as carefully as you did the one where we told you what we know you’ll enjoy.

Battery range is the single biggest variable to plan around. On an analogue gravel bike, your only real limit is your legs, daylight hours, and your attitude. An e-bike adds a harder limit. Now you have to also consider how much charge is left.

Terrain, luggage, wind, temperature, and how heavily you lean on the motor all eat into that number differently each day. The trick is building a realistic picture of what your e-gravel bike can do, especially with the added weight of your bikepacking bags, and planning your route and timelines according to that.

Multi-day e-bike touring lives and dies by where you can plug in and charge. This turns route planning into a proper logistical puzzle. So now you have to carefully pick your route and consider which towns, cafés, or campsites might let you top up overnight. Think of this as an e-bike bikepacking equivalent of your traditional touring panic of resupply points. It's worth having a backup. This could be something like a range extender, or a fallback pedal-only day. 

Extra weight on any bike affects handling, but on an e-bike it also drains the battery faster. So, it is important to be efficient with your packing. If you pack too front-end heavy, it can make steering feel sluggish on descents, and if you overload your rear rack, it changes how you corner. The principle stays the same. Ask yourself, is this item worth that extra little weight consuming 5% more charge throughout the day?  

So, e-bike bikepacking can make adventurous routes more accessible, allowing you to cover greater distances, tackle challenging climbs, and carry more gear with less physical strain. However, the added assistance comes with a few trade-offs, particularly around battery management, route planning, and bike handling. Here's a quick overview of the key benefits and considerations to keep in mind when planning an e-bike bikepacking trip.

There's no single number that answers this properly because the range depends on which motor your ebike uses along with a bunch of other moving parts. No two days when bikepacking are the same. 

Terrain is the big one. Climbing drains a battery far faster than rolling gravel or flat fire roads. Rider weight and luggage add to that load with every metre of ascent. Weather plays its part too. For example, cold reduces efficiency, and a stiff headwind forces the motor to work harder. Tyre choice is another factor to consider. Wider, knobblier tyres will give you better grip but you will also get more rolling resistance. Finally, your riding style ties it together. Smooth, steady pedalling will fare better when it comes to battery usage than stop-start riding or leaning on full assistance.

For a more detailed breakdown of what impacts e-bike battery life and how to maximise your range on longer adventures, take a look at our e-bike battery range guide.

Most e-bikes offer a spread of assistance modes, from a light eco setting through to a punchier turbo or boost mode. Switching between them is one of the easiest ways to manage a multi-day trip on your e-gravel bike. Eco stretches range on flatter sections, and feels like a nice tailwind. If you’re going uphill and it appears to be a long one at that, don’t be shy with using stronger assistance.

That being said, leaning on the highest level of assistance will burn through your charge pretty fast so see if you can stick to the trail mode (somewhere around the middle). The e-assistance is a strong resource. Use it efficiently.

Pace yourself as on an unassisted ride. The steadier your effort, the better it is for your battery. Use lower modes on easy terrain and save higher settings for climbs or headwinds. Keep tyres at the right pressure, since underinflated tyres create drag. Charge as and when you get a chance rather than waiting until critically low. Build charging stops into your route plan from the outset, rather than hoping something turns up.

If there's one bike that captures what e-gravel bikepacking is really about, it's the Grizl:ONfly. It takes the adventure-ready DNA of the standard Grizl (purpose-built for loaded touring and rough-terrain bikepacking) and adds a Bosch Performance Line SX motor. The result rides more like a gravel bike than a heavy commuter e-bike. This doesn’t matter in a city landscape, but the minute you’re off-road with bikepacking bags attached to every mounting point, the geometry and feel of this ebike is exactly what will carry you on your adventure.

The range spans a few distinct characters, so there's something for everyone. The Grizl:ONfly CF Trail leans hardest into rough terrain, with a wireless dropper post and higher-volume tyres. The Grizl:ONfly CF Daily comes fitted with mudguards and an integrated rack straight out of the box. This one will feel as at home on a wet commute as loaded up for a microadventure weekend away. Both sit on the same CF carbon platform, keeping weight reasonable.

Grizl:ONfly is built for a loaded adventure. The available battery capacity is 400Wh, with an optional 250Wh range extender for bigger days. If you want to make that last for as much of your adventure as you possibly can, you’ll need to pack efficiently. More on that in our bikepacking checklist and bikepacking 101 guide.

Packing for e-bike touring follows the same logic as any bikepacking trip, with a few extras for battery care and charging.

Bikepacking essentials:

• Frame bag, seat pack, and handlebar roll suited to your frame
• Lightweight tent or bivvy, sleeping bag, and inflatable mat
• Compact stove, small pot, and enough fuel for the trip
• Water filtration or purification, plus a reliable way to carry enough water
• Weatherproof layers, spare socks, and a warm layer for camp
• Repair kit: tubes or plugs, tyre levers, multi-tool, and a pump
• GPS device or phone with offline maps, plus a paper map as backup
• First aid kit sized to how remote your route is

E-bike specific additions:

• Charging cable and a compact adapter for different plug types
• A range-extender battery for long gaps between charging points
• A rough charging plan mapped against your overnight stops
• A pedal-only contingency plan for when charging doesn't work out

Bikepacking on an e-bike is about making more adventures possible and accessible. It’s still challenging. The climbs still happen and the weather still does what it wants. What's changed is the scope of what "a long day" can look like, and who gets to have one. Whether it’s your cup of tea or not entirely depends on what kind of trip you're hoping to have. If your goal is bigger routes or more energy left over to enjoy where you've ended up, an e-gravel bike is perfect for your trip.

Not sure which bike is right for you? Our gravel bike buying guide and e-bike buying guide can help you understand the key differences and find the best option for your riding style. If you're comparing specific models, use our bike comparison tool to see how they stack up side by side, or try the bike finder to get personalised recommendations based on where and how you ride.

The next step is the same as it's always been- go find your next adventure.