Touring - Items you carry on tour but never use...

I try to keep my load light and leave unnecessary items at home, but there are a few items that I seem to take on every tour that I never use.

There are also items that I have used so rarely that I may as well leave at home and "suffer" without next time.

'Fess up. What dead weight do you carry? Let's not include tools and replacement parts that you would absolutely need in an emergency.

My list:

* Clear goggles for nighttime riding.

* Lightweight hiking shoes. (Used once or twice in 9 years).

* Wool socks for the hiking shoes. (2 pairs.)

* Camp towel. (Used once, and was almost useless).

* Insect repellent.

* Rain pants.

Luckily for me on my last tour - rain gear. Ofcourse, you know what would happen if I didn't take it.

I would add a helmet to that list. I carry one in case I accidently end up a few hundred miles into enemy territory in some province where they pass BS legislation, which is most of them.

I think that what doesn't get used is probably the wrong criterion. Like if I went hiking, I could get by using my riding footwear, so even if I used the hiking stuff it would be worth pitching unless there was some really hard core hiking going on. There is a lot of stuff that never gets used like helmets, that could probably help a little when it was needed. Travelling light is about being smart about the stuff one takes, and leaving a lot of it behind anyway.

Rain pants or chaps I have used. Insects don't usually bother me on the road. On the other hand, if one needs repelant, one really needs it.

I found the camp towel worked for me, and I have a lot of surface area.

I'm just preparing to leave, and I am going through a process where I can see a lot of extra stuff recomending itself. Stuff like a flashlight, where before I used the bike light. A camera where before I didn't take pictures, there are a lot of little things I didn't carry the first time I could see a use for... I;m installing a much heavier front rack...

On my most recent tour, the first thing that springs to mind is this:

The 300 lb (slight exaggeration) padlock I brought, and would have used ......... if I had remembered to bring the KEY!! :mad:

Also a skirt. Skirts seem like really good ideas at the time, but then I never use them. In the future, I think I'd replace the skirt with a pair of loose shorts or pants that come down to about the knee. Also, my sarong makes a really good skirt, and is incredibly versatile ... much more versatile than a real skirt.

The 300 lb (slight exaggeration) padlock I brought, and would have used ......... if I had remembered to bring the KEY!! :mad:



And speaking of locks... On my most recent tour, I brought a hefty U-lock, and never used it! I was in rural Quebec, and never felt that my bike was in danger of being stolen.

I doubt that many bikes are ripped off in places like St-André-De-Kamouraska, population 673.

I did bring my bike indoors for the nights: in garages, storage rooms, and even in my motel room.

Shoes. Well apart from my biking shoes, all I wore were my Chacos. They're the best.

acantor: what kind of camp towel do you have? I have a few from MSR and they work wonders for the body, not so much for the hair though.

Emergency spoke repair kit - Sure I broke spokes on my tour. As soon as I did I would start looking for the closest bike shop. The rim would hold out fine. The only time riding ability was hindered was when the spokes pulled through the rim instead of breaking. Even then I was able to ride it 30-50 miles to a shop.

I always pick up things on the side of the road that I think are cool at the time, but then three days later when I rediscover them at the bottom of a pannier, I wonder why I ever stopped in the first place. Hats, empty wallets, action figures, a cell phone, old cassette tapes of Bon Jovi...My favorite was a $20 bill. I kept that one.

Books. I love them, I read them, but on any decent tour there's always something more fun, interesting, or important to do during that reading time. If I'm passing through somewhere new for me I always end up buying books about the area and I have to bungi them to the tops of my panniers.

A few years ago I crossed nearly half the length of Italy and picked up a history of the Samnites in Benevento, a tome detailing the artwork and features of the Paleochristian cave churches in Gravina, and a survey of the development of Italian bicycles in the 19th century. They all seemed incredibly important at the time, but I sure didn't feel like hanging out in my tent reading books very often.

Nilnak, did you really keep the $20 bill, or did you think of something fun to spend it on?

On my most recent tour, the first thing that springs to mind is this:

The 300 lb (slight exaggeration) padlock I brought, and would have used ......... if I had remembered to bring the KEY!! :mad:

Also a skirt. Skirts seem like really good ideas at the time, but then I never use them. In the future, I think I'd replace the skirt with a pair of loose shorts or pants that come down to about the knee. Also, my sarong makes a really good skirt, and is incredibly versatile ... much more versatile than a real skirt.

And also ...

Cell phone ... I brought one because I thought it might work in Europe, but it didn't and was just some extra weight to lug around.

Jerseys ... unless the tour surrounded an event where a jersey would be appropriate, I think I would leave them all at home. I never use the pockets in jerseys anyway, and I've got some "wicking" T-shirts which would do just fine, and would look normal if I wanted to go somewhere in the evening, or spend the day riding a train, or head into a store to do some shopping.


On my recent tour, I did a bit of a shopping spree in Decathlon (great stuff, low prices), and then was given 2 jerseys to add to the 2 I had brought with me. I ended up with a bag full of clothing which I probably should have just mailed home.

So far, not my HK USP Compact (http://www.hkpro.com/uspc.htm)

Never any of the spare parts I've carried, even a spare tube or my patch kit. Can't remember using the first aid kit at all. Didn't use the bear enraging spray I carried all through Alaska but the bug juice and rain gear came in very handy.

Oh, and the HK is a bit big for touring purposes, so I guess I was joking.

I've also got a few extra items I carry with me.

• Two plastic tarps. One is used as a ground sheet under my tent; the other is along for the ride, just in case, but it has't been used. This year I finally left it at home.

• Extra bungee cords. Again, I've never needed them.

• Vice grips. This is the one tool I don't need and can't see myself using in the future. It's just extra weight.

• Camera. This is no lightweight; it's a full-sized SLR. Nice to have, but sometimes I've gone through a tour without taking it out once.

• Sunscreen. On the last tour, I brought plenty. I was gone for a week and it rained every day except one.

#1 - truing stand
#2 - brain

:rolleyes:

condoms.

#2 - brain
I drill holes in mine to save weight.

I drill holes in mine to save weight.

I know someone who snaps off the end of their toothbrush to save weight.

condoms.

I drill holes in mine to save weight

roflmao

CamelBak: not used once this year's tour
Rain Pants: I did put them on one time this year, not when riding but just walking around in the rain.
Wool sweater: this year I left it home

The wool socks and wool sweater are definite musts for me. I live in them when I tour!

I know someone who snaps off the end of their toothbrush to save weight.
I actually did that, but I cut it off neatly with a hacksaw and sandpapered it so it wasn't sharp ;)



* Rain pants.
I can tell you've never ridden in the rain when it's freezing cold outside! I'd like to see you not put on rain pants in Alaska when it's near freezing and raining, lol

As for me, the only thing I carried and never used were spare spokes

Books. On my first extended tour, when I was on the road for three months and taking lots of time to stop and sight see, I often found a lot of time to sit around and read. But on every tour that I've undertaken since then, I've spent almost every daylight hour on the saddle. So I rarely have the energy to sit down and read anything longer than a magazine article at the end of the day. For three consecutive summers I carried a copy of John Muir's "My First Summer In The Sierras" in my panniers on tours of one week to two and a half weeks in length, and not once did I get beyond the first 150 pages.

And I haven't found a need for rain pants in most places that I've toured, but I wouldn't go without them in the fall, or if I intended on spending any length of time in mountainous terrain.

I didn't bring any books with me on my European tour ... instead I brought a small, thin "booklet" of Sudoku puzzles. Anytime I was waiting for something, such as laundry, I would pull it out and work on a puzzle to pass the time.

But I agree that there is rarely time on most tours to sit and read.

Sardines.

I always seem to end up carrying a tin of them, thinking they'll be handy if I can't find anything else for dinner... but never end up actually eating them until the tour's over. I've carried tins of sardines from France to Poland, across Spain, around south west England... (Not the same tin)

I'm starting to think I'd feel lost touring without them. :)

Sugar. I don't use it except in some foods (which I did not plan to make on this tour), but for some reason I had a small container with me. I never even opened it.

I'm not very good at packing light. After each tour I go through the stuff I had with me piece by piece to see if I used it. If I didn't, the next question is "why not". If I cannot answer that question really convincingly, I'll remove that item from my next packing list. Seems to work for me.

--J

Touring Italy when they still used Lira for $. I was like a Lira millionaire! All coins. It weighed so much and was worth so little, I finally posted it back to the states in a shoe box.

Richard