This is the recommended gear that I discussed in this video! ❤ Please note that I may earn a small commission if you purchase gear through these links: Laptop: amzn.to/4fS5po6 Zoom camera: amzn.to/3M2Y9YL 360 camera: amzn.to/3YEwqVK Cheap phone: amzn.to/3Aua5Qy Tent: www.mont.com.au/products/dragonfly-tent Sleeping bag: amzn.to/3YGhZk8 Air Mattress: amzn.to/3Au6Et8 Pillow: www.expedusa.com/products/deepsleep-pillow Chair: amzn.to/4djkFZh Underwear: www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E467846-000/00 Cycling Shirt 1: www.mont.com.au/products/venture-sun-shirt-mens Cycling Shirt 2: alnk.to/2QwLt85 Cycling Pants: alnk.to/a43PHoG Sunglasses with mirror: amzn.to/3AmhZM1 Rain poncho: cleverhood.com/products/rover-rain-cape Sandals: alnk.to/6xKG4FE Stove: amzn.to/46Zdu6t Cooking pot: amzn.to/4dHrGTu Bowls: amzn.to/3SPtOki Knife: amzn.to/46FT1U1 Water filter: amzn.to/3X2vtFF Water bag: amzn.to/3M59XtE Water bottles: amzn.to/3yNlDxT Nalgene lids: amzn.to/4fL2MnO Fork packs: www.tailfin.cc/product/pannier-fork-bags/fork-packs/fork-packs/ Top tube bag: www.tailfin.cc/product/top-tube-cockpit/top-tube-bag-flip/ Small hip pack: alnk.to/44W4kSe Pump: amzn.to/3M2PyoR Lock: www.tex-lock.com/en/product/tex-lock-orbit/ Exfoliating glove: amzn.to/4dm7dUr Hair trimmer: amzn.to/46K6Lgi Universal plug: amzn.to/3WHkP5S Sealant bottle: amzn.to/3YNJ2tX Tubeless valve cores: amzn.to/3M2XIh9 Tubeless valve caps: amzn.to/3Az5E75 You can see the rest of my gear on CYCLINGABOUT: www.cyclingabout.com/bike-touring-gear-list-around-the-world/
Hey, thanks for the video! I tend to consider the gear we go bikepacking with to be quite a personal choice after a while. Some like to keep it light, some want as much comfort as possible, some prefer paper maps, some prefer more electronics... though it's nice to talk about it with beginners at least once, to explore the usefulness of each item through our experience. I find your selection rationally chosen :) I was wondering: what's with the fuzzy contours of your body, in your video? :) did you add a background? The lights are almost the same, nice job!
I am wondering what bottle cages you use for the Nalgene bottles? I am strugglingi to find something affordable in the EU that works with that size of bottle. I am trying to avoid one with straps.
I'm a recovering city (Houston, TX) commuter and bike courier; didn't buy a car until I was wooing my wife to be in my late 30's. My favorite bike has a quarter of a million miles on the odometers. ALL the little details in here check out! And the ones I can't personally vouch for, I'm taking as starting points for when I can escape the city... Thanks SO much for dropping this LoveShare on us!!
Alee Denham is such an experienced traveller. Above the knowledge he has, he also knows how to properly share it to people, whilst being unbiased. His videos and articles (on his website) are extremely valuable for any new-experienced bike travellers! I wish you the best on your upcoming long journey. You'll love it! Where are you going?
The amount of thought, organization, and thoroughness you put into your videos is just superb. The way you organize, label, and shoot the downward facing photos of your gear are almost works of art, like something from a Wes Anderson movie. Fantastic and super informative.
Thanks for the comprehensive list and reasoning, Alee. I learn an innovative bike touring idea from each video you release. That universal sink plug is a great idea. One learns about its need, trying to do laundry in hotel rooms with no sink stoppers/poor sink stoppers.
Alee, thank you that the very informative information! I have been bike travelling for 5 months and I'm about to change my bike gear. Thanks to your videos, I got so much valuable information that helped me make important decisions about my bike and gear. I love your bikepacking guide too!
Awesome, I've followed you for years and with your websites advice I did a 15month tour of Southern Spain (I took my time I'm retired). My first bike touring adventure gear was with the lightest possible but I soon learned the lesson of durability over lightness as you rightly say. I agree with virtually all of your gear advice except I have a Trangia and it's the 25 version, I'm Italian so I like to cook. However, there is one thing that I have noticed with your 'evolving' set up as with several other RU-vid bike tourers that I completely disagree with. The panniers or lack of. THE optimal set up for long duration bike touring is the iconic ortlieb (or similar) front and back panniers, bar bag and rear tent bag or rack pack, that's it. Anything different from that is like trying to reinvent the wheel because it's old fashioned. These clip on small front fork bags, top tube bags etc are purely following the trend for bike packing over bike touring. Love your videos, you are the undisputed king of cycle touring and I wish I could afford a Koga bike like yours. Keep these vids coming.
This is a very good video. It is edited very well. I’ve been watching your videos for a while man and it’s good to see that you’re still looking great and doing great!
Aside from short day trips, I usually only cycle to the nearest grocery store, but it is 15 km one way. The path is through everything from streets to mud. I've been increasing my gear every few weeks or so. Especially with the coming winter. Your gear is a good reference point. I will likely purchase a cycling poncho, as traveling, even on an e-bike, is very unenjoyable in top to bottom rain gear. And I'm almost always soaking wet at the end, regardless how much support my e-bike gives me.
Thanks. Sensible. And glad you put the qualifiers at both ends of the video - long distance. Nice that cyclists share their ideas, but it does depend on the type of cycling, and a lot of RU-vidrs don’t seem to realise that their experience may be unique to their preferred type of rides.
It's all about how methodologies and, you seem to be an ace in those fields! What l missed the most during my cycling was a chair but no more! Thanks for the tip!
oh man i can definitely give you a +1 on those uniqlo undies, i only recently bought some and it was such a game changer while doing a lot of walking around on holiday. i normally use cycling pants while riding of course but these undies are the best things you can buy for your cargo
Even better than your knife is the Victorinox folding table Knife exactly the same just folds in half and protects the blade and everything around it because the blade is so sharp. Thank you, Ray.
@17:10 You're absolutely right. For a few years now, I've been literally remove all from my body before I leave with a hair removal cream (2 tubes). It makes me feel much cleaner and smell better. I have to try the scrubbing glove 🤔
Fantastic video, I really appeciate your gear breakdown, it's a great cheat-sheet! Now I just need to work out how to afford the endless bike touring life before I'm too old!
Congrats for the video and wishing you a great journey! I tested few days ago Sea to Summit Evac UL and non-UL but the evac feature didn’t seem to work at all. It could be a great feature but sadly even the guys from the shop told me they had problems with evac products. Unfortunately I took the normal compression dry bag for my winter sleeping bag. I took the lightweight version 70D which is heavier than UL version 30D, hopefully will be a good choice for winter conditions.
I'm with you on Apple laptops! Man, my MacBooks and MacBook Airs over the years, awesome! Never had less than 5 years out of one! Especially since they went to metal housings! Last 2 have been Airs, 4 years so far on the current one, 7 years from the previous one! My Airs go with me everywhere, any terrain, just as powerful as most Pro models but way lighter, albeit a little more expensive for equivalent performance! Battery performance is phenomenal since they went with the ARM architecture. (M series chips.) Where my gear varies would be stove (Trangia), pants (cargos) and electronics. Garmin eTrex 10 is my primary GPS as a preloaded track has never let me down with this aging beastie, while a mobile phone can be satellite shadowed behind as little as a 1 in 7 hill. If you're out of range of the cell network, that leaves nothing for your phone to fall back on. The eTrex is good, even behind big hills and mountains between me and the equator. Plan the next day on my laptop with RWGPS, save to the Garmin with a usb connection.
Thanks for the vid! The Sawyer bags are a disgrace. I used my original bags for many years but got some of the new ones and they all failed on the second use. Emailed sawyer and never got a reply. The Sawyer filter is awesome though, never let me down. 😁
Thank you for doing this. I plan to do a long tour starting next summer (AK to AR) and this will be a very nice guide for me. I already have a standard set of gear that I carry, but I'm always looking for improvements. I see several items in your kit that look interesting. I have a few questions: 1. How do you keep your USB/lightning port from getting water in it from rain? My Pixel phones won't charge if the port has water in it. I carry a backup phone just for that reason. 2. Is there a newer version of the zoom camera that you carry? Amazon no longer carries yours. 3. Why so many spoons?? I've never needed more than one, though I carry a plastic backup in case I lose the main one. And a few comments: 1. I carry several smaller power banks. It's a little less efficient weight wise but if one stops working (happened a few times), I still have power banks that I can use. If you carry one and it breaks, your toast. 2. That chair does not look very comfortable to me. You're sitting on the ground. I prefer to get off the ground. I'll have to try one at REI to see how it feels. 3. I prefer Moreno wool tops, socks and underwear as they don't ever stink. You can wear them for a week with no BO. I do like your long pants. I wear sunproof tights with a pair of swim shorts over the top. This works well but I find horseflies can bite through. Maybe with a loose trouser, they will have a harder time. They also look better. 4. I ride with sandals, but not the split toe. I would find that uncomfortable and I can use normal socks. 5. I prefer a rain parka rather than a poncho that seconds as a cold weather shell. It also provides bug protection when they are really bad (like Alaska/Yukon). Ponchos don't work for that. 6. I prefer the Platypus Gravity works water filter. It really works fast for gravity filtering and it's very reliable. I've used it for years without issues. No squeezing required. The bags and connectors are top quality and never fail. It's more expensive than Sawyer. I carry a Sawyer mini as an emergency backup. I've never needed to use it. 7. I don't get the Nalgene water bottles. I like to squeeze the water out. I use Polar insulated bottles as they keep the water cold for a few hours. I also carry two 64 oz Kleen Kanteen thermoses that will keep water or anything cold or hot for days. It's a little extra weight but really worth it when riding in 100 deg F. I fill them with ice and water and it stays cold all day and into the next. You can also put soup or other hot food in them to keep them warm for later in the day. I ride a recumbent so they attach conveniently to the back of my seat. 8. I like the backpack idea for protecting the laptop and storing the sleeping bag. Great Idea. 9. Rather than carrying a hair clipper, when I need a haircut, I purchase a cheap clipper at Walmart for ~$10 and then throw it away after I use it. Hate to carry that weight the whole trip. 10. In my case, I have sleep apnea, so I have to carry a portable cpap with heavy batteries everywhere I go. It's bulky and heavy. 11. For a tool kit, I carry the Topeak Ratchet Rocket Lite NTX+. It's a marvel. Super durable and has everything you need including a chain breaker and torque wrench. I wouldn't go anywhere without it. 12. For the tubeless valves, I use Reserve Wheels - Fillmore Tubeless Bike Tire Valves. They're very expensive but work great and you don't have to worry about removing valves to add sealant. No plugging valves. 13. After blowing out a sidewall, I started carrying a spare tire. It doesn't have to be a heavy, wide tire. A lightweight foldable that will get you to the next bike shop is all you need. I'm curious what you pack in each pannier to balance the weight verses ease of access. Thanks again for all your effort.
I would love to see a videos breakdown about the Kwiggle foldable bike and the add-e smalest lightest electric motor for ebikes. I am currently thinking of combining botth to beat every electric scooter by size, weight, capabilietes and regulation.
Thanks for the list, saving it for reference (already have your bikepacking guides)! Question: are those butyl spare tubes? Some companies (Rene Herse is one) make TPU tubes for tyres up to 60mm. Curious regarding your thoughts on TPU tubes!
Thanks i was just looking for a water bag for the sawyer and remembered the Sawyer ones sucked...gonna try the Evernew water bag. i trust your recommandation
Thank you for another amazing video (I love when a new video pops into my feed)! May I ask why you are moving away from Shimano sandals and an SPD setup to flat pedals? Also, can you share the brand/model of the flat grippy pedals you recommend?
I found flat pedals with sandals to be so much nicer than dealing with cycling shoes and clipping in and out all the time. You're not racing out there. It makes life so much easier.
Alee, I remain an enormous fan. Would you consider doing a video outlining your video shooting/editing / and posting strategies while on the road? For example, are you gathering content from Africa so you can produce a linear series of videos in the future, or has the benefit and allure of videos like your South American series waned? I'm a fan, so I always want to see more, but I'm also interested in the business behind your YT channel. Thanks, buddy. Safe travels.
Thanks! I really don't have any strategy. I just enjoy sharing the things that are on my mind while I'm riding along. I am currently collecting video content from Africa, but I just don't have time to properly sort it and edit it together - it's a full time job documenting a trip thoroughly! Hopefully, I can make use of it all if I take a year off bike travel.
Sadly, several bicycle travelers who have monetized their content, have reported that deep and considerate travelogues just don’t get enough engagement compared to showing gear that can be purchased. It's like the general public wants to be constantly advertised to.
@@Cyclingabout Thanks, Alee. I understand! Another channel that I follow, Sailing Uma, discussed a similar problem with how dang time-consuming a quality edit is. They discussed outsourcing the process but eventually decided against that, wanting the story to be 100% their own. I support that, even though I wish we could more closely follow along in your adventures. Cheers for the reply.
@@crculver2068 I think you are right. There are (thankfully) a few exceptions. Former bike traveler and YT creator Martijn Doolaard has a good thing going with his incredibly shot and edited weekly videos. What he's doing is the unrealistic goal I have for Alee.
Less is more. You are carrying everything you need to live comfortably not just survive. You are a nomad!!! I have been traveling self powered for 50 pulse years by bike, canoe, kayak and ski. At 82 I have a pretty good idea what works and makes life enjoyable. Instead of a sleeping bag which is either too warm or too cold and sometimes just right, I have switched to the MSS. Modular Sleep System developed the the worlds armies in the 1990’s. I carry the fore runner of the the stove you use, the Optimus 00. Solid brass pressurized burns Kerosine or auto fuel. Every 50 years I change the rubber O ring on the fuel tank. Clothing is the best protection from the sun’s radiation and camp bugs. My go to shirt is a oversized linen shirt, UV protection, ventilation and cooling by evaporation. Also a wool shirt and a poly ventilation shirt depending on length of trip, location and weather. I highly recommend wearing a fish net undershirt from Brynje Warm in winter, cool in summer. The best way to keep weight down is to travel in a small group of 2 to 4 riders. Thus avoiding duplication of tools, kitchen and camp gear. You only need to carry one tooth brush (just kidding) I always carry a First Aid kit to cover wounds and road rash and damaged bones. It is as much for you as the rider you find along the road.
