My Favorite Gear after Bikepacking +6.000 Miles (feat. Openrock S2)

Last year I bought my very first gravel bike. I've been cycling all my life really, but most of it was on a city bike, on and off to work, school or go and see friends. But when Ryan proposed to cycle across the Americas, the word cycling gained an entirely new meaning. And here we are on a lake in Peru, in the mountains, nine months into our trip. Incredible, it's been a wild ride so far. And it took me a lot of experimenting and trial and error to find out what works for me personally on the bike. I'm accustomed to hiking and backpacking, but when it comes to bikepacking and camping, yeah, that took me a while to figure things out. But I want to share with you some things and some items that have really made my life a whole lot easier the past year. My favorite gear on the bike itself are the two water bottle pockets and my top tube bag. Ryan invites me to get two water bottle pockets instead of one, and I couldn't be more grateful for that choice. My left water bottle pocket does exactly what it was made for. It holds my water and it holds a few snacks. But my right water bottle pocket has everything in it that my purse usually would. So it's structured chaos. It has earbuds, alcohol, coca leaves, carabiners, drink mixes, pens, sharpies. You know, I'm a little bit worried to look and see what's on the bottom, just like my regular purse. I love it. It gives me a little bit of structured chaos in the chaos that is bikepacking. And my top tube bag is more of the same, honestly. That's why they're my favorite bags. Second of all, what I'll never go without on a biking or hiking trip are my buffs. And yes, make it plural. I usually carry two, three or even four as I am doing now. In different colors to match my mood of the day. I usually carry one in my head to protect my ears when we're cycling downhill. Even on a hot day, it can be really cold when you're cycling 20, 25 kilometers an hour down a mountain. And I usually carry one around my neck to protect myself from dust, smoke, or whatever happens that day. But why I like them the most is because they help me feel more like Ilse. They help me feel like myself. Sport clothing can be a bit bland sometimes. You know, sometimes I look like Indiana Jones. Sometimes I look like... I mean, I know brands absolutely do their best, but it doesn't always make me feel like myself. With some color, with a colorful buff, I feel more like me. So that's why I carry four of them, including my favorite one. The beautiful Pacific Crest Trail buff. The best memory ever. Is that because you met me? Of course. Nice. Was that good? That was great. Awesome. These buds are my best buds. They're the Ponyo Open Rock S2 Earbuds. Most days, I love listening to nature. The rolling of the river, the birds flying by, the crunching of the earth beneath the wheels of my bike. It's pure poetry, honestly. 75% of the times, let's be honest, the other 25% bikepacking can be really intense. Imagine the wind howling in your ears, trucks passing by you at high speed, and loud thundering noises. Some days are really hard on the bike, and I really struggle to find motivation. It's on these days that I use my Ponyo Open Rock S2 Earbuds. Sometimes I just need a good audiobook like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, or I need to listen to some music to get me through the difficult times. I like the Ponyo Open Rock S2 because their open ear design. That means I can listen to music or a podcast, but I can still hear my surroundings, which is key when you're cycling in traffic. I feel more safe that way. With 32 hours of playtime, I don't have to charge them as often, and I can listen to my music for as long as I want to. As long as I stay within 10 meters from my phone, there's a stable connection. So that's nice when I go to the bathroom, pee somewhere, I can still listen to my music when my phone is on the bike. I've grown so accustomed to them. They really provide me some comfort and familiarity, and I really appreciate that when you're traveling to new places every day. So thank you Open Rock for picking me up when I feel a bit down, and thank you for sponsoring this video. See the link in the description for a discount code. Oh, we can add that later in voiceover. The next item I'll never go without is my Kewler cloth. I absolutely adore it. It's perfect for backpacking, bikepacking, rafting, whatever you're doing in the outdoors. For one reason or another, it's controversial, which I totally don't get. It's totally hygienic. You just wash it every now and then, put it in the laundry or wash it yourself with some soap. You can also let it dry in the sun a bit. It really made my backcountry experience as a woman so much better. There's still a lot of toilet paper alongside roads, trails. Even when you think you're alone, you've been on a place that no one's ever been, you can still see some white flowers, aka toilet paper. So Kewler cloth, thank you. This is not sponsored, by the way. I just really love my Kewler cloth. It's an antimicrobial pea cloth. On the backside, you have this antimicrobial fabric that dries really quickly. When you're ready, you just snap it in half. I put it on my pannier. You can put it on your backpack, anywhere you want to. They're an incredible company. They do so much more than just selling their products. They also host dance parties. They write incredible newsletters. They have beautiful stories and incredible customer service. I mean, I'm just in awe of what they do and who they are. This item is something that I was always very skeptic about. My Kobo Clara. As an English literature student, I love libraries, the smell of books, a beautiful book cover. So reading from a black odorless electronic device seemed really unattractive and uninspiring to me. When I was hiking, I would usually just carry a hardcover and switch it out when I finished reading. But since we are in South America and my Spanish is pretty limited and I haven't seen many books at all, I decided it was time to take the step and enter the era of e-reading. And I've grown into it. Actually, I love my Kobo Clara. It allowed me to read over 100 books this year alone. We spend a lot of time in the tent as well. We've been cycling mostly into autumn and winter. And that means that some nights we have 14 hours of darkness. Long nights, which my Kobo Clara has helped me survive and get over with. And honestly, I'm really grateful that I can read hands-free because it also has this very useful... Which sometimes I don't get the hang of. Anyhow, I can read hands-free and I don't have to use a flashlight because the screen illuminates, obviously. So you know what? Thank you, e-reader. Thank you for helping me during the dark nights. Why do I never get that hangover? A few other things that help color our trip are the frisbee, which we got from the United States a couple of years ago. It glows in the dark. When we're in cities, it helps us get outside and play some frisbee in the park. It sparks some conversation with the locals. It's fun. Ryan also bought me pencils. I really like drawing. It's something that I really miss while living on the road. So I'm happy to have some pencils again, be able to draw, color, whatever I feel like. Sometimes you just need to do something artistic, even though it isn't great. And when we have some time left, we like to play magic. As you can see, these cards have been through a lot. Most significantly, rain. I still don't entirely get the hang of it, but we're getting there. Ryan is explaining me how to attack, how to defend. We both love fantasy. We love folklore, mythology. So playing with these magical creatures is a lot of fun. It's a learning process, but we enjoy. We might be uber nerds. I don't think so. I think magic is pretty cool. But it is difficult. We'll get the hang of it. Thank you for watching. I hope you found some inspiration. Or some entertainment from watching this video. Let us know what your luxury items are on the trail. Or in the outdoors, what you like to pack. Or what brings you happiness when you're out here. Ciao!