The Kit List

Here is a list of all my kit. I thought this might be interesting to see anyway, but also to compare to when I finish. What did I ditch and what had I forgotten?

My gut feeling is I have a bit too much in the way of clothes. Ive come prepared for all weather, but may have overdone it on the cold weather stuff. But we shall see. If anyone has any comments on this, I would be interested in hearing them

I have 4 panniers for the bike, 2 large ones at the back and 2 smaller ones at the front. Plus a bar bag on the handle bars.

Things are arranged roughly like this

Back pannier 1: Camping equipment

 Sleeping bag. Pretty important. A Mamut Sawtooth. Nice and warm, and squashes up pretty small.

Therm-a-rest sleeping mat. After my practice camping trip, I realised I needed a roll mat. This one was pricey, but hopefully worth it. Self inflates most of the way, very comfy, weighs just 300grams and rolls up really small.

Tent. North Face Tadpole 23. Again not cheap, but very light (2kgs) and easy to erect. Should be room inside for me and my kit to keep it dry. This lives on the back parcel shelf rather than in a pannier.

Solid fuel stove and tablets. I wanted something small to cook on if I was going to be camping somewhere less populated. They dont come much smaller than this! Hopefully have enough tablets to last a while.

Saucepan set. Pretty basic but fine for boiling water, cooking soup etc. The little pouch also contains my spice rack – curry powder, chilli powder, italian herbs and pilau seasoning.

Dinning set. Contains couple of bowls, a cup, a spork and a chopping board/colander.

Travel towel. Small and light

Turbostick light and fuel. This baby has a jet powered flame. Could also use as a blow torch if I ever cook crème brulee!

Then a few essentials, torch, can opener, tea towel and washing up liquid. And of course some toilet roll! My wash kit will also go in here.

Back pannier 2: Clothes

3 x short sleeve technical tops and 1 running vest. Quick drying, wick sweat away and easy to wash

3 x padded cycling shorts. Pretty much an essentia.

1 pair of thermal tights

2 x long sleeve base layers

2 x casual t shirts

1 x casual shorts/swimming shorts

1 x running shorts

1 x walking trousers which also turn into shorts

1 x skiing gloves if it gets cold/wet

1 x waterproof jacket

1 x quick on waterproof trousers

1 x wooly hat

1 x cap

1 x arm protectors for cycling

1 x walking shoes

1 x flip flops for those 'necessary' trips when camping!

A few pairs of socks and a few pairs of underwear

Front pannier 1: Spares and repairs

Tool kit consisting of:

Leatherman multitool (pliers, screwdrivers, cutters, knife, bottle opener)

Top peak multitool – various Allan keys

Cleaning brush for chain and gears

Pedal wrench

Chain tool and spare chain link

Rigger jigger with various nut sizes on

Tyre levers and puncture pads

Couple more screwdrivers

Some rags for cleaning

Chain oil

Then a few spare parts of brake pads, gear cable and brake cable.

In an ideal world, I wont have to use any of these except for the brush, rags and oil when cleaning the drivetrain! In reality, best to be prepared.

Front pannier 2 and bar bag: Bits and bobs

In my bar bag I will have

Current maps

Camera

Wallet

Passport

Note book – also contains print outs of passport, visa and useful phone numbers

Picture of Clare and me

Then in the front pannier will be

Books - will give to charity/library as and when I finish them to lighten load

First aid kit – plasters, bandages, rehydration sachets, antiseptic etc. Just the basics to keep me patched up

Power monkey explorer – portable battery with attachments to charge my phone and GPS watch. Also comes with a solar unit to charge the battery with.

Garmin GPS watch. Great for recording exact speed and distances (although my trip computer matches up pretty well). Good thing is that I can upload all my rides to have a permanent record of them and to show everyone else!

Orange pouch – cables and wires for connecting and charging laptop, camera, phone and watch. Also a small camera tripod in here

Netbook

Wenlock – Official mascot of the London 2012 olympics. He'll be travelling in the front of my bar bag. I am planning on sending photos of Wenlock in odd places to his twitter account (yes, the olympic mascot has a twitter account!). Maybe they'll send some tickets in return... (although just before I left I did have some money taken for some tickets I applied for which is quite cool – based on the amount, should be a big night in the athletics stadium)

Bike stuff

Helmet

Bike cycling shoes

Fingerless gloves

RoadID – wrist band with my emergency contact details and medical history should the worst happen

D lock and cable

Sunglasses with spare set of lenses to be used in rain/overcast conditions

Some lights (not pictured) if it gets dark during the day. Although I am never going to be riding at night.

Small backpack with CamelBack reservoir. Not planning on wearing this, but if I have a long stretch of road with little facilities on it, the extra water will be very handy.

And of course, I have a bike.

So thats everything I will be living off for the next three months.