Bikepacking Norway: My Gear List to Survive All Conditions.

Scandinavia, specifically Norway, a beautiful area of Europe that reaches up to 71 degrees North. However, the climate in the summer months can be unpredictable, and above the Arctic circle, anything is possible. This video will show you how to travel light whilst ensuring you have enough gear to keep you safe, warm, and comfortable no matter what the conditions.

Bags info and review: https://youtu.be/Qh4Vy9tjXDM

Visit http://www.cyclenorway.com for more information about cycling in Norway. The website will be updated in the coming months.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cyclenorwaycom

FOLLOW ME on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/cycle_norway/

00:00 Intro
00:55 Camping Equipment
06:33 Clothing on the Bike
12:50 Clothing off the Bike
16:25 Water Setup
18:14 Liquids – Body and Bike
21:25 Tools and Spare Parts for Bike
22:48 Lights Setup on Bike
24:52 Electronics
26:11 Final Word (Featuring Judy)

Tent: https://www.msrgear.com/ie/tents/backpacking-tents/hubba-nx-solo-backpacking-tent/06203.html
Bikepacking Tents: https://www.bigagnes.com/Gear/Tents/Bikepacking
Roll Mat: https://seatosummitusa.com/products/ultralight-insulated-mat
Sleeping Bag: https://www.kathmandu.com.au/pathfinder-water-repellent-drifill-down-sleeping-bag.html
Cooking Stove: https://www.primus.eu/primus-lite-black-p356006/
Bike Lights: https://beryl.cc/shop
Bike Shoes: https://www.giro.com/p/terraduro-mountain-bike-shoes/350060000200000017.html
Mavic Mini Drone: https://www.dji.com/no/mavic-mini
External Hard Drive: https://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Copilot-BOSS-External-Drive/dp/B078H38RZM
The Inflatable Friend: https://www.amazon.com/Loftus-International-Blow-Judy-Doll/dp/B010R6I8V4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Blow+up+doll&qid=1610632433&sr=8-1

#BikepackingNorway #BikepackingGear #CyclingGear #BikepackingSetup
#BikepackingScandinavia #Bikepacking

Scandinavia specifically Norway you want  to go bike packing there or perhaps just   traveling around the country what do you  bring there’s no easy answer my friends   because above the arctic circle or in  the mountains it could be below zero  

In the summertime at the same time  it can be as warm as spain in places so this video aims to show  you what you need to bring   to keep it as minimal as possible but at the same  time allow you to be comfortable safe and secure  

Warm enough and just above all enjoy your trip  around this beautiful area they call Scandinavia obviously let’s start with the basics tent so  if you’re traveling alone and you’re backpacking   you’re gonna have limited space so you’re gonna  want a one-man tent you want it to be light  

This my friends is the hubba nx msr  tent it is 1.2 kilos it’s pretty damn   light it’s really spacious for one man it’s  incredibly waterproof it’s very well designed   of course it has a premium price because  it’s a premium brand but it’s been fantastic  

Downsides to it ah it’s a tight squeeze knowing  where to fit these in you could have them on   your frame that could work and of course  if you’ve got a large saddlebag like i have   they’ll fit in there if you’ve not bought a  tent there are tents on the market now that are  

Designed especially for bike packing and they come  with tent poles which are half the size of this   so if i could go back in time i’d probably  buy a bike packing tent but i don’t want  

To say that in front of this one because i  love this tent and he’s been very good to me   game changer game changer  this is the see to summit   ultralight insulated roll mat why this is so good  well for many many years i’ve had a role map that  

Isn’t insulated and the difference between having  one what is and is not is huge and in norway and   in scandinavia the ground at night it gets very  very cold and this bad boy has kept me extra warm   comfortable of course there are smaller ones  on the market but i’d rather have that warmth  

And comfort extra and take a little bit more  space in my bag if i am going on a long trip   i’ll probably bring a pillow with me a camping  pillow but if i’m only going away for a week or so  

Then sleeping bag liner some clothes you’re not  using just bang them in my friends bang them in   and you have got yourself a very nice pillow  sleeping bag what do you take well first of all   if you’re bike packing and you’ve got limited  space you’re gonna have to get yourself a down  

Sleeping bag they ain’t cheap my friends i know  that this is the pathfinder kathmandu pathfinder   i bought this in australia it’s an australian  brand and it’s designed for australian winters   so it’s ideal for scandinavian summers that’s  right australia your winters are our summers and  

What’s amazing about it is it goes comfort level  is down to five degrees and it’s this small it has   a transition or a limit of zero degrees although  i don’t recommend just having this when it’s zero  

Degrees now the big question is do you want to  take a larger sleeping bag so you can handle   all types of weather conditions the answer to that  should be no what you want to do my friends is you  

Want to layer up silk liner and down sleeping bag  if it’s getting even colder long john’s wool long   johns wool long sleeve top if that won’t keep you  all down jacket my friend down vest jacket i have  

If this doesn’t work then i’ve got the beanie  hat because you lose a lot of heat from your head   and i find that no matter the weather conditions  from zero all the way up to 20 degrees   i am perfectly warm and comfortable  with that setup camping towel compact

That opens up to a big towel i like to keep it  as minimal as possible so i have this primus   light plus it is super super small it has this  incredible windshield which goes around it that  

Means that no matter how windy it is the gas  is still cooking baby uh the lid can be used   as a little cup for coffee but i find that it’s  a little bit too small for me i like a good  

Big cup of tea in the morning so  i’d take a camping cup with me   it’s worth the extra weight gotta have a cup of  tea and check this out my friends check this out   look at this little soap stove set up so this  just connects onto here like so gas is here  

Oh and away we go i kind of cook pasta rice  you know simple things in here in the evening   in the morning i cook my porridge in here and  of course boiled water for tea that’s about it  

Really keep it minimal does the job for what i  require and i like it a lot and if i am going   away for over a week and it needs more gas than  usual then of course i take a larger gas canister  

And you’re going to want to know where can you buy  these in norway because chances are you won’t be   able to take it with you from your home country  best place to sport shops sports shops in any of  

The towns and cities who pass by you’re going to  be able to buy these i don’t recall seeing these   in the gas stations i’ve never bought one in a gas  station i’ve never seen one in a gas station but i  

Could be wrong but sports shops that’s your best  place and it’ll be the cheapest option as well   on the bike to begin with base layer so  so important absorbs the sweat takes away   from your body keeps you warm and cool  depending on the weather temperatures  

Absolutely love base layers perfect cycling  shorts not everyone is a fan of cycling shorts   i love them doesn’t matter how much it’s  raining it’s going to keep my legs warm   it’s got a waterproof layering on them and they’re  always stuck to your legs so unlike cycling  

Waterproof pants when it rains they kind of stick  to you in an awkward way these are just perfect no   matter what so i love my cycling shorts and i take  two pairs guys i take a thermal pair because my  

God it can get cold and at the same time i take  a nice summer pair for when i’ve got them lovely   blue sky warm days if it gets really cold and  i’ve got my leg warmers they go on and they just  

Do a fantastic job as well and not forgetting  another great thing about cycling insurance is   that padding that padding makes a big  difference when you’re on the bike for   eight nine ten hours in a day layer number two  cycling jersey what i love about cycling jersey  

Is the pockets okay i’ve got extra pockets for  food or my phone or whatever else if i can’t   fit it on my bag at a certain point they are  there oh what’s this it’s a packet of nuts how  

Lucky am i a little note as well i like to wear  a bright cycling jersey obviously this one is not   uh but when i go traveling i get a bright one  on because that’s great for visibility while on  

The road think about that layer number three so  it’s getting quite cold on the bike what i have   is a wool jumper or wall top it’s got long sleeves  okay it’s not that tight so it’s not really  

Perfect for cycling but when you’re bike packing  you don’t really want all your cycling gear i’ll   explain why in a minute but this is nice just to  keep me extra warm when it’s not raining but it’s  

A bit chilly and also i can wear this off the  bike layer number four guys rain proof coat so   if it’s getting really cold and it’s starting to  rain then of course the rain proof coat comes on  

And we are laughing what i want to mention though  really important now i could take more specific   cycling gear with me but there’s a big downside  to that okay because when i’m not on the bike i  

Don’t want to be wearing this i don’t want to be  walking around the city with this on have you seen   how tight this is that’s right ladies they’re my  nipples and how could i forget the most important   thing you need when cycling around norway you’re  probably thinking right now hey where’s matthew i  

Can’t see him where’s he gone hang on hey hey now  you could just buy a really really cheap one which   you know you use for example that you have in your  car if you break down or things like that but what  

I recommend is you get one which is waterproof  a little bit waterproof which is windproof so   this is a not only is it a reflective jacket  it’s also a g-lay is that how they pronounce   it and it just gives me extra wind protection  extra waterproof which i found absolutely ideal  

Gloves gloves okay really really important because  you’ve got that padding here so it’s going to take   a lot of that kind of tension away from the road  and then of course if you come off your bike at  

Any point these are going to protect your hands so  psyching gloves are a must i also have a cycling   hat this obviously keeps the sun away from my  head which is nice or protects me from the sun  

And also when it’s raining i have this little bit  down so it keeps the rain from my face and eyes so   yeah i love my cycling hat shades now  these are all very good for being on a bike  

But the minute you get off the bike and you  walk around the town or city or even in the   campsite with these on you’re gonna look  a little bit weird i just bring my regular  

Mr cool shades okay so i can wear them on the  bike but also i can walk around the city can i   have a coffee please that’s right i’m just as cool  without them all remember what lieutenant dan said  

There is one item of gr gear that can be the  difference between live grunt and detroit sucks so so important i go for wool socks because  one they keep you warm but at the same time they   don’t smell as bad as other materials so  find them a really good product to use  

Have a very thin pair of socks which are very  breathable a thermal pair of wool socks and   of course if it’s really really cold then  it’s raining then you need some shoe covers   and i recommend you bring in some just have some  sort of lining in them some thermal lining in them  

Because you never know how cold your toes are  gonna get even in the summer in scandinavia i   can’t believe i totally forgot about shoes so so  important um yes a good pair of clip in mountain  

Bike shoes i recommend for bike packing okay so  the cleats are this design and make sure that they   fit into the soles so you’re nice and  flat ground so when you’re walking in   on normal ground you’re going into the shops  and such it’s nice and easy to walk with them on  

I went for this kind of color because it’s bright  and it allows me to be more visible on the bike   and what i love about this type of shoe is the  design so i can open it all the way up like so  

And this is really great so if you’ve been on the  bike for like you know eight hours and the don’t   smell so good just take them off put them in the  sun sun raises kills all the bacteria and they  

Smell great the next day kind of and of course  drying them as well if they’re soaking wet they   dry up really quick with this kind of setup so  i absolutely love these shoes i highly recommend  

Them i’ve had them for three years look at them  that’s so good condition they’ve done over 12 000 kilometers off the bike if it’s warm and sunny  i got a pair of the sport shorts here which   also have this kind of like boxer lining so i  don’t need to wear any underpants underneath  

And then i just have a very very thin  summer wool top once again wool because   it doesn’t smell as bad it means i can wear it  a lot longer without having to wash it and of  

Course i can swim in these which is great these  are my swimming shorts for all the amazing lakes   and rivers you’re going to pass through and you  want to have a dip in although it is very cold  

So if it’s cold when you get to campsite i’ve got  trekking pants which have also got a waterproof   coating on them and i’ve got a long sleeve wool  top it’s getting colder matthew what you’re going  

To do well i’ve got my down jacket bang the old  down jacket on very very light easy to pack and   it’s so unbelievable unbelievably warm and it  keeps you warm in the place where you really  

Need it in that chest area covering all the major  organs okay really really good and once again if   it’s even colder when you’ve stopped cycling  and you’re off the bike then i just put on  

My rain proof jacket it’s got these vents in them  here so this tends to never smell no matter how   much i wear it on the bike and it’s really really  light of course it really is insulated as well  

So now i’ve got a three layer system on i tend to  not need any more than that when i’m off the bike   but of course i’ve got the added option of using  that long sleeve wool top that i had on my bike  

If it is really really cold and then i have four  layers four light but very warm layers and i have   a set of gloves i don’t really need these off the  bike but on the bike when it’s really really cold  

And i’ve been in situations where these have not  been good enough and you’re gonna find out about   that in a video coming up in the next few months  so good solid pair of gloves off the bike the only  

Socks i have is just another wool pair of socks  which i wear in the evenings and at night time   once again they keep your feet nice and warm while  you’re in the tent i don’t have anything else so  

If required i’ll just walk around barefooted um if  it’s too warm to wear the socks some people bring   flip-flops scandinavia i’m not so sure flip-flop’s  a good idea um i go for just a kind of light pair  

Of trainers the sort of trainers you can run  in but at the same time maybe you could go up   mountains or some easy mountains with and  also something that can walk around the city   and feel comfortable in that they’re kind of  normal trainers um yeah so just take myself an  

Old pair as well i don’t take something fancy  because you’re going to be walking especially   in campsites so while camping it’s going to be  wet and muddy in places and they’re going to get   ruined easily so bring something you don’t care  so much about and that’s what i bring off the bike  

Flip-flops are a good option and they’re easy  to strap to your bag if you want that as a third   option so this is my complete clothing setup this  is the max clothing setup so i don’t always take  

All this gear but this is the max and this will  keep me warm no matter the situation both on and   off the bike and of course dry as well though  although one last thing i forgot to mention was  

A pair of wool underpants okay they’re important  especially at night time and yeah that’s it guys   layering thin light clothing you can come pack it  all together get it in your bag easy that’s norway  

Water i take two 750 ml bottles and they go in  my front food pouches when i’ve got my mac set up   and i also carry camelback which i’ve mentioned in  my other video one and a half liters so in total i  

Have maximum three liters set up you never really  need more than three liters i find in norway   there’s water literally everywhere and the golden  rule is i find that most of it you can just drink   without any problems if it’s fast flowing two  exceptions if it’s close to farmland or if it’s  

Water that’s running through farmland it might  have pesticide in it and you can usually taste   that and also sometimes water runs over some  sort of area which is high concentration of iron   and other sorts of metals so you have  a kind of like a metallic taste to it  

Don’t bother don’t drink it but majority time  you’re gonna find fast flowing water that is   clean and just tastes amazing that’s one of the  beauties of scandinavia my friends and the tap   water here so bottom line is i don’t bring any  purifiers any sort of purifying to for the water  

I don’t bring any sort of special device that like  zaps with uv rays it apparently cleans the water   if i’m in doubt i’ll boil the water so  especially from the lake for example   always boil it from a lake so just  remember as well you know you’ve got  

Loads and loads of small little towns and  villages that you’re going to pass through   and it’s going to be very easy to just get your  water bottles filled up there you can just go   into a small little shop and say hey will you  fill my water bottles up for me and the chances  

Are they’ll be very nice and they’ll do that  for you because scandinavians are nice people   mosquito repellent mosquito repellent it’s  a must trust me you wouldn’t think it but   there’s loads of mosquitoes and midges and  all sorts of things trying to attack you   all the time getting absolutely  annihilated by these little midges  

And they’re just biting me all  over my face and back and neck and   ah bring it if i’m going on a long journey i’ll  bring some chamois cream i won’t bring a packet   this big i’ll probably put it into something like  this and just have a small amount but i find that  

Quite useful maybe you do sunscreen you may think  at times when it’s been raining for five days   why have i brought sunscreen but you can burn very  easy in scandinavia especially if you’re english   and you’ve got very white skin and if you’re  scottish well i mean you’re probably going to need  

Factor 50 but i bring fat to 30 and i find that is  good enough tubular sealant because i go tubeless   with my tires so i bring extra sealant just in  case big big question lube which one do you bring  

Dry lube or wet loop if you don’t cycle  right now you might be a little bit concerned   but trust me this is very important for  a cyclist and no it goes on the bike okay   dry lube that’s the one i brought the first time  i went backpacking for two weeks around norway  

And what i realized when it rained for three days  in a row is i was using up huge amounts of this   i had to keep replying it every bloody hour it  was just a nightmare you only bring the wet one  

Remember your chain if it’s dry it’s going to  get really dirty from the road and that might   cause you problems later on down the line so bring  them both if possible i’m not going to talk about  

My toothbrush or my shower gel you know what to  bring for toilet products keep it to a minimum   and all good but what i recommend is a small first  aid kit you might fall off the bike in the middle  

Of nowhere you might graze your leg you might  be bleeding okay so what i tend to bring in this   is disinfecting spray this is really really  good so you can just spray the grazed area   it’s going to give it a protected coating and  disinfect it all really really nice i bring  

Some bandages with me so i have a bandages  with me and then also a little bit of tape   i have some what we call plasters in the uk but  i know that americans call them band-aids and so  

They’re the australians i think and paracetamol uh  or ivor probing whichever you prefer um yeah don’t   need to go crazy but you know the bare essentials  just in case you have an accident on the bike   and remember try not to do anything stupid like  getting yourself killed you hear that noise

That’s them testing the emergency  panic panic panic everybody system   here in norway it goes off every like  six months or something when they test   it for if we’re gonna get invaded by  the russians or something i don’t know

But maybe i’m under attack right now and i  shouldn’t be doing this video and i should   be in some sort of nuclear bunker right  now but i’m going to carry on guys because   that’s the dedication i have to this  channel please remember to subscribe most important a pump i’m only joking a pump

Multi-tool kit tire levers puncture repair kit  leather man little air pressure adapter this is   when you get to the petrol station or gas station  you need to pump up your tires i’ve lost mine so  

Just imagine it’s here okay one in a tube even  though i’m on tubeless setup i bring it in a tube   just in case i have a major problem and i need to  just throw in a tube if i’m going far north above  

The arctic circle away from civilization then i’ll  bring maybe two tubes because there are limited   bike shops other parts of your bike is entirely up  to you depending on your trip length so sometimes   i might bring some extra disc brake pads with  me because you’re doing lots of climbing and  

Descending spokes people bring spokes i don’t  usually chain link so there’s lots of little   things that you can bring just in case but  my biggest recommendation is get your bike   fully serviced before you leave make  sure everything is in tip-top condition  

Tires think about them if you’re going to be  doing long distance maybe you want to change   the tires and have fresh ones on there for the  trip and then you’ll find that you won’t have   any problems or very few problems if your bike  is in good condition and that’s how i found it

So you’re in scandinavia it’s summertime it’s  bright all the time why do you need lights well   if you’re traveling in norway especially you’re  going to come across a lot of tunnels and guess   what happened to me on my first bike packing trip  i was climbing up this mountain i got close to the  

Top of it there was a big tunnel it was quite busy  with cars i turned around to press my light on and   it wasn’t there it had fallen off somewhere and  what do you do cycle all the way back down to the  

Town which is 20 kilometers away and then wait  a day for the shop to open to buy a new light   or do you have to go through the tunnel well of  course you go through the tunnel you don’t want  

To be in that situation guys bring two lights two  lights when traveling especially in norway so what   i have is i have a really really fancy i could  land planes with this bad boy it’s that bright  

Uh this is my main light that’s on the  bike and then i have a smaller backup one   which i usually keep in my bag so worst  case scenario i can pull that bad boy out  

On the front i don’t have much space to be able  to fit a light on the bars so what i tend to do   is i have a light on my helmet and i’ve got  this very cool one i bought in london which  

Uh can also change to a backlight if required so  i can change the color of it and have that one   for flashing and i also wear a head torch okay  and this is really really good for also off the  

Bike so if you’re camping and it’s a cloudy day  or it’s getting dark around midnight or so then   you can just pull this bad boy out in your tent as  well so it’s a really great option to have instead  

Of having a big light on your bike but some of the  tunnels are extremely dark and i found that this   alone was probably not that good for giving me  a view of the surface that was cycling on so   take that into consideration maybe you  want a big shiny bright light on the front  

Maverick mini controller gopro 7 garmin device  bring yourself an external charging device uh   when it comes to all the footage that i take okay  my memory cards are not going to be able to handle   all that footage if i’m going on a long trip so  i’ll bring with me unfortunately it’s a little  

Bit heavy but this is an external hard drive and  it’s designed especially for traveling so it’s got   this kind of protective casing on it and it’s  also got all the kind of slot holders here for  

All the different types of memory cards you’re  going to use so you just put them in it loads   everything onto here and then you can wipe your  card and continue taking great footage obviously  

I bring my phone with me no brainer what i do do  is i put a really strong protective case on this   so if i drop it while i’m cycling it’s fine  the last but not least the most important thing  

When i’m going traveling is some black duct tape  i use this all the time if something happens to   one of my bags or if something falls off my bike  or if i need to take things to my bike my tent  

Pole breaks or whatever this duct tape can do so  much and save the day in difficult circumstances   so i highly recommend you bring duct  tape all right guys i think we’re done   it was supposed to be 10 minutes this video  it turned out to be a little bit longer but  

I hope there’s some useful information in  here for you i can’t think of anything else can you let’s leave judy out of this shall we come on you