Packing as little as possible is the trick, but this is not the easiest when you are deciding what to pack. I've adjusted and readjusted the list below multiple times.
During my trips, I ran into a lot of people who wanted to have a chat. At the campsite, a grocery store, the bakery or while riding. The two most common things those people asked me were:
1) "You are doing this all on your own?" and 2) "Is this, like these few bags, all the stuff you have?"
​
Both questions got the same answer: Yes... The first one, let's not say too much about that. Because why couldn't a 30-something-year-old girl (yeah, I don't behave like a grownup), do this on her own?! Bad things happen in the world, but being too afraid about the chance of running into those bad things, then you are never going to get off the couch and out of your house. That second question, about how little stuff I was carrying on my trip, well there is more logic and reasoning to that. I summed it up for you in way too many words and pictures.
Packing your bike
In April 2021 I bought a Checkpoint ALR 5 so I could hang out with my friends on the gravel paths. Immediatly I loved it! But I also missed the electric gearing and hated how heavy the bike was. So, while I was still working in the TREK store in Port Melbourne I put a pre-order in for an Checkpoint SL 6. It took till February 2022 to come in, but it turned out to be worth the wait. The RIVAL SRAM 1x drive train works means it has one chainring at the front and 12 sprockets on the cassette. The ability to go up and down the gears with this Di2 system, with just the control of one button on the left lever and one on the right is so damn easy. The battery of the gearing can be taken off the bike to charge and makes that with a spare battery, you'll never end up with a dead Di2.
​
I changed the handlebars on the Checkpoint straight away to the Salsa Cowchipper as they are a little bit more flared but with a small drop. Also changed the saddle to a women specific one that TREK doesn't sell anymore, but I am stocking three of them because... Once you have found a saddle you like, you don't want to change.
​
Before I left Australia for Europe, I had also asked the guys at ParkBikes, my favourite bike shop in Sydney, to change my front chainring. The bike comes with a 40 chainring, but I suck at hills and imagined I would need all the grandma gears I needed for doing steep inclines with a loaded bike. So I put on a 38 chainring and it helped way more with the hills than I would have thought.
​
For my trips, I decided to go with a 38 or 40c tyre, with enough profile to withstand rough paths. Along the way on the trips, I had to get new tyres as they were completely destroyed halfway through.
This piece of equipment is definitely one that has many options and is super personal to what one likes to ride. I like to have my tyres slightly bulkier and more knobbly than others. The three tyres I loved on my trips:
Starting to plan my first trip in 2023 and what to take with me, I did ask Google about a lot of things. But the most helpful thing was my mate Mark. We went on a couple of small trips in Australia at the end of 2022 and the start of 2023 and he just gave me bags to try. Then after trying he told me 'You can take them with you to Europe, just make sure to return them to me in person...' Well, won't say no to that as I loved them. ​ I ended up with no panniers on the back of my bike, which I realized during my trip was almost a given with the bike packers. Do I regret that? Absolutely not. I managed fine with the space and adding panniers would have given me additional space and extra added weight. Of course, extra space would have been helpful, especially for storing more food. But I was glad I didn't have the extra added weight as getting up those steep inclines would be even harder, probably even impossible. ​ So what bags did I end up taking? Let's start at the front of the bike and make our way to the rear.
Handlebar bags In 2023, I had a small, Rockbros 5L, bag that rested over the front roll. It is the perfect bag for storing valuables, cutlery and a few snacks. However, it was a bummer that it doesn't have smaller pockets or something because it isn't the easiest to open and close when it is full. But I did overstuff it a lot of times when I was searching for space to put food. So for the 2024 trip, I got the Acepac handlebar bag and I liked it a lot more. It has a separate dry bag in it, has a front pocket with a zip as well as side pockets and was way easier to attach.
Underneath this smaller bag, I put this 15L 'dry' bag which has clips on both ends to close it by rolling it up. This bag is not fully waterproof, which just means I had to ensure whatever was in there that shouldn't get wet, was in a separate dry bag. The bonus was that if this bag got wet, it really only took a few minutes to dry as the fabric was super light. In this bag, I stuffed my sleeping bag, sleeping mat, pillow, fleece jacket, towel, washing line, extra gas canister (if I was carrying one), tent poles and pegs and sometimes some cans of food. When using a bag like this, I would recommend a roll that can open from both ends as it makes searching for items on the go a lot easier.
The above two bags were attached to my handlebar via the EXP Series Anything Cradle from Salsa. Attaching the bags this way versus for example using an Ortlieb roll makes a difference in the way that you can still place your hands in the middle of the handlebar. There is space between the cradle and your handlebar, which also means space for a bike computer with an out-front mount.
Forkbags On my front fork I had on either side more Salsa bags, the EXP Series Anything cage. In these two I stashed my tent on one side and on the other side cooking stuff, plus some extra food. Strapping the cylinder bags (and the front roll one) with Voile Straps, with an extra one to attach my shoes and bike lock on either side. ​ The last bags attached to my handlebar were the very overpriced Wizard Works Voila Stem Bags, but I spent the money on them because the splatter design is just so cool! You can for sure find cheaper feed bags like this. These kinds of bags are so ideal for things you need quick and easy access to while riding. Which most of the time meant I had a lot of snacks in there. They also were surprisingly waterproof!
Frame bags I also have a frame bag underneath the top tube: Bontrager Adventure Boss Frame Bag. That one just stored some very random bits and pieces like a first aid kit, a spare battery for my gearing, a chair (aka a garbage bag), a bike pump, electrolytes, headphones, coins and some more crap. ​ Between my top tube and my seat post, I had another small storage unit: the Acepac Tube Bag MKIII. I filled this one with some bike mechanics stuff, chain lube, spare sealant, a cloth and some repair kits for my sleeping mat.
Saddle bag The last bag on the bike, I absolutely love it! If you're looking for a saddle bag, this is the one!! Why? Well, because the biggest win here is that it will never sway left to right due to the way it's attached to the bike. The Revelate Spinelock has a special attachment system that you screw onto your saddle rails. Then a pin goes through that bit and the other side of the attachment on the top of your bag. A few more straps that attach the bag to the system on your saddle and you're in business. This bag won't move even when you're dancing on the paddles trying to make it up a steep incline. It is fully waterproof, has an air vent in it to ensure you can let all the air out and make it as small as possible and heaps of handy spots on the top to turn the bag into your drying rack. I have the 10L version, but there is also another bigger 16L one.
During my 105-day trip in 2023, I camped 73 nights. And in 2024, I camped 66 out of the 103 days. On both trips, I spent a few nights with friends/family, a few in a hotel and a few with Warm Showers hosts.
Most of the nights in my tent were epic. I loved getting woken up by the light instead of an alarm. The fresh air coming in without having to open the windows. The sounds of the birds or the winds through the trees. Of course, some nights were terrible. Especially those where it was two degrees, where the rain was just absolutely non-stop or when it felt the wind was going to blow my tent away.
Tent My tent for this trip was 'It's the cheapest one you can find on AliExpress' And boy, I don't think I can recommend it enough!! In 2023 and the start of 2024 I used the older version of this Flame's Creed LanShan, and halfway through my trip in 2024 I replaced it with this newer one as the zipper broke and was beyond repair. The tent comes with a waterproof outer shell, a mesh inner tent and pegs. You will need a tent or hiking pole (120-125cm long). ​ The things I love about this tent: - You put the outside up first, by putting the pegs in on the corners and then lift it up with your one pole. This means that even if it's pouring rain, your inner tent stays dry. I often also just put it up quickly to shelter in there till the rain had slowed or stopped. - It is so light and small! The inner and outer tent both fit in only one of my fork bags. It only weighs about 1kg. ​ The things that are not that great: - Because it is so lightweight, it isn't warm in there. Which is fine when it's nice weather, but I had some really cold nights in 2023 and those weren't great. - It's a bit fiddly to get the tension on all four corners correct so that the outer tent isn't pulling one way and is slacking in the other corner.
Sleeping stuff Of course, this sleeping in a tent business is never going to be as comfortable as your bed at home. But I was pretty okay with my setup. I had a Rab Neutrino 200 sleeping bag. I am a cold person, and this lightweight one was a struggle when temperatures were in the single digits. But for camping in the summer, it was absolutely great and sometimes even way too warm. ​ I used a sleeping bag liner at the start for extra warmth and then, when it got hot, I slept only in that instead of the sleeping bag. And when it got really, really hot, I would put my sleeping mat in the sleeping bag liner. That way I wasn't sticking to the mat because of the heat. ​ My sleeping mat was the one thing that caused me headaches on my trip in 2023. The ThermaRest NeoAir UberLite had a lot of benefits: super small, really light and comfy. But it started to slowly leak only three weeks into my trip. I managed to fix the smallest holes around the valve multiple times with the Exped field repair kit with some nifty UV light-activated glue. Would recommend that repair kit as it worked so quickly! The mat also started to bulge at the feet, so as soon as I got back to The Netherlands, I went into the store where I bought the sleeping and got a warranty replacement. I did go with a slightly different one. The ThermaRest NeoAir XLite has a higher R-value (better in the cold) and it is a bit bigger because the fabric it's made of is sturdier. But on my trip in 2024 it proved to be the absolute best. Not one leak, better insulation against the cold and the difference in size was barely noticeable packing it in the bike bag. ​ A pillow was the last sleeping item I brought. The one I used was a SeaToSummit Aeros Premium pillow. It did the job but of course not as great as a normal fluffy pillow.
Washing line and more
There were a few other camping items that I took and absolutely would recommend: - Washing line. The one I have is from de decathlon. It's 5m long, has hooks on either end so you can attach it to literally anything and you don't need pegs because of the little bead system. - Chair. Well, in my case it was just a garbage bag. But damn, it really works to make sure you don't get a wet butt, get itchy from freshly cut grass or get bitten by a nest of ants. - Mesh veggie nets, which I used to decipher which of my undies and socks were dirty and which were clean.​​
Food and cooking are definitely in my top 3 things in life for sure. Cooking while camping is a whole different kind of cooking. But I do think it's possible to make tasty and nutritious things on a one burner stove. Check out the on the road page for some photo inspiration of meals I had.
​
The key items of my 'kitchen' were:
- MSR PocketRocket 2. It folds up super small but still has the ability to control the flame. I put a small, 100gr, canister underneath it. This would generally last me about 2 to 3 weeks and I would try to get a spare one as soon as the current one was halfway empty. Run out of it once and then it was a hard task to find a new one!
- Primus Essential Trek Pot Set. For cooking, I wanted to have more than one single pot so I could use a pot to also mix things in or drink out. It also needed to be less than the diameter of a fork bag so I could slide it in there. It was a long online search, but eventually I found this Primus one and it was jackpot. It had 3 (!) pots that all fit into one. Still has enough space to slide a small canister inside as well as my burner and some small random items. The large pot was ideal to mix salads in, the small pot with lid was perfect for a soup or hot chocy and the top was the lid for the big pot as well as a frying pan.
- I initially made a mistake by having a plastic spork, but that one melted quickly when I stirred in a hot pot. So I bought this Primus Field Cutlery set. This worked a lot better and having separate utensils was a lot easier than one spork.
- Opinel Pocket Knife. The best for any task. That's all I can say. Just get it.
- Tupperware container. I had one that fitted exactly in my fork bag. It was super handy to store left over food. If I didn't have any food left over, it was filled with some kitchen things to create more space in the fork bag.
- Salt & chilli flakes in a small jar
- Olive oil in a small bottle
- Dishwashing soap, a small cloth for drying/cleaning and the best sponge a camper can get: Onion netting! It proved to be the best way to scrub things clean. Plus the netting is light and dried very quickly.
The fine line between bringing too much and not enough is very thin with clothes. I tried to bring pieces of clothing that I could wear in different situations. Of course, you're not going to go to the pool in your cycling bibs and ride your bike in your swimmers. But I think what I packed in the end worked well for both trips.
Cycling items
1x Northwave Corsair cycling shoes
2x Sports bra
1x Long sleeve
1x Thin gloves
1x Buff
1x Oakley sunnies
Casual items
1x Decathlon fleece sweater 1x Uniqlo casual lightweight pants 1x Black sport shorts 1x Cotton t-shirt for sleeping 1x Short sleeve summer dress 1x Teva's​ 1x Denim thin button down shirt 1x Short jumpsuit 2x Casual t-shirt 1x Long sleeve casual t-shirt 1x Bra 6x Undies 1x Batoko swimmers
There were a lot more random items, but you can check those on the complete list. But want to highlight a few here that I think are a winner and I would recommend.
​
- Decathlon foldable backpack. This made doing groceries right before hitting the campsite so easy.
- SeaToSummit Airlite quick drying towel. Look, it was not the best for drying myself and that crazy amount of hair on my head. But it did dry so damn quickly and packed super small.
- Garmin Edge 840 bike computer. Of course to keep track of all the kilometers I was riding, but also to navigate.
- Anker PowerCore. A powerbank is a must. There aren't a lot of opportunities to charge your phone and other device. Sitting next to your item that is charging in the toilet is sometimes needed. But it worked well for me to leave the powerbank charging overnight in a dark toilet block or with some friendly neighbors so that I could use it the next couple of days to charge my phone, e-reader and Garmin.
- Bontrager Mini Charger floor pump. Great small pump that even has a pressure gauge and a foot so you're not standing pumping there with two hands like a crazy person.
- Roll of toilet paper. You never know when a campsite isn't going to have any toilet paper and I can tell you that you then really are going to have a shitty time...
- Ziplocks. Can never have enough of these to ensure you can pack away items that need to stay dry. I had some simple plastic ones and some silicone ziplocks because the normal plastic ones tear way too quickly for some items.
- Plugs. If you are running tubeless tyres like I did, you absolutely need to bring plugs. And I would recommend more than one of them. It might be a while before you can find a bakeshop and a new tyre, and then you will need more than one plug to get yourself there.
- E-reader. I loved being on my own, but your own company might get boring. You won't have enough battery to spend all hours watching Netflix on your phone or scroll to social media. I spend hours reading books on my trip and would highly recommend an e-reader. Their batteries also last forever, so there is no need to worry about running out of battery on it after a good day of reading.
- Litelok GO Flexi-U. You're going to need a bike lock. You'll need one that your insurance acknowledges, but also one that isn't weighing a thousand kilos. I went with the Litelok one after a lot of researching on the lightest lock that my insurance would accept. I would definitely recommend this one as it was handy to carry, locked my bike to almost every pole and was for sure not as heavy as most of the U-locks.
- Voile straps. They literally can strap anything to everything. I use them to attach my bags to my bike, as well as strapping random items to my bags or bike.
You can find my full list of items I packed via this link. Just remember this is my list. There are for sure items that you want to bring that I didn't and other things on here that you don't think you need. But it is a good start!
Want to know more?
Click through to read more.