Like all the cycle tourers with a website, here is my gear list. Rather detailed, as it’s also the first thing I look at on other websites. On the other hand, it is not that relevant as I think one does not need more than a random bicycle and a few things in a bag to start. I have done thousands of kilometers with a single-speed groceries shopping bicycle (mamachari) and a day trip backpack in the front basket. For less than $200 in total, it went almost as fine as with top quality gear, that breaks as well.
Sure, I was not cooking and depending everyday on shops, and I would be in trouble if camping outside under heavy rain. Sure, I pushed a lot in the hills. Even bent a bottom bracket spindle while forcing uphill, proof that human thighs can become stronger than metals made in China. But I have great memories of those trips and the riding feeling is the same.
Now that I can afford more comfort and reliability, and gadgets, I have done a careful procurement and maintained an inventory. Everything must fit in my panniers of 2 x 24L (back) + 2 x 12.5L (front) + 7L (handlebar) = 80 liters, leaving space for food, extra water, and random stuff along the way. The bike is already 16kg, and the loaded panniers add up a lot (19 kg). It really feels like riding a truck, a feeling that I actually like, but I can’t say it’s serving me in the hills. However I can still carry the fully loaded bike on my shoulders for crossing a wide gutter or going through a staircase, for example.
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| BIKE | |
| VSF Fahrradmanufaktur Expedition TX-400 Rohloff from mybike Waldshut | CrMo frame, 26″ wheels, Rohloff speedhub, Tubus racks, Magura HS11 hydraulic brakes, Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires (1st set of tires lasted 12000 KM, 2nd one 13000 KM, 3rd one 1500 KM (was Mondial Performance instead of Evolution, big difference), 4th one is Mondial Extreme) |
| BIKE ACCESSORIES | |
| Panniers back 2 x 24 L | Vaude Aqua Back |
| Panniers front 2 x 12.5 L | Ortlieb Front-roller classic |
| Handlebar bag 7 L | Ortlieb Ultimate 5M classic |
| Foldable hard lock | Trelock |
| Pump | |
| Gel cushion saddle cover | B’twin |
| Rear-view mirror | Zefal, end bar |
| Toe clips | B’twin |
| Plastic bottle | |
| Saddle bag | B’twin 0.4 L |
| Handlebar holder for smartphone/GPS | |
| Bungee cords and bungee net | |
| BIKE TOOLS & SPARE PARTS | |
| Bike multitool + 4mm and 5 mm longer allen keys | Topeak Hummer II |
| Adjustable wrench | |
| Flathead screwdriver | when tires levers are too weak to unmount rebel tires |
| Cleaning oil + Chain lubricant with teflon | |
| Spare tubes 26″ 2″ (x2) | 50/559 26″ x 2.00 |
| Tube puncture repair kit + fast repair kit (just-patch-it) | |
| Chain power links | SRAM, 8-speed chains (1/2″x 3/32″) |
| Spare brake pads (x4) | Magura hydraulic, black |
| Spare spokes | 242mm (back) and 264mm (front) |
| Rohloff oil change kit | to be changed every 5000km |
| Rohloff spare hub cable | |
| Rohloff spare sprocket and Rohloff sprocket removal tool | 16T sprockets can easily last 10000 KM on each side |
| Hydraulic brakes service kit | Magura mini service kit |
| Spares Allen screws for racks, bottle cage | |
| Spare tire | Cheap Chinese one, from Sahara onwards |
| Spare skewers | Hidden with spokes in the seat tube |
| Spare panniers hooks | Both Ortlieb and Vaude |
| CAMPING | |
| Tent | Vaude Power Lizard UL, 1000g, packed 30cm x Ø10cm |
| Sleeping bag | Mountain Equipment Xero 250 XL, 680g, packed 25cm x Ø16cm |
| Sleeping mat | Thermarest NeoAir all season R4.9, 540g Delaminated after 500 days, got cheap replacement |
| Sleeping bag liner (silk) | McKinley, 140g, 205x88cm |
| Swiss army knife | Victorinox Traveller Lite |
| Headlamp + spare AAA x3 | Mammut T-trail |
| Tent pegs Y aluminium | |
| Dry bag | Ortlieb 42L, useful to carry extra things on rear rack |
| Aluminium bottle | Quechua |
| Repair kit for waterproof fabrics (tent, panniers) | |
| Strap | |
| Plastic cover serving as tent tarp or bicycle bag | |
| Multitool with pliers, type Leatherman | |
| COOKING | |
| Multifuel stove + fuel bottle | MSR Whisperlite |
| Cooking pot + handle | MSR Alpine Bowl |
| Lighter | |
| Water purification | Katadyn Micropur Forte 100 mL + 100 tabs |
| Multi tool fork+spoon+knife | |
| POWER, PHOTOGRAPHY & ELECTRONICS | |
| Charger / Power converter from dynamo hub | Busch & Müller E-werk, output 2.8V to 13.3V, and 0.1A to 1.5A |
| Portable battery pack | Yoobao Long March 11200mAh |
| Universal battery charger (Nikon, Canon, Nokia) | Pixo C-USB |
| Spare batteries | Nikon EN-EL14 (7.4V 1050mAh) Nokia BL-5J (3.7V 1320mAh), Canon NB-4L (3.7V 760mAh) |
| Cables USB / micro USB | |
| Electric plug international adapter | |
| Wall socket (220V) to USB (5V 1000mA) adapter | |
| USB “dumb” charge cable | USB with shorted data pins |
| Camera + 18-55mm lens | Nikon D5100 |
| Compact backup camera | Canon Ixus 120IS, replaced (March 2014) with Canon PowerShot S95 |
| GorillaPod (tripod) | |
| Camera case | Think Tank Digital Holster 10 V2.0, fits perfectly in the Ortlieb handlebar bag |
| Notebook and photo processing | Samsung 530U3B-A02 + Lightroom 4 upgraded to 5.x |
| Nokia N900 | wonderful device serving as phone, GPS tracker, GPS mapper, data backup, camera backup, netbook backup, dSLR remote control, notepad, WiFi tools and more |
| Portable hard drive | |
| USB female-to-female connector | to use N900 in host mode (makes backup) |
| SD card 16GB (x2) + 4GB + 2GB | |
| SD card reader | |
| Repair parts | heatshrink tubes, 4.8mm plate connectors |
| CLOTHING (climate-specific and rather disposable) | |
| Trail shoes | Salomon XA Pro 3D XCR 2, died in Angola, replaced with many China-shop pairs until a pair of Keen Verdi |
| Light hiking pants convertible | North Face Kathmandu, died in Spain, replaced with a Décathlon Quechua Forclaz (10 months per pair of pants) |
| T-shirt (x2) | |
| Socks & underwear (x2) | |
| Bike gloves | Roeckl, lost one in Guinea-Bissau, replaced one in Guinea, renewed both in Angola |
| Snowboarding socks | long and warm, not suitable after Morocco |
| Headscarf / Shesh | for the desert |
| Sunglasses | |
| Long-sleeves sweater | |
| Jacket | North Face Kathmandu, not needed between Senegal and Namibia |
| Poncho | |
| Long johns | |
| Hat & thin gloves | |
| Swim short pants | |
| Flip-flops | Good for the flooded roads of the rainy season, for buckets showers in the mud/insects, and for rest days |
| Reflective safety jacket | when there’s no choice but riding in the fog, rain, or at night |
| HEALTH | |
| First aid kit (plasters, aspirine, antiseptic spray, pills, …) | |
| Mini swiss army knife | |
| Synthetic towel | Vaude 90cm x 60cm, forgotten in Morocco, replaced with a Cape Union Mart fast-dry towel |
| Soap, shampoo | |
| Suncream | |
| Mosturizer cream | |
| Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss | |
| Chubstick | |
| Earplugs | camping = rain, wind, birds, traffic |
| Dry bag | |
| Vaccination booklet + yellow fever certificate | |
| Mosquito net | from Senegal and further |
| Malarone/Malanil emergency pills against malaria | from Senegal and further |
| Doxycycline tablets for malaria prophylaxis | from Senegal and further |
| MISC. | |
| Pen & marker pen | |
| Cable ties | |
| Black duct tape | |
| Brown duct tape | |
| Mini sewing kit | |
| Silicone seam sealer | (SiliNet) To repair tent and panniers |
| Combination padlock | |
| Safety pins | |
| Postcards | |
| Paper maps, Michelin 741 (North Africa) and Michelin 746 (Central & South) | useful for long-term planning, with Google Maps and OSM on my GPS app for everyday use |
| Money belt & travel documents (IDs, insurance, licenses, copies) | |
| Proof of purchase of the bike | can be useful with tricky immigration officers |
In April 2018, fours years after that initial list, I toured the Highlands of Scotland for two weeks. Upon my return, I listed everything I had carried. I carry more small repair bits, accumulated over time.
Totally amazing website! All the best from Germany, have a lot of Fun in life! I love your articles and pictures so much.
Thanks for the information!!
Hola JB. Gracias por tu información. Tengo planeado hacer un viaje de Dakar hacia el Norte para cruzar a Europa desde Tanger. Mi consulta es por los vientos predominantes en la costa oeste de Africa, clima y el régimen de lluvias. Muchas Gracias. Miguel (Argentina)
Thanks JB! Great list. I plan a similar trip for next year but I’ll start in capetown.
I have a question regarding navigation.
When you were Travelling through these countries how often did you find local maps?
Im not sure how much i trust the locals with having a gps attatched to my bike.
And were the downloaded maps reliable enough in e.g. remote angola/cameroon? Or did you primarily rely from asking directions
Watching your videos, i want to similar paths you took in angola. So getting lost is a fear of mine
Dear Eric,
I hope I can help you at least with part of your question. As I have been in SW Cameroon three times, I have some experience with navigating using GPS navigation and maps. There is a possiblity of having a good map with you. It is a czech map server (mapy.cz) and its app for smart phones (same name). In the app, you can find the “touristic map” you can find online and at least for this part of Cameroon it has superb coverage, containing even the smallest trails on Mt. Cameroon itself 🙂 Really handy. You can download maps for using them offline and navigating so you don’t need to be connected to the internet whole time. But mobile internet is quite OK in Cameroon, even in remote villages. Hope that helps a bit.
Ondra
I checked the mapy.cz again and in english version the touristic map is called “outdoor”. Check it out yourself, this is Limbe in SW Cameroon: https://en.mapy.cz/s/lovapecatu
Thanks Ondrej.
Eric, these days I use https://www.openandromaps.org/ with Orux, but mapy.cz look good too.
I don’t recall having seen local paper maps, for all countries but SA/Namibia.
I had paper maps from Michelin for high level navigation, and GoogleMaps+Satellite / OpenStreetMaps on my phone for daily use so as to know which roads may exist. When I had mobile data, the Satellite view was particularly useful, giving me the best indication on whether a road is actually a road, a trail, is paved or not, or no longer exist 🙂
Because some roads appear and disappear with seasons and maintenance (or rather, the lack of it), I’d always ask locals if the road I see on the maps actually goes somewhere. Locals also know the quality of the road, and whether it’s passable (e.g. flooded, bridge broken, etc), that kind of info which you’ll not find anywhere. Especially in Angola, the mapping is very bad. As long as you know where is north and south and you have enough time, I’d say getting lost is part of the adventure too …
I don’t think there’s anything to fear with your GPS on your bike, as long as you unclip it when you leave your bike out of sight for more than a few minutes.
Safe trip!
Hey JB, I’m planing to cycle from Freetown to Monrovia sometime in December during the dry season. Any tips, road conditions etc will be highly appreciated.
Hello, JB, ever since I stumbled upon this blog, I’ve become a huge fan. Your writing has inspired me so much that I am, in fact, going to follow in your tracks. I had wanted to start bicycle touring, but could never gather the courage. But now I am on a straight way towards leaving on a half-year West Africa tour in January! Starting a blog, too, which is still a work in progress, and not in English yet.
On the topic of equipment: what smartphone or GPS do you use nowadays? I was looking into the N900, but it seems too outdated in 2017. I’m looking for something with good battery life, preferably waterproof. Are you going to do a write-up of your North Cape journey, together with a gear list?
Thanks,
Jan
Thanks!
You’re right, the N900 was a very good thing until it died (it did quickly though).
Nowadays, I used the Orux app on Android. It’s the most complete and tweakable app I’ve found. You can download any offline map you want (you’ll probably like the ones from OpenCycleMap.org) and it load online maps too (Gmaps, hybrid, or anything else) if you have data.
But it’s also true that phones tend to consume more power, which is annoying if you have to generate your own power. Look at the OnePlus 3T, amazing battery life for a fair price. The quick charge works very well. However, that’s still 3400 mAh and if you’re on an external battery pack, solar panel or hub dynamo, it will take a while. My N900 was 700 or 900 mAh and it recorded my route for a whole day, but it’s past. If power is a concern, maybe it’s wiser these days to have a standalone GPS for routing and recording, and a smartphone for everything else, if there’s any juice left 🙂
For the North Cape, I won’t do more than the few pics, map and stats that are already online. My gear list was almost the same btw. Good luck!
Bonjour JB
Félicitations pour ton site.
Orux App de quel éditeur STP ?
Rêve de Voyage
Merci!
http://www.oruxmaps.com/cs/en/ : il semble n’être disponible que sur Android
I am curious – what do you have stored in the tube along the horizontal bar on your bike (I skimmed your equipment list but couldn’t figure it out – apologies if I have overlooked something)? Extra spokes?
Nothing special 🙂 it was a pipe insulation tube I used to protect my frame during its first flight. I never removed it as it was still protecting the frame, and I could also sit on it. Spokes and spare skewers are in the seat tube.
Bonjour cher ami,
Merci beaucoup pour cette liste détaillée. Pourrais-tu me dire si tu es content du kit e werk usb ? Je ne trouve pas beaucoup d’infos sur internet. As tu ajouté un accumulateur ?
Merci beaucoup pour ton retour.
François
Oui, le e-werk marche bien, mais seulement sur de longs segments goudronnés. Sur des pistes avec arrêts fréquents, ca ne chargeait pas vraiment. Faut pas aussi espérer un output de 2A, sortir 500 mA en pédalant c’est déjà bien.
J’avais pas d’accumulateur entre le e-werk et mon Nokia N900, ce qui, je pense, a contribué à la détérioration de mes batteries. J’ai maintenant un accu pass-through, ce qui occasionne plus de pertes, mais qui fournit aussi un courant plus stable au téléphone. J’ai pas fait assez d’essai pour en parler.
Hi JB, I first read your writing on your trip through Namibi. I am really enjoying your wwritings. I recently ‘discovered’ bicycle Touring. I am a Nigerian living on South Africa and currently commuting as I am cycling for weight loss to enable me do longer distances.
My approaching planed longer trip to to cycle from Johannesburg (were I live) to Cape Town.
I am indeed happy I found you for your travels through Africa is very encouraging.
Its a very good boost for my desire for bicycle Touring.
I thank you for the detailed information you share. it helps newer riders like me to plan ahead
Keep pedaling JB
Hi bro, how much is it gonna cost me to get all this things?? I want to start cycling too
Un grand bravo pour ces plus de 26 000 km parcourus ^^ je suis loin d’avoir fait un tel voyage mais je prépare des voyages de 800/1000 km déjà ^^
J’ai une question concernant les pneus. J’aie des marathon mondial (ligne évolution) mais ils ont déjà des fissures ! Après 500/600 km max. Pression de 5 bars à l’arrière, 4 à l’avant. Et toi ?
Tu parles d’un marathon extreme mais il n’existe pas sur le site de Schwalbe. Où le trouves-tu ? Le recommandes-tu ?
Merci et bon voyage.
Sportivement, Malik
Merci!
5 bars dans un pneu de touring 2″+ c’est beaucoup trop (cf: http://www.schwalbe.com/fr/luftdruck.html). Tu as en général la pression recommandée sur le pneu lui même, en bars et en PSI.
Pour ma part, je mettais 2 bars (grosso modo, n’ayant pas de manomètre), ca m’arrivait de gonfler plus fort quand j’avais beaucoup de goudron devant.
Y’a pas mieux que le site et les catalogues de Schwalbe pour se perdre dans les specs 🙂 Les Extreme sont à 22 GBP ici (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/schwalbe-marathon-extreme-dd-folding-tyre-26-x-225-inch-57-559-prod19498/). De mon coté, j’ai eu une mauvaise surprise avec la ligne Performance (avec armature rigide, non pliables), mais 10’000 km a chaque fois avec ligne Evolution. Il me semble que les fissures apparaissent si tu es sous-gonflé, tu peux peut-être les montrer à un velociste. Je recommanderais quand même le Mondial plutôt que l’Extreme, a moins que tu fasses principalement des pistes non goudronnées.
Bon courage pour tes voyages!
Avec plaisir 🙂
C’est vrai que 5 bars c’est bien trop, sur goudron abîmé ça vibre énormément. Je vais descendre le tout à 3,5 bars. 5 bars est la pression max recommandée 😉
Tu mettais 2 bars seulement avec un vélo ultra chargé ?! Whaou confortable mais effectivement les fissures s’expliquent, à mon avis, par une pression insuffisante.
Merci pour le lien, mais je vais continuer d’utiliser la version Mondial évolution…après échange de mon pneu arrière déjà usé.
Je suis pressé de voyager à nouveau 🙂
Go for it JB, we know you will make us proud 🙂 and make sure your bike is not stolen!!!
It’s going well so far, got stolen nothing, lost nothing, not even weight (I think) 🙂
all the best mate / dont get mugged