I’ve just come back from a nine-day bikepacking trip thorugh Denmark (blog post upcoming!) and I’m in the process of unpacking my bags. This time, I think I did a pretty good job at packing (as in, I had almost everything I needed and needed basically everything I brought). This blog post is mostly a note to self about what to pack next time, but I thought it might be useful for fellow cyclist who want to embark in similar adventures (note that this packing list is tailored to the Scandinavian summer).

Storage

I have three main bags:

  • my awesome everyday carrier bag, which converts into a backpack (on this particular trip, this feature was unnecessary, but on many other occasions I have used this bags to store my valuables and tranformed it into a backpack upon leaving the bike unattended for longer periods of time)
  • another slightly smaller cheap (but waterproof) carrier bag from Lidl
  • an old cooler backpack which I’ve had repaired for the occasion and that, excepts for shorter stretches from the supermarket to the picnic table, I pack onto the carrier with a bungee cord - I don’t love carrying things on my back, especially on warm summer days. In the past, I’ve stored food in a simple basket with a smaller cooler bag inside.

I also have two smaller bike bags:

  • a front bag that can also be used as a shoulder bag, which I use for small items that need to come with me wherever I go, such as my wallet and keys
  • a frame bag for bike tools that I bring on every long or short bike excursion.

In addition, my bike has a bottle holder (essential!) and a phone holder that I use for navigation.

I also always bring one or more tote bags, where I store clean clothes. It also serves as my pillow, which works great for me, excepts if there are no longer any clean clothes.

Camping equipment

  • obviously a tent. In this case, my friend C. brought hers because mine only fits one person. Choosing a one-person tent was obviously a mistake, even if I really love it. I have only used a couple of times in two years, and never for longer trips so far
  • a sleeping bag:. Mine is very entry-level and not very warm, but for the summer, it gets the job done
  • a basic roll-up camping mat. Mine is quite bulky, and I’d almost regret the purchase if I hadn’t found a second use for it: since it is insulating, I wrap it around one or two plastic water bottles to keep them cool during sunny days. If the bottle attached to my bike needs a refill, it’s just a matter of tilting the bike and unscrewing the cap. Aerodynamics isn’t the goal anyways, for the kind of trips I like going on
  • a head lamp, which I mostly use as a tent light.

Clothes

Here comes the annoying part. Summer in Scandinavia is rather unpredictable, and I know I need a wide variety of things:

  • t-shirts, both quickdry and not: the former are nice to have in case of rain and for washing on the go, but they don’t feel nice, especially when combined with sunscreen. The amount depends on whether I plan to do proper laundry or not, which is possible at many campings and marinas, but takes time
  • pants: a pair or two of shorts, a pair of long and/or detachable trousers, a pair of sweatpants and a pair of leggins (they are warm, comfortable and compact). The same considerations about quickdry apply
  • an old, beloved sweater
  • a comfy shirt (yes, I do mean a shirt with a collar! It is great to wear on top of other tops to protect me from the wind or from the sun, and if used in this way it can be reused many time, if necessary by itself at the end of the trip)
  • a pair of running shoes or similar, preferably waterproof
  • flip-flops (mostly for showering)
  • rain clothes: at least a high-quality k-way and a pair of rain shoes. Note that rain shoes need not necessarily be waterproof: in the summer, I prefer a pair of cheap sandals that I don’t mind getting wet. Rain trousers and helmet cover are, in my opinion, optional in warm weather, but the latter can be useful to cover other things too. On multiple occasions, I used it to protect my sleeping bag
  • a super compact down jacket (this can be a bit costly, but I use it in different ways during all four seasons and it takes up a lot less space than a sweater)
  • a thin ugly neck gaiter that I was given at a conference and has proven incredibly versatile and useful in a variety of situations
  • abundant, comfortable socks and underwear
  • a swimsuit
  • prescription sunglasses (which I almost consider a luxury item <3)
  • a pair of bike gloves. I find these not to be essential in the summer, but they’re nice when it’s a bit colder or too sunny.

Toiletries, first aid kit etc.

The single most important thing in this category is a towel. Microfiber towels are compact and dry quickly. I once bought two as they came in pairs. Next time, I’ll bring both.

My beauty case contains:

  • a bar of soap
  • shower gel + shampoo in those tiny tiny bottles that they give you at hotels. They are becoming increasingly rare due to (very legitimate) environmental concerns, so I recommend saving the bottles and refilling them
  • toothbrush, mini-toothpaste and a few flosser picks
  • the most compact hairbrush in existence, which my dad gave me for my very first school trip in first grade
  • hairpins and hairbands
  • roll-on deodorant
  • compressed mini-towels. I always end up needing a few, and some are even re-usable
  • a sleeping mask (I always bring it, I never use it)
  • sunscreen - a necessary evil. I don’t get sunburnt easily and yet I decided I should use high SPF during this kind of holidays. I even have a sun-protective lipstick
  • pads! Less is not more when it comes to these
  • tweezers, indispensable in case you have to remove a tick
  • band-aids and desinfectant
  • paracetamol
  • a mosquito repellent and/or after-bite whatever. I forgot about this this time and bought a practical stick one during towards the end fo the trip
  • laundry sheets, but the ones I have kinda suck and I might just replace them with a piece of marseille soap unless I really plan on using a washing machine. In that case, I might invest in a collapsible bucket for doing laundry on the go.

Bike tools

My bike tools bag, which I bring with me on every out-of-town ride, contains the following:

  • a small pump with several adapter
  • a bike multitool that is maximally unergonomic but good enough for emergency situations. It is complemented by another, smaller multitool that lives in my everyday bag and has pliers and smaller screwdrivers
  • chain oil and rust solvent
  • a pair of rubber gloves
  • the magic spray that supposedly fixes a flat tire from the inside.

My friend C. does not believe in magic and insists on always having spare tubes. I think this is unnecessary for holidays where you’re always more or less close to a town, but she might also be right. Spare tubes or not, if I ever went on a solo trip, I’d bring tire-changing tools.

Kitchen utensils

  • a swiss army knife. I have a fancy one now, but I’ve used a cheap one for years, and the longer blade is what I need 95% of the time. My point is, I need a knife, and that knife should not be a hazard for my bag. Any decent pocket knife will do the job
  • reusable forks, spoons and optionally spreading knives (I forgot the knives this times, and spoons worked just fine). Although plastic is more lightweight, I use the normal metal ones from my kitchen - sporks look cool but are awkward to use, and plastic breaks easily
  • a tiny bottle of concentrated dish soap, a sponge and something to put freshly washed cutlery on if there is no clean surface to do so
  • kitchen paper
  • many plastic bags and clips
  • ice packs, although I’m debating whether to bring them or not next time. Some expensive campings have freezer you can use overnight, but otherwise they’re only good on the first day. Another option for keeping food cool is buying something frozen, but most of the frozen stuff that can be eaten without cooking doesn’t taste great. So far, the best I’ve found was edamame.
  • hand sanitizer, although I hate it.

Other utensils

  • bungee cords, one or more! If kept clean, these can also be used to hang wet clothes at night
  • bike lights: these are almost unnecessary in the long scandinavian summer days, but it’s better to always have them
  • extra batteries for the head and bike lamps
  • zipties: somehow, they always solve some problem
  • all possible rain covers for bags and other equipment. I suggest bringing them along and using them at any hint of rain whilst knowing that they mey never be enough in case of heavy, prolonged rain
  • a mini sewing kit
  • a lock, just in case I end up sleeping at a hostel.

Mandatory electronics

I try to limit electronics as much as possible, but a few things are necessary:

  • a smartphone, which I use maninly for finding campsites and navigation. I’ve been tempted by more power-efficient bike computers, that are also more readable in harsh sunlight, but I find OSM-based Android apps unbeatable when it comes to usability on the go. A small e-ink Android device would be the perfect OSM-machine, but they are all too expensive
  • charging cables and wall adapter for my phone and camera (see below)
  • a powerbank (I have a small one, but I’d probably need to replace it if I go on a 4+ day trip by myself, and I’m tempted by portable solar panels)
  • cheap wired earbuds, mostly because my phone microphone seems to be getting worse over time.

Food

To limit weight and because of lack of experience with fireplaces, I do not cook when camping, but I find that, especially in the summer, you can go a long way just by assembling meals out of raw and semiprocessed foods you can find in any supermarket. What food I bring along, of course, varies from time to time, but some things tend to buy are:

  • salt (in a small airtight container)
  • bananas. Other fruit I tend to buy at unmanned farm shops along the way
  • knäckebröd (crisp bread) and/or fresh bread. During this trip, I found rye bread to be a great option
  • jam or similar for breakfast
  • something canned, e.g. beans or fish
  • hummus or some other protein-rich spread
  • a lemon (it improves many canned foods, and if there is no other use for it, I just squeeze it in my water bottle)
  • some vegetables. Cucumbers, avocados and cherry tomatoes are three classics
  • fruit juice (sugary and refreshing. Blood orange juice has become a tradition of my trips with C.)
  • sugary snacks: sesamkakor, cotognata, dried mango rainsins and the like
  • nuts.

As for water, for free camping in the summer I usually make sure to have at the very least 2 liters on me. I usually have two smaller thermal bottles, one in the bike holder and one easily accessible for refills, and a larger plastic one, which I try to keep cool by wrapping it in my camping mat (see above).

Luxury items

  • a notebook and pen for travel notes. I wrote about 20 (small) pages this time

  • a book, possibly with the following characterstics:

    • slim but not too short, because ideally it has to last for the whole trip
    • interesting but easy to read (not in a language I don’t know well, for example), because I might read it in overly early mornings when my travel companion is still asleep
    • not too valuable or too beloved, because humidity might ruin it and/or it may need to be replaced when I run out of pages
    • absolutely not borrowed from anyone and anywhere, for the same reasons.

    If I went on an even longer trip (say one month), I’d consider investing in a cheap, compact e-reader, but the one I own right now is way too large, expensive and delicate for camping

  • MTG cards (if with C.) or another small board game. This year, I was happy I did not bring one of my two favorite MTG decks as rain managed to seep through my bag’s rain cover, plastic deck case and sleeves and ruin the corners of a few cards, even though they are still perfectly usable
  • a small, easy to operate cheap and/or rugged camera. Until recently, I used an old compact point-and-shoot Canon, but since it is slowly declining, I recently bought a second-hand Olympus Tough camera, which is fun to use, a bit more modern and can stand the elements, water included.

Things I deliberately don’t pack

As I mentioned above, while I do bring some kitchen utensils, I don’t really need that many because I avoid cooking outdoors altogether. I don’t even bring glasses or plates, as bottles, food packaging and paper towels are usually all I need. However, I might rethink the latter and get one or two reusable plastic plates.

At least on my trips with C., I also don’t drink (and therefore bring) coffee or tea at all. The first time, this happened accidentally and ended up being a nice an uncomplicated break from caffeine, so I decided to make it a rule. It may or may not also help with sleeping as early as needed.

Some other things I never bring are a proper pillow, a dedicated tent lamp and my prescription glasses. For the first two, I think I found good enough alternative. As for my eyesight, it is sufficiently good that I’m not completely dependent on glasses, and if I’m in the outdoors in the summer I wear sunglasses 80% of the time anyway.