🚴 Bike & Motorcycle Travel Q&A
What gear do I need for long-distance bike travel?
A certified helmet, armoured and waterproof jacket and trousers, boots and gloves, waterproof luggage, a basic tool and puncture kit, and a first aid kit.
Answered by the RealTripGuides editors. We check what we can against official sources and say when something varies by country or operator.
Protection
- Helmet: full-face or modular, replaced after any impact.
- Jacket: waterproof shell with CE-rated armour at shoulders, elbows and back.
- Trousers: textile or Kevlar-reinforced with knee and hip armour — jeans are not protection.
- Boots with ankle support, and all-weather gloves with knuckle protection.
Carrying and fixing
- Waterproof soft panniers or a roll bag; dry bags for anything that must stay dry regardless.
- Tyre repair kit, small compressor or pump, and a tyre pressure gauge.
- Basic tool roll: hex keys, spanners, screwdriver, pliers, cable ties, duct tape.
- Spare fuses, bulbs and levers on older bikes.
- First aid kit, and a foil blanket if you are riding anywhere remote.
Electronics
- Vibration-damped phone mount or a dedicated GPS, plus a hard-wired USB socket.
- Bluetooth intercom if you ride with a pillion or in a group.
- Offline maps downloaded for the whole route, not just the day ahead.
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