BIKE & BAGS
This page is mainly for the other bikepackers, hikers and gear junkies out there, but if you're just curious as to what someone might carry on a five year expedition around the world then you might find it interesting. My priorities are simplicity and durability, as I can't afford to have my kit fail me in the middle of nowhere. Beyond that it's about keeping the weight down and doing away with everything but the essentials.
Listed below is the full breakdown of what I'm using as of October 2024. Note that I do tend to make small tweaks to my setup from time to time, and on some shorter trips I use a lighter setup. Some of the photos below are of older or different setups, but the gear list shown below should be fully up to date and reflects what I consider to be my 'expedition' setup for long-term, round-the-world bikepacking.
For a detailed analysis of my original setup, including gear reviews, see HERE.
And for my video guide to bikepacking navigation, see HERE.
For my written guide to bikepacking navigation, see HERE.
For my full review of my bike and a breakdown of component choices, see HERE.
For a video going over my bike setup and what I think makes a good bike for bikepacking and bicycle touring, see HERE.
For a video breakdown of everything I carry, where I carry it, and how I pack for bikepacking, see HERE.
THE NOBLE STEED ('PANDORA')
Frame: Tout Terrain Outback Xplore (size: L)
Fork: Tout Terrain Rigid Carbon Fork
Saddle: Selle Anatomica X2
Handlebars: Velo Orange Crazy Bars
Rims: WTB KOM Tough i40, 27.5"
Tyres: Schwalbe G-One 27.5 x 2.8"
Drivetrain: Pinion C.12 Gearbox, 1:1 gear ratio (32/32), with Gates CDX Carbon Belt Drive
Brakes: Magura MT5 (4 piston front, 2 rear)
Pedals: Race Face Atlas
Seat Post: Redshift ShockStop PRO Endurance suspension seat post
Stem: Vecnum freeQENCE, 90mm
BAGS
Frame Bag: Rockgeist 52hz XL
Handlebar Bag: Barking Bear Bagworks custom handlebar bag
Seat Pack: Revelate Designs Terrapin 14L
Accessories: Tailfin Top Tube Bag Flip 1.5L and two Revelate Designs feederbags.
EXPEDITION KIT LIST (EVERY LAST THING)
BASE OUTFIT
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Isobaa merino wool shirt (for a 25% discount off all Isobaa products use the code 'TRISTANRIDLEY25')
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Rockgeist Big Dumpling hip pack with Fuji X100Vi camera, lens cleaners, DJI Mini 4 Pro drone with RC, DJI Mic 2, wallet, passport/documents, camera bluetooth remote shutter, Snow Peak titanium spork
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Benchmade Bugout knife in shorts pocket
RACK DRY BAG - SLEEP SYSTEM + CLOTHES
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Durston X-Mid 1 Solid tent, groundsheet & pegs
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Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated sleeping pad
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Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, mini hairbrush, deodorant, beard trimmer, dental floss
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Spare Darn Tough merino socks
- Decathlon thin Pilates trousers
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2x spare merino boxers
FRAME BAG - HEAVY BITS, LONG BITS + FOOD
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Kindle Paperwhite, small journal, pens, paperwork documents (all stored in small dry bag)
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2x INIU 20,000mAh Power banks, charging plug and cables, all stored in a small soft bag
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Spare batteries for drone
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Food (heaviest, non-bulky items here)
HANDLEBAR BAG - EVERYTHING ELSE + FOOD
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Inclement weather gear (all stored in outer pouch of handlebar bag in an 8L Sea to Summit dry bag: Montbell Versalite rain jacket, Senchi Designs Alpha 60 Hoodie, dhb merino leg warmers, extra pair of merino socks, Rockbros thermal toe covers, Enlightened Equipment Torrid Mitts, Arc'teryx Rho Liner gloves
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MacBook Air M1 in padded case (wrapped in with the sleeping bag for protection)
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Dry bag with ibuprofen, paracetemol, tenacious tape, cable ties, sewing kit including curved upholstery needle for tubeless repairs, universal sink plug for laundry, patches for sleeping pad, silicone grease lubricant for belt
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Toilet paper in ziplock bag, titanium trowel (TheTentLab Deuce #2)
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Platypus QuickDraw water filter, 2L Cnoc 2L water bag for filtering, 4L platypus water bladder (rolled up, only stored here when empty, when full moved to frame bag
- Durston Wapta 30 backpack (rolled up)
- Evernew 900ml titanium pot with Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti-tri alcohol stove stored inside, along with a small fuel bottle, dish brush, BIC lighter, and mini microfiber tea towel.
- Food
FRONT TOP TUBE BAG - ACCESS + TOOLBOX
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Toolkit - Topeak Ratchet Rocket Lite DX, loose #4 allen key, tubeless repair kit (bacon strips)
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Extra headphones - Anker SoundCore Liberty 4 NC
ON THE BIKE
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iPhone 13 Pro mounted to handlebars using Peak Design Out Front Bike Mount
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Garmin Edge 1040 Solar attached to the handlebars with a Garmin Out Front mount
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2 x 1L wide mouth water bottles on bars in feeder bags. Sunscreen, lip chapstick, hand sanitizer, small red light blinkie (all stored in feeder bag outer pockets)
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2x 1L water bottles in bottle cages attached to seat stays with King Cage USBs
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1 x 1.5L water bottle in bottle cage under downtube
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Rarely used extras in small bag strapped to downtube: tyre levers, valve core remover tool, spare tubeless valve, Tubolito ultralight inner tube + patch kit, spare bolts, spare brake pads, Pinion sprocket remover tool
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Tent poles and stakes strapped to downtube
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Abus Bordo Lite 6055 (85cm) strapped to frame
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Spare Gates carbon belt, taped to chain stay and seat stay)
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Sir Gingivere (cat, knight, manager, bodyguard and adventure mascot extraordinaire) securely attached to bars with cables ties and duct tape
OVERVIEW
After three years of experimenting, I find this setup to be a great compromise between weight, convenience and comfort. The seat pack contains everything that I don’t need during the day (sleep system, extra clothes, toiletries etc.) while the front handlebar bag and my framebag are both mostly completely free for food. Water capacity is around 5.5 litres on the bike (in plastic water bottles) as well as an extra 4L in a Platypus water bladder, and 2L in a Knoc bladder, making for 11.5L total capacity. With this setup I can comfortably carry food for more than a week when necessary. Total capacity is almost 60 litres, which is not actually much less than a standard 4-pannier touring setup but in a much more stable, balanced and lightweight package.
The bike itself has a weight of around 14.5 kg, and the base weight of all the rest of my bags and gear (everything except food and water) is somewhere in the range of 13.5 kg, making for a total bike + gear base weight of around 28 kg. Not the lightest rig, but I'm hauling a laptop and a fair bit of camera equipment, so considering the versatility, convenience and carry potential, I’m very happy with this setup.