After I came back from my recent self-supported Manali to Leh cycling trip many people wanted to know what I carried on the trip. So here is a list based on what we carried. There were two of us, and we figured that some of the items could easily be shared, so we did not carry two of every thing (I think there are some exceptions to this, but I guess that advice could be another post). The list has four main sections:
1. Bike and bike related gear
2. Clothes
3. Camping & Cooking gear
4. Toiletries & Miscellaneous items
I also carried a comprehensive first-aid kit, but I am not going to list the items here because I tend to carry too much — perhaps because I am trained to be a wilderness first responder.
| Bicycle Items: | ||
| On the bike | ||
| Water bottles | 2 | |
| Frame pump | 1 | |
| Mirror | 1 | |
| Cycle GPS | 1 | |
| Solar charger for GPS | 1 | |
| Seat bag | 1 | |
| Headlight w/batteries | 1 | |
| Tail light w/batteries | 1 | |
| Rear rack (Btwin) | 1 | |
| Rear panniers (Ortlieb) | 1 | |
| Bungee cords to hold extra stuff | 2 | |
| Front rack ( Old Man Mountain) | 1 | |
| Front panniers | 1 | |
| Camelback | ||
| Helmet | 1 | |
| Sunglasses – interchangeable glasses | 1 | |
| Cycle tools: | ||
| Cycle multi-tool | ||
| Swiss army knife | ||
| Pliers | ||
| Spoke key | ||
| Chain breaker | ||
| Lubricant | ||
| Cleaning cloth | ||
| Tool pouch | ||
| Cable ties | ||
| Puncture kit: | ||
| Patches | 20 | |
| Sand paper | 1 | |
| Glue | 1 | |
| Lever | 2 | |
| Tyre repair patch | 2 | |
| Cycle spare kit: | ||
| Break Shoes | 1 | |
| Tube | 2 | |
| Brake cable | 2 | |
| Gear cable | 2 | |
| Spokes | 5 | |
| Clothes: | ||
| Cycling Clothes | ||
| Cycling shorts | 2 | |
| Cycling jersey | 2 | |
| Base layer: polyester microfiber | 2 | |
| Cycling gloves – Short fingers | 1 | |
| Cycling gloves – Full finger | 1 | |
| Other clothes | ||
| Underwear | 4 | |
| Polo shirt | 2 | |
| Night clothes | 1 | |
| Footwear: | ||
| Cycling shoes | 1 | |
| Light Sandals | 1 | |
| Socks | 5 | |
| Cold Gear: | ||
| Down jacket | 1 | |
| Thermal socks | 1 | |
| Acrylic sweat shirt | 1 | |
| Warm gloves | 1 | |
| Long cycling pants | 2 | |
| Skull cap/under helmet/balaclava | 1 | |
| Trouser/shell Pant | 1 | |
| Thermal inners | 1 | |
| Rain Gear: | ||
| Cycling Rain jacket | 1 | |
| Shell pant | 1 | |
| Camping & cooking Gear: | ||
| Camping Gear: | ||
| Tent + bag | 1 | |
| Sleeping bag | 1 | |
| Waterproof stuff sack | 1 | |
| Foam pad | 1 | |
| Plastic garbage bags | 5 | |
| Toilet paper | 1 | |
| Net bag for laundry | 1 | |
| Clothes detergent | 1 | |
| Head lamp | 1 | |
| Cooking Gear: | ||
| MSR Stove + bottle | 1 | |
| Match box + lighter | 1 | |
| Pot + pan + common cover | 1 | |
| Plastic TV dinner plates | 2 | |
| Plastic knife/fork/spoon | 2 | |
| Rag/cleaning cloth | 1 | |
| Thin plastic glove for handling fuel | 1 | |
| Tea kit: | ||
| Tea bags | 50 | |
| Sugar cubes | 100 | |
| Milk powder | ||
| Plastic cup | 1 | |
| Food items: | ||
| Precooked Biryani/Pulao | 5 | |
| Oral Rehydration Solution | 10 | |
| Energy Bars | 20 | |
| Dryfruit mix: Almonds + Cashews + Raisins | ||
| Biscuits | 4 | |
| Chana | 2 | |
| Khankhara | 1 | |
| Maggi can be bought on the way | ||
| Other Items | ||
| Toilet kit: | ||
| Carrying pouch | 1 | |
| Tooth brush | 1 | |
| Toothpaste | 1 | |
| Liquid soap (small dispenser) | 11 | |
| Shampoo Pouch | 3 | |
| Hand sanitizer (small dispenser) | 1 | |
| Sun screen (moved to items we should have carried) |
1 | |
| Chap stick | 1 | |
| Insect repellent | 1 | |
| Miscellaneous: | ||
| Wallet/credit cards/driver’s license/Identity | ||
| Journal/notebook | 1 | |
| Pen | 1 | |
| Wristwatch | 1 | |
| Ziploc bags | 1 | |
| Camera + batteries | 1 | |
| Small towel | 1 | |
Items we did not take and wish we had: (will take next time)
Duck tape
Rubber bands
Cable/lock
Chain Degreaser tool
Bicycle chain maintenance kit – old toothbrush, degreaser, large rag
Plastic clothes pins (6)
Dromedary Bag or extra water bottles
Rain cover for shoes OR Plastic bags for shoe covers
Sunscreen
Items that are likely to be on many lists but we did not take and did not miss:
Sewing kit
Shaving kit
Book to read
Sun hat
Poncho (required only if you do not have a good cycling Rain jacket)
Windbreaker (required in you do not have a good cycling rain jacket)
Sweat shirt
Items that were on our original list but we did not carry and did not need. :
Spare Tire
Items that broke down or malfunctioned:
Solar charger malfunctioned and I could not recharge my Garmin (has a very poor battery that performs even worse in the high-altitude cold environment)
Garmin GPS clip that attaches the GPS to the handle mount
Cateye headlight (On two occasions we rode in pitch darkness. Sorely missed a good light)
One rear spoke – probably because of all the weight on the rear panniers
Heart monitor – ran out of battery
very helpful. thanks for sharing!
Great to see this list Ajay. This will surely help people who plan to do this kind of a trip. Trust we’ll do a long trip together soon. I really remember the good time that we had doing the Jalori pass together and look forward to riding on this or any other axis soon.
Jalori pass was totally awesome… I am sure we will ride a big one together soon…
Addition to items we wished we had taken (or maybe just I missed these)
Bicycle chain maintenance – old toothbrush, chain cleaning liquid (degreaser), a large rag (we ended up borrowing a rag & toothbrush to clean our chains)
Clothes – A loose lightweight nylon pant – what to wear as a bottom was always a bit of a problem for me as I’d feel too hot in a stretch cycling pants and without something covering the legs, I got badly sunburnt. Maybe sunscreen may have sufficed.
Sunscreen – Ajay said he carried it but we did not use it. Result – severe case of sunburn on the face / lips.
Front Panniers – I did not have these and had trouble on steep inclines. It is best to distribute the load front & back.
Plastic bags – Carry plenty of these – good for separating your clothes & gear.
Excellent points. Will add Bicycle chain maintenance kit in items we should have carried. And will remove Sunscreen from the items we carried and add it to the list of things we should have.
All very interesting and informative for the day I will join you all, though I do like Ajay’s previous idea of a jeep following along with the gear (some need to walk before they run)…..:-)
Look forward to it, will be fun. Sure, we can go supported too, though I am sure you will do fine… I wonder if you have heard of Anne Mustoe. A former headmistress, she cycled around the world more than once. Apparently even the first time around she just picked her bike and left — she never used to practices cycling when she is was not touring. Starting slow was her mantra. I like her attitude. In case you are interested she has written a couple of books (clicking on the link will take you to Amazon.com):
Lone Traveller: One Woman, Two Wheels and the World
A Bike Ride: 12,000 Miles Around the World
Man I am totally jealous of you. Amazing list and must have been great trip. I wish I could do that too.
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Great list and thanks for putting it up for us. Bookmarked for future reference. This will help me a lot. Well I am about to finish my graduation and being the nature enthusiast as I have always been, I guess this is the best time in my life to start preparing for such a cycling trip. Obviously I plan to gain to some experience before I take up the challenge since I have never been to Leh or Manali before, so every bit of information helps.
like the list thoroughly!
i believe no. of sugar cubes can be less especially since you’re drinking chai on Dhabas for better part
sunscreen is a must as i saw you both at the start/end of the trip
taking a tent is good and i’m thinking of getting lightest shelter possible or ways to minimize the volume / weight
thanks for sharing!
How much weight were you carrying on your bike? The sheer list of items that you carried is mind boggling and makes me wonder how difficult it must have been to cycle uphill with all that weight on your bike. Did you use all the items you carried? Most people usually don’t end up using half the items they carry.
We did not use the first aid kit, cycle spares, and most of the cycle tools. And yes, clothes detergent, too. Other than that I think we did end up using everything. But it is possible to eliminate a large part of the list if one decides to not camp or cook, by always staying in ‘dhabas’, or taking a support vehicle. I know people who have done both… but those are perhaps slightly different experiences.
You are right, it is a lot of weight… if you include the weight of the panniers, racks and the stuff itself, I am sure it would have been over 30kgs. I suspect it is hard anyway, with the extra weight, it is perhaps marginally harder.
Hi Ajay,
I am planning the trip. Where do i get the bicycle Items in Delhi/NCR?
Thanks
Try Adventure18. That I think is your best bet in the NCR.
All the best!