What to pack: a checklist
Below is a cycle touring packing list that I prepared some years ago. What I actually take with me varies for each tour, depending on the time of the year, how much cycling I will be doing, whether I am going solo or with others and where I will be staying. Female cyclists will probably have a few additional items. Other lists may be found on the web; see Darrell Stone's for a good example.
| Cycling clothes | cycling knicks (2), cycling shirts (2), gloves, cycling socks (2), arm warmers, leg warmers, wind vest, jumper, cycling helmet, cycle shoes, reflective gear |
| Camp/town clothes | trousers (zip-off above knees to double as shorts), jumper, thermal top (2), thermal longs (2), beanie, balaclava, wool socks (2), collared T-shirt or shirt, summer socks (2), underpants (3), wool gloves, handkerchiefs, shoes, down jacket |
| Other clothing items | swimmers, rain jacket, rain pants, sun hat, sunglasses |
| Camping equipment | tent (inner and fly), tent poles, tent pegs, groundsheet, sleeping bag, sleeping bag inner sheet, Therm-a-rest (lightweight mattress), headlamp (with spare batteries) |
| Cooking equipment | portable stove, gas bottles for stove (2), matches, small and medium saucepan, saucepan holder, pocket knife (with can opener), water purifying tablets, cleaning cloth |
| Water equipment | water bottles (2), water bag (2 litres), water purifying tablets |
| Hygiene/toiletries | insect repellent, sunscreen, razor, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo (doubles as soap), deodorant, camping towel, comb, nail scissors (or cut nails before leaving), clothes pegs, small bag of washing powder |
| Tools/repairs | spare tubes (2), puncture kit, tyre levers, shifting spanner, bicycle multi-tool, sewing kit, strong fabric tape, cable ties, chain oil, chamois, old toothbrush (for cleaning bicycle) |
| Valuables | wallet, travel tickets, mobile phone (with charger?), keys, money, Visa card, ID |
| Camera equipment | camera, spare batteries, film, tripod, lens cleaner |
| Other bicycle equipment | lock, pump, bicycle lights (with spare batteries), speedometer |
| Information | maps, compass, notebook (with important contact details, bike shop details, etc), pen |
| Bags and packing | front and rear panniers, saddle bag, map case, compact backpack (for walking/shopping), garbage bags (to waterproof panniers), spare garbage bags (for the same purpose), stuff sacks, zip-lock bags (food storage, etc), octopus straps (for securing tent to bike) |
| Other | book, food, first aid kit |
As a general rule, I have one full set of camping clothes which I never use for cycling. You can put up with a lot of bad weather during the day if you have something warm and dry to wear at night.
I find the 2L water bag almost indispensible when camping in Australia, where creeks are often dry. Sometimes water must be taken in large quantities when available.
How I pack
I fit most of the gear into two front panniers and two rear panniers. The fly and inner tent get packed in a stuff sack and sit on top of the rear rack, tied down with octopus straps. I put the day's relevant map in a map case, folded in such a way that I can read the relevant section of the map without needing to take the map out of the map case. (This increases the lifetime of the map and also protects it from wind and rain). The map case is usually strapped down between the tent and octopus straps so that it is easily accessable.