gear
Find an extensive list of items I brought on my bicycle trip from Amsterdam to Singapore on this page
I've added brief reviews of my experience with the products. Additionally, to be transparent in how I've gathered my gear I've marked items that I got through sponsoring with an asterisk*
bicycle
My bike is a Santos Travelmaster 3+*. Santos is a Dutch bike brand that is known for its strong durable aluminium frames and expertise in Rohloff gear hubs and belt drives. Besides these luxuries my Travelmaster features:
- a Brooks C17* saddle - this saddle is weatherproof and maintenance free. My butt is happy with this choice as(s)well. Did not experienced major pains or sores on this saddle
- a SON28 dynamo hub* and SON lights. Superb product. The Rolls Royce amongst bicycle lights. Easy while-riding switch-on and very bright light
- a USB-werk to charge my phone/gps. Works moderately. With steady 18kmph+ riding and no too cold temperatures, it will keep my phone battery even when in use and will charge slowly when in airplane mode
- Magura HS33* hydraulic brakes. No problems. Allows for fast and easy brake block replacement.
- Ergon GP5* handgrips. Very satisfied. Multiple grips have allowed me no issues with the hands.
- three Santos Alleshouders* are mounted to the frame to carry two big water bottles and a petrol flask. Simply briljant. Fit even 2,5L soda bottles
- Ortlieb back-roller pro classics* - these rear bags are truly massive: even carrying a ton of camera gear leaves me with leftover space
- Ortlieb Sport-roller classics* - front bags. Sturdy & waterproof
- Ortlieb Ultimate Pro E* - great handlebar bag that connects to my USB-werk to charge my electronics while riding. Waterproof. Allows me to quickly grab and tuck away my camera
- Ortlieb Rack Pack* - The medium size perfectly fits over the rear panniers horizontally
- Ortlieb Light Pack Pro* - for waterproof off-bike equipment carrying. A extra gift Ortlieb hooked me up with. Very happy they did. It's small when rolled up & big when in use. Rain-proof. Ideal for those rainy restdays exploring cities or landscapes. Even used it for multi-day hikes (although it is a bit small for that purpose)
- Repair tools: a Topeak Mini 20 Pro multitool, spare parts: a spare belt, breaking blocks, spokes, Rohloff & Magura maintenance kit, tubes & tire repair kit and ofcourse a pump (the Lezyne Pressure Drive)
- I love the contrast between my high-end gear, the uber fancy bike and my ultra cheap Hema bike computer I got from a friend. I dropped the thing somewhere in Azerbaijan once, it broke it. So had it replaced by a similarly cheap device that keeps resetting for some reason. Sadly, that is why I don't know the exact amount of km ridden on my trip
home & kitchen
My home is packed into the Ortlieb Rack Pack on top of the rear bags. Eric Schuijt of the Amsterdam based biketouring shop De Vakantiefietser was kind enough to provide a solid discount on most of the below items:
- MSR Hubba Hubba HP - super lightweight 2 person tent that fits me and all of my bags easily. Very satisfied. The HP version is slightly warmer (definitely needed at -10C in Tadjikistan) than the NX. And it endures packing it moistly for a couple of days without getting moldy
- Yeti Tension Comfort 800-L - this sleeping bag is spacious, lightweight and extremely warm. I love the fact that the zipper comes all the way down to my feet for a blanket setup on warmer nights. If temperatures below zero are on route though you might want to opt for something warmer. The comfort temperature of -1C of this sleeping bag has left me some cold feet on quite some mornings
- Sea To Summit Comfort Plus - this sleeping mat is double layered so that it remains usable after one side gets punctured. Moreover, it isolates well from cold from below. Very comfortable investment
- Exped air pillow L - I've always had one specifically shaped foam pillow at home. This air pillow was the closes match I could find. It suits me as well as my beloved foamy
- Ayacucho Thermolite - this sheet bag keeps the inside of my sleeping bag clean. Moreover it subtracts about 2 degrees off the comfort temperature of the sleeping bag, making it comfortable down to -3 degrees celsius. Worth bringing
- Helinox ground chair - I actually wanted the new Helinox zero chair but the stores didn't have it yet. Weighing in only 520gr this chair makes my day, at the end of it
- Petzl Tikka+ headlight - solid headlamp with multiple brightness & blinking modes. Love the red light option in case you don't want to attract attention while illegally wild camping in some Chinese bamboo forest
My kitchen is packed into the left rear bag. In there I find a:
- MSR Whisperlite Universal Combo - Multifuel stove that runs on gas, petroleon, kerosene, etc. I am happy with this product. Just cleaned it twice while running it mostly on benzine. It is a dirty job though setting it up, which is annoying because you are about to handle your food and hand-washing water is scarce when camping
- MSR Trailshot pocket-sized water filter - small sized water filter that will allow for filtering water in remote area's. Used it infrequently, it takes about 10min to fill a 1,5L bottle. Definitely necessary if your planning on crossing area's similar to the Pamir mountains in Tadjikistan tough
- 10L Ortlieb waterbag - Used this product once on the Pamir. BUT: one of these will come in handy on longer dessert stretches like in Uzbekistan (which I skipped most of)
- Sea to Summit Xpot 2.8L, Xplate & Alpha lite Spork - Awesome gear. Light, small and functional. Love the folding cooking pot
- Light my Fire Firesteel, Pack 'n Snack kit & Salt & Pepper plus kit - definitely bring a firesteel with you for lighting your stove on rainy days
- Leatherman Rev multitool. Chinese police made me break off the knife at some checkpoint
- Small foldable Opinel knife and a GSI Pack Spatula - love the Opinel. Chinese official took it when I travelled by train
clothing
Important in clothing for pretty much any outdoor sports is the three layer build up. The first layer – the base layer is ideally worn directly against the skin and its primary function is to transport moisture towards the outer 2 layers where it evaporates. The second layer should bring warmth. This insulating layer helps to transfer moisture from the base layer on to the outer layer. The third is the outer layer that provides protection against the elements (while biking, wind and/or rain can be disastrous if the outer layer isn't functioning right). It should breathe at the same time though too, to let the moisture out. Make sure to invest some money in some quality clothing. My technical wear:
- Agu Secco Scandic Shirt* 2x (base layer)
- A thermo long sleeve and thermo legging I still had from wintersports (base layer) - best bring on the trip! Long sleeve tights are useful in all conditions (to either keep you warm, or to protect from getting sunburned). Bring a light and a dark colour one
- Agu Hiberno* (base layer) - long underwear with padding for cold days. Sent it home halfway my trip since it was weighty. I preferred separate padded underwear, a thermo legging and outdoor pants for the coldest of days
- Agu Uomo* 2x - padded boxershorts
- Merino wool socks 2x (base layer) - you can actually wear these for a week without too much stinkyness
- Sealskinz waterproof socks - with the gore-tex shoes I carry these are unnecessary items. Fascinatingly, they are actually waterproof though
- Kiltec down jacket (insulating layer) - this thin down jacket surely saved my life
- Agu Vernio windjack* (outer layer wind) - this jacket weighs only 100gr but makes huge difference during hot and windy days
- Agu Jack Secco Evo Rain Hivis* (outer layer rain) - I'm happy with this rain jacket since it's reflective, breathable and fits my long upper body perfectly
- Agu Tecco* (outer layer rain) - breathable rain pants! Ps. I forgot them on the Pamir with a Tadjik family just before a couple of days of snowy riding. I'm sure the oldest son proudly wanders the Tadjik highlands with it now
- Shimano Gore-tex Bike gloves (outer layer rain) - very good cycling winter gloves
- Agu Line MTB short* - very comfortable padding on this one
Casual clothing:
- Ice Tech Lite SS - merino wool tshirt
- Supern Base Tee - merino wool tshirt
- Some shorts - bring one with loads of pockets, you'll love pockets! With zips that is
- Mai Tajo Long - Yeeey, zip-off pants and pocket heaven
- Icebreaker Compass LS Plaid Shirt - the only fancy shirt I carry to decently walk into embassies to arrange visa's. It works
- Some regular socks & boxershorts
Other items:
- Merrel Black slate/Yellow - I choose these shoes because of the thick durable sole needed to withstand the grip spikes on my bike's paddles. Can't go without them now
- Gore Bike Wear Countdown Summer 2.0 - Summer bike gloves with padding. Love these for the hot but bumpy days
- Agu Kerio MTB black* - I first had my eyes on a lighter touring helmet but my head simply is shaped too long front-to-end. This helmet fits perfectly. I admit only wearing it on crazy downhills and into crowded cities though
- Teva flip flops - these are my favourite footwear! But lost them. Got some other sandals that cause zebra feet
- Buff High Uv - Buff is great for cold days as well as protection from the sun, and as a face mask against Chinese smog
electronics
In making the YouTube show on the go I carried three types of camera: a compact camera that does a good job as a vlog-camera, an action camera for close-up action & wet conditions and a drone for scenic overview shots.
- GoPro Hero 5 - I haven't shot a lot with the GoPro. And if, the editors most of the time choose to not use it on D TOUR. Still think it is a valuable addition, and doesn't weigh a lot
- A GoPro case and a ton of mounts (some pre-mounted onto the bike)
- GoPole Scenelapse - a timelapse timer that turns 360degrees in the course of an hour. Should use this thing more. It's potentially awesome
- Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II - one of the best vlog camera's the moment I left. And jeez, this thing has endured. Chronic mistreatment (bouncing around caseless in my handlebar bag) hasn't influenced the quality of shooting. I'm impressed. Still can't believe this thing shot most of a show that ran on television. Drilled a hole though to clean the inside of the lens: a tricky procedure
- Manfrotto tripod - great little tripod with an awesome flexible ballhead. 100% score in combination with the Canon
- DJI mavic pro - the smallest drone with advanced tracking technology on the market. Ok, first of all, this device is amazing. Second of all, this thing is a true pain in the ass to bring on bicycle touring. Mostly because 1) it is stressful to fly. Most people experience quite some stress flying it from their lazy chairs, but I taught myself how to fly it while riding my bike.. in MANUAL mode. The results are amazing, the personal experience doing it: not so much. The first couple of times are great: the adrenaline is racing through your body and the shots are great. But by now I feel it's just a shitload of money up in the air to shoot some 'cool' footage. But maybe at the time of writing I'm just still in my detaching-from-capturing-a-lot-footage phase. Oh, and it is a stressful thing to carry over borders. However, it made it on my trip all the way and endured multiple crashes. In other words, this drone is amazing
- Oneplus 3T - awesome phone with dash charge, dual sim, a 3.400 mAh battery and good camera's (incl a great front-end camera as a back-up vlog camera). Like myself, this phone has seen the most gruesome conditions and I'm honestly amazed by its sturdiness. Get yourself a very good cover though, I've got mine wrapped in an Otterbox and a screenprotector. I navigate on the phone with the OsmAnd+ app
- 11inch MacBook air - small & sturdy
- Sony Ereader - gotta love books
- A ton of SD's and Micro SD's, a rugged LaCie 1TB harddisk and a 2TB Seagate harddisk - Send most of the SD's and the filled-up LaCie home from Turkey already
- two 10.000 mAh powerbanks of which one is solar chargeable: the Xtorm Evoke. Admittedly, the solar aspect is not necessary. I used it for about 2 weeks intensively on the Pamirs, but it is not must-have
- SkyskrossWorld Adapter MUV USB - great for if you have just one plug to your disposal. Combined with the drone charger I can expand one wall plug to 4 usb outlets ánd charge my drone batteries at the same time
personals
- 2 travel towels - one is plenty
- Toiletry bag
- Glasses cases + a bunch of contact lenses - the contacts are great for both rainy or hot sweaty help-my-glasses-slide-from-my-face conditions
- Powders and cremes for the buttocks - never used any
- Malaria pills & pills for altitude sickness - Good to carry just in case but I didn't use any
- First aid kit - finger-crossed never needed it