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It's a mine-field.
Which stove, saucepan/cup, sleeping bag (summer), mat, shelter etc.. I take it or needs to be lightweight, easily stowable etc. And when that's all sorted I'll need a camel-back or similar to put it in or hang it off.. looking for recommendations please.
Start here.
report back with any questions 🙂
Needs to be both lightweight and low volume.
as sleeping bag and mat are potentially the bulkiest items make sure you get this right.
it won’t fit in a camelbak. Plus you want the load on your bike, not on your back.
sr’s link is as good a place to start as any.
Start with the basic essentials.
you need enough food for either the trip, or to go between shop stops. Ditto with water.
then you need something to sleep in, tent/bivi/hammock and tarp. Sleeping bag.
you may need a stove, but there are umpteen different types, gas/petrol/woodgas/fire/bbq coals.
there is no wrong way really
Break everything up into lists, sleep/eat/drink/cook
i use a lot of alpkit stuff, not especially cheap but good for purpose.
i always take 1 luxury item, usually this is a tiny radio, i enjoy swinging in my hammock at night with the radio on.
Oh yeah, no way would I consider a backpack for any more than maybe 8-10 miles.
Look at the "reviews" on Bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk for some solid nous.
To begin with use your existing kit (assuming you have some) and then figure out what works and what doesn't. Think of sleeping bag and mat as a system rather than separate items. For summer only you don't really "need" an insulated sleeping mat but if you bivy in the wrong place or it's a cold night then an insulated mat is worth the extra and unlike a sleeping bag which not only has a cold rating but a warm one a quality insulated sleeping mat can be used year round. Exped Synmat and Thermarest NeoAir are the usual recommendations.
Sleeping bag: down is lighter for a given warmth and packs smaller but doesn't play well with getting soaked, but modern shell materials can cope with damp, and is more expensive. If you get on with them then quilts are lighter still but do need a decent mat as that provides the insulation beneath you.
Shelter: this will be either tent or tarp. Advantages to both, a tarp is more versatile but you are more open to the elements and bugs which may or may not be a problem.
Stoves: don't think about cooking (unless of course you really want to) but more along the lines of simply boiling water and rehydrating food. Cook in the bag also has the advantage that there's virtually no washing up! 🙂 My stove is a home made meths stove from a couple of beer cans.