My first ever trip was straight after a festival where two friends and I, with village bikes and fixies, a tent, a gas stove, a paper map and a compass, got the ferry to Normandy and followed the compass east. On the first night after a long day cycling, desperate to eat, we got ready to cook dinner, only to realise that we had the wrong stove adapter. Luckily some kind french people cooked our dinner for us in their caravan. We were hilariously unprepared, but it remains one of the best trips I’ve ever been on.
So below is my kit list for what I now take on cycle touring trips, but the reality is most of the items are nice-to-haves. All you really need is some sort of bicycle, some way to carry your kit, water, a tent and your passport. Obviously, the less weight you have the more efficient you’ll be, but for me it’s as much about having a fun experience as it is cycling all day, so I take things that might seem a bit silly (like a surfboard and a drone), but it’s well worth it.
My cycle touring kit list
All the linked items are the exact ones I used.
Bike:
- Gravel bike – Kona Jake (got mine for £300 on Facebook marketplace)
- Helmet
- Rear paneers (Crosso 60L)
- Handlebar bag
- Backpack
- Bike lock
- Repair kit inc. spare inner tube and pump
Camping:
- Tent
- Sleeping bag
- Roll matt
- Gas attachment
- Gas
- Lighters
- Cooking pan set
- Washing up liquid
- Tea towel
- Jet boil
- Water bottles
- Rechargeable lamp
- Head torch
Clothes:
- x1 Waterproof jacket
- x2 Warm tops
- x3 T-shirts
- x1 Padded cycling shorts
- Boxers and socks
- x1 Towel
- x1 Trackies
- x1 Trousers
- x1 Shorts
- x1 Swim shorts
- Glasses & Contact lenses
- Sunglasses
- x1 Pair of trainers
- x1 Pair of slides
Other:
- Bungee cords (absolutely essential!)
- Portable charger
- Smart phone with maps downloaded (Google Maps, MapOut, Maps.Me)
- Swiss army knife
- Aeropress and speciality coffee
- Duct tape
- Medical kit
- Music speaker
- Kindle
Camera equipment:
- Front camera bag
- Mirrorless Camera – I have a Panasonic G90 with a prime lens, ND filter, spare memory cards and batteries
- Drone
- Go-Pro
Surfing:
- Wetsuit 4/3mm
- Surfboard rack – This worked perfectly until the last day, when it sheared off, so it only lasted 6-weeks
- Surfboard
The set-up
It worked really well having the front handle bag with my camera in for easy access, and also having a backpack that I could easily secure on and off the top of the back panniers with elastic cords. It was definitely too ‘back heavy’ and if I went on too steep of an incline I started to topple backwards which wasn’t ideal. However, I liked having the front wheel light and free, and I just couldn’t be bothered to buy two more panniers. I’d probably do the same again as it worked fine, unless I was doing a longer 4+ months trip.