To take or not to take, that is the question

I am currently fine-tuning what I will take on the trip. Basic cycle law says "The less the better". But you don't want to be caught out without something you really need, so the selection is crucial. As I'm staying somewhere every night, it's down to bike needs and my needs. As the start of the trip gets closer I've been going for fully-loaded rides. Getting used to how the bike feels with the kit loaded.

I'm going for a stripped-down approach to personal gear. Trying to keep everything as light as possible. So no rear rack and pannier bags. Just a bar bag and and large expandable saddle bag. I've also got a small shoulder bag that hangs over the bar bag which I'll use to go into shops with. I have a personal money belt worn next to the skin. I'll be wearing the same set of cycle gear every day - and washing it each night.

I'm putting essentials I hope I won't use in the bar bag and leave that on the bike when I garage the bike at B&Bs. This bag contains tools, spares, First Aid, emergency meds and extreme weather gear.

In the rear saddle bag are my personal clothes and toiletries. So I'll be taking this off daily at the B&Bs. This contains: 1 x trousers, 1 x baselayer, 1 x summer shirt, 1 x jumper, 3 x socks, 2 x pants and essential meds and minimal toiletries. Apart from a SatNav on the bike, I have only one piece of technology - a Smartphone. This will have to serve for everything - including these reports. I was going to take a tablet, but it weighs too much. 

Fortunately for me, my generous friend Jeremy has just given me and set up an excellent Google Pixel 2 Smartphone. It's a much better phone than I had previously! So all photos, videos, blogs and texts calls will be done using that. I can also read books on it. When you think about it, the Smartphone is such an amazing tool. I could even navigate with it if I needed to.

I've had to make tough decisions, but I am taking one (very light) 'luxury'. That is photo prints of my yiddam, Shakyamuni Buddha, and photos of my partner Saddhahadaya and my son, his wife Clare and my grand daughter, Hazel. It will just be so nice to put them out in each B&B and look at them before I retire to bed each night.