Packing for a long bikepacking trip across Europe proved to be quite a challenge. While similar to our previous 2+ week bikepacking trips on the GDMBR there were some notable differences as we incorporated a lot of city/town travel in the mix. So our packing list for bikepacking across Europe involved more items to make us presentable to explore towns on our non-biking days.Â
While our bikepacking trip across Europe was a lot longer than our previous trips (2.5 months from London to Istanbul), I do not think that impacted our packing list much as we could just restock consumable items along the way.Â
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If you would rather view this list in video format, you can watch our packing list for bikepacking across Europe video below.
Full Bike Touring / Bikepacking Across Europe Packing List
Bikes
We both used the Salsa Fargo Tiagra for our bikepacking trip across Europe and we have an in depth video review on our YouTube channel linked below from when we completed our first section of The Great Divide in 2020. Overall, we have enjoyed these bikes, however, it was challenging to find replacement parts on the road, which made it challenging for our bikepacking adventure across Europe. We run 29×2.6 inch tires in the front and 29×2.4 in the back and this was overkill for most of the route and we could not find tubeless ready tires of the same size on the road. If we could do it again we would have run 29×2.25 tires as these seemed a bit more common.
Setup and Bags
Although the highly streamlined, bikepacking setup has been growing in popularity, we decided to stick with a more traditional touring setup in the back with panniers, mostly because we already had them and because it’s a bit easier to access some of the video gear we need on the go such as additional lenses and our drone. However for this trip Alex bought some bikepacking bags for the front fork for additional storage.
Bike set up bag list:
Revelate Designs Feeder BagsÂ
Ortlieb Classic 6 Handlebar bagÂ
Phone Mount
Biking Helmets
Bike Helmet Visor: https://dabrim.com (we love these for sun and rain protection) Use code: PMdabrim10 for 10% off your order from their site (limited time only)
Bungee cords (2 each)
Hiking backpack to strap on the back if more space is needed (best if you can get a waterproof one)
Small lightweight and packable shopping tote bags
Camping Gear
Tent we wished we would have brought that holds up well in bad weather: REI Half Dome
Thermarest z-lite sleeping pad (cut in half – for taking breaks and keeping things dry while packing)
REI Co-Op AirRail Sleeping Pad
REI Igneo Sleeping Bags
Sleeping bag compression sacks
Stove Kit (includes, pot, stove, folding utensils, and bowls/cups)
Propane
Wind screen for stove
Cutlery
Biodegradable soap + mini scrub
Clothing (quantity per person)
1 Merino wool base layer bottom
1 light or medium weight fleeceÂ
1 warm compressible puffy jacket: Women’s and Men’sÂ
1 GORE-TEX Hardshell Jacket: Women’s and Men’s
1 pair of hardshell rain pants
2 lightweight shirts for biking
1 lightweight outfit used only for sleeping
2-3 padded biking short liners or active underwear if that works for you
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- Women’s liner:Â they are quick drying which is a huge plus on the road
- Women’s padded skort: my favorite thing to wear and added some cuteness for exploring town etc.
- Mens: Alex prefers not to use padded underwear/shorts and instead wore his active and odor resisting underwear
2-3 night time (non-biking) underwear for exploring towns etc.
2 sports bras, 1 regular bra
1-2 lightweight shorts (we both use mens running shorts)
1 town outfit (also useful for laundry days)!
1 mens Arcade Belt: there’s no metal on this belt so it can go through airport security
1 pair of hiking sleeves for sun protection
1 pair of calf sleeves: Alex used these to minimize sunscreen use
2-3Â buffs
2 pair of sunglasses
Sun glass cases for each pair
1 pair of biking glovesÂ
1 pair of warm full fingered gloves that are flexible enough to bike with
2 pairs of merino wool socks
1 pair of night time socks
1 pair of low top hiking boots
1 pair of flip flops
1 pair of tevas <-probably didn’t need but was nice to have occasionally
1 Mini sewing kit
Toiletries/Misc
Sunblock: 3 different types
- Face – we like this one because its water resistant, mineral based and has no pore clogging ingredientsÂ
- Body Spray – for quick, on-the-go protection
- SPF chapstick
Bug spray
Hand Sanitizer
Chamois butter – to put in a small container
Vitamins, and medicines
Other First Aid Supplies (e.g. bandaids, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen and Benadryl, alcohol swabs, tea tree oil – this seemed to help with the saddle sores Liz got)
GoTubb Containers for vitamins/medicines/spices (LOVE these)
2 Toiletry bags: one for shower items and one for toothbrushes, face wash etc.
Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss
Face cleansing wipes for wild camping
Face wash and mini version of skin care routine
Mini travel size containers for creams etc
Menstrual cup: This is so much easier on a trip like this
Mini version of makeup or other supplies for town exploration days (obviously optional but I liked having some)
Disposable shaverÂ
Body cleansing wipes (for when you can’t shower)
Shampoo bar, conditioner bar and soap bar: bars make everything lighter weight which is great. We store them in containers so they don’t get everything gross
Small silicone body scrubbers: we love these and they trap less bacteria than loofas
Contacts/case/mini size contact solution/glasses (if applicable)
Travel size deodorant
Chapstick – as many as needed. Liz is obsessed with Burt’s Bees so she brought about 12 on the trip just in case she couldn’t find them in EuropeÂ
Toilet Paper + sealable plastic bag to put dirty TP (+ 2-3 spare as this will get nasty overtime)
Mini camp shovel (for going to the bathroom in the wild)
Microfiber towels
Headphones: Alex’s headphones, Liz’s AirPods
Hydration: If you follow the route we did, you will have many opportunities to fill your water bottle along the way so 2 liters per person is probably sufficient
2 squeeze bike bottles for while biking
1 metal water bottle
2 Water Filtration Devices (If we did it again we probably would only bring one of the water bottles below as well as a smaller backup such as a Lifestraw) as we hardly needed purification
Bike Maintenance
Tire Sealant (for tubeless setup) – we’d recommend having 2 bottles per person at any given time and restocking along the way in major cities
Extra 2-3 inner tubes per person (we wished we had brought extra as our tube size was hard to find and we struggled a lot with flats starting in Serbia)
Patch Kit
Presta core remover
Extra Presta cores
Pump
Bike lock
Zipties
Duct Tape
Sand paper small
Spare brake pads
2 – 3 rags (1 for cleaning, 1 for chain lube)
Camera/Electronics
Clearly all of these items are 100% optional and you really only need these if you care about making YouTube videos or some kind of documentary. This is obviously very personal and there’s lots of great cameras and other electronic devices out there, these are just the items we have used for a while that we know and like.
Canon EOS R5, extra batteries and a battery charger
RF 15-35MM f/2.8L IS USM Lens: This is our most used lens as a content creators
RF 24-105MM f/4L IS USM Lens: We didn’t use the lens too much, but it was nice having an option to zoom in a bit more in certain situations
DJI Mavic Pro 3 plus extra batteries. This drone is probably too big to bring on a trip like this so something smaller such as the DJI Mini 4 Pro would probably be better
GoPro Hero8 (we also brought another older GoPro)
2 Anker Portable Chargers (LOVE THESE)
Thank you and happy adventuring!
Liz (Pursuing Mountains)
