Minimalist Bikepacking Gear Set-up | Equipment List below

Minimalist Bikepacking Gear Set-up | Equipment List below

Hi guys, welcome to this video. In this video, 
I talk about the technical aspects of my 5 weeks cycling adventure in New Zealand, Southern 
Island. One of the things that surprised fellow bike travelers I met along the way was my ultra 
light gear setup. My total weight was only 26 kg, with 10 kg coming from the bike itself. Proof 
of how minimalist I travel. Many cyclists they tend to carry far too much. But I wanted to 
avoid that mistake. And if you are thinking about that I meticulously calculated every gram 
for the speed or for the sake of performances, you got it wrong. The real reason of traveling 
light for me is just because I’m too lazy to carry extra weight and I simply wanted to make the ride 
more enjoyable and avoid unnecessary suffering to be honest. Gear setup. As you can see in the 
videos and in the photo, my backpacking setup included one frame bag, 4 L, the brand is Miss 
Grape. One seat bag, 13 L, still from Miss Grape. One fake water bottle case, probably half-liter, 
no brand specifically. A top tube bag, 2 L, Miss Grape. A handlebar bag that comes with my 
tent from Moruta and an additional waterproof bag, probably around 5 liters that I placed on top 
of my seat bag and, at the end also a backpack, a 5 L one, a small one from Camel Back. I 
initially wanted to avoid carrying a backpack but it proved useful during the stops allowing me 
to keep the essentials with me like my passport, my wallet, the drone or my GoPro so I knew they 
were always with me and on a safe side. One of the most talked about item was my Moruta bikepacking 
tent. This tent is specifically designed for bikepacking. So if you are a bike packer, this 
is, I think, a great option. It doesn’t require poles because you use your bike as part of the 
structure. And this saves both weight and space while providing a storage area for your gear right 
where your bike is. There is a zipped opening from the sleeping area to the storage area. So 
accessing your belongings it’s super easy and convenient. Plus, the tent offers protection 
for my bike, shielding it from the bad weather, and reducing the risk of theft. So although 
this video is not sponsored, you can find the link to the key gear items in the description. 
With my tent. that was in this handlebar bag, I packed two inflatable pillows from Decathlon. 
A single inflatable mattress stored inside the bag. I also had a sleeping bag that was packed 
in the waterproof bag. And this is a sleeping bag is 15 Celsius degrees model which I assumed 
would have been okay for New Zealand summer, also considering that usually I’m not cold. 
However, it turned out to be insufficient in colder conditions and this became painfully clear 
when I was stuck in the mountains for 2 days on a hiking trail. The temperature there during the 
night dropped probably at 4-5 Celsius degrees. So, basically, I froze. But this is another story. 
Check out my backing trip in New Zealand for more details. My camping cookware included a 
medium-size pot, a camping stove, cutlery, and most importantly, my espresso machine. Yes, Wakaco 
is a brand that makes portable camping coffee machines. Some of which are small enough that you 
could just put them in your pocket. Amazing. Those are perfect for those of us who barely remember 
our own names in the morning without caffeine. So, highly recommended. Food strategy and water 
strategy. I didn’t have that much space for food, so I carried just a couple of meals. But this was 
by design. I planned to eat properly during the evening, either at the campsites or nearby 
towns with restaurants or grocery stores. My typical lunch was very simple, often consisting 
of food that was carried from the morning, from the day before, maybe leftovers of the 
dinner. And they probably were eaten in the middle of nowhere. And this is because towns 
in New Zealand towns are very distant from each other. So easily in the middle of the day, 
you will find yourself in the middle of nowhere. I only had one bottle of water, probably 75 CL. 
I don’t drink a lot, and I know I should drink more. However, it was good for me. What I noticed 
in New Zealand, especially in the biggest towns, you can easily have access to free tap water, free 
toilets, and you can refill your bottles anytime. However, I also had with me a water filter from 
Sawyer and the pills that purify the water and those were really helpful when I was stuck in the 
mountain for 2 days. Because I had to refill the bottle from the river. I packed three pairs of 
padded cycling shorts, three cycling jerseys, one waterproof jacket, and two long sleeve cycling 
jerseys. That are a little bit warmer. A lot of bike travelers don’t use technical clothes. So 
far during my two trips, I think uh is a very good option. I also had some casual wear. I brought 
with me like three cotton t-shirts, one pair of cotton short, one hiking trouser, and three sets 
of underwear and socks. This is probably for when I was stopping at night. You know, after you take 
a shower and you just want to feel the cotton on your skin. Was it too much? Maybe. I could have 
packed less probably since I almost always had access to laundry facilities, but still I think it 
was a very very good choice. I chose just one pair of approaching shoes. They’re an Italian brand 
called La Sportiva. I like those shoes because they are very light and versatile and great for 
all the situations. Just one tip from my side: If you buy a new pair of shoes as I did, ensure 
you use them a lot before using for a long travel. Because, I have to say, the first 10 days my feet 
were so much in pain because I used this pair of shoes like 3-4 times, no more than that, before 
the trip. And aside of that, I also always bring my flip-flops uh which are very helpful, you know, 
when you take showers or when you just uh don’t want to have your feet stuck in the shoes. In 
the fake bottle case, I bring usually my tools. I usually bring with me the chain oil, clearly, two 
spare inner tubes. Yes, I don’t travel tubeless. Maybe in the future. I don’t exclude the thing. 
I never tried them. It might be the best option. We will find it out. I’m not sure now, but it 
was pretty much okay. I have patches clearly, a multi-tool, Part Tool, and links. Thankfully, 
apart from the two flat tires, which are anyway easy to fix – First flat tire. And I was just 
thinking about that. I was thinking that I had no flat tires so far. So next time I shouldn’t 
think at all – to replace on the way. I had no major technical issues. My pump was attached in 
the bike frame. I’ve forgotten the first one on a bus. My second one got lost somewhere in the 
bushes during this bike hiking section. So yeah, I had to buy twice the pump. The electronics. This 
is the part that many of you might find the most interesting. For the navigation, I rely as always 
on my Garmin Edge 1040, which has a great battery life and doesn’t need daily charging. And this is 
very important, especially when you have a lot of electronics to charge every time you stop. 
Many times, I was stopping, I was charging at restaurants or wherever I was, and I could 
take advantage when possible. Pro tip, always, and I say always download offline maps before your 
trip. I learned that lesson the hard way during my first bike trip to Taiwan when I had no map access 
– is no fun! You see your route, but you don’t see the map around. And believe me, guys, don’t forget 
it. Much better to have the full view. Clearly, I have my smartphone with me is a Sony Xperia 
III that served as my secondary camera, offering great photos and video quality when I didn’t feel 
like using other devices. Sometimes on the trip, on the way, you just want to be quick. You just, 
yeah, you don’t want to stop and waste too much time. I also use Komoot to plan my routes 
day by day. While Komoot is pretty reliable, distances sometimes can be longer than expected 
once you download the maps. A more surprising adventure came when I unknowingly started a 2-day 
hiking trail. During while I was carrying my bike, lifting my bike. Turned out the bikes were not 
allowed, but there was no sign at the entrance. Lesson learned. Always make sure a route is 
actually bike friendly before setting off. For videos, I primarily used my GoPro 11 that was 
mounted either on my helmet or tripod or just on my hand. I have mixed feelings about GoPro. The 
biggest issues were the poor low-light quality, the huge store demand on my phone through the 
Quik App and the auto disabled stabilization mode after the firmware update. Finding that 
after 5 weeks of filming was quite frustrating, I have to say. I used my DJI Mini 4 Pro. It 
was absolutely a gem. First time I bring it in a backpacking trip. It’s very light. It’s very 
compact and reliable. It even fits in the side pocket of my backpack. And it’s very important, 
I think, to have the two spare batteries because 20 minutes time is not that long and especially 
considering that it can be windy or the weather conditions are not ideal, it’s not that much. 
The front light doubled as a power bank, offering strong illumination and very long 
battery life. Unfortunately, my rear light, also Knog, lasted only 5 hours which was not 
enough for New Zealand’s busy roads. I often had to stop at restaurants to charge it as I 
mentioned before. Another device is my SUUNTO watch that I always bring with me. It’s a very 
very good watch. I could download my map in there, but I just prefer to record directly and have 
a confrontation, just in case one of the two devices, the Garmin or the SUUNTO’s battery 
drops. At least I have my route recorded. Other essentials were battery chargers, the Australian 
New Zealand plug adapters and charging cables. And of course, the star of the show is my bike. 
I ride a Basso Palta, is an Italian gravel bike. Some of you may argue that a carbon gravel bike 
isn’t ideal for a trip like this. But for me, this bike is everything. Not only for the 
lightweight or because it’s fast. I don’t really care about those things during such kind of trips 
but I’m just in love with it and, I think these my two bike trips so far are the proof that even a 
performance-driven bike can handle thousands of kilometers without issues. So as final thoughts, 
I think, and everybody says, that there is not a universal recipe for bikepacking. Everyone has his 
own needs, preferences or creativity. You have to find your own solution. After all, I personally, 
for example, used a bike lock to carry a bottle of wine. Priorities, right? As well as I used 
the elastic bands of the asparagus packaging to secure my tripod on the handlebar. These two 
asparagus elastic bands are the most useful thing during the whole trip. I carried the GoPro stick. 
I carried – this is my grocery for tonight. It’s kind of cool. Highly recommended if you are on a 
bikepacking trip. If you found this video helpful, maybe even inspiring, leave a like and, why not? 
consider subscribing. More videos coming soon slowly. And don’t forget to check out 
these other two videos down here. Ciao!

Lost in the chaos of planning your very first bikepacking trip? 🚴‍♂️ Or maybe you’re already a seasoned rider but curious how other adventurers pack for the road? 🌍
This video is for you! I’ll show you exactly what I carried to ride for five weeks across New Zealand—minimalist, practical, and ready for adventure.

What’s the one item you can’t travel without? 👇 Share it in the comments—I’m curious to see your must-haves! 🗺️🚴

Equipment List:
Bike: Basso Palta @BassoBikes_HQ bassobikes.com
Tent: Moruta https://www.indiegogo.com/it/projects/moritzhanelt/moruta-the-bike-tent?redirect_reason=language_detection#/section/project-story
GoPro: Hero Black 11 @GoPro
Drone: DJI Mini 4 Pro Combo @DJI
Navigation: Garmin Edge 1040 @Garmin
Watch: SUUNTO 9 Peak Pro @SuuntoTV
Lights: knog. PWR Road + Cobber Mid Twinpack, black (700 Lumen/170 Lumen)
Bags: Miss Grape Big Node 2H, Cluster 13 Waterproof, Internode 4 Waterproof @MissGrapeUfficial
Multi-tools: Multitool Park Tool IB-3 @parktool
Sleeping bag: Trinordic (700g, 15°C) @trinordic9962
Towel: Matador Nanodry Towel @Matadorup
Water filter: Sawyer SP128 – Mini Water Filtration System @sawyereurope
Espresso Machine: Wacaco Nanopresso @Wacaco

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