Touring - southern tier west-east in january, what do i need to take?

Am starting in San Diego and heading east this early January -- probably only to Texas, and with an initial exploration of Joshua Tree and then down to imperial Valley. would appreciate any advice on conditions and thus gear to take, especially from those who have cycled in this region.

Maximum distances between services? how much water did you have to carry?

How cold at night? am wavering between a 20 and 5 degree sleeping bag..

How cold and hot in the day? seems will be around freezing in morning? max 70s or more?

for those who have ridden this in winter, what did you take? what was a probelm or limiting factor?

thanks for any information!

Very difficult to predict the weather that time of year, and you'll be riding through lots of different terrain with varying weather conditions. You're talking a lot of distance, and asking for general info that applies to all of it, tough to do.

Might be prudent to take the warmer bag. And it never hurts to have the space or otherwise the where-with-all to carry extra water any time you're riding through the desert.

I'd go to crazyguy and read some journals from folks who have ridden in that area that time of year.

Take clothing/bag to cover 20 to 80F. low of 20 unlikely, but easy enough to be prepared. When expecting below freezing, I always carry several torso layers, thermal pants, running pants, a windbreak, rain gear, a wool skull cap that will cover my ears, insulated glooves, wool socks. Shed as needed. At least one of the torso layers should be high collared. A neck scarf could be very useful. Use a wicking base layer.

Figure on at least 4 liters of water, more if camping. Too much better than not enough. Beware of the bottles freezing.

If you're following the ACA ST route, the section from Apache Junction to Silver City would probably have the highest potential for really cold conditions due to elevation. Be prepared to wait out winter storms.

I have not ridden this in January, but am aware of weather potentials along the route.

did the S tier about 17 yrs ago. just about this time of year. was in el campo on christmas eve i think and spent new years day climbing out of phoenix towards globe.

i carried two pairs of socks.

one pair of clipless bike shoes.

leg warmers

biking shorts

goretex rainpaints (good for cold days too)

long underware top

fleece pullover with zipup turtleneck

light down jacket

ragwool ski hat

ragwool mittens

goretex overmits (outdoor research)_

thermarest

goretex bivy sack

and medium weight down sleeping bag.

many nights i wore everything i had to bed...

i think i had pretty good weather all things considered. was pretty comfortable.

good luck to you.

When I did it 4 years ago it was super cold for most of the day. In New Mexico my water bottles would start freezing before the sun went down. I used a 15 bag and was never cold at least never cold in the bag. Bring extra patches because there are parts where there are no bike shops for a long time and lots of stuff to give you flats.