Lon las Cymru 0.3 - Gear

I'm all geared up now for next months ride so it's time for the obligatory, birds-eye, faux wood floor, pretending to be in some far-flung Alpine cabin shot...

When I say I'm all geared up, I'm lying through my teeth. There's still a few items I need like a mini first aid kit, padded shorts and some gooch saving chamois cream.

Also, other than my waterproof jacket and headgear none of my clothes are pictured. Weather reports in the week prior to us leaving will determine what type of clobber I'll be taking.

All this stuff fits easily into my Deuter twin panniers.

I'm opting for the Biolite stove over a butane one. This will allow me, via the USB port on the stove to charge my phone, bike lights and power bank with any excess heat given off by the stove whilst in use. It's a little heavier than the butane stoves but I wont have to carry any space-grabbing fuel canisters. The Biolite, hence its name, runs by burning combustible materials in its small chamber. An internal fan intensifies the heat and can charge a device via a heat probe when running on full power. Pine cones being the best fuel I've found so far!

The Biolite in action on a hike last summer

Vango one-man tent and Vango three-season sleeping bag with mosquito net. The Vango stuff is great. It's on the cheaper end of the scale when it comes to outdoor gear but I've found them to be really reliable and the tent is nice and simple to put up.

Pan, mug, titanium spork, sharp knife and four packets of porridge (Adventure Food expedition breakfast). Most mornings we will be cooking a proper breakfast but it's handy to have these as they're easily prepared and really tasty. For our daytime and evening meals we will be grabbing pub lunches and buying fresh vegetables and produce from villages we ride through, to be cooked up wherever we camp come night.

Also in the panniers are energy gels, bars and drink sachets. Water purification tablets, tissues, dental chewing gum, insect spray, sun cream, dry wood for the stove (because it's Wales), headlamp, anti-bacterial wipes, hex keys (two sizes), compass, charging cables, OEX self-inflating ground mat, bungee straps, Osprey 6L dry bag and Osprey detachable rain cover from my rucksack, a power bank, two drinks bottles, three Ordnance Survey maps and a Zippo pocket ashtray for those victory cigars!

Feels good knowing I've got everything I need to survive indefinitely, on my own in the outdoors and knowing beforehand exactly what kind of weight I'll be lugging around.

Not long now. Roll on June