8 Must Have Items for Bicycle Touring & Bikepacking

In this video I present 8 items I always take with me on our adventures. These pieces of gear really add value to any Bicycle Touring & Bikepacking setup!

IN THE VIDEO

CAMPING & OUTDOOR

BICYCLE GEAR

CAMERA GEAR

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[WheelstoWander]

Hi Everybody! While gear isn’t everything, it sure can help make things easier and more comfortable. Let us know what your “Must Haves” are? We are curious about things we could be missing out on... Thanks for watching and have a great day, E&M

[christopherlarraz]

Hi, very often I bring along postcards from my city. When I am being invited by somebody, for example for a one night sleep, I can leave a personal message on the post card saying "thank you". Not heavy at all ;-)

[pottery]

Foe a wannabe cycling tourer, these sound very helpful. I especially like the base layer/ pajama tip. Ride on!

[normancoutts]

Lots of good choices included. But for us it is our Sena bike to bike coms system. Ultra light weight and after a decade of use on multiple trips the units have proved to be 100% reliable. They transform the shared experience keeping you completely together while the bikes are up to hundreds of metres apart - and they serve as a super safety and navigation sharing device. Transformative is the word.

[magnuswoolf]

As to the ticks, if you rub a little Vicks Rub around your ankles it repels them very well, also smells very nice, great video guys, going around Iceland next year after watching your video !

[sarahcook]

Thanks for all your videos 😊 I've done a few long tours since 2018 and have got to the same answers, more or less, as you for gear. I do love my Helinox chair though, I am 65 and it's well worth the money for some camping comfort 😊 I have watched lots of your videos and love your calm and positive attitudes. Whenever I find something challenging I channel a bit of "what would Eric and Maudi do" and get to feel more positive!! Safe travels ❤

[KowalskiVanishing_Point]

One more thing I always liked having which I'm sure everyone brings is a good towel. Used it on bike trips for a lot from it's intended use to- pillow, extra (small) blanket, bandages, ground cover for snooze on grass, rag, etc.

[beverleygibson]

Very useful info. I always make sure I wear a good pair of glasses to protect my eyes from, sun, cold, insects, and branches, etc.

[John-rtou]

I did a lot of road bicycle touring, and none of the overland bikepacking. I was always in close enough proximity to water there was no worry. All the bike Packers and long-distance hikers carry water filters. Even when you are not bikepacking or hiking it might be a good idea to keep some of those filters around. You never know when there might be a big change. With the way the world is today things could go sideways.

[petergarner]

Absolutely agree about bringing an compact backpack along. We use the Osprey Ultralight Stuff Pack. It’s 20 litres, and only has one side pocket for a water bottle, but folds up super compact and the stuff sack is integrated into the bag. Not cheap, but we’ve been using ours for 5 years both on and off tour, and it still looks like new.
Great video, as always!

[gusjeazer]

For people that want more strength training while traveling (in general, not just for biking): Two thick long cargo straps with short pieces of PVC pipe/thick garden hose can be a TRX/gymnastic rings. Just gymnastic rings if weight and bulk isn't an issue. Great for inverted rows, pullups in almost any place, ring dips/pushups, sissy squats and so on. Pretty useful, you can also use the straps for your pack or something.

Regular dips can be done on top of any wall or handrail that has a 90° corner. Add weight with a backpack if you can do more than 15-20 bodyweight dips.

Also with a heavyish pack you can do a lot of stuff like somersault squats, one leg deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats and so on. You really don't need a lot of weight with these even if you are pretty strong.

I have seen water bags (like a sandbag) that hold up to 20 liters or so. Would be interesting, but haven't tried.

If you travel often by car, kettlebells are great for that. Make sure to strap them securely so they don't become a canon ball in an accident. When traveling alone, I put them behind a seat and loop the seatbelt through and clip it in.

Carrying a person up and down a staircase was a staple leg exercise before barbells were invented. Don't go to failure though.

And yeah, elastic bands are great too. I wouldn't go too heavy, I find a light or medium one for high reps works best.

Towel pullups are good as well for grip strength or if you find a place you can't do regular pullups from.

Of course, when cycling or hiking every day, you will probably not need too many leg exercises. I would still do stuff like deep prying goblet squats, cossack squats or Bulgarian split squats and somersault squats. Even for just the loaded stretching.

[MrWetsuitboots]

Hi, thanks for this. I recently cycled Cherbourg ferry port to Bilbao ferry port in October. Greenways and camping, on an electric cargo bike (I'm older and it's not a competition okay :) ) My essential kit was as follows: Power Master 13A TO 16A Fly lead socket converter for charging in campsites, Yeti Hopper soft cooler, duct tape, black cable ties, spare spokes in saddle post, bicycle multitool, colour-coded cloths, merino wool thermal layers, tarpaulin, Sky to Summit self-inflating memory foam mattress, superglue, Pro Bike Tool mini hand pump with gauge, Gritin LED head torch, BigBlue 14W foldable solar phone charger, Vulpine merino wool padded boxer shorts, Piz Buin suncream (sweat resistant), Decathlon memory foam saddle pad, Gaiam folding yoga mat, stuff sacks, Decathlon phone holder for JBL Bluetooth speaker. This year I'm taking the dog in the cargo bucket and towing a Burley Nomad trailer with the kit. The tent is Big Agnes Blacktail 2 (with vestibule).

[Longtack]

I take an old tube cut and with a "bungy" hook at either end for tying around my hips and the other end to my seat post to haul bike uphill. It's much more efficient when walking uphill over rough ground, and is excellent as a baggage tie-down.

[robertgraves]

I will often just buy a gallon of spring water and just slug down as much as I can, then fill my two stainless frame bottles, if it's really hot. Early AM "pre hydration " is important when doing the coffee thing. . My filter is an older Sawyer that has two bulky bags that look like IV drips . If I have to gather "camp water " later in the day, (I need at least a gallon) I'll try to use that, carrying the extra weight for an hour or so isn't too bad. My latest project is to make some dehydrated meals and foil pouch them, and do the "Mountain House Thing", because I realized this is better Bear hygeine. We now have an exploding black bear population here. I'm also working on snake chaps. Yeah bag liners kinda suck . Coffee! I use a dollar store sink drain screen to filter coffee, add a layer of finer steel mesh cut from a frying pan steamer cover thing, dollar store. Poor Man's french press. Major score: I road salvaged a big ass wide mouth Kleen Kanteen stainless bottle which will be used for soups that will the the "first course" to boost morale while setting up camp. Or even as a "stealth meal". I also go for the free hot water from the coffee machine tap at the gas stations around 4 PM . Ask nicely. Trigger points. Try a lacrosse ball to kick that up a notch. Even better is a roundish stone (not fresh out of the water) that's been heated, put that in a sock and hang it on your chair or lie on it. The heat, (which lasts a long time!) combined with deeper pressure will annihilate any trigger point . Been doing that for years . Never fails. I made a "tick spoon " out of a tiny measuring spoon that I cut a Vee in. Love your gear reviews, always done from long term hardcore research. Prepping up to catch some trout on a nearby river, discovered I can carry everything on a Bob trailer, which has turned out to be pretty awesome.

[BenjaminDavinchi]

Perfect.
Thanks for sharing your precious experiences.

[marcelsmits]

Hi, for the coffee: we are using the jogo straw for a while now. Very small and light. Great coffee

[martinsmith]

Always great to hear from you and thank you for sharing your tips and tricks! Be well.

[aidancaulfield]

Tennis ball in long sock works perfectly

[mr_cleaner_upper]

A great sleeping pad is key for me. There are a ton of options from different manufacturers... no one can function well without a good sleep!! Thanks for putting out so many excellent videos 👍

[elenafossati]

as a long haul biker I truly can say your advises are absolutely great !