Equipment

I didn't need to do much preparation or to obtain too much equipment: my Terra Nova tent which has proven itself reliable last year would be fine, and my long-suffering down sleeping bag and Thermarest should do the job even in potentially chilly conditions.

I did end up giving away my cookset at the end of the last tour - so I needed to replace that. I couldn't really find anything of exactly the right type on ebay, so ended up going with a rather generic (if cheap and light) aluminium set. Despite many reviews saying it was too small, it turned out to be massive compared to my last set. Ah well, I could jam coffee sachets into the remaining space. It also has a proper kettle, which considering that 90% of my stove use is hot drinks, feels like a good investment.

As well as buying more solid hexifuel for my "disposable" stove (re-used again after Austria), on a whim I spent £5 on a compass watch on ebay - which is exactly what it sounds like (i.e. extremely dorky).

Some new acquisitions for the trip. A new aluminium cookset, which is pretty basic (and maybe a bit too big, if very light); and the dorkiest thing I've ever owned, a compass-watch. What's the time? North-by-northwest.

Incredibly, I found all this would go into the two back panniers alone. When they were rolled up, I don't think anybody would guess I had enough stuff in there to camp overnight - which would make me all the stealthier.

I could actually fit *everything* into the two back panniers. That's tent and footprint; sleeping matt, bag, liner and pillow; stove, cookset & fuel; basic tools; clothes & waterproof; and food.

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