Kit List

For Cycle Touring


As used on my West Coast cycling week. Nowhere on this route is too remote so the repair/emergencies kit is limited. If you're off to circumnavigate the globe you'd want to carry a bit more. This whole set up (including water and 24hrs of food) weighed in at around 15kg. The bike felt awkward and unwieldy to push but once I was on it I actually hardly noticed the difference.

Cycle Set Up
Bicycle (!) Mine is an old Claud Buttler hybrid that I got from someone's shed for £30 and have probably since spent about £200 restoring/improving. Point is, you don't need a dedicated brand new touring bike.
Rear pannier rack
Pannier bags x2 (got these and the above 2nd hand on ebay)
20-30L rucksack (strapped ontop of panniers as extra space/day bag if you want a day off from cycling)
Waterproof stuff sacks (always worth taking)
Bottle cage and a bottle that fits in it
Front and back lights (essential in poor visibility/mist, not just for after dark)

Bike Tools/Extras (share if possible)
Lock
Spare inner tube
Puncture repair kit
Allen keys and screwdrivers (enough to turn every bolt/screw on your bike)
Lightweight pump
Chain lube (this is luckily the only item of the above that we actually used)

Clothes
Socks x3 pairs
Pants x3 pairs
Sports bra x1
2x t-shirts (one wicking one for day use, one for night time)
Cycling shorts
Merino leggings (primarily for sleeping but I also wore these under waterproof trousers on the wet/cold days which worked really well)
Fleece
Swimming top/bottoms

Outer Layers
Synthetic insulated jacket
Waterproof Jacket
Lightweight windproof cycling jacket
Waterproof trousers (also for keeping off midges as there are no trousers in the list above!)
Stripey Hat
Buff
Gloves
Midge Net
Trainers
Note, even in late July I used all of these layers and would have been realy miserable without them

Camping/Sleeping
Tent
Inflatable camping mat
Sleeping bag + liner

Eating
Additional water bottle (minimum 1L to pack in panniers)
Water filter (We mostly filled up at public toilets but this was a useful backup)
Penknife
Stove + fuel + lighter (I use a strike flint which is great as it's fairly unbreakable and works in the wet)
Pan
Bowl, mug and spoon
Food (you don't need to take it all with you but make sure there's space for at least 48 hours of food)

Navigation
Compass
Maps +/- guidebook
Map case

Extras
Camera
First aid kit
Sun cream
Travel towel
Toiletries
Head torch
Phone
Battery pack (highly recommended for wild camping, we planned to charge things on ferries but there were very rarely any plugs)
Plug and cables for all your electronics
Money (always worth having cash to hand)
Face mask


Written September 2021