Kit

Here’s a list of everything we took for 19 months on the road:

Camping

– tent: Terra Nova tunnel tent first (good length inside & lightweight) then North Face Rock 32 (extra headroom & freestanding ability, but heavier)
– stove (MSR Whisperlite International)
– fuel bottle (MSR)
– cooking pans (MSR 2 person set)
– water bag for deserts etc (Ortlieb)
– sleeping bag (we used Marmot down bags for winter and cheap synthetic bags for summer)
– camping mat (Thermarest)
– silk sleeping bag liner (great for keeping your sleeping bag clean when wild camping without a shower)
– headtorch & earplugs

Bike

– VSF Fahrrad Manufaktur T400 (see this post for more details)
– Brooks saddle
– Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (26 x 1.75)
– panniers (Ortlieb back & front rollers, bar bag & rack pack – superb, would definitely use again)
– racks (Tubus front & rear – excellent)
– spare tyre (folding)
– lock (combination, so we couldn’t loose the key)
– pump (Topeak – big but easy to get correct pressure and brilliant having the gauge)
– spare spokes / spoke tool / travel cassette remover
– multi tool & Leatherman
– puncture repair kit / tyre levers / spare tubes
– chain lube / toothbrush
– duct tape / zip ties

Clothes

– completely different depending on climate, so I won’t list everything out
– we generally had one set of clothes for cycling, and a clean set of clothes for off the bike, plus a few extra bits
– Rebecca usually used cycling shorts but I wore normal boxer shorts and surf-style shorts
– footwear was walking boots or sandals (neither with cycling cleats for easy walking)

Gadgets

– two cameras (Canon 350D for Ryan (newer model now available) & Panasonic Lumix for Rebecca (newer model now available)
– video camera
– spare memory cards & batteries for various cameras
– 11″ netbook laptop (good value, makes it easier to edit photos & write blogs etc)
– iPod Touch & earphones (excellent – could be used instead of laptop for email / Skype / internet)
– UK phone and SIM card (used rarely – we usually waited to use Skype & emails to contact people)
– chargers and USB plug

Other

– passport / travel insurance docs / photocopies of important docs etc
– money belt & day wallet
– maps / compass
– diary & pen
– books & playing cards (we wished we had a Kindle – it’s hard to find English books in Central Asia etc)
– basic First Aid kit & water purification tablets (chlorine)
– mosquito repellent & bite cream
– photos of family (great ice breaker)
– toilet paper!

For a few more details about some of the more important bits of kit, you can check out the mini reviews we wrote here.

If you’re planning a trip and need to buy any kit from the shops listed below, we’d really appreciate it if you could click through from the affiliate links on this page. It makes no difference to the cost, but gives us a small commission which helps to cover the cost of maintaining this website. Thanks!