After 5,000 miles and three continents, your gear list gets ruthless. Items that seemed essential before departure get mailed home within the first week. What survives the cut? Only what you actually use.
This list represents years of refinement—things that earned their weight in gold across deserts, mountains, and everything in between.
The Non-Negotiables
These five items solve the problems that actually end tours. Skip any of them at your peril.
1. Spare Tubes (2-3)
More critical than any other item. Flats happen everywhere, often in clusters. One tube gets you rolling; the second covers the next flat before you find a bike shop; the third is for the cyclist you’ll meet who forgot to bring any.
Even tubeless riders carry tubes. Sidewall cuts and large punctures overwhelm sealant. A tube lets you limp to the next town for proper repairs.
2. Quality Multi-Tool
The Crankbrothers M19 or Topeak Alien covers every adjustment you’ll make on the road. Both include hex keys (2-8mm), screwdrivers, and chain tools. Cheap multi-tools bend under pressure when you need them most.
Test your multi-tool on every bolt on your bike before departing. Know it works.
3. Mini Pump
CO2 cartridges run out. Pumps don’t. The Lezyne Pocket Drive fits in a jersey pocket and inflates tires to rideable pressure in under two minutes.
Practice pumping a tire flat-to-full at home. Know how long it takes and how many strokes you need. This mental prep prevents panic when you’re actually roadside.
4. Headlamp with Spare Batteries
Not a bike light—a headlamp. You need hands-free illumination for camp setup, mechanical repairs, and navigation. The Petzl e+LITE weighs 27 grams and lives permanently in my repair kit.
Spare batteries matter. When your headlamp dies at 3 AM while you’re trying to find a campsite, no bike light substitutes for having light where you look.
5. Lightweight Rain Jacket
Even in deserts. Even in summer. Temperature drops 30°F at night, and unexpected storms happen everywhere. A 6-ounce rain jacket packs into a fist-sized ball and saves your life when weather turns.
The Outdoor Research Helium or similar works. Breathability matters less than you think—you’ll be wet from sweat anyway. Focus on wind protection and water resistance.
The Survival Layer
These four items handle emergencies. You hope never to need them, but when you do, nothing else will work.
6. Emergency Bivvy
The SOL Emergency Bivvy weighs 3.8 ounces and stuffs smaller than a soda can. When you’re caught out overnight unexpectedly, or when hypothermia threatens during a mechanical delay, this reflective bag keeps you alive.
Not a replacement for proper shelter on planned trips—but essential insurance for the unplanned ones.
7. First Aid Basics
Bandages, medical tape, ibuprofen, antihistamine. Nothing fancy—just enough to handle cuts, pain, and allergic reactions until you reach proper medical care.
Add any personal medications. Know how to use everything in the kit. A first aid kit you can’t operate under stress is just extra weight.
8. Water Purification
The Sawyer Squeeze filter handles bacteria and protozoa from any water source. Weighs 3 ounces, filters thousands of liters. Streams, lakes, and even questionable taps become safe drinking water.
Alternative: Aquamira drops or iodine tablets work but take longer. The Sawyer provides instant filtration with no wait time.
9. Fire Starter
A mini Bic lighter. Weighs almost nothing. When you need fire for warmth, signaling, or cooking, nothing else matters.
Some carry ferrocerium rods or waterproof matches. All work. Just carry something that makes fire reliably.
The Comfort Items That Earn Their Weight
These three items seem optional until you’ve toured without them. Then they become essential.
10. Foam Sit Pad
The Gossamer Gear 1/8″ pad weighs 1 ounce and costs $5. Uses multiply: camp chair, extra insulation under your sleeping pad, kneeling pad during bike repairs, buffer between your back and a pack.
This single piece of foam improves camp comfort dramatically for almost no weight penalty.
11. Chamois Cream
Trail Toes or Chamois Butt’r. Apply before every ride. Saddle sores end more tours than mechanical failure—prevention costs a few dollars and a few seconds of morning routine.
Pack enough for your entire trip plus extra. Running out early leads to misery by day three.
12. Proper Sunglasses
Protection from sun, wind, dust, and bugs. Essential for all-day comfort and safety. Choose glasses that don’t fog, fit under helmets, and block wind without limiting peripheral vision.
Cheap sunglasses scratch and break. Invest in quality lenses with interchangeable options for different light conditions if possible.
The Controversial Extras
These final three items divide the touring community. Some consider them essential; others view them as luxury weight. Include based on your priorities.
13. Kindle or Book
Rest days happen. Weather pins you in towns. Mental health matters on long tours. A Kindle weighs 6 ounces and holds unlimited books. A paperback weighs similar and works without batteries.
I’ve never regretted carrying reading material. I’ve often regretted forgetting it.
14. Small Speaker
Not everyone agrees—some prioritize silence on the road. For others, 2 ounces of Bluetooth speaker equals morale that can’t be measured.
Use responsibly: volume low on trails shared with others.
15. Flip-Flops
Camp shoes that weigh nothing and dry fast. Give your feet freedom after 8 hours in cycling shoes. Wade through streams without soaking your riding footwear.
The $3 gas station variety works fine. Don’t overthink this one.
What’s Not on This List
Notice what’s missing: excessive clothing, bulky electronics, gear for hypothetical situations. Thru-cyclists learn quickly that half of what you think you need sits untouched until you mail it home.
The pattern after thousands of miles is clear: carry less, use it more, never miss what you left behind.
