A setup for a three month cycle tour

Henry's epic 3-month cycling odyssey from Venice to Georgia's Caucasus mountains - discover the gear setup that made his longest tour yet possible.

When I first set my heart on a long distance cycle tour of Europe and Türkiye back in December 2024, I knew that I wanted to nail my setup. Now, it's very true that the most important thing is NOT the gear (but the determination to go, and make do with what you have), but who can deny that it's definitely one of the more exciting parts of planning, well it is for me anyway!

I've recently returned from three months on the road, starting in Venice and ending up in the Greater Caucasus mountains in Georgia, having had some incredible experiences and met some amazing people. One of the things I'm asked about most is my setup, so here you go.

None of my previous tours had been longer than a week, and whilst much of the gear you need is the same regardless of the time you're on the road, I knew that I wanted to make some changes for this tour.

Let's start with the big one - what bike to take?

For me this was easy. I've had my Sonder Camino for a couple of years now and, although I wouldn't admit it at the time, I think subconsciously I had this trip in mind right from the day I decided to get a gravel bike!

Not only was it a good choice because it's what I already had, but the versatility of the frame is a massive plus for me. A relaxed geometry (compared to my road bike), plenty of mounting points in all the places you could possibly want them, and enough tyre clearance to pretend you're a mountain bike all meant I was confident the frame was a good choice for whatever I wanted to throw at it.

I built my camino from the frame up myself with a Shimano GRX600 2x11spd groupset, custom built wheels with DTSwiss R500 rims, Sonder spitfire handlebars, a standard aluminium sonder seatpost and a second hand 'Brooks Professional' leather saddle. I used flat pedals instead of clipless (these even saved me from an actual snake bite once, but that's a story for another time) which was definitely a point of contention coming from a racing background, but I was happy with that decision on the road.

The unladen camino - in its natural gravel riding environment pre-departure

What bag setup then?

I hate to break it to you - but it transpired that there is no perfect setup! Over time and a few shorter tours I've worked out what I like and what I don't. I also ended up drastically altering my setup towards the end of my trip, but writing about that here would make this an absolute essay!

Here is my bike with the setup I used most on this tour:

OK, so what about gear?

Whenever I'm picking outdoors gear, there are five main factors I consider: weight, volume, performance, reliability and cost.

The relative importance of each of these will obviously depend on your own circumstances and objectives, for this trip I considered them as follows:

Weight and volume: Keeping the weight down was important for me, but not as much as reducing volume. I had limited space and was keen to avoid carrying front panniers, so something heavier but smaller was often preferable for me (e.g. Roll mat). If I'm heavier at the end of the day I just go slower or pedal harder. This was fine for this trip as I had time, but might not work so well on a super fast trip when you're squeezing each day of annual leave!

Reliability: Ironically, more reliable gear is often cheaper, albeit heavier! There are two key considerations for me here:

1 How robust is the item? Will it last or will I have to replace or mend it before my trip is over?
2 How appropriate is the item for where I am going? Here we're talking more about frame materials, spare parts availability, fuel availability etc.

Performance: This is specific to the item, but does it do what you want and how well does it do it? How warm is that sleeping bag, how waterproof is that coat and are these tyres puncture proof enough?

Cost: This depends on your own financial circumstance! I left my job for this trip, so keeping costs down was important. However, some things really are worth spending money on (and others really aren't!)

I can't think of a much better way of doing the next bit apart from to write below a pretty exhaustive list of all that I took with me on my tour! For some items I've written a little explainer and some items have an (LT) after them, signifying that I personally would only take these on a longer trip and not bother for anything less than a couple of weeks.

It would be easy to go on for hours about most of the items in this setup, so I'll limit my comments to those which I think are particularly helpful or unexpected.

I've also put an asterisk* on items which I class as particularly important and in my opinion really worth investing in (research time and, if applicable, money!).

Sleeping system

• Sleeping mat*
  • Inflatable style for me - low volume, warm and light, though less robust than foam
• Inflatable pillow (LT)
• Sleeping bag
  • I took a Pipedream 600 down bag - excellent warmth/density (and weight) ratio but also pricier than synthetic options
• Sleeping bag liner
  • I used a silk one which would pack away in my sleeping bag adding negligible volume. Definitely prolongs the life of your sleeping bag before it needs washing. Not essential.
• Tent - For a LT I have 2 person tent all to myself - it's nice to spread out a bit, after all this is your home! On shorter trips I'm happier sharing with mates.

Cooking system

• Multi-fuel stove (LT)
  • My stove could work on gas, petrol, diesel or any other hydrocarbon based liquid fuel (not alcohol). I chose this as before I left I wasn't convinced that I would be able to find screw on gas canisters in Türkiye. It turns out I would have been fine. I would absolutely advocate a gas stove if you can get away with it - the burners are much lighter and more compact, often including a pot (yes I have an Alpkit BruKit - I think it's excellent).
• Fuel bottle
• Pots
  • I took a set of two with great visions of gourmet meals. I could easily have dealt with one!
• Spork
• Niceities
  • Small pots of herbs, spices, salt and pepper are fun to use if you can fill them up somewhere. I also tend to take a small (very waterproof) bottle of extra virgin olive oil for extra calories and because it can add flavour to bland meals.
• Aeropress
  • Utterly essential for me. Includes a cup. Thankfully you can find filter coffee even in rural Türkiye and Georgia if you look hard enough.
• Tuppaware (LT)
  • Useful for leftover food (eh, what's that?) and if you want to have 'wet' foods you don't consume all in one go.

Cooking and camping gear sprawled under a bridge in Montenegro, it's amazing how much mess one person can make!

Bags

• Panniers x 2*
  • High volume, reliable. I do dry bag things inside, but more to separate objects rather than because I don't trust the waterproofing.
• Airlock Xtra* 35L (atop rear rack) (LT)
  • More robust dry bags really are the way to go. For a shorter tour I put my tent in a pannier instead.
• Airlock Xtra* 13L (handlebar bag)
• 5L Drybag x 2 (Fork bags)
  • I would strap these on with bungee or silicon straps. I even used a cheap bottle cage as a holder for one of these which worked absolutely fine!
• Deluge Frame Pack (6L)
• Grab bag (LT)
  • I acquired this en route. Really useful to have a 'grab bag' to take all your valuables into a shop with you when leaving the bike. Helps with peace of mind! My one attached with velcro straps to my handlebars.
• Bungees
  • Not technically a bag, but especially useful if you have a rear rack. Rumour has it you can attach anything to your bike with enough bungee cords…

Clothing

• Long sleeve top and bottoms*
  • Essential for evening with biting insects, sometimes useful in direct sunlight. I prefer lightweight synthetic clothes which dry quickly.
• Cycling clothes*
  • One set, short sleeves and shorts for me. I personally didn't take lycra this time my brooks saddle was mostly comfy enough with normal shorts.
• Spare T-shirt (LT)
  • Useful to have something to wear when you take your really dirty stuff to the laundrette every now and then, nice for sleeping in too.
• Warm gear (gloves, hat, buff, thermals)
  • I sent some of this home once I entered Turkiye and the summer heat.
• Lightweight down jacket*
  • Dead useful in the evenings when higher up or in cooler areas, weighs very little and ultra packable
• Waterproof coat*
  • I still use my old Alpkit Balance. I never take waterproof trousers personally when cycle touring my view is that if it rains enough to want them then I'm going to get wet anyway on the bike, and I don't enjoy the feeling of waterproof trousers on bare skin! (I'll nearly always wear shorts in the wet). Some of my mates vehemently disagree with this opinion!
• 3 x Underwear
  • Third pair useful for LT when washing clothes.
• 3 x Socks
  • Third pair useful for LT when washing clothes. I prefer natural fiber socks, they last longer before needing washing and are more comfortable.
• Flat shoes
  • Also suitable for climbing mountains, trail runs, going around town.
• Crocs*
  • It's nice to have something to walk around camp in (and to wear when washing in rivers). Also - socks and crocs is an acceptable combo when wild camping to deter the mozzies!

My setup changed over time. This photo was taken on day three - notice the overladen panniers, lots of 'stuff' strapped to the rear rack and lack of fork bags or grab bag compared with the setup above.

Admin

• Passport
• Wallet
• Insurance docs etc.
• Pen
• Various clutter that one acquires en route!

Spares

• Tubes
  • I take two. (I was tubeless to start this trip then changed to tubes when I ran out of sealant. Either is fine, but still take tubes!)
• Pump
• Spokes (LT) and spoke key
  • Teach yourself how to use a spoke key before setting off, especially on LT!
• Multi-tool*
• Knife
• Scissors
  • Worth having even as a separate item I found, better if you have a knife with some on.
• Pliers*
  • Dead useful for repairing any number of things. You can get super cheap and compact ones online.
• Tyre levers & puncture repair kit
• Spare brake pads (LT)
• Oil
  • Following extensive testing, I can confirm extra virgin olive oil performs OK, but bike oil (wet conditions) or wax (drier conditions) are superior!
• Grease (LT)
• Rear mech hangar
  • For my camino I also took a spare dropout for the non drive side, because the frame is designed that way.
• Selection of replacement bolts* (LT)
  • Whilst you should be able to find nuts and bolts pretty much anywhere, it's useful to have a selection of M3/4/5 bolts with hex heads and any replacements for any particularly obscure bolts you may have on your bike!
• Sewing kit
• Tuff tape
• Ripstop tape
• Duct tape
  • Useful for many things, including closing food packets!

Don't skimp on the spares! I was very glad for all the tools and kit I had with me when I had to change impromptu from a tubeless to tubed setup at the top of an offroad pass in rural Albania.

Other

• Diary
  • I really found value in recording my experiences!
• Water filter (LT)
  • Turkiye was the only country I went through where the public water supply could be dubious in more rural areas. On shorter trips, or in most of Europe, you'll be fine filling up from Cafes etc.
• First aid kit
  • Nothing too big or fancy, for me the most important things are plasters, steri-strips, burn gel, indigestion tablets, some painkillers and wound cleaning wipes. I also take a tick remover, safety pins and chlorine tablets which are a good lightweight alternative to a filter if you don't expect to use it lots. Do your own research on this one, take as much as you are comfortable with and know what you have (and how it works!)
• Camera
  • Heavy, but I enjoy photography!
• Charging stuff
  • I found I needed at least 10000mAh battery capacity to charge my phone, cycle computer and whatever else needed it at the end of the day. In future I would invest in an ultra fast charging power bank which can be topped up in a 20 min cafe stop. Big up to Alpkit who very generously sent me out some power banks and a solar panel en route. The flare solar panel is excellent, though I did find that its small size compared to others meant it struggled to fully charge a 10000mAh battery bank in one day, even when in Turkiye (so I'm not totally convinced it's big enough for my needs in Britain!)
• Bottles
  • I only took two. This was definitely the lower end of appropriate. - eReader (LT)
• Lock (LT)
  • I went for a folding one I could attach to my frame. I don't usually bother on shorter tours as they are heavy and I'm less likely to be away from my bike.
• Stand (LT)
  • Purchased this halfway through my trip and wished I had done so earlier! Make sure it's robust enough to cope with the load on your bike and treat it carefully.
• Chair (LT)
  • Yes, I'm a princess. This was one of my luxuries. Really nice to have in the evenings, difficult to justify from weight, cost and volume perspectives. But hey, life is about more than that!
• Washbag
  • There's a balance between hygiene levels and weight/bulk to make here! Each to their own on that one.

Some final thoughts

Gear is great - I absolutely love nerding out over R values, hydrostatic head, fill powers and gear ratios. However, you really don't need to spend much money or have the fanciest gear to have an awesome trip. Over time I've worked out what I think is important and have invested in those areas, whilst deliberately not upgrading things which work well enough as it is.

There is no perfect setup. Everyone I met on the road had a different setup (ok, barring two German brothers who literally had the same bikes, clothes and even modifications on their bikes!) and it's easy to get jealous of others and their gear. Don't fall into the trap! Work out what you like and own it, you know best what works well for you and your objectives.

Be adaptable. If something isn't working, then don't be afraid to change it. It's easy to send gear home by post these days, and I found myself altering my setup as I went along to suit the climate and trail conditions (I changed my tires, my clothing and bag setup over the course of three months).

Finally, know your setup and how your gear works - and make sure you take spares. This is more important if heading out into less western areas where it will be hard to get hold of specialist parts or find mechanics who know complex systems. Being able to repair, bodge and nurse your kit will get you out of plenty of sticky situations.