This post is really just a few photos to give you a flavour of how much gear I have to squeeze into the four panniers, handlebar bag and rear luggage rack that comprise my storage space for this trip. People do ask how much stuff I take with me, and what sort of things besides the obvious, so this should give some impression of what you’d need to pack to attempt a bike trip of similar distance and duration.
1. THE ESSENTIAL BIKE-TOURING GEAR: cooking, electronics, First Aid kit, odds and ends, mostly you’ll know what this stuff is from the pic above, but there are one or two weirder things. Lots of spare parts for the bike, including brake & gear cables, brake pads, chain links, spoke repair kit (remember that?), zip ties, tools etc. Small orange bag middle left is a mosquito head net. Top right is a white tub (now replaced by a smaller one) that holds chamois cream to keep my backside from getting saddlesores. In the row top left is a rolled-up white bag for food. This is special because it’s made of Kevlar and completely bear/racoon/raven-proof, bought for me by Stewart & Gill in Vancouver. The white circle below the green plates is a mosquito zapper/light that I’m road testing this trip. It’s for inside the tent. The bright red ukulele-like thing at the top is my emergency paddle. Some of this stuff will pack away in my handlebar bag, the rest in the panniers. (You may have spotted that my handlebar bag lid is already loaded up with a nice map of Nova Scotia – the same one I used in 2017!)
You might also have spotted my two teaching assistants, Flat Ted & Awesome, who are hitching a ride on this adventure just as they did in Canada & Hong Kong.
2. ON-BIKE GEAR: all pretty obvious I’d have thought, except perhaps the special white sleeves and skull cap in the middle which are extra UV protection for when it really heats up down south. The excellent helmet is the same one which I ‘bought’ for $10 from Lewis at Ukee Bikes in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, after leaving mine on the bus.3. OFF-BIKE GEAR: Four t-shirts?, I hear you cry. May have to think again about that one.4. CAMPING GEAR: The tiny grey pouch is my pillow. One great bit of kit is the thin black thing on the right. It’s a clever frame that turns my mattress into a comfy chair when I have to spend time in the tent because of bad weather. Or to play the ukulele outside in the evening when there isn’t a picnic table handy. I used it in Canada a fair bit, so even though I’d classify it as a luxury, it’s allowed space again this time. The thing that looks like a Vietnamese spring roll…
…is actually the inner part of my tent, which lives separately from the main red tent bag just above it. The inner bit must stay dry if possible, so it goes in the waterproof panniers. Meanwhile the main outer tent lives on the luggage rack together with my long-suffering ukulele, enduring whatever weather the summer has to throw at us!
5. BIKE LUGGAGE: boring but essential, four of the best panniers you can lay hands on, the utterly waterproof classic Ortliebs. One of the last jobs will be to weigh these to make sure we’re not overloading the bike (or the airline $$$$).
These should have been in the picture with the Off-Bike Gear. See how easy it is to forget things?
And lastly, I now have two substantial cardboard boxes which will be my only ‘luggage’, as far as the airline is concerned. One will hold the four panniers and tent…
…whilst the other will hold my bike. To fit in here, the bike has to be dismantled (front wheel, saddle, handlebars, pedals, luggage racks, a few other bits) then reassembled when I arrive at my hotel in Halifax. The boxes will then be recycled, and I’ll repeat the process down in Florida! Thanks to Leisure Wheels bike shop in Old Hemel, and Dunelm in Apsley for the cardboard donations.
I’ve actually reached a point now where I need to start reducing my kit so the toothpaste idea is a good one! I’m going to be trying to get rid of something every day again. X
INCIDENTSᐧOFᐧTRAVEL 
The kitchen floor is going to seem very bare after you’ve gone! xxx
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❤️Would you like me to leave a few things lying around? I can do that easily, as you know. Xxx
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Loving the emergency paddle 🤣
What a lot to fit onto one bike!
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I hope to prove it will actually fit in the bike later on today Penny! X
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I think you have prepared well Ben! Safe travels! Ol x
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Thanks Ol. This evening is ‘Fit The Bike Into Its Box’ night which is always quite entertaining! Looking forward to arriving in Delray FL xx
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😎 Awesome! Look forward to seeing you
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Amazing to see all your kit! I hope you did a Mr. Bean and squeezed out all but the last few bits of toothpaste in your toothpaste tube… x
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I’ve actually reached a point now where I need to start reducing my kit so the toothpaste idea is a good one! I’m going to be trying to get rid of something every day again. X
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