Equipment

When you’re on the road for a whole year, you need a good equipment. But considering price, quality, weight and volume is a real headache! Here is a detailed presentation of what I’m carrying, or at least what I was carrying at the beginning of my trip, and which could have evolved in the meantime.

• Bike and accessories
  – Bike: VSF Fahrradmanufaktur TX-400
  I’ve only changed two things on the original bike I bought at Cyclable: the saddle and the pedals.
  – Saddle: Brooks B17 Narrow changed for a Terry Liberator Y
  – Pedals: XLC PD-S02 (automatic pedals for MTB/Trekking)
  – Counter: Sigma BC 16.12 STS
  – Handlebar bag: Vaude Aqua Box
  – Front bags: Vaude Aqua Front
  – Rear bags: Vaude Aqua Back Plus
  – Extra rear bag: Ortlieb Rack-Pack M
  – Locker: Kryptonite Evolution Mini 7 Mixte
  – Bike protection: b’twin BC 200 (heavy and unused: sent back home)
  – Saddle protection: b’twin waterresist
• Clothing
  – 2 bicycle attires (short + jersey + gloves) provided by the Vélo Club Farlédois and the Club Cyclotouriste La Farlède
  – Long sleeves T-shirt for sport: Nike Dri-Fit Knit Long-Sleeves
  – Summer neck warmer: b’twin 300
  – Winter neck warmer: b’twin 300 polaire
  – Helmet: b’twin 500
  – Jacket/Windbreacker: The North Face Zenith Triclimate
  – Rain pants: Vaude Fluid Pants II
  – Overshoes: Shimano S2000
  – 1 cropped trousers or 1 pants (according to the season)
  – 1 short
  – 1 fluorescent vest
  – 3 pairs of socks
  – ski gloves (in winter)
  – 1 pair of recovering socks: BV Sport Prorecup Black Elite
  – 3 underpants
  – 1 pair of cycling shoes: Trekking Shimano SH-MT34
  – 1 pair of sneakers
  – 1 pair of flip flops
  Provided by Chienville:
  – 1 T-shirt
  – 1 sweater
  – 1 wool cap
  – 1 hat

• Camping
  – Tent: Quechua QuickHiker Ultralight 2
  – Warm sleeping bag: Sea to Summit Trek Tk II
  – Light sleeping bag: Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Thermolite Liner
  – Air mattress: NEMO Zoe 20R Pad
  – Water filter: Katadyn Hiker PRO
  – Stove: MSR PocketRocket Stove with 2 cans of propane: MSR Isopro Canister
  (Really light and efficent for short cooking (e.g. boiling water), but when the weather is cold, when you are high in elevation or when you cook for a longer time, the pressure inside the canister goes down, and it is harder to cook… If you are traveling outside the US, it might be more difficult to find the proper kind of canister)
  … changed for a MSR WhisperLite International with a refillable bottle of white gas
  (Heavier, but more efficient in all kind of situation! It is easy to refill in every country of the world: even though it is better to chose white gas (burns cleaner), the system works well with unleaded fuel)
  – Pot: Quechua Aluminium 1P
  – 1 survival blanket
  – 1 towel: Nabaji Microfibre M
  – Headlight: Black Diamond Spot

• Electronics
  – Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200
  – Computer/Tablet: Asus T100
  – Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
  – Sports camera: Sony Action Cam HDR-AS20
  – External battery: RAVPower RP-PB17 6000mAh
  – 1 external hard drive
  – 1 USB key
  – 2 extra micro SD cards
  – Adapter France/USA
  – Multiple socket
  – Extra electric batteries
• Toolbox
  – Pump with valve adapter Presta/Schrader: b’twin MNP 200 Gold
  – Tire levers and patches kit
  – Chain quick links
  – 2 shift cables
  – 2 pairs of break pads: Magura HS Noir
  – Opinel n°08 (knife)
  – Multi-tool pliers: Leatherman Surge (very good pliers, but I didn’t use all of its components, so useless weight, lighter pliers exist).
  – Multi-tool with chain breaker: XLC TO-MT04 15 Fonctions
  – Flat wrench 8 and 10 mm
  – Chain whip: XLC (heavy and unused: sent back home)
  – Lock ring removal tool: Shimano TL-LR15 (heavy and unused: sent back home)
  – Chain checker: BBB ChainChecker BTL-51
  – Extra bolts (for the racks)
  – 2 inner tubes
  – Spokes wrench: Pack Tool SW7c (triple)
  – A few extra spokes
  – Spacers (rings to adjust the height of the stem)
  – Oil
  – Cloth
  – Toothbrush
  – Cotton swabs
  – Lighter
  – Tape
  – Zip ties
  – Ribbon/String
  – Elastics
  For the saddle:
  – Wrench
  – Grease
  (Sent back home with the first saddle)

• Divers
  – Backpack: Eastpak Padded Pak’r
  – Camera protection: Manfrotto Amica 10
  – Computer protection: Case Logic Eva 11,6
  – Money belt: Go Travel Money Minder
  – 1 travel book
  – 1 travel journal
  – 1 pair of sunglasses
  – 2 pairs of eyeglasses
  – 1 paire of small binoculars (heavy and unused: sent back home)
  – Water bottles: about 3L
  – Multifonction whistle (Compass/Thermometer/Magnifier)
  – Passeport
  – French driving licence
  – International driving licence
  – Zip plastic bags to protect the documents
  – France flag
  – First aid kit: antibacterial spray, compresses, ointments, some drugs (aspirin, acetaminophen, anti-diarrheal, antibiotics…), sport tapes, etc.

In the US, REI is the perfect outdoor shop for travelers, with many products available, of high quality, and a fantastic costumer service (for example, REI reimbourses you for any product bought within the year, you just have to show the bill).

On the road, you figure out that you don’t need much… It is easy to mail your extra equipment with USPS (United States Postal Service), but it can be expensive… I always tried to send less than 4 pounds, because over 4 pounds, your mail turns into « priority mail », way more expensive. The price for a mail just under 4 pounds for France averaged 50$. It was taking around 2 weeks for my mail to get home, so don’t be in a hurry! If you are, well you can use UPS (United Parcel Service), but you won’t like the price…

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