Miles and Emily’s Six-Week Australia Bikepacking Kit List

Following a month and a half of bikepacking around Australia, Miles and Emily compiled a detailed inventory of their packing lists, including thoughts on what worked and what didn’t. Find a thorough overview of their kits paired with a selection of photos from the charming Munda Biddi Trail and Sydney to Summit route here…

I like to imagine myself as a detail-oriented packer. Sometimes I dream about Excel spreadsheets, weight breakdowns, and a neatly organized gear room, but that’s about as far from the truth as it gets. I usually pack last minute, rarely use lists, and my gear room is in a constant and ever-evolving state of chaos. However, in preparation for our six-week Australian bikepacking tour last winter, I figured it was worth some extra effort to make sure we didn’t fly across the world and forget anything essential.

Our final pack list was bigger than anything I’ve ridden with before. It was autumn in Australia, and we were expecting rain and cooler temperatures at night and also needed to be prepared for hot days and arid terrain. This meant proper rain gear, warm layers, lightweight riding gear, and casual clothing for days off. Thankfully, the Curve GMX+ Titanium bikes we rode (and reviewed here) for the six-week voyage carried our bulky setups naturally and confidently. They ended up being the perfect bikes for the trip, which mixed in a wide range of terrain, trails, and dirt roads.

Find a complete list of everything we carried below, broken down into categories and split up between our two rigs. If you’re curious about our GMX+ build kits, you can find that in review linked above and at the bottom of this page.

  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist
durston x-mid pro 2 review, bikepacking tent

Miles’ Packlist

I ended up outfitting the GMX+ Ti I rode with front and rear Old Man Mountain racks, which provided most of the packing space we needed for this trip. On the back, I had the Divide rack with the new Revelate Designs Nano Panniers. Up front, I had an Elkhorn rack with Framework Designs Travellers panniers bolted onto the the legs and a cavernous Rambler Bags roll-top bag on the bars. The bike came equipped with a slick dual-compartment frame bag from Terra Rosa Gear.

Overall, the setup wasn’t particularly lightweight, but it was functional, easy to pack, left lots of overflow room for extra food and snacks, and most importantly, held up to rough dirt roads, doubletrack, and trails. I had no mechanicals or gear mishaps beyond having to change out my brake pads once along the Munda Biddi Trail. All in all, I was quite pleased with the dual rack setup and mini panniers for a multi-week tour like this. Once my legs adjusted to the extra weight, it was refreshing to carry so much gear, have casual clothing to change into, and to feel like we were prepared for anything that might come our way.

miles Australia packlist

Some standout items include the new Revelate Designs Nano Panniers, which raise the bar when it comes to lightweight off-road-capable mini panniers. While I’d have appreciated a waterproof design on this trip, they were wiggle-free and just the right size for our needs. Our Primus OmniLite Ti stove also proved to be great option for this trip as I immediately found out that finding standard liquid camp fuel isn’t so easy in Australia. I ended up using Diggers Shellite or Kerosene, which was easy to find at gas stations and hardware stores. The stove burned either fuel without any need to swap jets or parts, which made our lives easier.

The Ornot Lightweight Mission shorts also continue to impress me. After riding 2,000+ kilometres across Australia, in the mud, rain, heat, and dust, they are still looking brand new, which is mind-blowing. I expected the bum of the shorts to wear out after this trip, but they aren’t showing any signs of wear, which is downright impressive. I have since purchased another pair of shorts and continue to recommend them to my friends so we can all match and start an indie rock band.

Bags & Bits

Sleeping

  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist
  • Rambler Bags Rolltop Handlebar Bag Review
  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist

Clothing & On Body

  • Outdoor Research Astroman Shirt
  • Ornot Lightweight Mission Shorts
  • 7mesh Foundation Boxer Briefs x2
  • Chubbies Retro Outdoor Shorts
  • Smartwool underwear x2
  • 7mesh Elevate Short Sleeve
  • Outdoor Research synthetic hoodie
  • 7mesh Northwoods Windshell
  • 7mesh Copilot Jacket
  • Bikepacking.com cap
  • Wool socks x3
  • 7mesh Flight Path pants
  • Fizik Terra Ergolace Flat shoes
  • Bedrock Original sandals
  • Sunglasses
  • Helmet
  • Bike gloves
  • Porcelain Rocket Big Dumpling prototype hip pack

Electronics

  • Canon 6D
  • 50mm F1.8 Lens
  • Canon USB battery charger
  • Camera batteries x3
  • Memory cards x3
  • Small screen cloth
  • iPad with keyboard
  • iPad SD card reader dongle
  • Anker 10,000mAh power bank
  • Various charging cables
  • iPhone
  • Garmin inReach Mini
  • Black Diamond Storm headlamp
  • Apple AirTag x2
  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist

Tools & Repair

  • 29″ spare tube
  • Dynaplug Pro with extra plugs
  • Tire patch kit
  • Tidewall repair kit
  • Tire boot
  • Spare brake pads x4
  • Spare nuts/bolts
  • Crankbrothers M19 tool
  • Tire levers
  • Zip ties
  • Spare shift cable
  • Ottolock
  • Extra sealant
  • Duct tape
  • OneUp hand pump

Cooking & Food

  • Primus OmniLite Ti Stove
  • Fuel Bottle 325ml
  • Fuel Bottle 591ml
  • Pot Set
  • Sea to Summit collapsible bowls
  • Mugs x2
  • Hydrapak Seeker 3L + 28mm filter kit
  • Sporks x2
  • Small cloth

Personal & Hygiene

  • Toothbrush
  • Medication
  • Toilet paper
  • Baby wipes
  • Packable camp towel
  • Trowel
miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist

Emily’s Packlist

While I opted to carry an iPad for work on the road, Emily hauled around a MacBook Air, which only just fit in her Bags by Bird Piccolo handlebar bag. She also carried most of our water and strapped the super luxurious Big Agnes double sleeping pad on her rear rack. Although I can’t say for sure, I think her setup might have been heavier than mine. That’s a first considering the size difference between our bikes.

Emily used Rambler Bags panniers, mounted bottles on each side of the Curve’s carbon fork, had a big Klean Kanteen under the downtube, and Curve lent us a full-sized Apidura frame bag. Running a big full-frame bag was especially exciting for Emily as most small/medium bikes don’t offer much main triangle space—a big benefit of the GMX+’s unique geometry. She wore the smaller Rockgeist Dumpling hip pack with some personal items and her film camera, while I lugged around my trusty Big Dumpling and a full-sized DSLR.

miles Australia packlist

We were experimenting with larger and more plush sleeping gear for this trip, and it really threw a wrench in any attempt to pack light. We’ve had some of the best sleeps ever after introducing the Big Agnes Rapide SL double sleeping pad, which isn’t massive at 40″ wide, but it has eliminated the dreaded “sleeping pad gap” and has proven to be quite comfortable. It has PrimaLoft insulation inside, offers enough room for two close friends, and pairs nicely with our oversized camp pillows. I used a Klymit Luxe pillow, and Emily used the Exped MegaPillow. Let’s just say it’s been hard going back to a standard ultralight sleeping pad and pillow.

Bags & Bits

  • Bags by Bird Piccolo
  • Jack the Rack
  • Rambler Panniers
  • Rogue Panda top tube bag
  • King Cage Manything Cage Ti
  • Bottle cages x2
  • Old Man Mountain Divide Rack
  • Randi Jo Fab Bartender stem bag
  • Klean Kanteen 64oz

Sleeping

  • miles Australia packlist
  • Rambler bags panniers review
  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist
  • miles Australia packlist

Clothing & On Body

  • Riding underwear (1 merino short
  • 7mesh padded underwear)
  • Underwear and bra (1 active
  • 1 cotton)
  • Long sleeves (7mesh riding
  • 1 Merino wool)
  • 1 short sleeve riding shirt
  • 7mesh shorts
  • Ripton shorts
  • 3 socks (2 riding
  • 1 chill)
  • 2 buffs
  • puffy
  • 7Mesh rain jacket
  • Bikini
  • Long johns
  • 7Mesh pants
  • Teva Sandals
  • Fizik Terra Ergolace Flat shoes
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Glasses
  • Helmet
  • Bike gloves
  • Rockgeist Dumpling hip pack

Electronics

  • Kindle e-book reader
  • Film camera
  • Extra film
  • iPhone
  • Black Diamond Storm headlamp
  • MacBook Air and charger

Personal & Hygiene

  • Lighter
  • Steri-strips
  • Tweezers
  • Bandaids
  • Gauze
  • Benedryl
  • Tylonel
  • Lopermide
  • Asperin
  • Alcohol wipes
  • Afterbite cream
  • Polysporin
  • Medications
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Sunscreen
  • Lip balm
  • Bug spray
  • Deoderant
  • Moisturizer
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Ear plugs
  • Camp towel
miles Australia packlist

Wrap Up

At times, Emily and I felt like we were hauling way too much stuff around Australia. On the hottest days, all of our layers and rain jackets felt like overkill but would soon be integral for our comfort when the weather shifted. Lugging laptops and iPads around wasn’t particularly enjoyable, but it allowed us to take an extended bike tour that would normally be out of the question. Planning and packing was particularly difficult as the bikes we were riding were in Australia waiting for us, so there wasn’t a chance to pre-pack or even dial in the bike fit beyond what was possible over the phone with Curve and the good folks at Omafiets in Sydney.

In the end, our gear choices worked great. Bringing a double sleeping pad was a complete game-changer for us, (more on that soon) and we quickly got into a rhythm with our bikes, gear, and pace that felt natural while experiencing a new place. Finding this type of flow is exactly what I’m after on longer trips and it was particularly special sharing that experience with Emily. Everything listed above gets two thumbs up from Emily and me, and we welcome any questions or comments in the discussion below!

Further Reading

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