As the rest of the house was packed away into boxes, smaller (yet continually growing) piles of “things to take” were populating bulging Ikea bags in various corners of the flat. After the bike mechanic-ing was complete, attempts were made to organise, reduce and finalise our new minimalist set of belongings…
Numbers of t-shirts and socks were culled, deodorant and shampoo deemed unnecessary and a toothbrush cut in half (to make it fit in the wash bag rather than to save on weight).
Laying out the remaining carefully selected items on the floor was an alarming sight to see… how were we going to fit all of that in our pannier bags?!
To be fair, between us we had a fair few unconventional items: Pedro had a make shift slackline and his climbing shoes – just in case he found some nice rock to clamber up; and me a knitting project, sketch book and mini set of paint… along with both a yoga mat and a hammock each. There was clearly room for further rationalisation.
Out with one of the hammocks and one of the yoga mats, gone were the shoes. The knitting and slackline have an uncertain future, but both very close to being relegated to a box.
The flat emptying, mudguard wrestling and packing deliberations all took longer than expected. Departure day moved from Monday to Wednesday, and then from Wednesday to Friday… but it’s not like we had a plane to catch, so why make unnecessary stress?
In addition to lowering our blood pressure, leaving later had other advantages: Pedro’s parents will return from holiday just before we go and two good friends of mine have just arrived in Lisbon. We’ll get a chance for more goodbye hugs after all.
I’d been thinking about sending you a yoga towel…. not sure how much weight it would save, and it doesn’t feel as right as your own mat does.
My 6 year old minimus trainers have just developed a hole in the sole… I can’t see any gaffer tape in your pile! Or fibre spokes…. both of which are things I would theoretically pack but haven’t had to rationalise my entire life into panniers…
Will you post mid-tour and after photos of your packed belongings to see how it all changes please!
Happy pedalling, beauties xxx
There is gaffer tape! It’s just hiding in a pouch, and zip ties. Many zip ties.
I didn’t know fibre spokes existed until I googled them – nice! We already have a collection of replacement ones, but we’ll see how it goes…
Choosing what to take was an interesting game to play — less is more happiness when cycling up them hills =P
For sure we’ll update on other discarded items. I’m curious as to what unexpected thing we end up not being able to live with out, or what belongings end up making it all the way to Asia 🙂
xx
I think the sun cream will not be necessary. After 1 month of cycling everyday outside in the sun, your skin will be like the skin of a lizard ?
So far more like a chameleon… Lizard with different shades and colors (tans)…