Trial Pack

We carried out a trial pack this morning and this is what we are taking to France. Our original intention was to take only two packs but the helmets made them too big for carry-on baggage, so we are taking one checked-in bag as well. It was also an opportunity to add some items that would not be allowed on the plane, such as a penknife and scissors. The packs weigh around 5kg each.

Most of the items are clothes for cycling, including 'Icebreaker' lightweight, quick-drying, short and long sleeved shirts that we can use in a layered way to cope with the variations in weather. We are also taking the following electronic items:

• Panasonic Lumix digital camera, with charger and transfer leads
• Garmin Dakota GPS with preloaded TOPO map of France
• Fast (15m) battery charger for Garmin
• Apple iPod with FaceTime (wi-fi video chat)
• Apple iPad preloaded with books, maps, accommodation, apps etc
• Cateye micro wireless cycle computer

When cycling we will offload some of the heavier, non-valuable items into one of the panniers and use the other for food and drink. This will enable us to leave them on the bikes, when we are walking around villages and tourist sites, with only light back-packs to carry.