Bikepacking Essentials: How a GPS Tracker Enhances Summer Cycling

Bikepacking is all about packing just enough stuff for your next cycling adventure without those essentials bogging you down and ruining your ride. That's easier said than done! When undertaking multi-day bicycle travel, you probably need to bring sleeping gear, cooking equipment, spare clothes, and a few toiletries with you — and somehow attach all those things to your vehicle without them falling off.  

Whatever bikepacking necessities you choose, don't forget about perhaps the most important item to take on your travels. Navigational devices like GPS trackers locate your bike if it goes missing or gets stolen, provide location and speed insights, and keep you safe on the road. Luckily, GPS tracking accessories from LandAirSea (LAS) are small, lightweight, and discreet, meaning they won't take up much space on your bike at all — and that's the No. 1 rule of bikepacking! Learn more about how GPS trackers can enhance your next cycling adventure below.

What Are GPS Trackers for Bikepacking?

You might have already chosen a tent and a stove to bring with you on your next bikepacking expedition, but what should you do about navigation? Sure, you could use your iPhone to map your routes or call home if you get in trouble, but if Wi-Fi or 5G cuts out during your travels, you're going to feel lost and helpless pretty quickly. 

This is where GPS trackers come in handy. These small and lightweight devices fit inside your pocket or attach to various areas on your bike, helping you navigate your next cycling adventure and stay safe when traveling between locations. The best GPS trackers, like those manufactured by LAS, come with cables or industrial-strength magnets, making it easier to attach these devices to almost anywhere on your bike, such as under the saddle or the engine. 

GPS trackers receive signals from the 32 satellites that make up the Global Positioning System. These devices then determine the precise location — LAS devices do this with an accuracy of around 6 inches — of anything attached to it, such as your bike. Because GPS doesn't require a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, you can view location insights about your bicycle on your smartphone or tablet even when offline. That means you can track your location and keep safe no matter where you are in the world — mountains, woods, desert, you name it. 

How Do GPS Trackers Help With Navigation and Safety When Cycling?

There are numerous ways a GPS device can improve navigation and safety during your next cycling adventure:

Find Your Location Quickly

Wherever you plan to travel on your bicycle, GPS satellites have your back. By attaching a GPS tracker to your bike, you can quickly learn your location and plan your routes more effectively. GPS trackers feed location data to an app on your smartphone or tablet — LAS uses the Silvercloud app — which allows you to determine your exact spot on the planet regardless of whether you have an internet or cellular connection. That means you'll unlikely get lost ever again. 

Say you're cycling through a remote mountain region and don't know how to get to your next location. If you have a LAS GPS tracker in your pocket or attached to your bike, you can pull over to a safe area, open up the Silvercloud app, and find out your precise location on a map. You can then plan the next stage of your cycling adventure and choose the quickest and safest route to your chosen destination. This is all thanks to those 32 GPS satellites that orbit the planet and LandAirSea's location accuracy technology! 

Locate Your Bike

Bikepacking usually takes place over several days, meaning you'll need to take several rest stops and find a place to lay your head for the night. However, after a long day of cycling, you might forget where you parked your bike in relation to your campsite or be unable to locate your vehicle in a densely wooded area. Unfortunately, a misplaced or lost bike could jeopardize your safety and leave you stranded in a remote location until you find it. 

Thanks to GPS trackers, finding your bicycle shouldn't be a problem, no matter where you are. As long as you have attached a tracker with sufficient battery life to your bike, whether with cables or by placing it somewhere like a saddlebag, you can find your bicycle's location on your smart device quickly. For example, you can open the Silvercloud app on your phone, find the spot you left your vehicle, and follow the on-screen map to retrieve it. 

GPS trackers also prove useful when someone has stolen your bike. A technology called geofencing allows you to create a virtual boundary around a real-world area, say your camping spot. If a GPS tracker attached to your bike leaves your pre-determined geofence, which suggests theft, you'll receive a notification on your phone. Select LAS devices come with Sharespot technology, letting you share the location of your stolen bike with law enforcement, who can attempt to find your item and return it to you. (Sharespot requires a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.) 

Improve Cycling Safety

It's sometimes difficult to determine the speed you're traveling on your bike. However, cycling too fast can pose dangers, such as being unable to quickly react to dangers on the road, like passing cars. You might also inhale too much pollution when riding at fast speeds.  

The best GPS trackers, like those made by LAS, calculate the average speed you're traveling on your bike and send notifications to your smart device when you're cycling too fast. These speed alerts will remind you to slow down and improve your safety. 

Share Your Location with Loved Ones

As previously mentioned, some LAS devices have a unique Sharespot feature, which allows you to share location insights with anyone. Say you extend your bikepacking adventure this summer without telling anyone and continue to cycle in a remote area many miles away from home. Your loved ones, who can't phone you because of a lack of cellular reception, might become concerned about your whereabouts and notify law enforcement. 

With Sharespot, you can share your location in real time with your friends and family during your cycling expeditions, providing them with peace of mind. They can track where you are on their smartphones at any time and know you're safe. 

How LAS Enhances Your Summer Cycling Adventure 

LAS has pioneered GPS tracking technology for 25 years and works with various industries, such as law enforcement, local government, and the military. Here are some of the best GPS trackers from LAS that will improve cycling navigation and safety this summer: 

LandAirSea 54

The LandAirSea 54 with Sharespot lets you share location information with friends, family, colleagues, law enforcement, and others during your summer cycling trips. It also comes with industrial strength magnets that attach to various areas of your vehicle, and it is waterproof and dustproof — perfect for cycling across different terrains. Other benefits of the 54 include geofencing alerts, speed alerts, and a long-lasting battery. 

LandAirSea Overdrive

Like the 54, the LandAirSea Overdrive is waterproof and dustproof but comes with a battery that lasts up to four times longer. Attach this device to your bike with the provided magnets and start tracking your location during summer bikepacking rides. Other features include battery alerts, speed alerts, and a dark mode. 

Not sure which LAS device to choose for your next cycling trip? Contact LAS to find the best product for your use case this summer. 

Make Your GPS Tracker a Bikepacking Essential

When bikepacking this summer, don't forget to bring a GPS tracker with you. These devices are small, discreet, and lightweight, meaning they won't weigh you down or distract you on your next cycling adventure. Investing in a tracker from LAS will help you stay safe on the road and improve navigation, thanks to features like geofencing and Sharespot technology. Whether you choose the 54 or Overdrive, you can locate a misplaced bike, prevent theft, improve cycling safety, and keep your loved ones informed about your whereabouts. 

Order a GPS tracker today and start planning your next bikepacking adventure. Or email ian.conley@landairsea.com to learn more about how GPS trackers can improve navigation and safety when on the road.