I am on a very tight budget, partly due to the weak pound, but mostly due to my lack of savings. I am working on the basis of taking only what is necessary, as I would rather go further and explore more with basic equipment than spend lots of money on top-end equipment and spend less time touring. In fact, even before cycling one mile I have already raised a lot of money for charity, and I am sure that the people who sponsored me to cycle to CapeTown will be very dissappointed if I don't make it all the way, especially if its due to my running out of cash!

I tested my existing sleeping bag and tent in my front garden during a cold snap. This resulted in a sleepless night followed by the tent collapsing under the weight of the snow. So two things I have spent money on are a good sleeping bag and tent (a mountain life Everest Down and a Vango Typhoon). I intend to wild camp wherever possible, including Arctic Norway where April temperatures are well below freezing.

I also bought a Coleman petrol stove, as I figure that even in remote areas of Africa petrol will be available.

I normally ride a Specialized Allez road bike, but doubt this could handle the ruts of northern Africa. So I dusted off my old Marin Palisades Trail, but found it to be in rather poor condition. My local bike shop quoted me £200 to replace pretty much all the moving parts (which is a lot considering I hope to live off £100 a month in Africa).

Later that day my local bike shop, Porlock Cycle Hire, rang me back and offered to supply a new bike free of charge. I accepted this exceedingly generous offer and will soon be the proud owner of a Reflex Parallax. The Parallax is a basic bike, but has some good features for touring in Africa, including a steel frame, which I have read is far easier to weld back together than aluminium. It has 18 gears operated by grip-shift, v-brakes, and mudguards. The wheels are not quick release so I may try and change those over before departure.

I have rear panniers and am looking to purchase front ones. I have a mosquito net and spray and some basic tools. I don't yet have an MP3 player or camera, neither of which are necessary, but both are highly desirable. I probably haven't thought of everything so would appreciate advice from any more experienced cyclists out there.