A note from Sean Keener, BootsnAll Co-founder: Alastair Humphreys is an old friend of BootsnAll. He sent us these dispatches as he cycled around the world. In 2004 he came through Portland, stayed with us for a few days, and we hosted an event at our office to help him raise money along the way. He kept going, and he has done so much more since.
Here’s my entire kit list, from the obvious down to the very smallest detail. Obviously I will need different things in the Iranian winter and the Australian Outback. This will require posting things back and forth around the world. My bike will be much heavier on the winter phases, although in the hot places I will have to carry massive amounts of water instead.
Basics
- Bike
- Karrimor Karousel Universal (front)
- Karrimor Karousel Iberian (rear)
- Karrimor bar bag
Bureaucracy - bicycle documents
- driving licence
- student card
- letter from HHC
- letters of support
- money belt
- old passport / Visa cards etc
- passport
- photocopies
- plane ticket
- references
- US Dollar travellers cheques
Clothing - balaclava
- boots
- boxer shorts
- cycling shorts
- down jacket
- dry bags
- fleece
- helmet
- long sleeve shirt
- mesh bags
- mittens
- mosquito head veil
- ron-hills
- shamag
- shorts
- silk thermals
- socks-thick
- socks-thin
- sun hat
- trousers
- T-shirts
- waterproof jacket
- waterproof mittens
- waterproof trousers
- zoot suit
Cooking - MSR
- MSR spares + instructions
- cigarette lighter
- iodine
- mess tins
- Ortlieb water carrying bag
- plastic plate
- pot scourer
- salt and pepper
- spare fuel bottle
- spoon
- water filter
Health - after-sun
- Canestan
- DEET
- factor 15 sun-cream
- first aid kit
- malaria pills
- razor
- soap
- Sterikit. Also states my blood group
- toothbrush
- toothpaste
Miscellaneous
- address book
- batteries
- bell
- blank tapes to record on
- bog roll
- camera
- camera battery
- camera films
- candle
- compass
- cycling water bottle
- Diary and pen
- dictionary
- flint
- fluorescent yellow patches to sew
- folding chair
- games
- inflatable globe
- maps
- music tapes
- pack of playing cards
- quotations
- radio
- reading books
- safety pins
- sewing kit
- small rucsac
- St. George’s cross
- sunglasses
- Swiss Army knife
- thermometer
- umbrella
- walkman/dictaphone
- world atlas
Sleeping - hammock
- mosquito net
- silk liner
- sleeping bag – summer
- sleeping bag – winter
- tent
- Therm-a-rest
Spares - adjustable spanner
- bicycle repair book
- bike computer
- bike stand
- brake pads
- brake/gear cable
- bungees
- cone spanners. A 13/14 and a 15/16
- emergency tyre patch
- film pot of grease
- freewheel remover
- Gaffa
- Hacksaw blade
- inner tubes
- mini-pump
- pannier clips
- pedals. left and right
- pliers
- pump
- puncture repair kit
- rear bike light
- small bottle of oil
- spokes
- sticky out reflector
- string
- Topeak ‘Alien’ multi-tool:
- chain tool, Phillips/flat screwdrivers
- Allen keys, spanners knife
- spoke wrenches, tyre levers
- torch
- tyre
- various spare nuts and bolts
- zip ties
First entry »
Where to find Alastair now
Start at alastairhumphreys.com. His books, newsletter and podcast are all there.
Alastair turned this ride into two books: Moods of Future Joys, from England to Cape Town, and Thunder and Sunshine, the long way home from Patagonia. There is a version for younger readers too, The Boy Who Biked the World.
He has written many more since, including Microadventures, Grand Adventures, My Midsummer Morning, The Doorstep Mile and Local.