Tag: winter

I’m not gonna beat around the bush here, I’m not a gearhead and don’t think it’s as important as people make out. Please don’t let “not having the latest gear” stop you from going out and having an amazing experience. A bin bag makes a great rain coat. But I get that these kind of lists can be useful as a guideline, so this is a post about the gear and equipment I chose to take on a multi-month cycle tour. To see the bike spec, click here.

There’s loads of different ways that people gear up for cycle touring, but if you’re thinking of doing something similar to the Vague Direction project that involves multiple months on the bike, through a variety of seasons, I hope this is a useful resource for you to figure out your own travel solution.

Clearly different times of year and different routes call for different gear lists, but something similar to this should give you enough options to stay warm in temperatures down to around -10ºC and handle fairly extreme weather conditions. (I will only ever recommend gear that I personally enjoy using).

Sleeping System

• Thermarest
• Thin Foam Matting (to be used under the tent on hard surfaces)
• Bergans Compact Light 2-man tent
• Bergans Senja Ice Sleeping Bag (long version)
• Bergans Sleeping Bag Cover (for being discreet when putting a tent up wouldn’t be wise)
• Sea to Summit Silk Liner

Clothing System

It comes down to layers, being covered for even the worst weather, and easy temperature control.

• Glittertind waterproof
• Isfjorden light insulated jacket
• Vier fleece jacket
• Imingem trousers
• Variety of Merino Wool undergarments and socks
• Marmot Dri-clime jacket
• Helly Hansen Balaclava
• Montane ultra lightweight pertex jacket
• North Cape thinsulate waist coat
• Mountain Hardwear lightweight shirt

Specifically for cycling, I’m using:

• Pair of padded lycra cycling tights
• Pair of padded lycra cycling tights
• Gemini Lights cycling jersey
• Karrimor reflective waistcoat (for visibility at night)
• Waterproof Overtrousers for the rainy days
• Waterproof Overshoes
• Cycling glasses (for sustained headwind days!)
• Met Stradivarius 2013 helmet
• Specialized Tahoe SPD Shoes

Baggage

• Ortlieb pannier bags (Back Roller Classic’s on the rear, Sport Packer Plus on the front & handlebar bag)
• F-Stop Camera Bag (used as rear pannier top bag. It’s padded and fit’s all camera gear and laptop. Best camera bag out there at the moment IMO and has the valuable benefit of not looking like a camera bag)

Misc

• Lightweight running shorts
• 4x gloves (one pair of trek cycling specific half-finger gloves, plus non-cycling specific thin, thick/warm, and over-gloves)
• Karrimor ‘nalgene-style’ water bottle
• Lightweight travel towel
• Lifesystems first aid kit with additions
• ThermaRest repair kit
• A variety of dry bags
• Bike Parka Urban bike cover (great for making your bike less steal-able)
• A couple of really, really piercingly loud alarms for security
• ACA Maps – you will love these if you’re touring in the USA.
• Magellan eXplorist 710 GPS
• Goal Zero Sherpa 50 Solar Power Kit with Inverter (Works amazingly)
• New Balance Minimus Super Lightweight trainers

There’s also a variety of filmmaking gear not on the list. All in all, including camera stuff too which isn’t listed, this comes in at around 30 kilograms. Oh yeah, and it all fits in the pannier bags!