(part 3 of 5) I’m gradually going through past trip notebooks and jotting down all my packing lists down in one place. I’m writing out my packing list for an upcoming trip now so I figured I might as well copy and paste it onto the blog as well…

In 2022 I went on a multi-week vehicle-supported stay-in-hotels tour: a ~1200 mile ride through Vietnam and Cambodiawith TdA Global Cycling. Typically for this type of trip there’s a support van that transports one large duffel bag to the next night’s hotel for you, freeing you to just carry daily essentials on the bike.

The extra capacity combined with our more remote travel including gravel/dirt roads led me to pack heavier. My packing list for this type, climate, and length of trip (retroactively revised based on what I wished I’d had, or brought but didn’t use):

Clothes:

In general, I packed enough clothes to do laundry every six days (this bike tour was organized so we’d ride at most five full days in a row between days off), plus overnight hotel-room-sink laundry for crucial fast-drying items, and wool Ts I can wear multiple days.

Bike clothes:

  • (3-4x) padded bike shorts [two pairs is enough if washing in the sink each night, but when it’s raining or there isn’t an easy place to hang it to dry it’s nice to be able to take a day off laundry]
  • (6x) socks
  • (2x) shorts with pockets (“mountain bike style”) to wear over padded shorts, also fine to walk around town in
  • (2x) light merino wool t-shirts to both bike and walk around in
  • (1x) synthetic souvenir jersey from some past trip (conversation starter!)
  • mesh t-shirt to bike in on the hottest days (there isn’t much I find comfortable to bike in on 90-100F sunny + humid days, but the AeroTech Delta Cooling T-shirt was pretty good)
  • lightweight cycle cap
  • bandana (can soak in water to cool down on the hottest days)
  • sun sleeves
  • arm warmers, leg warmers, leg sun shields [never needed, omit in this climate]
  • fingerless gloves
  • [tbd future] full finger waterproof gloves– there was one cold and rainy day at elevation they would have been appreciated
  • general-purpose bike-and-walk shoes
  • backup pair of shoes (in case first get wet and don’t dry by the next day)– this only came up twice after very rainy days, but I was glad to have them. I save an ancient worn-out pair of shoes just for this.
  • flip-flops / crocs
  • [tbd future] hiking shoes with better arch support, or insoles [would be bulky, but on one many-hour hike on a rest day I was wishing I had these]
  • [tbd future] bike helmet brim (e.g. Da Brim) [wished I had more of a helmet visor some days, and this was great on the past Utah MTB dirt tour – on the other hands, it also catches the wind if biking faster]
  • [tbd future] hi-vis biking vest, especially for days with some dark road tunnels

Other Clothes:

  • gym shorts to change into after ride
  • (2x) long pants (one lpermethrin treated since I was in a malaria zone)
  • (3x) light t-shirts
  • (2x) long sleeve button up shirt (one quick-dry hiking style, one ‘dressy’)
  • bathing suit
  • brimmed hat
  • light pack towel in case of roadside swimming holes [didn’t end up carrying daily or using, may omit]

Wet Weather Gear

  • hi-vis yellow rain coat
  • [tbd future] loose rain poncho for rain in hot + humid weather, instead
  • rain pants and shoe covers [ineffective and sweaty after hours of riding, getting wet in a warm climate is OK, omitting]

Documents + Paper:

  • photocopies of passport ID page, visas, vaccination cards, travel insurance in a ziploc bag (I carry copies on me, leave originals in hotel bag)
  • high-level maps for the regions I’m going through
  • pocket phrase guide or one-page printout of common phrases and menu items
  • local travel guide
  • books / kindle
  • notebooks and pens

Medical + Hygiene

  • toiletries kit
  • on-bike travel medkit (including moleskin pads, ibuprofen, immodium)
  • antimalarials
  • antibiotic prescription
  • a few rapid Covid tests
  • masks
  • dry soap sheets
  • toilet paper + wet wipes in a ziploc bag
  • (2x) sunscreen
  • (2x) chamois cream
  • DEET

Basic Bike Tools

As per my standard “on the bike” list:

  • travel pump
  • patch kit
  • spare tube
  • tire levers
  • multitool including chain break and master link
  • grease-cutting hand wipes

More Bicycle Spare Parts and Tools

Since we’d be out in rural areas without easy access to bike shops, I packed additional parts in my hotel bag, as on a supported tour there was an emergency vehicle in case of a major breakdown):

  • (2x) spare tires (I did end up using one of them, when one tire accumulated multiple larger punctures)
  • (5x) spare tubes (managed to use 3 plus some patches on a month-long tour with moderately rough roads)
  • bicycle lube (Boeshield T-9 or other), double-bagged in two ziplocs in case of leak (the bottle did leak once– I’m glad I bagged it)
  • rag for chain
  • (2x) spare brake cables and housings
  • (2x) spare shift cables and housings
  • (2x pairs) brake pads
  • (1x) spare set of pedals (likely unnecessary, omit next time)
  • (4x) spare spokes (the right length for the front wheel and drive and non-drive sides of the rear wheel– I had to chat with the original bike manufacturer to double-check these)
  • 8mm allen L-key (stiffer than multitool, for pedals / seat during bike unpacking)
  • spare chain and master link
  • extra moist towelettes
  • zip ties
  • duct tape

Food

This kind of supported tour generally offers a midday lunch / snack popup by the side of the road, and periodic towns where we could buy snacks, but I packed about one snack for every two days just to have some familiar options (peanut butter and dried pineapple) as well as some hydration salts.

Electronics:

  • (2x) outlet adapters
  • (2x) USB chargers
  • cables
  • small USB battery pack (enough to charge everything for one night– occasionally a hotel didn’t have enough working plugs)
  • bike computer / GPS
  • backup distance-only bike computer [didn’t use, the phone is already my backup for my GPS, omit]
  • bright daylight-visible taillight (I like the Cygolite Hotshot Pro series)
  • bike headling
  • headlamp [somewhat redundant with headlight and phone, may omit]
  • waterproof camera [nice for taking photos on rainy days while keeping phone tucked away in a plastic bag, but may omit next time]
  • [tbd future] ipad or tiny laptop, if part of a longer trip where I may want to do some work or writing

Bags:

  • duffel bag (I’ve been happy with my 100L Patagonia Black Hole)
  • hip pack (for extra water (Evoc Hip Pack Pro = 1.5L), snacks, toiletries on bike [may omit now that I have a small frame bag]
  • day pack for hikes (don’t need both this and hip pack)
  • single pannier for carrying clothing on rainy or cold days (usually not needed) or if going on a DIY side trip – omit on next trip to simplify and allow me to remove bike rear rack as well
  • stem bag (for sunglasses, sunscreen, extra water)
  • top tube bag (snacks)

Other Misc

  • backup pair of glasses
  • glasses wipes
  • sunglasses
  • [tbd future] clothesline for hotel room / balcony: paracord + binder clips + two carabiners
  • [tbd future] ultralight sleeping bag liner (for a niche problem: there were a few days when it was too hot to sleep under a comforter, but the hotel didn’t provide a top sheet, and bugs or aggressive breeze from the hotel fan on my skin were distracting when trying to sleep, maybe this would help)

Weight:

Not counting the bike and helmet or the clothes I wore onto the plane, the original version of this packlist came to about 48lbs (22 kg) in the duffel bag. Once I was riding with some of it on the bike (hip pack, bike bags, tools, snack bars, and so on), the duffel that was transferred between hotels weighed about 40lbs (18kg).

The revised version of this packlist for a future trip (removing the strikeout items and adding most of the “tbd future” items) also came to about 48 lbs as checked on the plane total including the bike bags, or about 43 lbs / 19.5 kg once some items were carried on the bike. Not quite at my goal of 18kg but close… I could pack lighter and with fewer separate sub-bags, but I like being organized and bringing a few new pieces of clothing/gear to try each trip.