Cross Country Gear List

[sprintfree]

This is my dynamic gear list for my TransAm bike ride (starting in one week). Please give me feedback on what I am taking or if I am missing anything important. I am riding with two other i met online and we are planning to camp whenever possible. I'm not big into cooked foods and am planning on buying most meals from restaurants or grocery stores which Is why I have no cooking equipment. I'm not planning to bring many tools other than the basics. I have extra spokes and should be able to make it to a bike shop if one breaks. Let me know what you think

Baggage/Panniers
Ortlieb Back Rollers (2)
Ortlieb Medium Handlebar Bag
dry bag for tent (sits on rack)

Camping
Big Agnes Seedhouse Tent
Tent footprint
Kelty Lightyear 40degree down sleeping bag
Sea to Summit Coolmax sleeping bag line
Thermarest Prolite Plus Mattress sz. Reg
Kelty Down Pillow sz. Small
MSR Packtowel (2) szs: Xlarge for wrapping around netbook/drying off/ and one small one

Hygiene Items
Camp Soap
Sunscreen
Shampoo
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Nail clippers
Dental floss
toilet paper
deodorant
bug spray
Chafing cream


Clothing
bike jersey (2)
sleeveless jersey
bike shorts (2)
Arm Warmers
Leg Warmers
wool socks (2)
Merino wool longsleve shirt
Merino wool short sleeve shirt
cycling gloves (2) - one short and one long
Gore Bike Wear Windbreaker
Sugoi Majik shell rain jacket
short sleeve button down shirt
sleeveless shirt
boxers (2)
athletic shorts (swimsuit)
sunglasses
helmet
headband
hat
Pearl Izumi X ALP III riding shoes
Flip Flops


Electronics
Asus eee pc netbook and charger
Verizon Wireless Cosmo "dumbphone"
Fujifilm 505exr digital camera with 2 spare batteries
Black Diamond Spot headlamp
extra AA batteries for camera
Powercurve Solar Charger (chargers phone and ipod)

Toolkit
multitool with allen keys and screwdriver
spare tubes (2)
Topeak Morph Pump
Tube patches
Zipp ties
electrical tape
spare spokes
Brooks saddle tool
Sram powerlink
Pocketknife
Tire Levers


Other
Notebook + Pencil
Halt Dog Spray
Insurance/Id/wallet
business cards
extra memory cards for camera
Adventure Cycling Association Maps
pre stamped envelopes
extra zip lock bags
First aid Kit
Iodine tablets
waterbottles (3)
2L water bladder
Vitamins
Advil

[fietsbob]

CGOAB http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ lots of those sorts of lists ,
to compare there..

[Cyclebum]

Pretty complete list. All I'd add is a Park Tool tire boot and some Gorilla Tape. A tire blow out is extremely rare, but it does happen. The boot and tape can save the day. Lots of piece of mind for so little cost/weight/volume.

I learned this on a tour when a fellow rider's Marathon blew. One guy contributed the boot, another the reinforcing Gorilla Tape. The fellow
rode on that tire for 3 more days.

[linus]

Leatherman multi-tools, Survival kit, OR Compression sack, Wet wipes.

I don't know why you need so many shirts.......Leg warmer and arm warmers are not required IMO.

[raybo]

The last bike tour I did (1 month in the UK) I had one long and one short sleeve Merino Wool jersey with me for on-bike use. I also had bike jersey to wear around town, though, I could have done without it. Both wool jerseys dried overnight indoors. Don't bother with other shirts. Also, I don't see a pair of pants? I use lightweight cargo pants with zip off legs. I would use them with the legs off for swimwear and forget the Athletic shorts.

I don't see reason for the Brooks wrench and exchange the pocketknife for a Leatherman Juice S2, or the like. The Juice S2 has a pair of pliers, which I find very useful, along with a scissors, a knife, and the usual screwdrivers.

If you are going to take spare spokes, you should look into something that allows you to remove the gear cluster on the rear wheel. This is a common place to break a spoke and without a tool to remove the gear cluster, the extra spokes won't help. I have a hyper-cracker, but there are other things you can use. Check this thread for more details: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...l-Removal-Tool.

I use leg warmers all the time but don't like arm warmers and don't take them anymore.

Can you combine the windbreaker and the rain jacket? I only use a thin rain jacket for both.

If you are interested, I wrote an article about taking less weight on tour that you might find useful.

It doesn't look like you are taking any cooking gear. Are you going to taking snacks along? If so, what?

[LeeG]

Wind breaker and rain jacket does overlap. With arm warmers and full finger gloves you'd only need a newspaper to keep chill off the chest.

I'm with you on no cooking. There are so many wonderful meals that come from all manner of fresh vegetables,fruit and canned food. Who knows you might develop a new cuisine from peanut butter,Power bars, pita bread and smoked herring.

[Clarabelle]

Halt Dog Spray?

[staehpj1]

It looks like a serviceable list. You could get by on much less and I personally would cut the list quite a bit, but it isn't far from what many folks I have met touring are carrying.

Just some food for thought... Personal preference but a few items where I would pack differently are:

• Halt! - I wouldn't
• Ground sheet - I don't feel the need for one. my tents typically fail for some other reason than the bottom, but regardless I'd use it until it needs patching or recoating, then patch or recoat. When that fails if the tent is still gong strong add a ground sheet at that time.
• Camp soap and shampoo - use one thing for both, baby shampoo is fine for clothes, dishes, body, and hair
• 1 jersey is all I take
• 1 under armor heat gear tee and a warm pile shirt are all the off bike shirts I take
• rain jacket and wind breaker? One item can serve both functions. The Sugoi should fill that need nicely.
• boxers (2) - Why? you don't even have any pants listed to wear them with. 1 pair of running shorts suffice to replace these and also can be your only off bike shorts, sleep wear, and swimsuit.
• No long pants? I would add some very light zip offs or a pair of very light wind/rain pants
• Solar charger - I'd skip it.
• Netbook - again I'd skip it.
• Stamped envelopes? - Buy as needed at the post office.

I actually cut a good bit more than that from my own list and have not missed anything.

Oh and I personally have not been thrilled with the wool items I have taken. They tend to soak up a lot of moisture and dry slowly. I switched to all tech fabrics and am happier.

[MichaelW]

A separate windproof and waterproof is useful. You are more comfortable on dry, cool days in a windproof. Both are lightweight and an extra layer of windproofing over/under a waterproof adds a lot of insulation should the weather turn at high altitude. A wool hat and/or buff takes up little room and adds a lot of insulation.
I dont bother putting my tent in a drybag. Mostly it gets packed wet from dew and if I can, I dry it out later. A drybag will keep the moisture in and develop mildew.

You may want some food prep items even if you are not cooking. A food knife, can opener, spoon, shallow bowl, mug or cup. I keep fruit inside my mug for protection. A small metal mug can be used as a brew kit for warm drinks.
I carry 2 plastic sporks. You can use a pocket knife for food prep but beware, they are difficult to keep clean. You can buy this stuff on the road if you think you need it.

[sprintfree]

Thanks for everyone's input, I have decided my rain jacket will double as my wind breaker. A lot of people are telling me I should cut back on the shirts and I think their right, maybe I will have the room to include a pair of lightweight pants then. I'll drop one of the jerseys and the arm warmers.I guess it would be unnecessary for me to bring the armwarmers when I have a long sleeve **** anyway. I'll look into getting a tire boot before I leave, they seem worthy of their weight/space for insurance purposes. Good suggestion about not needing the shampoo, that will be removed from the final list aswell.

Thanks for all this input! I think I will feel safe shrinking this list down a bit now

[LeeG]

I've used a dollar bill as a tire boot. A foot of 2" wide gorilla tape wrapped around the top tube where you might lean the bike against a metal post can be a ready source of boots.

[staehpj1]

Remember that the postal service's general delivery is your friend. It may give some peace of mind to have all of the stuff you think you might need at home with someone willing to mail it to you. I do that and it makes me feel better about leaving stuff behind. I have almost never actually had something mailed from home though.

It works the other way too, but I would advise not using that as a reason to carry more. I do recommend going over your gear item by item and sending home anything non essential periodically. On a long tour I always did that until my gear list was finally small enough that I haven't needed to. That happened when my list got to 22 pounds including the panniers, at 30 pounds I was still sending stuff home on long trips. At 14 pounds I am now more likely to want something from home but have did not actually have anything shipped on my Southern Tier, which was the first and only trip I have gone that light (so far).

Also remember that if necessary you can buy things along the way if in a bind.

[sprintfree]

Thanks for the advice and info!

That seems like a good idea using a dollar bill for a tire repair instead of the boot and it will save me some money

staehpj1, I'm shooting to get my total load under 30llbs. I have already made quite a few modifications to the gear list on my blog thanks to everyone's input. I'd like to avoid sending stuff home as much as possible to avoid shipping fees but its a good option. I'm impressed about your fourteen pound load, I think that might be considered ultralight for even a hiker!

[njkayaker]

If you are trying to minimize what you carry...

wool socks (2)

One pair. I'm assuming these are for cold. Maybe, two pairs of thin cycling socks.

Gore Bike Wear Windbreaker
Sugoi Majik shell rain jacket

One of these (not both).

Try to make stuff serve more than one purpose.

[njkayaker]

A separate windproof and waterproof is useful. You are more comfortable on dry, cool days in a windproof. Both are lightweight and an extra layer of windproofing over/under a waterproof adds a lot of insulation should the weather turn at high altitude. A wool hat and/or buff takes up little room and adds a lot of insulation.

Both should be close to the same degree of windproof. If he's cold, he needs more insulation (not wind proof) and he can use the other clothing he is carrying for that.

[yourboyblue]

Thanks for everyone's input, I have decided my rain jacket will double as my wind breaker. A lot of people are telling me I should cut back on the shirts and I think their right, maybe I will have the room to include a pair of lightweight pants then. I'll drop one of the jerseys and the arm warmers.I guess it would be unnecessary for me to bring the armwarmers when I have a long sleeve **** anyway. I'll look into getting a tire boot before I leave, they seem worthy of their weight/space for insurance purposes. Good suggestion about not needing the shampoo, that will be removed from the final list aswell.

Thanks for all this input! I think I will feel safe shrinking this list down a bit now

Let me join the chorus of people telling you to bring less clothing, especially shirts. I like wool as well, but I've found the wool jerseys to be too heavy. I rotate two Smartwool microweight tees--rinse one at night, wear the other to sleep and ride the next day. I also carry a heavier weight wool longsleeve, and haven't been as pleased with its utility, and I would suggest leaving yours behind.

I also don't see the need for a wind and a seperate rain jacket. Obviously everyone's temp varies, but it has to be REALLY cold or an extended downhill before I need more than a tee shirt. The hardest days are when it's wet/cold and hilly, and you're overheating on a climb and feezing on decents. In this situation, it doesn't really matter if your jacket breathes because you just want it for the downhill.

If you decide to leave the wool longsleeve, you'll probably want another isulating layer. I would suggest leaving the pillow at home, and replacing it with a light vest or jacket, either synthetic or down. It will make just as fluffy a pillow for you and let you leave another item at home.

I agree on leaving the dog spray--a strong yelling voice will serve you better. Definitely only one pair of boxers, if that.

I'm assuming you'll have some sort of chapstick/lipbalm, which I just wanted to mention I've found useful when doing road repairs on that Topeak pump. The grit out West works it's way in and breaks the seal on the cylinder and you can use chapstick to regrease.

Ground sheet probably isn't necessary, but on dry, bug-free nights (they exist!) it's nice to just rack out on that instead of putting the tent up.

YMMV but I always seem to accumulate zip-loc bags on the road instead of needing to bring extra--tortillas, trail-mix, etc. all come in them.

Have a great ride.

[moleman76]

Which of the routes are you taking? a southerly one, based on the temperature rating on your sleeping bag?

a wool cap will help in the early morning, keep ears warmer if you have a cold day or long descent on the road, and will extend the temperature rating on your bag.

Flip flops, with the thong strap between big toe and next one, or ones that your feet slide into? the slide-into kind are easier on socks.

Somewhere along the road you may want to get some bug repellent.

Dollar bills can work for tire boots, but I've heard that using a $20 inspires the rider to fix the tire sooner.