Recomendation for a pack list
To enjoy difficult passages and steep ascents, the pack should not weigh more than 7 kg (without luggage transportation). And a fully loaded pack should leave enough room for the head — with the helmet on!
| Items (based on pack list) | Quantity | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Backpack: 30 Liters (Men) / 25 Liters (Women). | 1 | We made good experience with Deuter Trans Alpine. Volume: |
| Bike shoes | 1 | Depends on pedals of the bike. We normally take no other shoes and wear them also in the evening. Important: Please make sure that you can walk well in your shoes. Pads for pedals should not stick above the sole. See e.g.: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/clothing/shoes/product/review-lake-mx102-shoes-11-44825/ |
| Cable strap | Collective | We will take some. |
| Camera | Individual | If you like to take pictures. |
| Chain links | Individual | Many different chains on the marked today. Normally not required. |
| Comfy pants | 1 | Light weight (tracking) pants recommended for the evenings (to go to restaurang). Normal Jeans are comparable heavy. |
| Detergent | Individual | For handwash in the evening. Clothes can be washed by hotel. |
| Disposable gloves | 2 | Normally not necessary. / We can take some. |
| Drinking bottles or bladder | 1 | One should be enough as the water at the public fountains (which we will see in each village) is drinkable. |
| Earplugs | Individual | Depends on who you share the room with. |
| Energy bars / magnesium powder | Individual | Can be bought locally. We recommend dry mango or apples, etc. Swiss cheese and pastries from the local bakery shops is fine too. |
| Extra screws | Individual | Difficult to decide which ones to take. We normally take none with us. |
| First Aid Kit | Collective | 2 Sets should be enough for the group. We have one. |
| Gloves short/long | 1 | Depends on preference. We prefer short gloves. One pair should be fine assuming you can hand wash them in the evening. |
| GPS | Collective | E.g. Garmin Edge series with map function. Dont forget the charger. |
| Grease / oil | Collective | We will take some |
| Headband / Cap | 1 | Something which you can wear under the helmet. |
| Helmet | 1 | Not required by law, but definitely Recommended. |
| Individual medication (allergies etc.) | Individual | |
| Lamp | (1) / Collective | Used only very seldom. We normally ride during the daylight. Tunnels are only few if at all along the tour. We take at least one headlamp and a tail lamp (red) with us. |
| Lightweight wind stopper jacket | 1 | Recommended in case of rain or wind or in the evening. |
| Long-sleeved jersey (or arm warmers) | 1 | I prefer arm warmers. |
| Map(s) | Individual | Good app for Switzerland can be downloaded here: http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/schweizmobil.html |
| Mini pump | Collective | |
| Mobile phone / emergency numbers | Individual | Don't forget the charger! / Collective. |
| Money / Credit Card | Individual | In most places we can pay by credit card. Currency: Swiss Franc. |
| Multi-tool / pocket knife | Collective | |
| Nightshirt | 1 | |
| Pair of long bike pants (or leg warmers) | 1 | Recommended |
| Pairs of bike shorts | 1-2 | Assuming you can wash in the evening one should be enough. |
| Passport | Individual | |
| Pen | Individual | |
| Possibly Wind stopper or Gore-Tex socks | Not really necessary. When weather should be really bad, overshoes can make sense to avoid wet feet (we have none). | |
| Rain cover for backpack | 1 | Recommended. The above mentioned model from Deuter has it integrated. |
| Rain jacket | -1 | We combine it with the wind stopper jacket (only one jacket is necessary). |
| Rain pants | 1 | Yes, makes sense. |
| Sandals | 1 | For the evening. Preferably light weight (e.g. flip-flops). |
| Shock pump | Collective | Check pressure level. |
| Short-sleeved bike jerseys | 1-2 | Assuming you can wash in the evening one should be enough. |
| Sleeping bag sheet | [-] | Not necessary as we are staying in decent hotels. |
| Socks | 2 | For riding no cotton. |
| Spare brake pads | Individual | Definitively recommended, especially if you have special brake models. |
| Spare tubes | Collective | Depends on wheel sizes (1 x 26" and 1 x 27.5" should be enough). |
| Sun glasses | 1 | E.g. sunglasses with adjustable darkness. |
| Sun screen | Individual | Normally not necessary. |
| Tape | Collective | We will take some. |
| Tire levers | Collective | We will take some. |
| Tissues | [-] | Not required / Hotel. |
| Toiletries | Individual | |
| Toolkit | Collective | We will take some tools with us. |
| Towel | [-] | Not required / Hotel. |
| T-Shirts / Hiking shirt. | 1 | One for the evening one should be fine. |
| Tube repair kit | Collective | Two for the group should be enough. If tire pressure is fine, you normally survive one week without. |
| Underwear | 1-2 |