No other form of transport is quite as liberating as cycling, and one of the best ways to experience this freedom is through bikepacking or touring – but having a well-organised setup is crucial if you want to have a good time.
Simplify Living is running a Black Friday sale with up to 60% off luggage and organisation gadgets – ideal for cyclists looking to streamline their setup before their next adventure.
I’ve long been passionate about cycle touring, completing various month-long European trips and bikepacking weekends in Wales.
It’s also been something of a family affair, with my father currently on the road in France and my brother in Asia, riding around the world.
Every tourer quickly learns the importance of organising their bags and panniers.
This lesson usually comes mid-thunderstorm as you tear out all your dry gear from pannier A, looking for a waterproof that happens to be buried at the bottom of pannier B.
Packing cubes are the answer, enabling you to separate kit, clothing, tools and food into compartments.
I’ve experimented with dry sacks, shopping bags and no organisation at all, but packing cubes are my favourite.
Packing cubes
Thankfully, these Compression Packing Cubes from Simplify Living UK look perfect for organising panniers, with five different-sized cubes to suit all your kit – and they happen to be on sale with 45% savings.
They come in eight colourways to match your touring outfit, and the zipped closure should make them easy to live with, enabling you to access your clothes and kit without any fuss.
In my experience, this is one of the main benefits of packing cubes over dry bags – because constant folding and clipping becomes a hassle when you want to access any kit.
The compression packing cubes also feature carry handles, which should make pulling them out of panniers easier, as well as giving you the option to carry them separately from your panniers if you're on a ferry or arriving at your accommodation.
At 40x40x4cm, the largest cube is perfect for jackets and riding kit, while the smallest is 11x33.5x4cm, which I’d keep my undies in.
The various options also enable you to keep dirty clothes separate, stopping the spread of bacteria and keeping the pungent smell of your panniers to a minimum.
They have 45% off for a limited time, so now’s the perfect moment to snap them up before the offer disappears.
Portable clothesline
When it comes to drying your freshly washed clothes, Simplify Living UK has you covered with this Portable Travel Clothesline.
If you want to avoid saddle sores, it’s best to wash your shorts regularly while on the road, even if this means in a public toilet hand basin.
The Clothesline is also in the brand's sale, and is currently at half price.
Combined with detergent, this Portable Travel Clothesline should help you keep your clothes clean and saddle sores at bay.
It features 12 built-in hooks to hang your clothes from, and hangs from two stainless steel hooks at either end.
You could set this up in a hotel room, or even between two trees at the campsite.
