Everything I brought and a blurb about why I brought it - including things I left behind and won't bring next time.

At the end, some limited advice for touring.

Bicycle

• Trek Checkpoint SL 5

• This is carbon gravel bicycle. You can tour with any bike, it doesn't matter. My must-have-feature is lots of bolts on the bicycle to attach things. This includes 3 or more fork bolts and down tube bolts for three water bottles.

• Tires

• I had tubeless tires, they were awesome. I could roll over glass endlessly. The only puncture I had came from over inflating my rear tire and rolling over something sharp, the sealant leaked and faster 4 minutes the sealant did its job and end for the remainder of the trip. the only thing I would change would be to go for tubeless slick road tires to reduce the resistance from gravel tires.

Bags

My bag setup was expensive but robust, no one needs to spend the same amount of money as I did, overall I enjoyed the fancy gear but some was terrible.

• Tailfin Rear Rack

• This is totally unique carbon rear rack which is worth its weight in gold. An amazing engineering team and design which can handle big loads and has fantastic adaptability for any bicycle.

• Tailfin Top Bag

• This bag was the most confident and brilliant way to store my items, unfortunately my high-volume items struggled to fit here (sleeping bad and ipad).

• Tailfin 10L Panier

• These panniers are fantastic, fully waterproofed, rugged, and totally secure using a lever system to clamp onto the rear rack. Used these bags exclusively for food.

• Apidura Frame Bag

• Frame bags are a must for me, there are literally thousands to choose from and there is no reason why this frame bag is special. I can only a attest to its water proofness.

• Apidura Top Tube Bag

• Top tube bags are also a must. Putting regularly accessed items here is helpful, keeps the pockets free, and makes it more likely to use sunscreen, lip balm, and snacks.

• Apidura Handlebar Bag

• I hated this bag. It was too rigid and too large to fit in between my handlebars. I would have used a "front loader" harness which enables you to fill a regular dry-bag and strap between the handlebars. Also this bag did not rest well on my head tube, it had a plastic buckle resting scraping my paint off, frustrating.

• Apidura Accessory Bag

• Somewhat convenient to have a larger bag with easy access. Used this to store my camera. An alternative would have been to have a "top loading" handlebar bag which clamps rigidly to the handlebars and put the camera there. However those bags are much heavier and require more clearance between the wheel and bag, which I did not have on my bicycle.

• Tailfin Fork Bag

• Generally hated this bags the most. Despite loving tailfin bag quality, the strap system was frustrating and they constantly wobbled along the way. It was challenging to fit items inside. If the straps came loose it was painful to reattach. I would look for fork bags which have an internal metal skeleton and bolt directly to the bike (no mount required) or which use velcro straps instead of rubber straps. The positive side of having fork bags is that the weight is more naturally distributed and lowers the center of mass of the bicycle. This is also a good location to put items which are not used often.

Gear

• Big Agnes 1 Person Bikepacking Tent

• Fantastic and worth its weight in gold

• Big agnes sleeping pad (SLX something)

• Warm, wide, and comfortable, but miserably heavy and loud. Would not recommend.

• Big Agnes Log Dog 45º Sleeping Bag

• Totally useless was cold for three weeks. I have their winter bags which are excellent. This did not satisfy.

• Cycling Bib Shorts and Jerseys

• Not everyone wears bib shorts, I think they are excellent. It's a mistake to think that the seat needs to be padded. The downside is that chamois cream is needed when wearing bibs which adds mess and requires showers at the end of each day to remain hygienic. Extremely comfortable on the bicycle

• Camp Clothing / Off-Bike Clothing

• Merino, everything. Seriously. I had merino long underwear, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, underwear, and socks. You only need one pair if your shower almost every night. Super warm, no smell, and light. 

• Electronics

• Bicycle computer is invaluable! Dedicated GPS device saves your phone battery and works offline. This item is a must. Had a Wahoo Roam and I enjoyed it.

• Battery Pack 

• Get the largest one possible and it will charge your phone 5x. Also amazing when campsites lacked power outlets.

• Fujifilm X-T4

• My big camera, heavy, but you can device if the photographs on this blog are worth the weight. They may not be for you.

• iPad Pro

• In the future I can leave this behind. It was nice having a computer-like device and I used it regularly to write and edit my photos. Nowadays my phone can fill this roll. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone. I am stupid.

• Bicycle Tools

• Tire levers, never used them

• Hand pump, used it everyday

• Chain lube, used daily

• Multi tool, used regularly

• Tire sealant bottle, never used

General Advice for Touring

I think the best part of touring is that everyone I met did it totally differently. Some people towed bicycle trailers behind them with their gear. Other people overloaded their bike and panniers to the point where it looked impossible for them to pedal. I was told many times that my setup looked fast and light, it didn't feel that way at all.

Here are some general touring and packing tips I can recommend

• When planning bag storage, ensure you leave one or more empty for food. Don't utilize your space right away

• Get a bike-fit or watch some bike fit videos to understand where pain comes from on the bicycle. It's not supposed to hurt. Learning to modify your components can alleviate pain and save your journey. 

• I strongly recommend cycling specific clothing if possible. Shorts seem nice but a bib and jersey make a difference.

• Do laundry in the shower using a dry bag, Dr. Bronner's soap, and hot water. Dry and squeeze things aggressively

• Bring a quick-dry towel

• Make all of your clothing merino if possible, most important are socks and underwear to avoid bad smelling clothing and washing too much.

• Eat more than you think you need to and then eat even more.

• You don't need as many things as you think you need. Be prepared to send things home. If you don't use something in 3-5 days, get rid of it.

• Use hike and bike campgrounds even if you don't camp there. You can meet people or just join on the route leaving camp to make some friends.

• Warmshower hosts are fantastic, join warmshowers and your will be amazed by the kindness of people, especially those who have hosted thousands of cyclists. These connections were amongst my fondest.

• Talk to other cyclists, always

• Slow down, don't be like me