what you wouldnt leave home without?

conor rowan

hey everyone,
its just over 2 weeks now till i head of on my cycle for the year. Im starting to pack my bags and I'm just curious as to what everyone considers essential kit? Has anyone found any tool/object/camping gear etc particularly useful?
eg a decent leatherman,candle,sudocream etc
thanks
conor

el tel

Condoms and a couple of jazz-mags. It might get lonely up in those mountains;) Make sure you get rid of it before you reach Iran though

Chips Lovell

+1 on the johnnies

Seriously, a multitool with various sizes of allen key.

Snapper1

not exactly cycling-related but an mp3 player with long-lasting rechargeable batteries, ditto digital camera

Ghost Rider

If you do take a multi-tool such as a Leatherman, make sure you check it in with your luggage. I had one of the little pocket ones confiscated at an airport in the past.

conor rowan wrote:

hey everyone,
its just over 2 weeks now till i head of on my cycle for the year. Im starting to pack my bags and I'm just curious as to what everyone considers essential kit? Has anyone found any tool/object/camping gear etc particularly useful?
eg a decent leatherman,candle,sudocream etc
thanks
conor

oobydooby

A little long wave/short wave radio is priceless when you're out remote. you'll pick one up for a few dollars in the middle east probably - they seem to cost nearly 100 euro in the West! BBC World Service in a tent in the middle of nowhere... bring out your inner WestBrit

+1 on the jonnies, great for an emergency puncture patch and you can lube bearings in them.

** immodium is very useful!! (you might only need it two or three times but you'll be grateful)

Sounds like a brilliant adventure. Maybe you should plug your odeon event here?? Good luck!

kenmc

Wow what a trip, looks fab. you'll love China. it's an awesome country,
I'd recommend getting a picture book for language difficulties
eg http://www.amazon.com/Point-Travellers-Language-Dieter-Graf/dp/3980313026
we found it invaluable in China. Would second immodium, also take some rehydration salts, eg. diaorlyte. A torch/head torch. zip ties. duck tape.
When in Chengdu I recommend Sims Cozy Guesthouse for accomodation http://www.gogosc.com/house_en.asp - really nice and friendly, great guesthouse. If you're short on time the warriors are very 'skippable' in my opinion. Pingyao is lovely old-worlde chinese town as well, located between Beijing and Xi'an. If you can I'd recommend coming in from Tibet via Zhongdian, Dali, Lijiang - those are all class places. Kunming is nice too. Feel free to ask me more questions on China if you like.
Have you done any chinese lessons or anything? It's useful, if a bit late now to do so
also : deck of cards,travel scrabble,journal/diary,pencil or pen,dental floss, needle and thread, superglue, water purification tabs

Morgan

In his book "Against the Wind" Ozeki mentions bringing small souvenirs with him to give to people along the way (sumo wresting cards if I recall).
I would be nice to have something small to give to the people who help you along the way - cash isn't always appropriate or wanted.

kincsem

A blow-up globe (like a beach ball). Show johnny foreigner where you have come from (but might have a problem explaining why )

blorg

To turn it on its head a bit, you'd be well advised to be thinking "what can I leave at home!" A general rule is not to bring anything you will not use every day (excepting emergency supplies.)

Think light light light and remember that just about anything will be readily available to buy at least until you're across Europe and probably out the far end of Turkey. So you can always stock up on the way if you miss something.

Things I would be thinking of to keep things light would be modular clothing, e.g. arm and leg warmers combine with a short jersey as necessary rather than bringing short AND long jerseys. Similarly think increasing layers when it comes to clothes.

I would consider buying heavier winter clothing as and when you need it, e.g. at some point across Europe. A light raincoat (like a Polaris Aqualite) is a good idea from the start however.

Don't be afraid to use the postal service to send unnecessary stuff home, or just junk it if it's cheap.

Exploit the fact there are three of you, e.g. don't bring three of something if you only need one.

I would keep it fairly low on the electronic gadgets as you may have periods where you are unable to charge them. Having said that a small digital camera with a good battery life is a good idea, as are a number of spare batteries. Take many GBs of card storage, it's cheap. You can consider getting stuff burned onto CDs/DVDs, posting back home, and delete the cards once you have confirmation it arrived and is readable.

If you can get a single charger (USB?) that will do more than one gadget, great. You could consider a Solio solar charger; I don't have one (yet) myself but review suggest they are about the only one that actually works. Prob easiest to go with euro-style plugs if possible (lighter) and get adapters as necessary.

Remember paper is heavy.

Some ideas:

Light trek towel
Lightweight sleeping bag
Lightweight self-inflating matress
Tent

Arm warmers
Leg warmers
Cycling shorts
Cycling jerseys
Cycling gloves
Cycling sandals (Shimano SPD)
_One_ off-bike top/trousers
Underwear/socks
Lightweight raincoat (Polaris Aqualite)

Travel corkscrew
Sharp knife
Spork (spoon/fork/knife)
Plastic Bowl/Plate
Plastic glass with lid

Bike computer
Altimeter

Duct tape
Cableties
Chargers

In saddlebag:
Multitool
8/10mm spanner
Puncture repair kit + superglue
Spare tube(s)
Spare nuts/bolts/screws (as appropriate for your bike)
Small lock

In bar bag with map holder:
Maps (buy only as needed and junk/post back)
Digital camera
Spare batteries
Memory cards
Mini-tripod and remote
Phone (don't leave on all the time, only turn on as needed/once a day)

blorg

Some more:

Bike lights
Pump clipped to frame
Presta to schrader adapter (tiny, leave it on the wheel, allows you to pump up in petrol stations)
Clothes pegs
Sunglasses
Mini scissors
Travel toothbrush
Cereal bars (buy these as necessary but make sure you have some amount of supplementary/emergency food for on the bike, obviously you may need more than this as you get more remote from a shop, same goes for water)

Make sure your bikes have at least two water bottle holders
Bear in mind you can get 1 litre water bottles
Can be a good idea to add a pinch of salt to the water if you are sweating

Raam

I heard of one lad who drilled holes in the handle of his toothbrush in order to save carrying excess weight.

Conor, do you have a list of what you are actually bringing?

el tel

King Raam wrote:

I heard of one lad who drilled holes in the handle of his toothbrush in order to save carrying excess weight.

Conor, do you have a list of what you are actually bringing?

He could have killed two birds with one stone by pulling his teeth out instead:D

blorg

You want a hollow carbon toothbrush, filled with hydrogen. Just be careful around naked flames. This often also takes care of the tooth removal.

A lot of long-distance tourists bring spare spokes, as these are a common thing to break. You have to know how to fit them though, and need a tool to remove the cassette if they break on the rear drive-side (which is the most common place.) You can get a very compact widget to do this that levers off the frame when you rotate the pedals. I've heard of people storing these spares in their seat tube. I've never changed a spoke myself so don't bring them. So far so good although longest tour has been two weeks! You probably do want a spoke key however so you can at least tighten what you have as necessary.

Many people also bring spare folding tyres, might be no harm to bring one or two between the lot of you in case of an emergency (e.g. blowout that destroys the tyre, has happened to me.)

blorg

Oh and BTW check your multitool(s) before you go to make sure it has all the bits you need and that they actually work to unscrew all the things you might want to unscrew on your bike, e.g. that you have the leverage and the attachments are the right size. Particular points of problem here will tend to be anything that needs a screwdriver, you are better off going allen key with any screws/bolts where possible. Check the rack attachments in particular. Bring at least two multitools as one may break.

You should also of course have a small container of oil/lubricant (and prob a degreaser as well) although both of these can be picked up just about anywhere.

Clean and re-lube your bikes if you get them filthy, focusing on the drivetrain. Will keep them going for longer without serious problems and the difference is amazing.

Morgan

blorg wrote:

You have to know how to fit them though, and need a tool to remove the cassette if they break on the rear drive-side (which is the most common place.) You can get a very compact widget to do this that levers off the frame when you rotate the pedals.

These are available from here:
http://www.m-gineering.nl/shopg.htm
if you decide you need one.

TurloughT

Posting stuff home is a good idea. I did that all the time.
But also consider Poste restante. Especially for bike bits, taytos, other hard to find or left at home items.
(a bit like depots for scott on the antarctic)

ozchick

Bodyglide, or other lubricant. Nothing worse that chafe.

conor rowan

cheers for all the advice lads.the inflatable globe is a brilliant idea. was in the ucd bike shop today and the lads in there were very helpful showing me how to do basic repairs.
so heres the list of all i can see us needing.we have DHL delivering stuff to us when were in turkey,iran and just after crossing into china, so we wont have to carry all our gear at once and can swap winter and summer gear.
at the moment its looking like we're going to be bringing too much initially butll post or discard as we see fit along the way.

1st aid
• a few triangulars
• rollers-arm and leg size
• strapping tape/physio support tape
• plasters
• tweezers
• scissors
• alcohol wipes
• steriles-small sizes
• a few small rolls of mefix
• surgical tape
• needles,syringes,iv lines (only 1 or 2 in case we have to go to a rural clinic)
• powdered electrolytes
• antiseptic
• aloe vera
• sun cream
• insect repellant
• chamois cream

meds-
• vibramycin-antimalarial 50 tablets
• amoxycillin- 50 tablets- broad antibiotic
• ciproxin- 20 tablets- “ “ good for diarrhoea
• diprosone cream-2x 100g tube- steroid based anitinflammatory
• paracetomol
• ibuprofen
• motillium
• immodium

tools
• superb 17piece multitool
• leatherman
• small Philips screwdriver
• normal “ “
• chain whip
• cog remover
• multi cone spanner


maintainance
• oil-white lightning
• rim tape
• handheld pump
• pump adapter
• puncture repair kit
• bicycling illustrated bicycle maintenance book (photocopied relevant pages)

spares
• tubes
• tyres- armadillos
• brake blocks
• chain links
• gear and brake cables (2/each/per person)
• nuts/bolts
• spokes
• nipples
• spd clips

temp fixers
• duct tape
• electrical tape
• coil of wire
• superglue

camping
• 1 man vango tent
• thermarest
• light sleeping bag
• heavy sleeping bag
• 3 man tent
• some rope
• clothes pegs

cooking
• multifuel camping stove
• mug
• spork
• bowl
• plate
• olive oil
• spices holder and curry powder
• water purifier
• wire wool
• washing up liquid

electrical
• ipod
• satellite phone
• gps
• blackberry with maps downloaded
• digital camera and memory cards
• solar charger
• wind up torch/radio/charger combo

clothes
upper body
• 2x short sleeved base layers
• 2x long “ “ “
• short sleeve cycling top
• long sleeve cycling top
• 2x mid layer fleece
• light rain jacket
• heavy rain jacket
• heavy fleece
• 2x t shirts
• shirt
• 2xcompression tops

lower body
• 3x padded bike shorts
• 2x tight shorts
• 2 x leggings
• waterproof trousers
• normal shorts
• trousers

others
• gloves-cycling and other
• helmet
• wooly hat
• underwear/socks
• cycling shoes
• normal runners
• overshoes

bike
• lights
• 2xwater carrier +bottle
• 2xrear waterproof panniers-35l
• 2xfront “ “
• bar bag
• saddle bag
• bell
• mirror


misc
• compass
• maps
• journal
• token gifts eg postcards
• inflatable globe
• toothbrush and paste
• facecloth and unscented soap
• roll on deodarant
• passports,visas and travel info
• waterproof matches
• long handled lighter

as you can see ill be busy over the next few days trying to figure out what i really need as opposed to what i need.

conor rowan

cheers for all the advice lads.the inflatable globe is a brilliant idea. was in the ucd bike shop today and the lads in there were very helpful showing me how to do basic repairs.
so heres the list of all i can see us needing.we have DHL delivering stuff to us when were in turkey,iran and just after crossing into china, so we wont have to carry all our gear at once and can swap winter and summer gear.
at the moment its looking like we're going to be bringing too much initially butll post or discard as we see fit along the way.

1st aid
• a few triangulars
• rollers-arm and leg size
• strapping tape/physio support tape
• plasters
• tweezers
• scissors
• alcohol wipes
• steriles-small sizes
• a few small rolls of mefix
• surgical tape
• needles,syringes,iv lines (only 1 or 2 in case we have to go to a rural clinic)
• powdered electrolytes
• antiseptic
• aloe vera
• sun cream
• insect repellant
• chamois cream

meds-
• vibramycin-antimalarial 50 tablets
• amoxycillin- 50 tablets- broad antibiotic
• ciproxin- 20 tablets- “ “ good for diarrhoea
• diprosone cream-2x 100g tube- steroid based anitinflammatory
• paracetomol
• ibuprofen
• motillium
• immodium

tools
• superb 17piece multitool
• leatherman
• small Philips screwdriver
• normal “ “
• chain whip
• cog remover
• multi cone spanner


maintainance
• oil-white lightning
• rim tape
• handheld pump
• pump adapter
• puncture repair kit
• bicycling illustrated bicycle maintenance book (photocopied relevant pages)

spares
• tubes
• tyres- armadillos
• brake blocks
• chain links
• gear and brake cables (2/each/per person)
• nuts/bolts
• spokes
• nipples
• spd clips

temp fixers
• duct tape
• electrical tape
• coil of wire
• superglue

camping
• 1 man vango tent
• thermarest
• light sleeping bag
• heavy sleeping bag
• 3 man tent
• some rope
• clothes pegs

cooking
• multifuel camping stove
• mug
• spork
• bowl
• plate
• olive oil
• spices holder and curry powder
• water purifier
• wire wool
• washing up liquid

electrical
• ipod
• satellite phone
• gps
• blackberry with maps downloaded
• digital camera and memory cards
• solar charger
• wind up torch/radio/charger combo

clothes
upper body
• 2x short sleeved base layers
• 2x long “ “ “
• short sleeve cycling top
• long sleeve cycling top
• 2x mid layer fleece
• light rain jacket
• heavy rain jacket
• heavy fleece
• 2x t shirts
• shirt
• 2xcompression tops

lower body
• 3x padded bike shorts
• 2x tight shorts
• 2 x leggings
• waterproof trousers
• normal shorts
• trousers

others
• gloves-cycling and other
• helmet
• wooly hat
• underwear/socks
• cycling shoes
• normal runners
• overshoes

bike
• lights
• 2xwater carrier +bottle
• 2xrear waterproof panniers-35l
• 2xfront “ “
• bar bag
• saddle bag
• bell
• mirror


misc
• compass
• maps
• journal
• token gifts eg postcards
• inflatable globe
• toothbrush and paste
• facecloth and unscented soap
• roll on deodarant
• passports,visas and travel info
• waterproof matches
• long handled lighter

as you can see ill be busy over the next few days trying to figure out what i really need as opposed to what i need.

davej

Another thing that might be worth doing is scanning in any important documents (eg passports and list of important phone numbers) and sticking them on a gmail account..

davej

domket

This won't help much, but may be for your peace of mind more than anything, the chance of catching malaria in the regions you will be cycling is going to be very small (http://www.map.ox.ac.uk/MAP_data.html).

Wez

Id say, when it comes to a camera, don't be shy to use an old film camera, or even disposable! With a film cam, you can just scan the negs for digital pics/just print the pics and the quality will be more than enough! It's also alot cheaper, no stress if you lose it, just buy another for a fiver! You get tiny batteries for them which last forever and you'll never run out of film, it's completely standard across the world!

That's just my 2 cent from my experiences!

Good luck on your voyage!

fish-head

Allow me to be the first to say, don't forget your bicycle!

Civilian_Target

fish-head wrote:

Allow me to be the first to say, don't forget your bicycle!

And on that note, I also tend not to leave home without the keys to get back in

Seriously though, it sounds to me like you're bringing way too much stuff. I would not want to be cycling up a mountain in rural Turkey knowing that I'm lugging a satellite phone with me!

conor rowan

Civilian_Target wrote:

And on that note, I also tend not to leave home without the keys to get back in

Seriously though, it sounds to me like you're bringing way too much stuff. I would not want to be cycling up a mountain in rural Turkey knowing that I'm lugging a satellite phone with me!

couldnt agree with you more on the bringing too much front. think we'll have to cut down on the list both before we go and after 2/3 weeks when we've figured out what was useful and what we havent used at all.

we're trying to get a regular slot on a radio st. tho, so i think the satellite phone will be a bit down the list of things to toss.that and it gives our parents great peace of mind that we'll always be contactable at a certain time every 2nd day