I found myself at a loose end one day and did an inventory of everything that’s in (or was in) my panniers. So here it is:
Vaude handlebar bag, containing:
Passport
Bike chain lube
Pump
Spare tube
Puncture repair kit
Presta/Shraeder valve adapter
Topeak multitool
Camera/phone/wallet
Mini camera tripod
IPod
Phone charger and adapter plug
Swiss Army Knife
Lighters
Mini notepad
Pens
Sunglasses, two of them for some reason
Sunscreen
Hand sanitizer
Insect repellent (in some parts of the world)
Vaseline lipbalm
Ear plugs
Spare bike lock key
Mini padlock (for hostel lockers, questionable hotels)
Random collection of trinkets and good luck charms given to me along the way
Ortleib Back Roller Pannier (R), Containing
1x sleeping bag
1x silk sleeping bag liner
1x Thermarest inflatable ¾ length sleeping mat
Inflatable pillow. Went through 2 of these, neither lasted very long with daily use. Ended up using a bag of cloths.
Travel towel
Penfield down jacket in stuff sack. Spent many nights sleeping in this during the winter in Europe or the mountains in Tajikistan and China where my sleeping bag proved to be inadequate
Ortleib Back roller pannier (L) containing:
Rab Vapour Rise Jacket
Fleece
Mountain Warehouse stuff bag waterproof, containing:
Merino wool thermal leggings base layer
Merino wool thermal long sleeve top base layer
Merino wool buff
1x Sealskinz waterproof socks, medium thickness
1x silk thermal sock liner
1x spare DeFeet socks
1x thick merino wool socks (for sleeping in only)
2x Paramo boxer underwear (for off the bike, one lost in Kyrgyzstan (it’s at Nathan and Angie’s house if they want to post it to me))
1 x merino wool glove liners
1x Sealskinz waterproof gloves
1x Sealskinz waterproof winter Belgian cycling hat
1x padded cycling shorts
Mountain Warehouse waterproof stuff bag, containing:
1x pair of trousers, zipper legs to turn into shorts, for off the bike
1x t-shirt, for off the bike
1x swimming shorts
Paramo Rapid Evaporation shirt (I didn’t really use this much in the end, but it was useful to have the option to look smarter (relatively speaking) on occasions like arranging visas at embassies or just to cover up the dirt on my cloths when off the bike.
Mountain Warehouse waterproof stuff bag, containing:
Camera charger
Various wires for charging other electronics
USB stick
Spare camera memory card
Socket adapters for various regions
Bank card security thing for making online bank transactions (never used)
Plastic folder containing:
Copies of passports, paperwork for arranging visas, passport photos, an emergency $100 bill or two, not that this would have got me very far…
A plastic bag containing:
A really disorganised mess of a medical kit containing various pills for different things, emergency hand/feet warming packs, elastic bandage for sprains, a small mirror from a Christmas cracker
Ortleib Front Roller Pannier (L), containing:
Spare chain
Primus Eta cooking pot
MSR Whisperlite multi-fuel stove
MSR 568ml fuel bottle (on bike)
A few small plastic pots for different herbs/spices
Small plastic bottle for filling up with cooking oil whenever the opportunity arose
Anker battery pack, for charging electronics
First-Aid kit
Bear bell (don’t know why, never used, maybe now I am in Canada)
Tool kit containing:
Small WD40 can
Old toothbrush to clean chain
Spare brake cable
Spare gear cable
Spare brake blocks
Small bag of cable caps given to me by a bike shop in Istanbul
Bag of grease also given by the bike shop
NBT2 lockring for removing rear cassette
Little box with safety pins, for some reason
Bag of screwy things for spare spokes?
Spare spokes (on bike in seat post)
Bag of ball bearings from when I replaced the ones in my wheel hub in Kyrgyzstan, no idea why I still have these or what I planned to do with them
Wheel hub, from my old wheel which I replaced in Kyrgyzstan. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to carry this the rest of the way across Asia.
Mystery screws/bolts
Spare bottle cage bolts and SPD shoe clip screws
Parktool tyre boots
Pliers
Adjustable spanner (never used)
13 and 14mm, 15 and 16mm, 17 and 18mm double ended cone spanner (only used 15mm for removing and replacing pedals)
Zip ties, for fixing things
Needle and thread
Ortleib Front roller pannier (R)
Note book
Maps
Biodegradable multi-purpose soap
Washkit – toothbrush, toothpaste, etc
Spare inner tubes
Electronic reading device
Steripen, UV water steriliser, never used as I had the wrong batteries
Food
Chinese shopping bag / dollar store bag bought in London for £1.50, replaced in Uzbekistan, containing:
Vaude Odyssey 3-season 2 person tent
Ortleib 10 litre water bag
Plastic bag with:
Altura waterproof jacket
Altura water proof trousers
Waterproof(ish) shoe covers
Hi-vis vest
Electrical tape, no idea why
A bin bag, for putting the outer layer of tent when wet
Waterproof backpack cover – to put over this bag when it rains. Bought in China when my 5 rain free months were about to end
Lightweight tarp, used for covering my bike when camping if I needed to be discreet or to keep it out of the rain, or a groundsheet to sleep on when I didn’t use my tent
Helmet
Sometimes a spare tyre (Schwalbe Marathon Mondial). If I carried some spares from Europe it would have saved me a lot of trouble in Asia, especially with my 28” wheels
Anything else that doesn’t fit in my panniers, like loafs of bread and biscuits
On me (depending on weather)
EDZ Merino wool t-shirt (now completely disintegrated)
Altura or Endura padded lycra cycle shorts
Endura baggy cycling shorts over top
Defeet socks
Shimano MT43 SPD shoes – now worn out and binned
Abus Hiplock (around waist)
slave to the saddle 