Critique my kit list please?

[jay clock]

I am off to NZ in 8 days time for a 3 week camping tour. I have camped for a couple of one nighters (feeble but true) and have done 5 one week tours staying in hotels. Bike is a new Koga Miyata World Traveller to replace my trad British 531 tourer.

Sorry for the long list pasted in below. I have packed it all in my four new Ortlieb panniers (front and rear backrollers) Plus an Ortlieb dry bag for the tent and ground sheet. The rear panniers weigh 10kg. the front 4.9kg and the dry bag 3.3kg. There are a few extra things in there not listed below (some freeze dried food for emergencies), and one or two of the things are not in yet, but the weight will be around a total of 18-19kg (max 20kg) based on what I currently have listed. For the weigh-in I kept out the one set of cycling clothes I will be wearing, plus helmet etc. I also have a small 3 litre bar bag but that is really just for essentials (wallet, camera etc). All kit such as sleeping and cooking is lightweight.

Weather should be like a good UK summer (south!) - ie 22-27deg day, 15-16 at night, quite possible some rain. I am risking SPD sandals for all weather.

Any views on

a) things missing
excess items (ie what the f*** you taking that for)
c) overall weight - how does it compare??

Many thanks!

Jay
ps I will also post on bikereadar...not been there much lately

bottles
lights

Sleeping bag
Thermarest
Pillow
Silk liner
Tent
groundsheet

Gas stove
lighter
Pans
Spatula, plate, cutlery, bowl, cup
food tubs + bottles
coffee
washup liq
sponge
swiss penknife

cycling shirt short sleeves
baggy shorts lycra
triathlon shorts
SPD sandals
bandana

Short fingered gloves
Helmet
arm and leg warmers
Buff
sunglasses
sunglasses case
ultralight jacket
Goretex jacket

camera
camera charger
tripod
phone charger
tikka headlamp
ipod
ipod charger
power adapter

shower gel
shampoo
hand gel
hand cream
razor
tooth brush
tooth paste
floss
shaving gel
nurofen
deo
nail clippers
suncream P20
lipsalve
wetwipes
tissues
Washing liquid
mozzie
plasters/first aid
sewing kit
flannel/sponge

rough guide
NZ map

Compass/thermomter
coat hangers
pegs
notebook

light fleece
ordinary socks
pants
trousers
t shirt
base layer
ordinary shorts
ordinary shoes
towel
baseball cap

wallet
passport
mobiles
Bum bag
goggles
eye mask
ear plugs
notebook and pen

cable ties
lock
spokes
spare cleats/bolts
multitool
inner tube
puncture kit
chaintool
pedal spanner
cassette tool
fake leatherman
lubricant
latex gloves
bungees/straps
spare pads
spare cables
pepper spray

 

[Creamcrackered]

Looks pretty good to me.

Pillow? I just use my clothes.
Coat hangers? I'd just take a length of light line or guyrope you can use as clothes line.

Things that I take that aren't on your list:
-Sun hat for when you don't want to wear your helmet.
-A tea towel, useful as a general wipe.
- A collapsible bucket (nice to have, rather than esential)
- Some baler wire for running repairs (unlikely to be necessary with a brand new Koga)

 

[bonj2]

Inline...

bottles
lights

Sleeping bag
Thermarest what's that?
Pillow could just use folded up clothes if a bit bulky
Silk liner
Tent
groundsheet

Gas stove
lighter
Pans
Spatula, plate, cutlery, bowl, cup
food tubs + bottles
coffee
washup liq
sponge
swiss penknife

cycling shirt short sleeves
baggy shorts lycra
triathlon shorts
SPD sandals
bandana

Short fingered gloves
Helmet
arm and leg warmers
Buff
sunglasses
sunglasses case
ultralight jacket
Goretex jacket only bother with one jacket, if it's 22-27 degrees you probably won't need goretex

camera
camera charger *
tripod
phone charger
tikka headlamp don't bother with it. use one of your bike lights if you need a torch in your tent.
ipod
ipod charger *
power adapter *
*ALL the chargers for things - don't bother with them all, you don't know you're going to find anywhere to plug them in. Just take spare batteries, and for your mobile keep it switched off except for emergencies, not least 'cos it costs YOU if someone from the UK calls you.

shower gel
shampoo don't bother with shampoo AND shower gel. One will do both jobs.
hand gelridiculous. Why take a different type of gel for each part of your body?
hand cream
razor don't bother. just grow a beard. or get some bics from a shop there and just use them in the toilets of a caff if you really must.
tooth brush
tooth paste
floss sure you can manage without floss for 3 weeks.
shaving gel again, unnecessary. soap (as in bar soap) is just as good, and it's free in toilets of places.
nurofen probably won't need it, just buy some over there if you do.
deo
nail clippers
suncream P20
lipsalve
wetwipes
tissues
Washing liquid you've already put washing UP liquid, is this something different?
mozzie
plasters/first aid
sewing kit Why?
flannel/sponge

rough guide debatable as to whether necessary, can probably pick up more specific local ones when there or go to tourist information kiosks in towns or something, but take it if you want.
NZ map

Compass/thermomter Don't see why you'd specifically need a thermometer, but i'm guessing it's because it's built into your compass, which is a good idea to take. Make sure it works, a lot of compasses don't.
coat hangers
pegs to peg clothes up to dry, presumably, but to what? consider just using laundrettes once a week, then you won't need pegs or clothes hangers.
notebook you've put this again below.

light fleece
ordinary socks
pants
trousers
t shirt
base layer
ordinary shorts
ordinary shoes
towel
baseball cap

wallet
passport
mobiles why plural? just take one.
Bum bag
goggles why?
eye mask why?
ear plugs why?
notebook and pen

cable ties why?
lock
spokes
spare cleats/bolts probably won't need as you can still ride it if a cleat breaks to the nearest town and just get a new one from the nearest bike shop, but they're not very big I suppose.
multitool
inner tube
puncture kit
chaintool
pedal spanner why will you need one?
cassette tool unlikely to be necessary, cassettes wear out gradually they don't just suddenly break.
fake leatherman what's that when it's at home.
lubricant
latex gloves
bungees/straps
spare pads again, won't 'break suddenly'.
spare cables
pepper spray no point. Do you carry it with you whereever you go in the UK? so why bother in new zealand? kiwis not all marauding neanderthals waiting to rob you.

You've manged to fit all that in 4 panniers? Presumably your tent goes above the rear ones?

 

[Amanda P]

If you take a good headtorch, and you're not actually planning to ride at night much, you don't really need a front light as well.

Personally, I don't like gas stoves. Those empty cartridges are very wasteful, and bulky. But that's just me and it might be a bit late for you to switch to something else.

Carry backup fire-lighting stuff (lifeboat matches or a flint and steel). Lighters won't always work if they get wet or get trodden on and there's nothing more frustrating than not being able to make fire when you really need a cuppa.

Razor? Shaving gel? You'll be wearing sandals, why not grow the beard? Seriously, though, you do have quite a lot of different toiletries. You can do a lot of things, including shaving, washing your clothes, showering, washing your hair, with an ordinary bar of hand soap. (Not cleaning your teeth though).

Consider carrying a small selection of nuts and bolts, rather than just those for cleats. Also rubber bands (cut some from an old inner tube), plastic bags and the like.

Finally (unless I think of anything else), check that your mulitool will fit every fastener on your (very nice) bike. The thing it won't fit will be the one that comes loose!

Can I come? Oh, I've got to work. Damn.

 

[Brock]

Folded up clothes for a pillow never worked for me.
Can't immediately see anything missing, I did think the latex gloves and lubricant was being a bit optimistic though


Edit: Hey wait!... You've got your phone charger but no phone!
Edit: Oh I see.. 'Mobiles' doesn't refer to in-tent ornamentation.

 

[rich p]

Best bit of advice - Ignore most of Bonj's advice as I suspect he has little or no experience of this thing. He doesn't even know what a thermarest is! But I suspect you'd already ignored him

Millets do a twisted elastic clothes line that is tiny and light but due to the double twist doesn't need pegs.
They also do a washing gel that covers clothes, body and hair. I used it last year and found it excellent.

Tea bags?

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Red equals not necessary really imho. Also cant you get one charger for all the electric gear?

bottles
lights

Sleeping bag
Thermarest
Pillow (stuff clothes into sleep bag head)
Silk liner
Tent
groundsheet

Gas stove
lighter
Pans
Spatula, plate, cutlery, bowl, cup(Eat with a spatula from the bowl)
food tubs + bottlesResealable plastic bags are lighter)
coffee
washup liq
sponge WHY?
swiss penknife

cycling shirt short sleeves
baggy shorts lycra
triathlon shorts
SPD sandals
bandana

Short fingered gloves
Helmet
arm and leg warmers
Buffasw ell as a bandanna?
sunglasses
sunglasses case No need
ultralight jacket
Goretex jacket

camera
camera charger
tripod
phone charger
tikka headlampUse bike light in tent
ipod
ipod charger
power adapter

shower gel
shampoo
hand gel
hand cream NO!...small 'hotel' shampoo does it all
razor
tooth brush
tooth paste
floss not needed
shaving geluse the shampoo above
nurofen
deo not needed
nail clippers bite
suncream P20
lipsalve
wetwipes
tissues
Washing liquid not needed
mozzie
plasters/first aid
sewing kit
flannel/sponge not needed

rough guide
NZ map

Compass/thermomter you cant change the temp anyway so not needed
coat hangers Not needed
pegs
notebook

light fleece
ordinary socks
pants commando is best
trousers
t shirt
base layer
ordinary shortsCycle shorts instead
ordinary shoes take walkable roadshoes instead
towel make sure it's a sports towel
baseball cap and a bandanna??

wallet Not needed..use the zip pocket in the bar bag
passport
mobiles
Bum bag and a bar bag??!
goggles Not needed
eye mask not needed
ear plugs
notebook just one notebook and pen

cable ties
lock
spokes
spare cleats/bolts depends on location of LBS's
multitool
inner tube
puncture kit
chaintool
pedal spanner not needed
cassette tool not needed
fake leatherman
lubricant
latex gloves not needed and available in petrol stations
bungees/straps
spare pads
spare cables depends on availability of LBS's
pepper spray NZ women aren't that dangerous

 

[Brock]

I wouldn't say a cassette tool isn't needed. Spoke breakage is pretty common among tourers, and a little cassette tool and a few spokes can mean the difference between being stranded and a 15 minute fix.
My hypercracker thingy weighs about nothing and saved me a long walk and a lot of time.

 

[Achilles]

Looks a bit heavy to me - I reckon on less that 12kg all up for a 5 day tour plus food and water and thats with a 2kg tent - the next item to be changed. Some thoughts

I would only take 1 pan, a titanium mug ( you can heat water in it) and a lexan spoon or spork - no spatula, plate, cutlery or bowl

Get rid of the food boxes

Combine the washing up liquid, shampoo, shower gel and soap by using an all in one product - you can do clothes with it as well

Replace shaving gel with oil

Ditch the ordinary shorts - take zip off trousers ( might also replace the baggy cyling shorts?)

Get rid of the ordinary shoes - flip flops or crocs

I take it the towel is a microfibre one?

Use you bar bag instead of the bum bag

Buff and bandana?

Coat hangers and pegs? Agree with above, the travel wash line would be a better bet.

you might also like to check on Gas availability/comaptibility

Hope this helps - have a fantastic time!

 

[bonj2]

Best bit of advice - Ignore most of Bonj's advice as I suspect he has little or no experience of this thing. He doesn't even know what a thermarest is! But I suspect you'd already ignored him

without looking into it I'll bet that it's something that someone who went on Dragon's Den has invented and convinced people they need...

 

[simon_adams_uk]

There's some pretty super-light tourers on here! I'd be inclined to keep most of the gear on the list.

Yes, it'll weigh more but presuming you're not doing heroic distances every day it will make life more pleasant for the 3 weeks your camping. 3 weeks is a long time living out of a tent and panniers and some creature comforts will be worth it I reckon.

The thing I'd definitely recommend keeping is hand gel - specifically I mean an alcohol based cleaning gel. Making grubby hands not so grubby during meal preparation and after 'pit stops' is essential and saves using water, soap, etc all the time.

Other than that, take more small spares (chain links, zip ties, selection of bolts) and try and cut down on the clothing.

Oh, and for special treats after a hard day small catering packs of posh jam / marmite / similar. A great motivational tool on occasion!!

Enjoy!
S

 

[jay clock]

thanks for all the helpful comments (I will of course ignore any unhelpful ones!). Most of you have responded in a why that sounds helpful and constrcutive (only most!)

There are a few themes:

1 soaps/hygiene - in fact for all body/hair washing I am down to a small tune of gel. Shaving is a small bottle of King of shaves. I do not like a beard (in spite of the sandals). the hand gel stuff are minuscule tubes about 9g each I got as free samples.

2 Pillow. From my limited camping experience this is the ONE thing that is a must have. I sleep on my side, so need good support. I now have a small polyester one (40x30cm) plus a flat inflatable one. Clothes will be added too all inside a pillow case. I am even looking at taking a full size Hungarian goose down pillow which is amazingly light and folds down tiny.

3 Tools/spares. the 25g for a cassette tool seem to be well spent. If I have a drive side spoke go miles from anywhere I only need to borrow a large wrench, plus a piece of cloth as a chain wrench (it works) and I can get the cassette off. Without, I may have a 100 mile+ trip to a bike shop.

4 Off bike shoes. Have thought long and hard about this, but I plan to go for a short run most evenings (I do triathlons). Same goes for swimming goggles - I plan to swim 800m + every time I come to a nice beach. My 50g of goggles will make this a great memory rather than a non starter.

5 the pepper spray is for dogs of the canine variety. not decided about this yet as NZ does not seem to have reports of dog problems but I am terrified of them

6 Cooking etc - whittling the pans etc down a bit might save 3-400g. The whole pot pan, crokcery combo is about 650g

many thanks - will have another re-pack over the next few days!

 

[Brock]

2 Pillow. From my limited camping experience this is the ONE thing that is a must have. I sleep on my side, so need good support. I now have a small polyester one (40x30cm) plus a flat inflatable one. Clothes will be added too all inside a pillow case. I am even looking at taking a full size Hungarian goose down pillow which is amazingly light and folds down tiny.

I'm exactly the same, and ended up with one of these microbead pillow things. They take up a fair bit of pannier space, but weight is negligible, and most importantly I can sleep like a baby on them.

Small comforts can mean a lot on such a tour, so don't be tempted to deny yourself the luxury of a decent fork and spoon just to save a few grams. At the same time remember you can always dump/purchase stuff along the way if need be.

Don't forget seasoning! I've got one of these salt/pepper pots from Field and Trek. Hardly necessary, but nicer to use than other small pots designed for other purposes.

 

[Achilles]

One luxury I do take is a thermarest chair kit - 300g but it transforms the evenings also agree with the pillow, unless you have something like a down jacket, I find using clothing very uncomforable and you cannot put them on if you get cold!

I also only use rear panniers - bike seems to handle OK and that saves about 1.5kg!

 

[bonj2]

The thing I'd definitely recommend keeping is hand gel - specifically I mean an alcohol based cleaning gel. Making grubby hands not so grubby during meal preparation and after 'pit stops' is essential and saves using water, soap, etc all the time.

that's what the latex gloves are for. However, he absolutely must remember his neck gel, shoulder cream, knee soap, face gel, face cream, face conditioner, nose scrub lotion, thigh lotion, ankle soap, foot soap, and forehead spray. Where would he be without them? - quite obviously stranded.

Other than that, take more small spares (chain links, zip ties, selection of bolts) and try and cut down on the clothing.

I'm still yet to hear a reason why he would need cable ties.

3 Tools/spares. the 25g for a cassette tool seem to be well spent. If I have a drive side spoke go miles from anywhere I only need to borrow a large wrench, plus a piece of cloth as a chain wrench (it works) and I can get the cassette off. Without, I may have a 100 mile+ trip to a bike shop.

No offence, but if you're miles from anywhere, who do you think you're going to be able to borrow a "large wrench" from - a passing wallaby?

Not meaning to have a go at you but I have to say all this talk people make of doomsday preparation for incase armageddon occurs and/or your bike literally falls to bits seems a bit pointless. Can't cyclists just get travel insurance like everybody else, or is there something i'm missing that dictates that while touring it's in fact constantly necessary to pretend to be living in the 18th century?