Bikes, bags, bits, bobs. Our South American gear list.

We’re in the middle of a long trip through South America. We is Eileen Schwab and myself. We’re cycling from Huaraz in Peru to Ushuaia in Patagonia, which we think might be around 10,000km. We’re huffing and puffing our way over big hills on bumpy back roads. Along the way we’ll be trekking in Peru, Bolivia and Patagonia.

There will be cold days and hot days. Freezing nights and windy nights. The ‘road’ surfaces will vary from rocky single track to perfectly paved streets and everything in between.

The temperatures will range from about -20c to +35c and the altitude will go from 0m to about 5500m.

The following is everything we have with us. This is mostly what we carry whilst tramping (hiking) in New Zealand, with a few extras. Cycling is insanely sweaty business, so we have some extra merino evening wear. It’s stupidly cold up high, so we have some extra warm things for the cold weather. There will be long stretches with no power, so we have some extra batteries and a solar panel to keep things like the GPS/map going. The food, water and questionable hygiene can sometimes overwhelm our wimpy western stomachs, so we have extra medication for getting randomly crook.

Get ready for an intensely nerdy list. Hopefully it might be useful for others thinking about walking / cycling for long distances.

Everything Andy has

Bike – 15kg

• Frame: Singular Swift (English steel 29er)
• Racks: Blackburn outpost on the front, Tubus vega on the rear.
• Wheels: ZTR Arch, hope pro hub on the front, Easton arc 30 on the rear. 50mm Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tyres.
• Other gear: Rohloff for gearing, XT 180mm cranks, Avid BB7 brakes, Ergon grips, Easton handle bar, Brooks B17 saddle, Salsa anything cage and Lezyne power cages to carry water, Thomson seatpost and Thomson 90mm stem.
• Spare spokes for both our bikes are in my seatpost, and included in that 15kg

Clothes – 4214g

• Rain coat: Arcteryx something-or-other – 387g
• Waterproof over pants: Berghaus something-or-other – 221g
• Riding / walking t-shirt: Rapha 150gsm merino – 150g
• Evening t-shirt: Macpac 180gsm merino – 170g
• Long sleeved merino top with hood: Mons Royale 170gsm – 285g
• Long sleeved merino top, no hood: Icebreaker 150gsm merino – 200g
• Synthetic puffer jacket: Arcteryx Atom (excellent) – 366g
• Down jacket (including stuff sack): Mont Bell something-a-rather – 395g
• Wind jacket: Mont Bell something-a-rather – 105g
• Shorts: Pearl Izumi lightweight cycling ones – 153g
• 3 undies: Mont Bell 33g, Mont Bell 49g, Kathmandu merino 61g – 157g
• Waterproof socks long: Dexshell – 127g
• 2 pairs day socks: Ice Breaker 52g, Smartwool 60g – 112g
• 1 pair evening/sleeping possum merino socks – 65g
• Warm hat: possum merino (excellent) – 62g
• Choob – 35g
• Fleece ear band: Macpac – 14g
• Sarong / towel: Random light cotton fabric – 82g
• Fleece pants: Macpac – 280g
• Leggings: Outdoor research something-or-other. Polyester/wool mix – 146g
• Pants: Outdoor research Ferrosi – 285g
• Outer mittens: Extremities tough bags – 82g
• Wind fleece mittens: Black Diamond wind fleece fliptop ones (excellent) – 100g
• Cold weather riding gloves: POC wind fleece ones (basically useless) – 50g
• Warm weather riding gloves: Fingerless Specialized ones – 33g
• Cap: random old one from a New Plymouth hotel – 29g
• Belt: Arcteryx chalk bag holder – 18g
• Sunglasses and case – 105g

Footwear – 1120g

• Shoes: Vasque Mindbenders – 860g
• Sandles: Birkenstocks – 260g

Sleeping – 1941g

• Sleeping bag: Mountain Hardware Phantom Torch 16c – 1230g
• Sleeping bag liner: Silkbody – 96g
• Sleeping mat: Thermarest NeoAir Xtherm large (has a very slow leak I can’t fix. A bit shit really.) – 570g
• Pillow: Exped UL medium (excellent) – 45g

Camera and electrical stuff – 2456g

• iPhone – 130g
• Extra battery: Anker 6700mah – 135g
• Solar panel: PowerFilm lightsaver – 141g
• USB AA charger: Sanyo – 44g
• AA batteries: 6 Eneloops for GPS – 173g
• GPS: Garmin eTrex 3o – 99g
• Cables: 4 USB cables, 2 iphone adaptors, USB mini<>micro adaptor – 51g
• Chargers: Anker 3in1 usb charger, Apple usb charger, 2 EU<>US adaptors – 147g
• Kindle and case – 229g
• Personal Locator Beacon – 143g
• Head torch: Black Diamond spot with batteries – 81g
• Camera: Olympus OMD em5 II, 12–40mm 2.8 lens, spare battery, charger – 988g
• SD cards, SD card USB adaptor, SD card iPhone adaptor, USB stick – 67g
• Headphones: AKG something in ear ones – 28g

Cooking gear and bits and bobs – 807g

• Cooking gear, sporks, cups (custom Trangia stove and Snowpeak 14ooml pot, pan set up) – 495g
• General repair kit (fabric patches, Tenacious Tape, Seamgrip, small rope) – 50g
• Compass: Simple Silva one – 18g
• Water filter: Sawyer mini + flushing syringe – 56g
• 2 folding Platypus 2l water bladders – 82g
• Passport, vaccination booklet, international drivers licence, extra passport photos – 86g
• Small folding foam sit mat 20g.

Bags to hold everything – 3003g

• Sea to summit 20l hydraulic drybags x 2 (on back of bike) – 870g
• Sea to summit 5l big river drybags x 2 (on front forks) – 175g
• Pack: Exped lightening 60L (used for trekking and packing dry bags into on planes) – 1152g
• Pack liner: Exped XL grey dry bag – 90g
• Silnylon stuff sacks x 4 for clothes and sorting – 75g
• Pack cover: Sea to Summit Silnylon medium – 90g
• Straps, attachments and fixin’s for attaching stuff to bikes – 200g
• Handlebar bag: Ortlieb Aquacam 7L with custom klickfix attachment – 350g

Bike tools, repair kit, lights, locks, helmet – 2780g

• Front and rear lights: Blackburn USB charging ones – 125g
• Tools: Lezyne bike multi tool 115g, 3mm allen key 5g, 8mm/10mm spanner 22g, trimmed 15mm spanner 49g, Leatherman Skeletool CX 142g – 404g
• Spares: spokes, brake pads X 3, gear cable, brake cable, chain links, 2 tubes, some spare bolts, hoseclamp – 529g
• Punctures: pump, tyre leavers, puncture repair kit, patches – 189g
• Duct tape – 33g
• Grease, lube, locktite – 50g
• Bike locks: one short Abus chain 850g, one long skinny no brand cable 150g – 1000g
• Spare webbing and buckles – 48g
• Cable ties and fix it latex gloves – 47g
• Helmet: Giro Zen – 355g

Total gear weight

• Clothes – 4214g
• Footwear – 1120g
• Sleeping – 1941g
• Cooking gear and bits and bobs – 807g
• Camera and electrical stuff – 2456g
• Bags to hold everything – 3003g
• Bike tools, repair kit, lights, helmet – 2780g
• Total – 16.3kg
• Total less worn clothes on bike – 15kg

Everything Eileen has

Bike – 13.7kg

• Frame: Singular Swift (English steel 29er)
• Racks: Blackburn outpost on the front, Tubus vega on the rear.
• Wheels: ZTR Archs with Hope pro hubs. 50mm Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tyres.
• Other gear: XT 175mm cranks, Avid BB7 brakes, Ergon grips, Salsa Bend 2 handle bar, Brooks Professional saddle, Lezyne power cages to carry water, Thomson seatpost and Thomson 70mm stem.

Clothing – 4010g

• Outdoor Research pertex shield rain jacket – 360g
• Montbell light down jacket with hood – 330g
• Arcteryx Atom LT synthetic insulated jacket – 280g
• Patagonia Houdini wind jacket – 90g
• Uniqlo merino light jersey/long sleeved top – 170g
• Mons Royale long sleeve top 190 weight merino – 190g
• Icebreaker tshirts x 2 – 220g
• Thin cotton long sleeve shirt – 100g
• Rab Fuse rain overpants – 200g
• Marmot Lobo pants – 240g
• Rab Powerstretch fleece lined leggings (I live in these off the bike) – 220g
• Macpac fleece pants – 200g
• Outdoor Research shorts – 170g
• Icebreaker merino cycle shorts – 165g
• Underwear x 5 (2 merino, 3 synthetic) – 120g
• Bra – 65g
• Patagonia barely bra – 62g
• Warm, thick, woollen socks – 78g
• Icebreaker merino ankle socks – 50g
• Smartwool ultralight ankle socks x 2 – 70g
• Sealskinz waterproof socks (questionable resistance to water) – 55g
• Woollen beanie – 54g
• Fleece balaclava – 32g
• Fleece headband – 14g
• Sarong / scarf / all purpose bit of light cotton fabric – 90g
• Possum Merino fingerless gloves – 35g
• Outdoor Research thermal gloves – 35g
• Berghaus goretex shell mittens – 100g
• Endura Strike winter cycling gloves (I don’t think they meant Andean winter, they’re totally insufficient on their own below about 8c) – 120g
• Fox fingerless riding gloves – 30g
• Nike drifit cap – 40g
• Sunglasses and slip case – 60g

Footwear – 900g

• North Face Ultra Fastpack ll goretex shoes (looked extensively and obsessively for one pair for hiking and cycling shoes that were light, stiff and not too ugly. These are great, but goretex sucks in warmer weather) – 720g
• Native Verona slip on shoes – 180g

Camping and sleeping – 3515g

• Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 tent, with emergency blanket as groundsheet – 1600g
• Thermarest Xtherm Neoair sleeping mat, regular size (warm, comfortable, noisy. Sarong underneath helps with noise) – 430g
• Thermarest mat pump bag/stuff sack – 50g
• Mountain Hardwear Phantasia 0 women’s Sleeping bag + stuff sack (800 loft, rated to -18C / 0F) – 1240g
• Silk sleeping bag liner – 130g
• Montbell inflatable pillow – 65g

Camera and electrical stuff – 1290g

• Fuji XT10 Camera + 18–55mm lens – 750g
• iPhone 6 – 130g
• Kindle paperwhite + case – 260g
• Spare camera battery, battery charger, SD cards, lens cloth – 50g
• Headphones – 30g
• Black Diamond Spot headtorch with batteries – 70g

Toiletries and first aid – 1050g

• Contact lenses, lens solution, glasses, sun cream, insect repellant, moisturiser, foldy hairbrush with mirror, lip balm (Burt’s bees is my saviour at altitude), sun lip balm, hairties and bobby pins, nailclippers, nail file, floss, hand sanitiser, toothpaste, toothbrush, earplugs, sewing kit (depressingly frequently used already), tweezers, razor, shampoo, deodorant, eye liner, concealer (I’ve mostly given up on these last four but continue to carry them as a sort of comfort blanket for my city slickin’ ways) – ~800g
• First aid kit: Ibuprofen and Paracetamol, various pills for diarrhoea and stomach issues (Ciprofloxacin, Loperamide, Hyoscine butylbromide, Ornidazole, Azithromycin), Acetozolamide for altitude sickness prevention/treatment, Loratadine antihistamine, plasters, blister stuff, dressings, gauzes, betadine, disposable gloves, bandage, first aid/health booklet – 250g

Bits and bobs – 740g

• Passport, ID, credit cards, wallet, passport photos, vaccination booklet, passport waist belt (unused) – 115g
• Platypus 2l folding water bottle (good) – 40g
• Source 2l folding water bottle (less good – too many seams, leaking) – 40g
• Sawyer mini water filter – 28g
• Wenger tenton pocket knife – 72g
• Small, foam, foldable sit mat – 25g
• Notebook and pen – 50g
• Helmet – 300g
• Rear bike light – 70g

Bags to hold everything – 3475g

• Exped Lightning 60l women’s pack – 1100g
• Sea to summit pack cover – 90g
• Sea to summit 20l hydraulic drybags x 2 (on back of bike) – 870g
• Sea to summit 5l big river drybags x 2 (on front forks) – 175g
• Sea to summit 13l drybags/stuff sacks x 2 (mainly useful for packing when hiking) – 70g
• Alpkit 35l drybag (holds pack, tent and extra food on top of pannier rack when cycling) – 230g
• Straps, attachments and fixin’s for attaching stuff to bikes – 160g
• Ortlieb Ultimate6 Classic handlebar bag – 700g
• Macpac handbag/satchel thing – 80g

Total gear weight

• Clothing – 4010g
• Footwear – 900g
• Camping and sleeping – 3515g
• Camera and electrical stuff – 1290g
• Toiletries and first aid – 1100g
• Bits and bobs – 740g
• Bags to hold everything – 3475g
• Total – 14.98 kg
• Total less worn clothes on bike ~13.8kg

Walking / trekking gear

We take a stripped down version of this gear for trekking. There’s no bike stuff, a few less clothes and less electrical stuff. Our base pack weight (for cold climates) ends up about 8kg.

On the road

We’re putting up photos and very short stories on Instagram.

Eileen’s Instagram: instagram.com/eileenschwabnz

Andy’s Instagram: instagram.com/andyhovey