I took lots of stuff with me on my bikepacking trip around Europe.
Here's my assessment of how useful each item was, whether it worked as expected and so on. I haven't mentioned everything, so if an item mentioned in my original packing list isn't covered here, it's because there's nothing to say. Yes, my toothbrush was useful and yes, I'd take one again!
But first, a quick note regarding weight.
My bike weighs 15 Kg (33 pounds)
My luggage weighed about 11 Kg (24 pounds)
I weigh 73 Kg (11 stones, 7 pounds).
I worried about weight and spent lots of time and money trying to reduce the weight of my bike and luggage. I even lost some weight myself before this trip, noting that the one object with the greatest potential for weight reduction was the bike's rider! But I also shaved 50g off here, 100g there by replacing some of my equipment. I saved a couple of 100g by replacing my Thermarest sleeping mat, for example. And I bought a new plastic mallet that was a bit lighter than the one I already had.
But was this worth it? I ask the rhetorical question because once the trip had started, bit by bit, I accumulated more things to carry, including a 3rd 750ml bottle of water, the food I was carrying on the day and in a fit of puncture paranoia after the broken spoke incident, three extra inner tubes. And it didn't matter. Weight is worth thinking about but I no longer believe it's worth worrying about when you're down to a few hundred grams here and there. You won't notice it, at least I can't say that I did.
Anyway, let's look at the list of things I took with me.
THE BIKE | |
| Specialized Rockhopper Expert 29 (2017 model with modifications) | The bike, or "The Mule" as I came to call it, performed incredibly well. I didn't have a single bad gear change. I didn't have a single puncture! The only problems I had were one broken spoke nipple and a few times, the chain jumped off the smallest gear and got jammed between it and the frame. The spoke was replaced by a shop and I solved the problem with the chain by gradually tweaking the appropriate limit screw on the derailleur. I couldn't be happier with the bike. An amazing performance, especially given the range of terrain types cycled over and the weight carried. |
| Continental Ride Tour 37-622 tyres | Fantastic! No punctures in nearly 3,000 miles? Amazing. I credit the tyres with this outcome rather than the Tubolito inner tubes because I have no reason to believe the tyres were ever breached. I'll be sticking with Continental Ride Tour from now on but I think I'll try the 42mm tyres for bikepacking rather than the 37mm ones I used. They were fine, but a larger volume of air in the rear tyre is probably a good idea for a more comfortable ride and more shock absorbing qualities, especially at the rear wheel which with my set-up is carrying so much load. |
| Tubolito thermoplastic inner tubes (X-CX Gravel on front, X-City/Tour on rear) | I don't know! Thanks to the Continental Ride Tour tyres, I'm not convinced the Tubolito tubes were ever tested. What I do know though is that they are very easy to tear when fitting. Twice now, including in Spain where I had my broken spoke fixed, a bike shop has damaged the Tubolito tube whilst working on the bike. They're expensive and shops don't tend to stock them so this is an issue. They also need a special repair kit. Given how well my tyres performed, I'm not sure I actually need these tubes and may not replace them when the time comes. |
| Nukeproof Sam Hill Enduro pedals | Good. Nice big platforms for pedalling. The pins provide excellent grip, too. I lost a few pins on the trip, probably through a pedal striking the ground when cornering occasionally. They're easily replaced though and losing a few pins caused no actual problems. |
| Shimano B03S Brake pads | Despite all the enormous descents I did, these still seem to be going strong. They certainly did the job they were intended to otherwise I probably wouldn't be here to write this review! |
| KMC X10 chain | Impressive! I looked after the chain, cleaning and lubricating every week. It's showing some signs of wear but does not yet need replacing. Pretty good after all those miles. |
| Bar ends | The bar ends I fitted to my handlebars were a very good idea. My hands and wrists would often ache and being able to change hand position was a big help in alleviating the stress they were under. |
| Gel saddle cover | My behind got a little sore during the first couple of weeks so the gel cover was no miracle cure, but compared to the expensive saddles I'd tried before the trip, it actually worked very well. In fact, I'd say the magic formula for taking care of your behind is any saddle you don't hate + a gel cover for extra comfort + a medium sized pot of Sudocrem cream! |
ON THE BIKE and RIDER | |
| Sunglasses (dark lenses) | Sunglasses are not essential but they're a big help on bright days, especially when cycling east in the morning. They make you look cool as well, and that's the main thing ;-) Unfortunately, I lost my original sunglasses during my very first day in France! They were replaced by the only product available in a pharamacy I stopped at a few days later and the new ones did OK although the polarising lenses made it hard to see my smartphone screen sometimes. |
| Hiking shoes | These turned out to be a good choice of footwear. I only took one pair of shoes with me. With the big Nukeproof pedals under them, the tough soles made pedalling comfortable. Off the bike, I had comfortable but robust footwear for general use and for the two hikes I undertook. They have Goretex uppers and my feet stayed mostly dry on the rare occasions I cycled in rain. |
| Frame bag | The one I took was a last minute substitution due to problems using my new smartphone holder (see next item). I've previously been critical of this product for not being waterproof. Well, it's not! But given I rarely experienced rain, this was not a problem. What I did like was the fact I could mount my phone in it under it's transparent cover and it being a soft case, I could squeeze the case to indirectly press the phone's power button and switch the screen on to look at the map from the Organic Maps app or switch it off to save battery. Very easy in practice and it gave me complete control over how long the phone's screen was on, important for conserving battery. The only problem I had was that they clear screen acted rather like a greenhouse in hot weather which was a factor, I'm sure in my phone over-heating from time to time. The larger space beneath the sleeve that I slipped the phone into was perfect for cold drinks and bags of ice to solve that problem though! So all in all, this worked very nicely. |
| Smartphone holder | The day before my trip, I abandoned my plan to use this holder! The holder itself seems very good but unfortunately, placing a phone into it triggers my phone's "pocket mode". It thinks it's in your pocket and so disables the touch screen, rendering the phone useless for functions like navigation unless you're prepared to remove the phone from the holder every time you want to look at the map. Android used to allow you to disable pocket mode detection, but I discovered that this was no longer possible and this meant I could not use this case and instead put my phone in the soft frame bag instead. It all worked out. |
| 2 x Ortlieb panniers | Tremendous. Space enough for my clothes, some of the camping gear like my sleeping mat, a computer, a Kindle, my plate and more besides. There seem to be lots of ways of carrying stuff on a bike these days. I see no reason why I'd want to use anything but my Ortlieb panniers and rack pack, though. Yes, I had everything mounted at the rear of the bike but honestly, this was fine. I did research ways of distributing load more evenly across the bike but front panniers require a front rack, which adds to the overall weight. Other options involved quite small storage capacity and I wasn't sure what I'd put in the new bags which was heavy enough to make a real difference. Some of the handlebar mounted bags looked OK as they didn't need much to mount them. I doubt I'll change my rear-mounting approach though, simply because it worked and I had plenty of space for everything I needed and more. |
| Ortlieb Rack Pack | An excellent bit of kit. It's capacious and held my tent, its foot print, peg hammer, emergency food, clothes line and pegs, ziplock bags, cable ties, emergency shelter bag, gym bag and even a third bottle of water when the days were particularly hot. And more. All sorts of bits and pieces ended up in the Rackpack and I never filled it up. It clips into the panniers below, so it's part of a system rather than just a third bag you lash into place. |
| Saddle bag | Did the job. Inner tube, multitool and tyre levers were in here. |
| Spare butyl inner tube(s) in saddle bag | I used one when the bike shop that repaired my spoke damaged one of the Tubolito tubes. Obviously, unless you have tubeless tyres, you're going to want to take a spare inner tube or two. Personally, I'd say that two is the minimum you'd want. |
| Tyre levers in saddle bag | Used once but clearly an essential tool. |
| Topeak Race Rocket HP Mini Pump | Did surprisingly well. I was concerned its low capacity might be an issue but it was fine and allowed me to maintain a decent tyre pressure throughout with periodic topping up of the air in my tyres. Supports all valve types I've ever heard of. |
| Bike Lights | I used my lights during several very early starts before sunrise and when the weather was wet, once in Spain and several times in England on the way home. They're USB-based rechargable lights so after using them, I'd always recharge during the next rest period. I used a smaller battery pack I carried in my bum bag to charge the lights, one at a time as it was easier than taking the lights off and charging them indoors with everything else. Essential and possibly a legal requirement in some countries. |
| Bike Padlock | Did the job. A heavy but necessary item. If your bike gets stolen, that's the end of your trip! |
| 2 padlock keys, one around neck, one in bum bag | A good system. Lose your padlock key when your bike is chained to something solid and you're in big trouble! |
| Combination lock and chain for securing bags on the bike | This became a pain and I stopped securing my bags. The odds of someone running off with your panniers whilst you're in a shop (probably the only time my bags would be unattended) are pretty slim. Not sure I'd even take these items again. |
| Bungee cord | Used to further secure the Ortlieb Rack Pack so it would not move forwards or backwards. Was also useful to trap things under and carry them on the outside of the Rack Pack rather than inside. Various bottles of drink, damp clothing to be dried whilst cycling and my battery pack with its solar panels all ended up held in place by the versatile bungee cord. Worth having one even if you see no immediate use for it. |
| Suunto GPS watch | Great. Recorded my ride every day and my two hikes and synced with Strava. It has a monochrome display and limited functionality which probably contributes to its excellent battery life. |
| 2 x Water bottle | Most days two bottles were enough or more than enough, particularly as I would often also drink coffee and bottles of sugary drinks. There were sometimes opportunities to refill bottles at water fountains in villages, too. But on longer rides and when the weather was particularly hot, I found it prudent to carry a 3rd bottle of water in the Rack Pack. I came close to running out of water in sparsely populated regions of France and Spain on a couple of occasions and was glad of the "emergency bottle of water". It was worth the extra weight. |
| Helmet | Kind of important, don't you think?! |
| Bandana | If you're as sweaty as me, something to stop said sweat from running into your eyes is pretty useful! |
| Race cape | My Endura race cape was mostly used to keep me warm on colder days later in the trip (e.g. returning in England) or early in the morning sometimes. It is very windproof and warms you up over the top of a jersey, very quickly. I needed it to keep me dry once in Spain and a few times in England and... it didn't. It's old though, possibly 8 years old so I wouldn't blame Endura for this. It always used to work well and I intend to replace it with the newer Endura FS260 Pro Adrenaline Race Cape. Either way, you have to assume on a long trip in Europe, you'll encounter wet weather at some point and rather than heavier duty wet weather gear, this is what I chose to take in conjunction with over-trousers and over-shoes. |
| Fingerless gloves | Frequently worn, especially early in the trip. Provided a bit of padding which helped keep my hands comfortable and helped stop the back of them getting sun-burned too! |
| Tuffbag waterproof bum bag | The Tuffbag turned out to be a very good bit of kit. There are items you want with you all the time, when on the bike or off (e.g. shopping). The Tuffbag has a design like a dry-bag, with a roll top and I believe it to be completely waterproof. I carried my passport and other paperwork in it, my wallet, my face mask, my spork and Swiss Army knife, and as time went on, more and more stuff including whatever in-ride food I had with me like bananas and biscuits. I even ended up carrying my bike pump in it after the restraining rubber band it normally sits behind in the bike's frame mounting snapped. Comfortable, good capacity and definitely waterproof. Very handy. |
IN THE ORTLIEB RACK PACK | |
| MSR Hubba Hubba 2 person tent | First, the positives. I was glad to have taken a two-person tent rather than a one-person tent. The extra space is very welcome on such a long trip.It's light enough at 1.6Kg, though you can doubtless get lighter tents. It's incredibly easy to put up and doesn't need a single tent peg if all you're using is the inner section. I used it like this when it was very hot. Ventilation is pretty good although with the fly sheet in place, airflow is obviously reduced. I like the mesh panels and the way you can see through them, especially when not using the fly sheet. The tent didn't let water in from above in the heavy rain experienced some evenings in the Picos de Europa. However (and here we'll look at the negatives), a couple of times at least, the floor was damp or actually wet after rain or a heavy dew. I don't think the footprint under the tent or the tent's integral groundsheet are completely waterproof. I also think the corners of the inner let in a little water where the seams meet. After getting home, I've sprayed the floor on the inside of the tent and the upper surface of the footprint with Nikwax Tent and Gear waterproofing. I also sprayed the inside corners. Time will tell as to whether this helps. On a different point, at one time I was seeing a lot of small ants inside the tent! I am still unclear how on earth they were getting in but it crossed my mind that maybe the mesh panels might be the entry point, though I never actually witnessed this. I did find a hole in one of the mesh panels and have fixed it with some sticky tape. How the hole came about is another question. Could an insect have cut through the mesh? A mystery. |
| MSR Footprint (ground sheet) | Light, compact and easy to use. But is it waterproof? I suspect not fully. |
| Washing line | Used many times. Definitely something to take. I ended up cutting a metre off it with my knife and using it to create a small line tied to loops in the roof of my tent so I could hang things up inside the tent for drying if necessary. |
| Pegs for washing line | Ditto. |
| Plastic mallet | Used whenever the ground was on the hard side. Definitely something to take. Mine is fairly light but was tough enough. |
| Microfibre cloth | Very useful. I ended up buying a few more and used one for washing the bike, one for cleaning and degreasing the chain and one for drying. They were kept in a ziplock bag to keep them away from other items in my bag. |
| Saddle cover | Very useful! I put this on the bike at the end of every day so that I didn't have to sit on a wet saddle in the morning! |
| Trowel and biodegradable paper (leave no trace!) | Not used once in the way I'd anticipated! I did use the paper at campsites a few times though as some campsites expect you to bring your own. I was glad I had some! |
| 4 x ziplock plastic bags for food. | I ended up buying more ziplock bags (freezer bags in fact) as these were so useful. I used them for all sorts of things but generally as a means of organising the various bits and pieces in my large bag. Once, I used one of the bags as a rubbish bag at a campsite where you were expected to take your rubbish home. No, I didn't bring my rubbish home! But I did bag it up and drop it in a public rubbish bin when the opportunity arose. |
| Plastic carrier bag for rubbish | Not used for rubbish! In fact my tough plastic carrier bag ended up being my shoe bag and tent doormat. I dealt with rubbish as it was created, usually dropping it in the campsite bins whenever I went to the shower block. |
| Plastic shoe bag (shoes outside tent, snails outside shoes!) | This is a must. I saw some enormous slugs in Spain. I really wouldn't want to find one in my shoe in the morning! |
| Waterproof over-trousers | I used these once in Spain and a few times cycling home across England in September. They are exactly what they claim to be. Waterproof and light. I was impressed with them but I think cycling in them made me a little sore. I had cycling shorts on underneath but wonder if the over-trousers introduced creases and other sources of friction. Definitely an item to take on long trips where the weather will inevitably be variable. |
| Waterproof over-shoes | These were not a success. Despite having bought the XL size, stretching them over my walking shoes was difficult and when I removed them at the end of the only day they were used, I found that both had ripped underneath and near to the toe. Weirdly the uppers of my shoes were both quite wet and I'm not sure how that was possible. Either way, they didn't work for me and I won't be replacing the torn pair. |
| Matches | Not used. I thought I might have a camp fire at some point but the opportunity did not arise. I'd take matches again though. |
| Cable ties | I used one to allow me to hang my solar pannel equipped battery back from my bike so it could charge while I was cycling. I see them as a potentially very useful item and would take a few on any future trips, for sure. |
| Maintenance gloves | Very useful. Kept my hands clean when handling the bike's chain. |
| Scissors | I cut my toe nails with them! Hey, I was away for two and a half months! |
| Sticky tape | Handy to have. Fixed an issue with one of my shoes. Patched a hole in one of the mesh panels of my tent. |
| Pliers | Essential. Amongst other things, I used them to pull a piece of metal from my rear tyre! I didn't have a puncture but if I'd left the metal where it was, maybe I would have eventually. |
| Screw driver | I don't think I used this. Clearly still something to have in the tool kit though. |
| Valve adapters | Not used. Except for the fact that they are small and weigh little, I wouldn't take them again. But now I have them, they may as well stay in the tool kit. |
| Allen key for limit screws | For me, this was essential as my multitool's allen keys are too large for the limit screws on my derailleur. I'm glad I thought to take this tool as I needed it a few times. |
| Chain lube | Essential. On a long trip like this you really need to look after your chain. Simply pouring lube on it every week is no good either! Clean thoroughly first, allow to dry and then lubricate! I went through this routine once a week and my chain is still in good condition after nearly three thousand miles of cycling. I used my original bottle of lube and bought some more in Spain. |
| Tool bag with selected bike tools | Essential. See my post on Tools and Spares. |
| Chain links | Not used but an essential spare to take. |
| 2 x Puncture repair kit and patches (Butyl and Tubolito) | Clearly, a puncture repair kit is an essential item to take on any bikepacking trip. Unless you're running tubeless that is! I had no punctures but one of my Tubolito tubes did get torn when a shop repaired a broken spoke for me. I patched the tear but did not fit the tube again as the tear was right next to the valve, a tricky place to patch and I wasn't convinced the repair would hold. I've since put some air in this tube and left it overnight and it held the air so it seems the repair is good enough and the tube has been retained as a spare. |
| Spoke key | Not used but I'd take it again. |
| Spokes | Not used but a couple of spare spokes seem worth taking. |
| Gym bag for groceries | Used almost every day. I'd stop at a shop on the way to the campsite, take the gym bag with me into the store and fill it with whatever groceries I bought. I could then cycle to the campsite with the gym bag on my back. I also used it to take misc. items like my laptop, its power supply, glasses, Kindle and so on to the campsite bar where I'd sit and blog. In short, a light, foldable but strong bag you can carry on your back like this one is very useful. |
IN THE TUFFBAG BUM BAG | |
| Swiss army knife | A sad tale. I lost this beautiful Swiss Army knife at the campsite in Guise, France! Quite how I lost it I do not know, but that was the last place I saw it. I bought a new Swiss Army knife at a hunting shop in Neufchateau as a good knife is essential. Of its various tools, I used the knife for food preparation pretty much every day and the can opener a few times. |
| Bike multi-tool | I didn't use my multitool once. An essential item, however. |
| Phone | Another essential item! I used my Android smartphone for in-ride navigation, using the Organic Maps application and for all the other things you use a phone for. I researched and booked accomodation using it, messaged people at home, took photos and videos and so on. My OnePlus phone did very well in some respects but not in others. The battery life was excellent. I could have got through two days without charging it if I'd needed to. Charging is super quick, too. The biggest issue I had was that it over-heated on hot days, which was a major headache that resulted in me routinely buying cold cans of Coke or obtaining bags of ice cubes with which to cool the phone in my frame bag. The camera was next to useless when zoomed in on a subject too, with the autofocus struggling. |
| Sunblock | I didn't take enough and in my first week in France ended up buying a large tube of Factor 50! Obviously, this is an essential item for summer cycling. |
| Small notepad and pencil | I didn't use this and I doubt I'd take these items again. |
| Face mask | Necessary. I used mine when in crowded spaces like when queueing to go down to the car deck on a ferry. In Spain they were mandatory on public transport. |
| Smaller battery pack for emergency in-ride charging | I didn't use this for emergency charging as my main battery pack lasted very well and I never needed to top my phone up during a ride. I did find this smaller battery pack very convenient as a way of charging my USB lights without removing them from the bike though and would take this extra battery pack again. |
| Hand sanitizer | I don't think I used this once! It's no longer 2020, I guess :-) |
| Short USB-C cable for charging in a cafe (e.g.) | I didn't use this the way I'd envisaged but I did use it, simply as a second USB-C cable. On rest days in an apartment, it meant I could charge both my phone and my main battery pack at the same time. |
| Passport | Somewhat important! Although the fact is, the only time my passport was checked was as I left England and on return. |
| Covid vaccination details (printed) | Nobody ever asked to see these details. |
| Insurance details (printed) | Nobody ever asked to see these details. |
| Ferry ticket (printed) | A printed copy wasn't necessary but was probably wise to have. |
| Accomodation details (printed) | I had read that French border control might ask to see proof of where you were staying. This didn't happen. |
| Pocket picnic blanket | Useful. I sat or lay outside my tent on this a few times. |
| Power multi-adapter without the UK part | Essential. I'd charge devices from my large battery pack most days but around once a week, stayed in an apartment or rented room and used this adapter to let me charge my battery pack and all my other devices. I also used it on campsites to plug in to the power sockets at the bar or sometimes in the shower block. Having a single adapter for a mains plug like my laptop uses and for USB devices was very useful. |
IN THE ORTLIEB PANNIERS | |
| Alpkit down sleeping bag | The manufacturer's claim that this bag is good down to temperatures as low as 7 degrees C is nonsense in my opinion and experience. I start to feel the chill at 12 or 13 degrees. So on cooler nights, I use mine in conjunction with a silk liner. If that's not enough, I wear various clothes. A merino wool hat, a long sleeved cycling jersey and merino wool leggings. On this trip, I used everything except the leggings. I doubt the night temperature was ever lower than 10 degrees and yet all these additions were required. Don't get me wrong, for a summer bikepacking trip, this sleeping bag is good. Packs small. Weighs little. But I had to plan for a large range of possible temperatures and layering was the solution. |
| Silk liner | Excellent. I slept in this alone on warmer nights and added it to the Alpkit sleeping bag on the colder nights. Its thermal insulation is quite impressive and it packs very small. |
| Sea to Summit inflatable pillow | This pillow is actually excellent. I was surprised how impressed I was with it when I first used it. |
| Survival bag | I'm happy to say that I never used this item. I'm glad I have it though and it will be coming with me on future trips. |
| Thermarest NeoAir XLite sleeping pad | Very comfortable and light and compact to pack. Takes a while to inflate compared with my old self-inflating thermarest but it's much more comfortable, quite a bit lighter and takes up less space when packed. |
| Sea to Summit collapsible plate | Good. Did the job and is still going strong. When extended, the sides are quite high so it works well as a shallow bowl, not just as a plate. Look at my photos of camping mush to see! |
| Sea to Summit Spork | Rubbish. Broke in half when I wasn't even using it. Came out of the pannier that way. Replaced with a reassuringly expensive titanium spork which is what I'd now recommend. Light. Strong. Functional. |
| Chromebook and power supply | Excellent. Light. Battery lasts 10 hours. I only wish it was powered by USB-C rather than its custom power supply. I was definitely happy to have it on this trip for blogging, route planning and for watching movies and TV shows occasionally. There are still some things I just don't think it's easy to do on a phone. |
| Kindle | Brilliant. My faithful friend on this trip. |
| Aikove 30000mAh Power Bank pack (solar) | Did really well. I don't think it was ever at less than half capacity. I did use other power sources to charge my phone when available though and this of course made me less reliant on the power bank. But this combination of approaches to charging certainly enabled me to meet my power needs each week with ease. Generally I was only concerned with charging my phone and GPS watch on a daily basis. Other devices (and the power bank) could be charged once a week when I was under a proper roof. The value of the integral solar panels is questionable however. I mounted the power bank on the rear of my bike one hot and sunny day and rode all day with the sun shining directly on the panels. There's no numerical indication of the state of the battery pack, only a row of six LEDs so I cannot be sure what impact solar charging had, if any. All I know is that the number of lit LEDs did not change after a day in the sun. I might consider a proper USB solar panel for my bike in the future although as I said, I never really had problems with the availability of power and this power bank did a good job for me. |
| Helmet lamp | Essential for in the tent and walking in the campsite after dark. I replaced the two AAA batteries once. |
| Wax ear plugs | Essential! Campsites can be noisy places and I generally wanted to go to sleep soon after dark, no matter how early that was. I sometimes slept in the afternoon too. Wax ear plugs actually work and made this possible. |
| Sleep mask | Useful if you find yourself trying to sleep in bright conditions. Some campsites go overboard with lighting at night and if you end up camped right under one of their lights, a sleep mask will be valuable. |
| Travel towel | Basically a big microfibre cloth, I was amazed at how well this towel worked. Very absorbant, dries very quickly, packs small and doesn't weigh much. Perfect. |
| Earphones | Sometimes I listened to music on my phone. Wired earphones were chosen rather than wireless so I didn't end up with yet more things with batteries I needed to charge. It was good to have these available to me. I used them with my Chromebook occasionally too. |
| First Aid kit inc. Plasters, Sudocrem and Covid tests | I used a few plaster for blisters on my feet. I used Savlon ointment for insect bites when I was eaten alive by mosquitoes in Italy. And Sudocrem is incredible and helped sooth and ultimately cure saddle sores! Definitely one to take on all trips. |
| Water purification tablets | Not used. Take up almost no space though so worth having in the kit. |
| Salt and pepper | In a handy plastic dispenser, I was glad to have these basic spices to improve the flavour of camping mush! |
| Tabasco | Ditto. Good to have. |
| Emergency rations - nuts and instant mashed potato | Never needed as I was never stuck in the middle of nowhere but on any future trip, I would always plan to have some high calory non-perishable food in my bag, just in case. |
| TV and movies to watch on SD cards | A bit of entertainment is very much worth having. When you're physically tired, lying down and reading, listening or watching is all you'll want to do. Oh, and sleep too of course. |
| FRAME BAG | |
| Smartphone tripod | I only used the tripod a few times but I was glad to have the option. |
CLOTHING | |
| 2 x cycle shorts, 2 x cycling jerseys, 2 pairs socks | Two sets of cycling gear were enough though it is a fact that after three days of cycling in the same kit, your clothes are unlikely to smell quite as fresh as you might like! I had hot, dry weather most of my trip so I was able to hand-wash the day's cycling clothes after showering, hang it on my washing line and have it dry and ready for the next day within a couple of hours. As a system, this worked fine for me and I wouldn't want to take more cycling clothes than this. |
| Yellow long sleeved thermal cycling jersey | This kept me warm on a few chilly mornings. I never wore it for a full day. It also made for an effective, extra layer to keep me warm on colder nights when the sleeping bag and silk liner were not quite enough. |
| Merino wool thermal leggings (chilly in the mountains at night!) | I never used them but was glad I had them. If it had got a degree or two colder at night than the coldest of the nights I experienced, then my next step would have been to wear the leggings. Part of my layering system for handling a wide temperature range. |
| Craghopper convertible trousers/shorts | These were a good idea. In cooler weather, they were worn as full length trousers. In warmer weather, I unzipped the legs and turned them into shorts. |
| Swimming trunks | I used these a lot! Yes, I did sometimes swim in them when a campsite had a pool. But they became my default choice for shorts to change into after a shower during the weeks when the temperature was at its hottest. |
| Merino wool hat | I bought this in northern France at a Decathlon store during my first week, after experiencing a very cold morning. I was concerned that it might be very cold in the Swiss mountains at night and surprised to find I hadn't packed a warm hat despite it being on my packing list! Doh! Anyway, the hat did its job and helped keep me warm at night in northern Spain and England, later in my trip when it was much cooler. I'd definitely take a hat on future trips. |
| Gloves | Also bought in northern France after a very cold morning where my hands were hurting on the bike, it was so cold. In the event, I never actually used the gloves. They were good to have available and I'd take them again. |
