Below is an overview of what I’m planning to pack for my trip across the Tusheti national park in Georgia.

The route is very mountainous with 4 mountain passes on the way:

Here’s a preview of the route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48189591 

It’s important to keep the route in mind because that’s what would influence the choice of gear. Another key consideration was that I didn’t want to quickly cover the distance and just rush through it. One of the goals for this trip for me is to actually enjoy the area as I think it is incredibly beautiful. In that sense this trip is a mix of touring, but also packing as light as possible, in particular because of the two day hike-a-bike through the Atsunta pass, which is a hiking trail and almost no cycling possible on that pass.

I’ll add a comment on some of the items that I would consider luxury additions to a lighter and faster setup.

The kit

• Rapha merino jersey
• Morvelo baselayer / jersey (luxury)
• Bib shorts x 2 (second pair a luxury)
• Long trousers (travel / evenings – potentially a luxury item, but I don’t like travelling in bibs)
• T-shirt (travel / evenings – luxury)
• Fleece top (helps on colder evenings for sleep or off the bike – luxury)
• Down jacket
• 3 layer waterproof jacket (could be swapped for a lighter one, but safer to have the heavier weight one in the mountains)
• Lightweight waterproof overtrousers
• Socks x 2 (the extra pair could be consider a luxury but it’s good to have one for wet days)
• Buff
• Cycling cap
• Warm beanie hat
• Waterproof shell gloves (potentially unnecessary, but I’ve been caught out in severe weather before and I think for their weight, they’re a nice peace-of-mind item to have)
• Full finger warm gloves
• Fingerless gloves
• Sleeve extensions for jersey
• Leg extensions for bibs
• Trail running gore-tex shoes (these are comfortable for the multiple hike-a-bikes, but maybe not the best for MTB pedals)
• Helmet

• Terra Nova Laser Competition tent (for a faster tour I’d probably go for a bivy bag, but I think a tent is a good thing to have in the high mountains)
• Cumulus Magic 100 down mummy-less sleeping bag (summer, but should be good with clothes and the tent up to -10C)
• Klymit Inertia X Frame sleeping pad
• Klymit inflatable pillow (luxury)
• Rab Sleeping bag liner (luxury but adds warmth)
• Tent ground sheet (luxury)

• Pump
• Two lightweight emergency inner tubes (the wheels are freshly serviced with new tubeless liquid)
• Tubeless worms and tools
• Inner tube patches and glue
• Mini pliers
• French wrench & cassette tool (luxury but it helps me with packing the wheel and the wrench is good for stubborn pedals)
• Spare break pads x 2 (potentially one is enough but with 11000m elevation drop and some 70km descends, I’d want to have the option to get my brakes working)
• Swiss army knife – huntsman
• Multi tool (this one is from Decathlon and each allen key can be taken separately, which is a must for ease of use)
• Zip ties
• Duct tape wrapped around the pump
• One thing missing is chain oil

• DJI Mavic Air drone + Remote + Extra battery + Charger
• GoPro Hero 5 + Charger + 2 extra betteries
• GoPro mini tripod + phone attachment
• GoPro chest mount
• Elemnt Roam GPS computre
• CatEye front light
• CatEye rear light
• Chili Technology head torch
• 20000mAh Anker external battery
• Anker 4 port USB charger
• Headphones
• Charging cables

The drone is definitely a luxury item. The external batter could be just 5000mAh small one. The GoPro is also unnecessary as the phone can do a lot of the filming (but I like to have it as it preserves the phone battery). Same for the GPS unit.

• Chamois cream
• Sun protection cream (some will argue that that’s a luxury, but sunburn is a serious issue in the high mountains – just wish I could find a smaller tube)
• Hand sanitiser
• Tissues
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Dental floss
• Razor blade (luxury, but too small not to take)
• Ear plugs
• Small liquid soap / shampoo
• Towel (feels like a luxury item)
• Eye mask (def luxury, but I’m used to sleeping with one)
• First aid kit – painkillers, paracetamol, patches, tick remover, tweezers, allergy pills 

Summary

Overall, I feel very happy with the setup, there are constantly discussions going off in my head, debating if I should remove something or take something else instead. The main area where I’ve taken too much stuff is when it comes to clothes for sure, but I want to be comfortable and I’m not racing, so I think I’ve made some good decisions.

One thing I kept debating whether to take was an external DSLR camera, but I just can’t convince myself to carry it. Hopefully the phone will once again satisfy my need to capture the beauty of the place.