Main Travel Bag
We ask that your main travelling bag be soft (or semi-soft) – basically meaning no hard-shell suitcases, please. We have genuine reasons for requiring this and will ask you to replace your bag in Kathmandu if you show up with a hard case. Please also note that you need to limit your luggage to 20kg due to the internal flights within Nepal.
Riding Kit
Helmet
Any road-legal helmet type can be suitable for this tour. You will need eye-protection, including something suitable for riding after dark. We do our best to avoid riding after dark, but very occasionally unforeseen circumstances can scupper our plans.
Snood
A buff-type snood can be useful for a number of things, from adding a little warmth, to filtering out the dust.
Jacket
It’s likely the be pretty hot in the lowlands, so a vented jacket is a good idea. On the high-altitude parts of the tour we can obviously expect lower temperatures, so a wind/waterproof over-jacket will be appreciated. We will be riding dirt in the mountains, so some kind of body armour might be a good idea.
Trousers
Yes, ‘trousers.’ Not ‘pants.’ We’re British doncha know and your undergarments are unmentionable in this context. So, we’d consider heavy-duty jeans to be a minimum requirement for your lower-body riding apparel. Again, if your using bespoke riding gear, then some airflow will be appreciated, back-up by some element-proof overgarment.
Boots
Are necessary. Ankle boots at the very least. There is a high chance that we will be fording a stream or two, so waterproof kit will be a boon here, but may be a bit hot in the lowlands. Your shout.
Gloves
You will need gloves. Vented summer/enduro gloves are good. If you suffer from cold hands, then chuck some three-season, or over/under gloves into the mix.
On-bike Luggage
You will need a way to carry water and spare clothes/waterproofs on the bike. A backpack hydration system is ok (and can double-up on the jungle walk if spacious enough), so long as you’ll be comfortable with it on all-day rides. Otherwise, a simple backpack or tailpack will suffice. Attaching bags with elastic cords is less recommended due to a propensity for the luggage to shift around, or make a bid for freedom.
Side-bags are available that mount securely to the bike’s crash bars and are weatherproof with adequate space for your daily needs. Check out: this link if you want some.
On-body Stuff
By this, we mean stuff you might want to carry with you on the bike, but not in your on-bike luggage: money/cards, passport, essential medication and travel insurance documents. We can deal with the loss of anything except your passport, so we do not recommend putting this in a bag on your bike, back, or in your main luggage.
Please carry vital items on your person, the best place generally being a waterproof inside pocket in a Ziplock bag in an inside pocket, or in a secure waist-pack.
Off-bike Clothing
Due to the very wide range of temperatures we are likely to encounter it’s essential to consider clothing in terms of layers, both on and off the bike. In the lowlands it could be 30ºC or higher; at altitude it could get down to freezing when outside at night. Items like fleeces, that can be used both on and off the bike will help in keeping your packing volume down.
The same goes for some type of legging – trakkie bottoms, tights or long long-johns – which can be worn under lightweight trousers and are very useful if you need to get up in the night. There are very limited opportunities to get clothes washed over the course of this adventure, so underlayers that can be hand-washed and dried overnight will be beneficial.
Hats are good, both sunhats and warm hats – especially if you are bald.
Personal Kit
- Spare spectacles – if you need them.
- Sunglasses
- Small first-aid kit – a few plasters, some antiseptic cream (Germoline is very good on mozzie bites)
- Insect repellent
- You will want sunscreen – especially at altitude – and a sunhat.
- A torch/headtorch
Medication & Health
We carry kit and medication to deal with most situations. If you require regular medication, please bring an adequate supply. If you would class this medication as essential, please bring additional supplies if you can and hand them to our medic at the beginning of the tour.
Electricals
There will be power available at most of our overnight stops, but possibly not at all hours of the day.
A travel plug like this is useful, especially with USB outlets.
For our National Park Adventure
On our Jungle Adventure we will be trekking into the forest, before camping out for the night. You will need a backpack to carry water and other sundries that you need for the day. While we would advise that you wear lightweight trekking boots or shoes for the walk, you will also need a pair of sandals, as we are likely to be crossing a river or two and you’ll want to keep your walking shoes dry.
Any other overnight kit can (washbag, torch, clothes etc) can be transported to our camp by jeep.
You will be supplied with a clean sleeping bag for your night under nylon. You may wish to bring a liner for this.