When you go on a multi-day hike with a bike, you must carefully consider what you absolutely need.
I always put things related to cycling first, because it's independent of the season and terrain. Here's a list:
- combination tool set
- puncture repair kit
- combined pump
- spare external and internal
- snap eye for the chain, and a piece of chain (10-15 stitches)
- brake pad
- spare gear lever
- chain oil
- knife
- cable tie
- duct tape
- a few meters of avalanche rope
- 2 straps
- spare buckle
- needle, thread
I would also include things related to lighting here: battery packs, charging cords, a spare lamp and a headlamp. If we are going to go out for several days in the wilderness, it doesn't hurt to check the bike thoroughly beforehand and replace anything we are even slightly unsure about. Only start with perfect brakes and drive. The "we'll adjust it later" and "it just works" approach works, we do it too, but when you are 30-40 km away from any place where you could get help, it's better not to risk it.
Everyone has different needs when it comes to gadgets and other things. For example, I like to have a normal camera with me, which is supplemented with a GoPro, and often even a drone. We just bought a DJI mini, it can do everything the big ones do, but it's compact, takes two minutes to assemble and is already flying. We should preferably bring a durable phone, with a fresh road map, and for safety's sake, a paper map, and/or a spare phone. A helmet (unfortunately, we are negligent in handling this issue).
What is enough for a week is also enough for a month
I tend to save space on clothes. Waterproof pants and a raincoat can be packed in the simplest and smallest space possible (the Dekás 2000 forint item will do). A fleece should definitely fit in the pack, but it doesn't hurt to have a thin one and a thicker one. I usually prepare in such a way that I don't despair if I have to cycle at night. You won't get cold uphill or on flat terrain if your cycling jacket is windproof. Neck warmer, hat, thin fabric and short cycling gloves, or long winter gloves. These are the ones that, of course, depend on the weather, but you still need them anyway. The underwear, T-shirt and pants depend on the season and how many days you're going. In cooler weather, a light down jacket that can be packed in a small space for the evening doesn't hurt. When you're tired and stop, you get much colder. You can also get very thin, but highly absorbent pieces of towels. Looking at the list more closely, this is still a huge amount of stuff.
However, according to experience, it fits in YAKHAS and YAKFAR so that only a small 10-20 liter backpack with a 2 liter camelbag is enough for our backs. Energy bars, magnesium tablets, brandy, things that fit in a small space and give you energy quickly are the best for the trip. By the way, it's rare that we can't find any shop or buffet where we can have a bite to eat all day. Medicines include only the basic ones, painkillers, wound disinfectants, gauze, adhesive plasters, water disinfectants. On the most recent tours, we already started with the new water purification bottles. It's worth every penny. You don't have to worry about dysentery anywhere, it turns any puddle into drinkable water.
This package does not include a sleeping bag or tent. If camping is not the goal, I do not pack them, we prefer to bivouac even in winter, with a tarpaulin at most, which protects against rain, snow and wind. From spring to autumn, a sleeping bag, an inflatable waist pack, supplemented with any waterproof tarpaulin, are more than enough. You also have to think that with all this litter we have to roll it up to the top of the mountain, sometimes we have to push it, God forbid lift it, carry it. In Transylvania, we often find summer shepherd's huts and bivouacs, we can also pull ourselves up in these. We can attach the sleeping bag to the handlebars, where it is not advisable to hang heavy things anyway.
On a plane with Bicaj
On the latter tours in Georgia, another important aspect was the ease of moving the package and its dispatchability, since we went by plane from Pest. Starting from home, this wasn't a problem, we wrapped everything in plastic wrap and that's it, we sent it off as sports equipment, which meant HUF 20,000 extra expenses back there, which isn't terrible, it's more than acceptable.
Things to pay attention to when transporting your bicycle by plane:
- Let the wheels down to around 1 bar
- deflate air bubbles
- to take off the pedals
- loosen the shifter and brake levers and turn them down
- to put a wedge between the brake shoes
- to wrap a sliding stem
- to protect the switch
If we pack the bike well, it is likely that we will be able to take it off the plane safely. On the way back, it is much more problematic, as you may just fall into the airport after a whole day of driving. The last time we had trouble with the airport staff was here. They were unhelpful to say the least. I would have liked to have beaten the comrade packing the suitcase. The bottom line is that if we can't find a missing folpack, we'll definitely miss the plane. I hope that a solution to this problem has been found, and the YAKFLY light bag for transporting bicycles has also been completed, which can be easily converted into a hammock or a bivouac bag so that it is not cumbersome to carry and can be used on the road.
In short, that's all, and of course everyone has different needs, this is just maybe the minimum necessary. To put it bluntly, I've managed to survive everything so far.