I know it’s kind of cliche, but I figured I had to take the obligatory gear photo. I can’t believe I have so much stuff. It’s easily twice as much as I’ve used on any other bike trip, including Oslo-to-Rome. But with the remoteness of many parts of the route across Australia, it’s necessary to be completely self-sufficient for up to four or five days at a time. Water will be the most important item, so I have five 26-ounce water bottles (3.8 liters) plus a 3.5 liter water bladder. That’s 7.3 liters of water – 16 pounds. But that still won’t be enough for the stretch of road between Hyden and Norseman, which is 190 miles of dirt and gravel with no towns, gas stations, houses, or anywhere else to get water. So each of us will probably have to carry about 12 liters of water for the three or four day trip from Hyden to Norseman.

Everything else is just the typical camping stuff – tent, sleeping bag and pad, stove and pot, bike tools and repair kit, clothes, raingear, computer, GPS, etc., etc. A few things I’m taking that I don’t normally use are a tarp, mosquito headnet, and two water purification systems. The tarp will come in handy for constructing a shady shelter while crossing the hot, treeless Nullarbor Plain. I’ve read other biker’s reports of infestations of biting flies, so that’s the reason for the headnet. And like I said earlier, water is going to be a constant issue, so that’s the reason for the water purification. I’m from Alaska where water is never a problem – just drink straight from the streams; no purification needed. But I don’t want to try that in Australia, so better to purify before drinking.

Now if I can just get all the stuff in my panniers!