Packing touring bikes in cartons is a lot easier but sometimes bike cartons are hard to come by or hard to transport to an airport. We’ve been on many trips where packing a touring bike in a carton wasn’t an option so we figure out some new methods.
We filmed our carton-less packing process in Bangalore Airport. In this case we used zip-ties, bathmats, heavy twine, a tarpaulin, packing tape and rope all purchased on the ride out from our hotel to the airport. You don’t need to use these exact materials but we recommend dismantling your touring bike the same way we do here to minimise the chances of damage to your bike in transit.
Cartons are easier but if you can’t get one you can do this. Ironically, in places where cartons are not available, these packing items tend to be easy to find.