Hello

Sounds not to bad, I like to say, "Take what you want and learn to deal with it".

Just remember, the lighter the bike itself, the more the centre of gravity shifts to the back and top than on a heavy bike.
60kg of luggage on a 150kg KTM is worse than on a 260kg Supertenere.

A lot of things are redundant:
If you have a "Inreach Explorer+" (good idea), do you still need a Montana 610?
2x "gorillapod" for camera and Gopro?
"Washing line (Sea to Summit)" vs. "Extra Rope (Paracord)"

What do you need those for?
"Little Deuce shovel"
"Zippo Handwarmers"
"Light My Fire firesteel (+ whistle)"
"Knife sharpener"
"Reflective vest " -> useless, in many countries you have no "right" to share the road with the trucks, once you have understand this an ride accordingly you have no problems, visibility is not the issue (they see you, just don't respect you).

Ask yourself, what did you take for your last campingtrip with the bike, what did you miss, what didn't you use.
There are not many things you will need more, but they are different from one person to an other.

Have a look at websites from cyclists, they know what is important to take.


have fun
sushi

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Yes - similar with hikers.

The problem is they don't usually travel as long nor change climates so quickly. But their stuff is worth reading... bicycle riders do eat a lot - rather than buy petrol for the motor they stuff food in their body to power along.

Yes, not exactly the same, but might open eyes and thoughts.


sushi

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http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

Hi Moondusted - My suggestion would be to look at your current list, and work out how many things can easily double up - just a glance at your current inventory would suggest a lot...

Certainly if your plan is to be riding pretty much every day, then you'll find you need very little extra clothing - you've already specified a high quality outer riding suit (that ought to work well in all climates), so a few other items underneath to layer as required is all you need - and ideally are smart/plain enough to wear as casual clothes off the bike as required.

There are two principles I've adopted from a good friend Dave Lomax from Adventure Spec in the UK and his presentation 'Overweight is underprepared' - which I always feel are worth passing on:

1. Thoroughly prepare your bike before you go [new chain, sprockets, wheel-bearings, brake pads etc.] - it's a great way to get to know it, and spot (and hopefully remedy) any potential weak-spots before you leave... That way you can minimise the number of spares and tools you need to carry to only those 'bodge-it' items that will keep you going in an emergency - then you can affect a more permanent repair if required once you get to a town with a workshop for example.

Don't forget that any spare parts can be DHL'd around the world in a matter of days these days, and if you are forced to stop-over somewhere, it will almost certainly lead to a memorable chapter to your trip diary.

Therefore you don't have to be self-sufficient for the whole trip, only as long as it takes to get to the next 'place of safety'. To use a rather trite analogy: treat the trip as a relay race, not a marathon.


And following on from that...

2. If you're travelling by bike, you're likely to need to stop at least once a day for fuel - and anyone who is prepared to sell you fuel, will also sell you something to eat (and drink). Once you get outside of mainland Europe, even restaurant food is not expensive, and the cultural exchange of eating in local restaurants or even with friendly families is going to be far more rewarding that chopping your own onions every night...

Now I admit I'd probably draw a line at eating boiled testicles in a Mongolian yurt for example, which is why a few emergency rations are worth squirrelling away - as Dave used to say, if you're not prepared to dine on a cup of coffee and a crunch bar as needs must, then perhaps adventure travel is not for you? ;o)

Therefore there really is no need to take a whole camp kitchen with you - just take a simple burner (to heat food and water) and some emergency rations - energy bars, a couple of packets of dried/vac-packed food/soup for example. Even if you do enjoy camp-cooking with separate ingredients, there are still plenty of one-pot recipes you only need something like a jet-boil and a knife to prepare.

So my suggestion would be to look at everything on your list that can effectively double up, and discard the duplicates - then look at everything left and try to reduces the bulk [and ideally weight] even further...

for info. this is the current slide-show I present at the various Horizons Unlimited meetings I attend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtyxj52YrYM&t

note. it's a slide show, so you will need to pause the video to study the lists in more detail.

Hope that helps!

Jenny x

Hey mate,

Sounds good, I'm French and live in OZ and plan to do the trip from OZ to France, would be great to share our experience to each other.
Let's keep in touch,

Cheers

Romain