Repacking

Number of milkshakes: 2
Largest number of Tanzanian Shillings in wallet: 900,000
Time spent by pool without sunscreen: Enough for an embarrassing sunburn on my stomach

Best packing song: This Love by Pantera (yep, some part of my brain is still 14 years old)

Since I have three days off, I figured it was time to check my gear and repack.

So far all I have really accomplished is to initiate the largest gear-splosion ever (Karen: you can't use this word in Scrabble). Well. I did patch a bunch of tubes that I'd hidden away so that I didn't have to look at them.


As you can see, I have a lot of gear. Some of it has definitely not been worth carrying with me. The cans of tuna from Bahir Dar in Ethiopia could probably go. The empty doxycycline bottles that are too nice (what is wrong with me?) to throw away could probably go. Before the tour I got a notebook and nice Ortleib case so that I could take down the directions and language notes. I don't even carry it with me on the bike anymore.

The fancy Keen sandals are a bit of a white elephant. They are too good to wear in the shower, but not really suitable for walking around the bush or desert. I'd bring some cheap thongs (flip-flops if you are not Australian) instead.

Four pairs of gloves is probably overkill. I brought so many because I wanted different gloves with different seam patterns in case I started to suffer. I've worn all those gloves so much back home that I could have played it safe and just brought one long fingered set and one short fingered set. On the upside, I can make like Michael Jackson and wear different coloured gloves. Whatever else happens, I have the glove situation sorted out.

So far, I haven't needed a bike spare that I don't have. Knock on wood. There are some things that kind of worry me a little though. If I bust an SPD pedal, I'd be screwed. If I snap my bars or stem, I'd be screwed (but probably so hurt in the resultant stack I wouldn't care). You can only bring so much stuff though.

What I do wish I brought is the right footprint for my tent. That way I could pack away the inner and keep it dry when it was raining. I also wish I brought along a real tarp instead of a tarp/poncho contraption.

I'd also have packed some more cleaning stuff. Or bought it in Cairo. A stiff shoe brush is definitely good for cleaning some things. On the other hand, an old t-shirt is almost as good if you are prepared to take off the chain and rear wheel. Maybe some degreaser to chuck in a spare bidon and get the chain really clean. Maybe. Snap on chain cleaners are pretty useless if you have a quick link on your chain. Oh yeah - put quick links on your chain. A real, non-wax, lube would be nice as well.

Multi-vitamins are something that I'd bring from home. You can get them in most places over here, but it is extra hassle that you might not want. 120 days worth isn't going to take up much space in your baggage. If you are into fish oil tablets you might have to ween yourself off them. I can't see how you'd make them work in the deserts. Some guys brought powder to mix up recovery drinks. I think this is a close call. Making concoctions out of infant formula and whatever else you can find has its own merits. Depends on if you want to be the inventor of the successor to Mr Dan's Awesome Drink. Some riders have caffeinated gels and so on. I don't think that I could have packed enough of them to be worthwhile. If you are keen on racing and need to win the mando stages for the time bonuses, these might be worthwhile if you can ration them out.

I think that number of gadgets that you bring is pretty personal. I couldn't get by without a laptop to charge my other stuff, organise my photos and hold all my music. Others get by perfectly well without one. My GPS cycle computer has made changing tyre sizes less hassle and lets me know how much of the day's climbing I have done. Some riders have no cycle computer at all. I'd say that most people would bring a good camera. Portable music things are good for me - I like to listen to something last thing at night and certainly while riding. More audiobooks might have been nice to bring.

I would most definitely not bring the Solio solar charger. It takes ages to charge (even in the Sudanese desert) and won't charge my iPhone or iPod. The free usb charger that takes 4 AA batteries is a way better thing to have. If my laptop battery runs out, it has been an excellent failsafe for my phone, gps and iPod. Definitely, absolutely recommended if your stuff can charge from USB. Which reminds me: the more stuff you can charge from USB the better. The only downside is if someone walks off with your USB wall charger and keeps it for themselves.

I've been pretty happy with the quality of all the gear that I brought along. My little Macpac tent has a tiny whole in it, but it has done some pretty hard work. Rocks, sand, trash, wind and rain haven't caned it too badly. It is also big enough for me and all my bags (no bags under the fly in Ethiopia). The off brand thermarest has done solid work.

In terms of riding clothes, I wish I could say buy your stuff early and ride it for a while first to make sure it is comfortable. Instead, I should say: buy some Santini bibs recommended by your shop, try them on once, pack them, then ride them all the time. Even in the depths of ESS bibs weren't a problem. You can get your jersey off and bibs down in a hurry with sufficient motivation. Maybe you will even look cool, striding purposely towards a distant bush, pulling your jersey off over your head and shrugging off your straps. You might have to practise your purposeful stride though. And if your toilet paper is in your jersey pocket, don't leave your jersey half way between bike and bush. Pro tip.