Gear (Mk I)

Every last little bit of gear (when I had panniers)…

BAGS
Panniers: Ortlieb Back Roller Plus (Graphite/Black)
Handlebar Bag: Revelate Designs Sweetroll (Large)
Fork Bags: Salsa Anything Bags
Frame Bag: Surly/Relevate Designs Ogre (XL, No. 9)
Top-tube Bag: Revelate Designs Gas Tank
Tool bag: Revelate Designs Jerrycan (Bent)
Cockpit Bags: 2 x Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbag
Dry Bags: 3 x Exped Fold
Mesh Bags: 2 x Lowe Alpine Mesh Stuffsacks
Mesh Clothes Bags: 2 x Bago Travel Bags
Stuff Bags: 4 x Granite Gear Air ZippDitty
Day-sack: Exped Cloudburst Drypack 25L (Olive)
Great size, waterproof day-sack for shopping or short trips or for temporary extra capacity

 

CLOTHING
Waterproof Jacket: Arcteryx Zeta AR
Down Jacket: Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer
Fleece: Rab Strata Flex
Gilet: McKinley Primaloft
Cycling Jerseys: 2 x Vulpine SS Merino
Long-sleeve Baselayer: Icebreaker 260
Short-sleeve Baselayer: Icebreaker 200 T-shirt
T-shirts: 2 x Icebreaker Everyday SS Crewe (Blue & Ochre)
T-shirt: Cotton IconSpeak
Shorts: Endura Humvee 3/4 Length
Fantastic shorts.  They are hard-wearing, comfortable, good (zip) pockets and keep the sun off my knees.
Trousers: The North Face convertible trousers
Padded Undies: 2 x Vulpine Padded Briefs
Undies: 2 x Rapha Merino Briefs
3/4 Leggings: Icebreaker Bodyfit Zone Legless 200
Padded Tights: Gore Bike Wear Power SO Windstopper
Shoes: Meindl Respond GTX
Sandles: Merrell Kahuna III
Socks: 2 x Woolie Boolie 4″ (Grey)
Ankle Socks: Icebreaker Multisport Cushion Mini
Ankle Socks: Icebreaker Merino
Armwarmers/UV Protectors: 2 x Castelli UPF50+ (White)
Neck Warmers/Beanies: Buff High UV Insect Shield (Grey)
Beanie: Icebreaker Merino (for wearing under hat)
Beanie: Bolivian thick-knit alpaca
Hat: Tilley Hat
Nice big brim, pretty much indestructible and chin strap for windy conditions. Oh, and the sides pop up for an ‘aero’ mode!
Cycling Cap: Vulpine Cotton
Mitts: Gore Bike Wear Oxygen Short Finger
Comfortable but padding is more designed for road bars so have had a fair bit of ulnar palsy. Mesh on back of hand means tanned knuckles!  Not super hard-wearing.
Windstopper Gloves: Gore Bike Wear Xenon 2.0 Softshell
Padded Gloves: Gore Bike Wear Universal Gore-Tex
Sunglasses: Oakley Radarlock Path Polarized Iridium (Black Iridium & VR28 lenses)
Towel: Microfibre (120x60cm)

 

SLEEPING
Tent: Hilleberg Soulo (Green) + Footprint
Weighing in at about 2.7kg with the footprint, it’s at the heavier end of the scale.  However, it’s rock-solid, has good length and height (I’m 6’2”) and a good vestibule for stashing my panniers etc.  Also, I wanted a free-standing tent (for pitching indoors or on solid ground) which had poles on the outside so that you don’t get the inner wet when pitching in the rain.  Also, you don’t have ‘fly-sheet issues’ when pitching in really windy conditions!  Would maybe consider something lighter for a future trip. Was slightly over the top for Peru but has been great in the windier climes of Bolivia and Chile.
Air Mattress: Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite (Large)
As a side-sleeper, I needed something with a fair thickness and this has proved to be very comfy. Wee bit noisy when rolling about but that’s not too much of an issue for a solo traveller! Takes about 25 lung-fulls to inflate. Bit of a faff to pack away – tend to have to roll up first to get rid of air and then fold and roll to pack. Worth the effort though.
Sleeping Bag: Mountain Equipment Helium 600 (XL, Zip Right)
Very cosy and comfortable in sub-zero conditions so far. Fairly lightweight (approx 1.1kg), given that it’s rated to -1C (comfort), -7C (lower limit), -23C (extreme).
Sleeping Bag Liner: Rab Hooded Mummy Silk
Pillow: Exped Air Pillow (Large)

 

DRINKING/COOKING
Water Bottles: 2 x SIS (800ml, Clear)
Water Bottle: Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel (Wide, 40oz)
Water Bladder: Ortlieb Water Bag (4L)
Stove: MSR WhisperLite International & 20 oz (591 ml) Fuel Bottle
Stove: Beer Can (Alcohol)
Stove Lighter:  Light My Fire 2.0 Fire Steel Scout
Pots: Evernew ECA-411 Titanium Non Stick Pot Set 0.6L and 0.9L
Mug: Snow Peak 450 Titanium
It’s a mug, it’s lightweight, it’s strong, it’s just the right size.  What more can you say?  Spot on.
Water Purifier: SteriPEN Ultra
Water Filter: SteriPEN FitsAll Filter
Condiments: MSR Alpine Salt and Pepper Shaker
Condiments: MSR Alpine Spice Shaker
Spork: Light My Fire Titanium
Love it! Only piece of cutlery you need (besides a decent knife)!
Knife: Opinel No.8 INOX Folding
Scotch-Brite Sponge
Microfibre Cloth

 

TECH
GPS Bike Computer: Lezyne Super GPS
Sits in my top-tube bag and I use it merely for recording my track. Good battery life (generally last 2.5-3 days). Syncs with (slightly crap) phone app to upload to web (and syncs with Strava). Downside is it doesn’t have a barometric altimeter so elevation isn’t super-accurate and Strava makes up fanciful figures when uploaded! Knew this before I came out though and it does what I wanted it to do reliably enough.
Front Bike Light: Cateye Volt 400 RC
Head Torch: Petzl Tikka RXP
One of my favourite bits of kit! Really bright but adjusts brightness automatically depending on what you are looking at. USB rechargeable, lasts ages and has red light too.
Laptop: MacBook 12inch
So far (touch wood), it’s been fine!  Lightest weight (1kg), decent laptop that I could find.  Got it off eBay quite cheaply.  SSD means there’s no mechanical hard drive being bounced about – and it takes a fair bit of abuse!!  Retina display is beautiful for photo-editing.  Couldn’t have put the blog together without it.
Phone: iPhone SE 64GB
Great size for touring. Bit less showy than a full-size iPhone 6 but big enough to read on handlebars. Excellent camera too and battery lasts ages (especially in low power mode). GPS works while in Airplane Mode. Only slightly shame is the omission of a barometric altimeter, which would make elevation data more accurate. That said, it’s usually pretty good. I use MapOut and GaiaGPS for offline maps and navigation, which work really well. Needs a screen protector – already smashed once in a fall while mounted on the Quad-lock!
Phone Mount: Quad-lock
Great. I was initially concerned at the lack of ‘permanent’ fixing – it just uses rubber bands – but it’s proved to be solid. Holds iPhone SE steady on the bumpiest of dirt roads.
Camera: Sony RX100 MIII
360 Camera: Ricoh Theta S
Fantastic little camera. Great for capturing the big vistas that you just can’t fit into a normal photo. Battery life good and iPhone apps work well.
MP3 Player: iPod Shuffle
Great to have an alternative music player so as not to use up phone battery.  Use it predominantly for podcasts and audiobooks.
eReader: Kindle
Slightly wish I’d got a Paperwhite (with a backlight) so that I could read discretely in the tent in the evening without using the head torch.  However, it’s been great to have this option for down time and for reading in restaurants etc when I’m on my own!
Charger: Anker PowerPort 2 24W USB charger
Smallest 2-port US-style charger I could find that does fast-charging. For me, absolute must-have to have two ports for simultaneous charging of all my gadgets! Works great. Only issue is that it doesn’t charge the Ricoh Theta S!
Charger: US-Style iPhone USB Charger (as backup and for Ricoh Theta S
Battery Pack: Anker 2nd Gen Astro 6400mAh
About the right size for me (given that I’ve got the Son hub too).  The Son only really comes into its own on tarmac or smoother downhills, so this gives me a couple of charges of my phone or any of the other plethora of devices.  Enough for 2-3 days away from civilisation!  Doesn’t charge from the Son/Plug combo though 🙁
Cables: Assorted Anker Powerline+ USB cables (Lightning & Micro-USB, Kevlar re-inforced)
Hard Drive: Samsung Portable SSD T3 500GB
SD Cards
Joby GorillaPod Original Tripod
Spare Headphones
USB-C Adaptor & Cables for MacBook

 

TOILETRIES
Sun Cream (SPF50+)
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Razor: Cheapy disposable
Beard Scissors:  The Bluebeards Revenge Moustache and Beard Scissors
Deodorant: Salt of The Earth Crystal Spring Natural Deodorant (50g)
Soap
Moisturiser
Vaseline (Aloe Vera)
Bi-carb Soda
Sudocrem
Dental Floss
Condoms
Toilet Paper

FIRST AID
Tweezers
Plasters
Ear Plugs
Germolene
Rehydration salts sachets
Ibuprofen
Anti-histamine pills
Sterile Wipes
Sterile Washes (2 x 25ml)
Blister Plasters
Self-adhesive wound dressings
Steri-strips
Vinyl Gloves
Imodium (Instants and Classic)
Voltarol
Doxycycline
Rennie
Eye drops
Chloramphenicol Eye Ointment

MISC
Cycle Helmet: Giro Savant
Chair: Alite Designs Monarch Camping Chair
My single biggest ‘luxury’ item in terms of weight (at 0.5kg), it’s about the lightest you can get, but still a fair weight to lug up the Andean climbs! That said, it’s fantastic being able to rest my back for a bit after I’ve set up camp in the evening and good to get off the cold/damp ground too. Had plenty of jealous looks from fellow cycle-tourists!
Bike Lock: Kryptonite Kryptoflex 815 Combo
Reasonably happy with this – it’s fairly lightweight (approx 320g) but perhaps substantial enough to be a deterrent at a camp-site or at a hostel where I can’t take the bike to my room. Gives me a little peace of mind.
MSR Ultralight Utility Cord
Sharpies
Matches
Safety Pins
Mini Sewing Kit
Mini Compass

 

TOOL KIT
Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HV ABS Pump with Gauge
Tyre Levers
PDW 3wrencho Coated Tyre Lever (with 15mm Wheel Nut Spanner)
Leatherman Wave
Allen Keys (Lezyne SV5 Multi-tool & 8mm Key)
Torx Keys (T20 & T25 for Rohloff)
Rohloff Sprocket Tool (for reversal/replacement)
Park Tools CT-5 Chain Breaker
Short (leftover) length of Wipperman 8-speed chain
Park Tools SW-7 Spoke Key
2 x Connex chain links
Spare Chainring Bolt
2 x Park Tools VP1 Puncture Repair Kits
Park Tools Super Patches
2 x Park Tools Emergency Tyre Boots
Stans No Tubes Presta-Shraeder Valve Adapter
Loctite 243 Threadlocker
Brooks Proofide (mini pot)
Cable Ties
Assorted bolts/washers/spacers
Spare Tuggnut Bolt
Toothbrush (for chain cleaning)
Chain Lubricant (in ‘leak-proof’ bottle)
Duct Tape (wrapped round lube bottle)
Super Glue
Electrical Tape

SPARES
3 x Inner Tubes
Disc Brake Pads
Rohloff Gear Cables Just one cable (ditched the 2nd and the housings)
Brake Cables
Rohloff Oil Change Kit
Rohloff Gear Cable Tension Adjustor Screws
Spokes & Nipples (4 x Rear, 4 x Front)
MSR Annual Maintenance Kit
Therm-a-rest Repair Kit (Patches)