After 3 full-loaded test runs, we now have a pretty good idea of exactly what we’re bringing with us. I recently posted a video showing all of the gear I’m planning to bring, and I wanted to go into a little more detail for those who are curious.
We enjoyed touring with a very lightweight setup on our last tour, so our aim is to stay as lightweight as possible, but we have made a few exceptions to this rule for comfort, safety, convenience, and appearance. I think it will be interesting to see how we adjust our gear over the next two years, but so far we are pretty happy with this setup.
For comfort and appearance, we added a wider variety of clothing, including Bluffworks travel slacks, a nice polo so we might be able to have a nice dinner at a restaurant from time to time, and a Patagonia jacket to stay warm.
For safety, we added a number of USB-chargable lights and additional reflective material. We also added a lightweight water purification system to make sure we can have access to clean water when we are far away from public water supplies. In addition, we beefed up our first aid kit quite a bit to include better bandages and a few days supply of many medications that we may need (e.g. antibiotics).
For convenience, we switched from ad-hoc Velcro straps to a proper adventure gear system from Specialized, which makes it much easier to load and unload our bikes. We also upgraded to a freestanding tent that takes much less time to setup and doesn’t require stake-able ground.
All of this added some weight, and so far, we think it’s worth the trade-off. Although we love cycling and love the handling of a lightweight bike, this tour is more about smelling the roses versus riding fast.
So here’s my full list:
Cycling clothing
- Bike shoes (820g) – Our Giro cycling shoes will double as our walking shoes.
- Cycling shorts (160g)
- Cycling jersey (195g) – I’m still trying to decide whether to bring a wool jersey or Spandex. The wool one resists odors better and is warmer, but the Spandex is quicker to dry and doesn’t spot up when I sweat a lot.
- Prescription sunglasses + mirror (35g)
- Gloves (45g)
- Helmet (325g)
- Socks (40g)
- Sweatband (10g)
- Road ID (10g)
Cold/wet cycling clothing
- Arm warmers (60g)
- Heavy wool socks (75g)
- Cycling cap (25g)
- Ultralight rain jacket (50g)
Off-bike clothing
- Merino wool underwear, 3 pair (165g)
- Lightweight shorts (175g)
- Heavy-duty cargo shorts (385g)
- Bluffworks travel slacks (395g)
- 2 tee-shirts (245g)
- Polo (155g)
- Socks, 2 pair (60g)
- Swim trunks – still need to find a good pair
- Patagonia jacket (335g)
- Cap (35g)
- Sandals, Xero Amuri Z-Trek (405g) – these are great for walking/hiking in warm weather
Shelter
- ZPacks Duplex 2-person tent (605g)
- Stand-alone poles (305g)
- 48″ poles x 2 (100g) – for non-freestanding setup; we may decide to skip these altogether
- Tent stakes x 12 (105g) – for non-freestanding setup
- 40F down sleeping bag (415g)
- Thermarest pad (360g)
Security/safety
- TiGr bike lock (740g)
- Front light (75g)
- Rear light x 2 (140g)
- Reflective straps (65g)
Bags, containers
- Water bottles, 32 oz x 2 (215g)
- Camelbak Lobo 100 oz (640g)
- Specialized Handlebar mounting system (360g)
- Specialized dry bag for handlebar mount (160g)
- Specialized Stabilizer seat bag (530g)
- Top tube bag, front (140g)
- Top tub bag, rear (120g)
- Frame bag (125g)
- Food/extras bag (105g) – this is a lightweight backpack-like canvas bag we can use to carry take-out food and other supplies short distances
Cooking
- Water purification system + tablets (310g)
- Mini lighter (10g)
- Spork (10g)
- Titanium stove (25g)
- Titanium cup (75g)
- Cooking chopsticks (30g) – rated up to 500F, great for use when grilling on a camp fire
- Travel wine bottle opener (20g)
Medical
- Emergency medications and antibiotics (150g) – includes Tylenol, Imodium, Ibuprofen, Colace, Azithromycin, Cipro, Amoxicillin, Zyrtec, Benadryl
- Basic first-aid kit (135g) – includes gloves, bandages, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, antibiotic ointment, steri strips
- Extended first-aid kit (165g) – includes safety pins, gauze pads, antibacterial soap, povidone iodine, irrigation syringe, athletic tape, athletic wrap, transparent wound dressing, tinctures of benzoin
- Salt tablets
Toiletries
- Wet wipes, for “emergencies” (60g)
- Tooth brush (camping), paste, and floss (50g)
- Micro-fiber camp towel (20g)
- Bar soap (120g) – use this for washing body, hair, shaving, etc.
- Sunscreen (30g)
- Lip balm (5g)
- Extra contact lenses (20g)
- Prescription glasses and case (185g)
- Nail clippers (15g)
- Deodorant (30g)
- Deet bug spray (45g)
- Roll of toilet paper (75g) – for India and Asia
- Electric trimmer + USB rechargeable batteries + blades (145g) – The Gilette Fusion Proglide is pretty lightweight and very compact and also has an attachment for razors. Combined with USBCELL MXAA02 AA Rechargable Batteries, we don’t need to carry spare batteries and can simply recharge these as we go.
- Reusable paper towels (15g)
Tools / Repair / Extras
- Mini tool with hex wrenches, chain tool, and spoke wrench (175g)
- Individual longer-handled hex wrenches and screwdriver (45g)
- Pliers/wire cutter (115g) – will try to find a lighter one
- Lots of patch kits (10g)
- Chain lube, 1/4 oz (15g)
- Teflon grease (5g)
- Tire irons (25g)
- Spare tubes x 3 (425g)
- Spare folding tire (270g)
- Extra disc brake pads x 2 (55g)
- Extra cleats and bolts (55g)
- Gorilla tape + electrical tape (20g)
- Super glue (5g)
- Camping knife (20g)
- Frame pump (115g)
- Large binder clips x 4 (95g)
- Extra spokes x 8 (65g)
- Extra chain links and pins (10g)
- CR 2032 batteries x 4 (10g) – for head lamp, watch, etc.
- Presta/Shrader valve adapter x 2 (10g)
- Derailleur hanger x 2 (30g)
- Cuben fiber repair tape (45g) – various sizes, strengths, and sided-ness – this stuff is amazing for patching anything, including sacks, our tent, sleeping pad, etc.
- Extra zip ties, velcro, clothes line, elastic cord, zippers, hooks, etc (180g)
- Safety pins (20g)
- Bicycle shoe cleat covers (15g)
- Extra watch strap (15g)
Electronics
- Phone + case (185g)
- Bike computer/GPS (135g)
- Point-and-shoot digital camera (305g)
- Kindle (185g)
- 16,850 mAh USB battery pack (295g)
- USB-C adapters and cables (45g) – for charging cell phone
- Headlamp (25g)
- International power adapter with USB ports (110g)
- Suntactics 5W (5V x 1A) solar charger
- Ear buds (5g)
- Camera case (95g)
- Extra camera batteries (115g)
- Camera charger (65g)
Miscellaneous
- Waterproof wallet & credit cards (55g)
- Waterproof passport holder (25g)
- Passport (35g)
- Bike lock key (15g)
- Bottle opener (5g)
- Pens and Sharpie (5g)
- Zip lock freezer bags (5g)
- Extra copies of ID, extra passport photos for visas, in waterproof container (70g)
- Sewing kit with thread & needles (25g)
- Tiny camp light (15g)
The total weight for me is somewhere between 13kg and 14kg, plus food and water. Steve’s is closer to 10kg. We will shift more weight to the faster rider as we go to keep us riding about the same speed and keep us together. Currently that means I’m carrying a bit more.