After nine years as a full-time bike traveler, Ryan Wilson breaks down the gear he packed for his tour around Central Asia and beyond in 2025.
Nine years is a long time to do anything. I’ve now been a full-time bike tourer for a touch longer than I was a full-time audio engineer back when I lived in Los Angeles. In those nine years, I’ve tweaked my touring setup to the point where it functions just about perfectly for my particular use case. You’ll find many other travelers with super minimal, lightweight setups, and plenty of others carrying more, but this is what works for me, as someone who does this day in and day out, living and working on the road.
Of course, I always like to tinker around the edges when I find new pieces of gear that catch my eye, and I’ve highlighted a few of those items here, which I’m using for my tour through Central Asia.
Disclaimer: I’ve said it before, but you definitely don’t need a setup this dialed in or fancy to get out for a big tour. In fact, when people ask me what they should get for their first big tour, I usually steer them away from dumping their entire life savings into gear before they know if they’ll even enjoy it. However, if you want to get into the nitty gritty details to see what 9 years of gear accumulation looks like, and what works for me, this is for you…
Bike Gear
I’m using the same, rock-solid Tumbleweed Prospector that I’ve had since 2019, with a couple of tweaks. Notably, I switched to Tumbleweed racks on the front and rear to accommodate my new bag setup, and I switched to Ergon GP1s for improved durability. I’m also carrying an extra tire, which I haven’t done since my first few months of long-term touring back in 2016, but I’ve found that I’d rather carry the extra 800 grams of weight than wait around for a tire to get shipped to me in the middle of nowhere if I have an issue, as it tends to be virtually impossible to get decent tires of this type where I ride.
Frame/Fork: Tumbleweed Prospector (Midnight Blue, XL)
Drivetrain: Rohloff Speedhub 500/14
Crank: Shimano SLX
Chainring: 32t Surly
Rear Sprocket: 16t Rohloff
Rims: Knight Composites 27.5+ carbon prototypes
Front Hub: SON Dynamo
Tires: Vittoria Mezcal 27.5 x 2.6” Graphene 2.0 – Tubeless ready (plus one spare)
Headlight: Schmidt Edelux II with one-off 3D printed Soulrider mount
Brakes: Paul Klamper
Brake Levers: Paul Canti Lever
Handlebar: Jones H-Bar Loop
Grips: Ergon GP1 BioKork
Saddle: Brooks Cambium All-Weather C17
Seatpost: Thomson Elite
Stem: Thomson X4
Pedals: Hope F20’s
Cargo Cages: Widefoot CargoMount
Front Rack: Tumbleweed Prototype Pannier rack
Rear Rack: Tumbleweed T-Rack
Fun Fact: the only 3 pieces of gear that I’ve used since the beginning are the Jones Handlebars, the Paul Klamper brakes, and the Edelux headlight.
Bags
The big change here is switching to a dual Bags x Bird Goldback setup. I like the capacity and unmatched durability of these, along with the ease of access throughout the day. In the front Goldback, I keep my entire sleep kit inside the Tortuga backpack along with my laptop and some small electronics. In the rear Goldback, the Patagonia tote nestles perfectly inside, allowing me to easily remove everything in one go, while still allowing access throughout the day.
I went for the 5L Tailfin fork packs on the legs of the Tumbleweed T-rack to store things like my tent, which I like isolated from everything else (for when I have to pack it up wet), and my cold-weather gear. I’m also testing out the Mountain Laurel Designs Poco panniers on the front for my clothes and food.
Handlebar Bag: Bags x Bird Goldback large
Backpack: Tortuga Daypacker Pro (Inside handlebar bag)
Saddlebag: Bags x Bird Goldback Right Height
Tote: Patagonia Tote (Inside Saddlebag)
Rear Packs: Tailfin 5L Fork Packs
Front Panniers: Mountain Laurel Designs Poco Panniers (Large)
Stem Bag: Outer shell Stem Caddy X2
Jones Bar Bag: RandiJo Jeff N Joans
Top Tube Bag: Tailfin 1.5 L Zip
Hip Pack: Rockgeist Big Dumpling
Sleep System
The first big change here is that I’m now testing out the Durston X-Dome 1+ freestanding tent, which I’ve been very impressed with so far. I’m also testing out the highly touted ZenBivy Ultralight Bed system, including their air mattress, sheet, quilt, and pillow. I’ll have reviews on all of those soon! The other addition is a core-length OG Thermarest Z-lite foam pad. I’ve been looking for a way to bring one of these for a while, and the new rack setup opened up this option. I use it to sit on for lunch breaks on the side of the road, to add extra warmth/protection to my air mattress, and as insurance for when the air mattress inevitably leaks, as they all do.
Tent: Durston X-Dome 1+
Air Mattress: ZenBivy Ultralight 25×78 tapered
Foam Pad: Thermarest Z-lite
Sleeping Quilt system: ZenBivy 25 degree Ultralight bed
Sleeping Bag Liner: Sea to Summit Reactor
Ground Sheet: Tyvek
Pillow: ZenBivy SoftTop Pillow (Regular)
Down Booties: Goosefeet Gear
Camp Kitchen
I’ve been using the same Esbit alcohol stove + MSR pot setup for several years, and really, I don’t feel any need to tweak this. The only addition here is a tiny 25 gram BRS-3000T titanium gas stove that I picked up for $17 just in case I end up in a place where it is difficult to find decent alcohol fuel (ie Türkiye). It weighs basically nothing and packs small enough to forget you’re carrying it.
Stove: Esbit Alcohol Burner
Stove stand: Trangia Triangle
Backup gas stove: BRS-3000T
Pot: MSR 1.3L Ceramic Coated
Wind Screen: Highrock Folding
Knife: Opinel No.9
Utensils: Humangear spork, handmade wooden spoon, MSR pot scraper/brush.
Small cutting board
560ml plastic jar for carrying takeout and cold-soaking breakfast/lunch
Camera Gear
I’ve been using the same camera and lens since 2022, and have never felt less of a need to upgrade. I don’t even look at SonyAlphaRumors dot com anymore! The Sony A7IV hits a nice balance of photo and video features, with good AF and battery life. The Tamron 28-200 is my goldilocks lens. No more swapping lenses on the Kazakh steppe with dust blowing everywhere. It’s not constant aperture, but it goes to f2.8 at 28mm, which is good enough for basically everything I do. I had my first Tamron 28-200 lens stolen in Colombia, and I bought a new one without hesitation.
Camera: Sony A7IV
Lens: Tamron 28-200mm
Microphone: ECM-B1M
Lavalier Mic: DJI Mic 2
Phone: iPhone 13 Mini
Phone Case: Quadlock
Phone Mount: Quadlock
Action Cam: DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
Misc Electronics
“Ooooo lala a bike computer, you must be putting out so many watts…”. Yes, after 8 and a half years sans head unit, totally oblivious to just how slow I was going, the Coros Dura lured me in, and I’m really enjoying it. The main thing stopping me from using one in the past is that I didn’t want another thing to have to charge all the time, especially in my tent, and the Dura has solved that. Just this week, I had it out for 6 straight days in the Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, running for 11-12 hours per day. It finished that 6-day stretch with 89% battery life remaining after all that time (the high altitude sun helps!). The best part is that I use my phone less for navigation, so I’m eating up much less of that battery.
Besides that addition, my electronics setup is the same as it has been for a while.
Laptop: 13” 2020 MacBook Air M1
SSD’s: SanDisk 2TB and Crucial 4TB x2
USB Wall Charger: UGREEN 65W GaN
PowerBank: RavPower 25600mah
PowerBank 2: INUI 20000mah
Tripod: Mefoto Backpacker Air
Headlamp: Fenix HM50R
Headphones: Apple AirPods Pro
Bike Computer: Coros Dura
Clothing
My clothing setup is similar to before, with the addition of a pair of Ornot’s Lightweight Mission pants, which might just be my new favorite riding pants given their stretchiness, versatility, and how quickly they dry. I’ve also swapped out the traditional mid-layer (fleece, etc) in favor of bringing more long-sleeved shirts that I can wear more often and still layer if I need to. One other addition to the rotation is the Ornot UV trail hoodie.
Shirts: Smartwool Long Sleeve merino X2
Shirt: REI Sahara Sun Hoodie
Shirt: Ornot UV Trail Hoodie
Shorts: Ornot Lightweight Mission Shorts
Pants: Ornot Lightweight Mission Pants
Pants: Rapha Explore Pants
Wind jacket: Rapha Trail lightweight jacket
Rain jacket: Rapha Explore GoreTex Jacket
Down Jacket: Rapha Explore Down Jacket
Light Gloves: Ornot Merino gloves
Heavy Gloves: Mountain Equipment
Underwear: Ornot Merino boxers x2
Underwear: REI Merino boxer briefs
Light Socks: Darn Tough
Thicc socks: Kirkland Signature Merino x2
Knit Cap: Black Diamond Merino
Neck Gaiter: Buff Merino Wool
Sunglasses: Ombraz Classics
Helmet: Smith Venture MIPS
Cap: Tillak Trail Hat
Belt: Ornot Stretch Belt
Shoes: Adidas Five Ten Trailcross
Sandals: Bedrock Cairn 3D Pro II
Bike Tools and Accessories
The main tweak here is the Silca T-Ratchet and Ti-Torque Kit, swapping from the days of fumbling with multi-tools, which never seem to have the exact combo of tools I need. It makes assembling and disassembling the bike a lot less frustrating, and I can pick and choose exactly which bits I need and which ones I don’t. It’s a bit bulkier and heavier, but the functionality improvement is worth it!
Pump: Lezyne Mini Floor Drive (I don’t recommend the one with the gauge, which leaks)
MultiTool: Silca T-Ratchet and Ti-Torque Kit
Tire Repair: DynaPlug Radavist Edition
Tire Sealant: Orange Seal Endurance
Emergency tubes: Tubolito X2
Patch Kit: Tubolito
Cargo Straps: Voile and Tailfin (too many)
Bell: Lezyne Shallow Brass Bell
Spare Tape: Gorilla Tape and Gear Aid Tape
Odds and ends: Gear Aid zipper lubricant, spare bolts, zip ties, super glue, cables, sealant, spokes, tire boots, thread and curved needle, spare tubeless valves, presta/schrader adapter, thread locker.
Misc Gear
Largely unchanged, I’m still sacrificing the extra grams to bring along my beastly 1.9L Insulated Klean Kanteen. It’s just too nice to break out some cold water when you’re 4-5 hours into a blisteringly hot day. It’s more for my mental health than anything.
Water Filter: MSR AutoFlow XL Gravity Filter
Water Bottles: 1L Nalgene
Insulated Bottles: 1.9L Klean Kanteen and 2x 1L GSI
Water Bladders: 1.5L and 3L Platypus
Towel: Sea to Summit DryLite 20” x 40”
Dopp Kit: Beard trimmer, Electric Toothbrush, etc.
Sea to Summit bug net
First Aid Kit
Drop any questions or comments below!
See the Prospector frame he’s touring on and more at Tumbleweed Bikes.