Thursday, 9 July 2009

The Packing List...

OK... This is a bit like showing you a story that I've not finished writing yet, or a musician letting you hear a song demo before it's ready to play. Be gentle...

On or near my person:
Helmet
Giro Splitter sunglasses (pink mirror tint with spare yellow lenses), eyeglasses in Giro shades box.
Endura thin wool short sleeve jersey
Thin cycling socks
Assos shorts (probably) - washing every evening and putting on damp in the morning...
Arm Warmers (Lycra probably, maybe wool)
Knee warmers (if I can find them)
Haglofs Paclite Jacket
Buff
Shoes - (edit) Specialized S-Works BG Shoes with wedges in for my wonky knees. Rubbish to walk in, but good for riding.


Bike stuff:
Lezyne Multitool with chaintool
Swiss Army knife and/or Leatherman Juice
Small bottle of lube
Disc pads x 2pr
Electrical tape round pump.
Slim cable lock and padlock.

Camping gear:
Tent - probably carrying poles separately for squashability
Big Agnes Pitchpine sleeping bag
Silk liner for very cold, or very warm nights.
Big Agnes Airbed thing
Small LED headtorch
Stove - MSR Pocket Rocket (still to buy)
Pierceable gas adaptor
Lighter AND sparky flint
Cooking pot and lid/handle
Sharp knife for chorizo and cheese :-)
Tiny washing up cloth
Tiny chopping board
Spork
Cup (?)
I'm going to rely on cafes for coffee I reckon. Should be OK in France and Spain.
Washbag - Toothbrush/paste, travel soap (for clothes too), 24 pairs of disposable contacts (a pain, but the best way of doing it), sunscreen F30, headache pills, shaving razor, midge cream(?), multivitamins

Evening wear:
Warm top - pHD down gilet
Long sleeve Finisterre merino base layer
Possibly a short sleeve merino shirt
Howies thin canvas baggy shorts
Pants that'll double as Speedos for French swimming pools.
No shoes, going to wear cycling shoes (unless I have room for very light/cheap flipflops)
Warm hat
Bungee drying line

Gadgets:
Garmin Edge 705 GPS
Nokia phone
Either iPod Nano, or I'll buy an iTouch for music and potential internet connectivity. Nano then.
Freeloader solar charger for all of the above
Canon Ixus camera and charger - 16gig card
Tiny tripod for self portraits.
Wallet with bank card and credit card. €500 cash kept elsewhere.
Passport and E111 card
Maps - four for France. Collecting Spanish ones when I get to the coast and turn back.

Comments welcome!
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11 comments:

  1. Nick9 July 2009 at 19:07

    Ditch the sharp knife if you have a Swiss Army knife or Leatherman. Tear hunks of chorizo off with your teeth ;)

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  2. kate9 July 2009 at 20:26

    can your cooking pot also be a cup? use a piece of foil for the lid and don't bother with a handle

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  3. Chipps9 July 2009 at 20:58

    My pot will work as a cup but, I'll get kicked out of the Faux Rugged Club for saying this, I'm not that big a fan of a mug of tea or whatever when camping. I'm relying on France and Spain being somewhere that I should always be able to get a cup of coffee in. And wine I can just drink out of the bottle... :-)

    Knife comments noted. I have spare Li-Ion camera batteries for my old camera, but not for my new one, arse. I'll see if I can order some in time.
    Keep the comments coming.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nick9 July 2009 at 21:52

    As the other member of the Faux Rugged Club, ahem, I have to agree about the cups of tea.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chipps9 July 2009 at 22:13

    Coffee comes from proper coffee machines in cafes and tea comes from Wilf's Caff - isn't that how it works? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nick10 July 2009 at 09:34

    Normally I'd also allow tea from roadside burger vans, but seeing as you're in France/Spain, you're excused :)

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  7. Chris_M10 July 2009 at 10:03

    Correct coffee policy, I reckon. Ditch all the knives except for leatherman.

    In fact why take the stove at all? Menu del Dia [+French equivalent] all the way... Stock up on suffucient snacks/chorizo to see you through lean times.

    And wet wipes? Even Chuck Norris uses wetwipes.

    A couple of Michelin maps and a compass, ditch the GPS, increase the adventure and getting lost ness, decrease the battery dependency.

    And, personally, I would take too many socks.

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  8. Chipps10 July 2009 at 13:31

    I'm not taking many socks... :-)
    One pair...
    The stoveless policy has its merits - I might see how it's all looking when it comes to trying to fit stuff in. I'll be buying a Pocket Rocket anyway as I need a new stove, so I can always stand back and gawp at how much stuff I have - and I've saved enough budget for the trip that I can afford to eat out cheaply if and when.

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  9. Nick10 July 2009 at 18:37

    Just spotted this on Mark Beaumonts flickr page...

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclingtheamericas/3699649751/

    ReplyDelete
  10. SC10 July 2009 at 23:29

    E111? So ten years ago!

    You'll be wanting an EHIC card.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Chipps11 July 2009 at 10:49

    Well, that's the thingy I have - I just reckon E111 is easier to remember. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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