Most of the initial weight and bulk was accounted for by electronic gadgetry, which years ago I wouldn't have had (because it didn't exist), and books, which I gradually discarded. Being ruthless, I think it would have been possible to do the trip with quite a small amount of baggage, but I did use most of what I took, even if it might seem superfluous to others.
The weight at checkin was 15.6kg on the way out (not including the computer and its charger, which I carried separately in the handlebar bag, but including the helmet), and 14.2kg on the way back. By this time the computer and charger was in there as well, but I'd got rid of a fair bit of stuff along the way.
| What | How Many | Comments |
| Computer | 1 | Sony Vaio PCG-1B1M. Small and not too heavy, but tiny screen and fiddly keypad. Integrated mouse stick so I didn't need a separate mouse. Worked well, except that when not connected to the mains, it dims the display to save power, which meant it was a nuisance to see in any sort of daylight. |
| GPS Tracker | 1 | No display; this is designed to be used with Sony Cybershot cameras, so you can see on a map where a picture was taken, but it's a relatively lightweight and economical way of logging where you've been and transferring it to a PC for plotting. |
| Camera | 1 | Casio Exilim. Only 4 megapixels, which is pretty primitive nowadays, but since all the pictures on this site had to be shrunk to about a twentieth of their original size anyway, there didn't seem much point having a higher resolution. |
| Phone | 1 | Nokia 7610. Again, fairly Stone Age nowadays, but it did the job (except for the DEF3 key which sometimes didn't register, leading to some strange output from the predictive text). |
| Leads | 2 | To connect the GPS Tracker and camera to the PC |
| MP3 Player | 1 | (can't remember, but basic Sony thing)....with noise-cancelling earphones. I thought the capacity of this might be a bit small, but I had plenty of music on the notepad. In fact, I listened to it for a total of about two hours. I was happy enough talking to myself. |
| Rechargeable batteries | 4 | AA size, for the GPS tracker (one battery only lasted about 10 hours) |
| Chargers | 4 | For the notepad, camera, phone and an AA battery charger. |
| Cycling shoes | 1 pair | Wore them for 1 1/2 days in Norway when it was cold. After that, when my left foot started to swell, they didn't fit, so I threw them away. |
| Sandals | 1 pair | Used for cycling after the first couple of days, when I got rid of the toeclips. Also in the evening, until they got too whiffy even for me, when I bought another pair in Lithuania for evening wear |
| Shorts | 4 pairs | Used two pairs, including the only padded pair I had. Frequently washed, promise. |
| Underpants | 7 pairs | Practically my entire stock. Regularly changed and washed; replaced 4 pairs in Helsinki with some over-priced new ones. |
| Swimming Trunks | 1 pair | Used for a splash after the odd sauna. |
| Cycling shirts | 5 | Thought I had 6, but must have left one behind. Used all these. |
| T-shirts | 4 | For wearing in the evening. Didn't need all these. Could have managed with 2. |
| Long-sleeved tops | 2 | Both from North Face. Used a lot early on when it was cold, and also for 1 rainy day in Hungary |
| Waterproof top | 1 | Wore it about 3 times. It was useful when the rain was cold to wear over a long-sleeved top. |
| Waterproof leggings | 1 pair | Didn't use these |
| Books | 7 | Plus another three Ruth brought to Helsinki, and three more bought in Slovenia. All dumped as I finished them, except for the last two which I hadn't finished |
| Pump | 1 | |
| Multi-tool | 1 | Very nifty, but a bit small. In particular, I couldn't get enough leverage on the pedal spanner to get the pedals off when coming home. |
| Pliers | 1 pair | Because there weren't any on the multi-tool. Useful for tightening brake cables. |
| Spare spokes | 4 | Used one, should have used two more. |
| Spare brake cables | 2 | Unused |
| Spare brake blocks | 2 sets | Unused; the cycle repair people in Poprad used their own |
| Spare inner tubes | 3 | Used 2, which meant I didn't have to mend any punctures by the roadside. |
| Puncture kit | 1 | Usual stuff, with 3 tyre levers. Used them, but not the repair kit. |
| Maps | 3 | Started with Norway, Finland and the Baltic states (all Freytag and Berndt), and discarded them when I didn't need them. Bought and dumped others as required. |
| Bag bag | 1 | This was one of those bags which zips up into itself and was big enough to hold both panniers and the helmet, so I would only have to pay for 1 bag on the plane. Not that heavy, but it took up room, and after a few days I decided I wasn't going to haul it around just to save paying Ryanair 7.50 so I binned it. |
| Travel Towel | 1 | Large one. Used it once. Didn't like it, but it was Ruth's so I didn't feel I could throw it away. |
| Toilet bag | 1 | With the usual, plus 2 pairs of glasses, 2 pairs of contact lenses, 1 razor (used a couple of times), comb (which I thought after 3 weeks was the only thing I'd lost, but which turned up when I got home) |
| Other stuff | Unknown | I'm compiling this list in retrospect, so I might have forgotten a few things, but I think that's about it. |
Created on ... April 11, 2007