The Gear List
What earned its weight
bags
Panniers
These bags are a great balance between affordable and useful. They had enough room for us to pack all of our clothes, toiletries, towels, etc. There is some metal on the back, keeping it from rubbing against the wheel or other moving parts. On the other hand, the clips onto the bottom rod broke after a few months of using them (they are plastic). Makes sense after such intense usage, but still worth a note as it is an important part.
bags
Panniers (larger option)
After the small clip on the previous panniers broke, we decided to give this design of panniers a try. It is bigger and sturdier. Very comfortable and can hold more than all of the panniers we saw without touching any part of the bike or applying unwanted pressure on anything. Only con is that it is slightly more complicated to remove and re-install onto the bike (has a few points of contact with the bike, as opposed to traditional panniers that simply clip on and off).
bags
Organizers
Fitting everything into bike bags requires some organization and compartmentalization. These help.
bags
Rinko bag (bike bag)
Japan requires a rinko bag for carrying your bicycle onto the train. These worked well for us, they cover everything and then neatly fold back up into the bottom of our panniers.
clothing
Helmet with lens magnetic attachment
This helmet has a lens attachment that can be added and removed with magnets, really easy and useful. Was especially helpful on sunny days or at dusk when the bugs came out.
other
Rear rack
This rear rack came after a few that sadly failed us and could not take the weight we had for such a long period of time. This one was the best we tried, it has three rods to divide the pressure onto different points of the bike frame. It held the weight well and we were happy with it. Aldo very affordable.