This is what we're bringing on our great adventure! In the last couple of months we've been doing a lot of research: what to bring, what not to bring, specific kinds of gear, etc. You can always buy something more lightweight or a newer/better version of something. But sometimes you might just have something in your closet that works as well. Since we're pretty outdoorsy and go camping a lot we already had a lot of the essentials like: a tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, most of our clothes,...
Of course we're not going to be in the wilderness 24/7. If we find that we need something while bikepacking, we can still get it when we're going through a bigger town or a city. So the packing list you see right now might change a little over time, but these are (in our opinion) the essentials you need to cycle the Americas.
The Bikes
We searched for a bike that was robust, could carry a lot of weight, had a good range of gears (front and back), wasn't crazy expensive and was still available at the time. So after a little research we came to the Trek 520, it checked all of our boxes:
- It has a steel frame, so it's a little heavier but more robust
- It has 3 speed in the front and 9 speed in the back
- It fell into our budget
We changed a few things on our bikes. We ordered a new front wheel with a built in dynamo hub to charge our electronics while riding. The tires that came on the bike were a little narrow in our opinion, so we changed them for wider (44mm) tires with a little more profile.
Shared stuff
Camping gear:
- Tent - Forclaz MT900 3 persons
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad - Sea to Summit Ether Ligth XT
- Liner
- Pillow
- Tarp
- Sitting pads
- Headlamp
- Ortlieb Panniers (2 front, 2 Back, 1 Handlebar)
- Deuter Backpack 30L
- Organizing bags
Electronics:
- Phone
- Bike GPS
- Watch
- GoPro Hero 8
- Tablet
- eReader
- Chargers
- Powerbanks
- Universal adaptor
- Solar panel
Repair kit:
- Multitool - Decathlon Bike multitool 900
- Tire pach set
- Bike pump
- Disc brake pads
- Spare Brake and Shifting cable
- Chain tool
- Pliers
- Wrench
- Emergency spoke
- Missing links
- Spare inner- and outer tires
- Chain lube
- Rope
- Zip ties
- Duct tape - fixes everything!!
- Cleaning rag
- First aid kit
Cooking gear:
- Cooking pot (incl. Pan)
- Plates
- Cutlery
- Multifuel stove - Soto Stormbreaker
- Fire stick
- Spices
- Opinel
- Cooking utensils
- Water storage - 4L Ortlieb + 2L Platypus
- Water filter - Platypus Quickdraw
- Towel
- Sponge
- Eco soap
Personal stuff
Packing list Jesse
Head
- Beanie
- Cap
- Buff
- Sunglasses
- Helmet
Upper body:
- Baselayer (2)
- Cycling shirts
- Short sleeves (2)
- Long sleeves (1)
- Normal shirts (3)
- Sweater (2)
- Down jacket
- Rain jacket
- Wind jacket
- Gloves
Lower body:
- Underwear (4)
- Socks (4)
- Cycling pants (2)
- Rain pants (1)
- Long running pants (1)
- Normal pants
- Long (2)
- Short (2)
- Swimming trunks
- Regular shoes
- Trail shoes
- Sandals
Toiletries:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Eco Shower gel/Soap bar
- Deodorant
- Mosquito spray
- Sunscreen
- Anti-chafing creme
- Nail clipper
- Sowing kit
Packing list Fien
Head
- Beanie
- Cap
- Buff
- Sunglasses
- Helmet
Upper body:
- Baselayer (2)
- Cycling shirts
- Short sleeves (2)
- Long sleeves (1)
- Top (1)
- Normal shirts (3)
- Sweater (2)
- Bra (3)
- Down jacket
- Rain jacket
- Wind jacket
- Gloves
Lower body:
- Underwear (4)
- Socks (4)
- Cycling pants (2)
- Rain pants (1)
- Long running pants (1)
- Normal pants
- Long (2)
- Short (2)
- Bikini
- Regular shoes
- Trail shoes
- Sandals
Toiletries:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Eco Shower gel/Soap bar
- Deodorant
- Mosquito spray
- Sunscreen
- Anti-chafing creme
- Nail clipper
- Sowing kit
- Tampons
- Shaving razor
That was a fun read, right? If you have any questions about the gear that we're bringing or you have good additions to this list you can always let us know!