What we actually pack for a Spiti bike tour

A Spiti bike tour does not fail because someone forgot a second T-shirt. It gets uncomfortable because the useful things were at the bottom of a hostel in Shimla.

On our bikes the yard already fits a phone mount, a basic tool roll, and tubes that match the wheel. What you add is personal. A thin rain layer you will actually wear. Gloves you can still feel the lever through, and a spare dry pair in a plastic bag. Lip balm. A headtorch, because a village dinner ends after the road has gone dark. Cash, in small notes. The card machine in Kaza is a rumour on some evenings.

Leave the big boots if they are only for a photograph. A riding boot you can walk a market in is the one that comes back on the bike. If you are on a pillion, say so when you write. The second helmet and the rain suit are extras, not a surprise on the morning.

Cars are simpler and heavier. A Thar or a Jimny still wants the same warm layer and the same cash. The boot fills faster than people expect once six people have each brought “just a small bag”.