Originally Posted by
njkayaker
You really should provide more information to back up your request for "magic" advice.
Are you camping? How many days? Hilly? What kinds of services (towns versus wilderness)?
What bike and what equipment are you taking?
Maybe, even say where you are going.
Okay, lots of good stuff in this thread, but I can answer these:
I am camping (with which I have plenty of experience), and will be out for 4 or 5 days and the accompanying nights. Not "wilderness" but lots of miles between tiny towns. Going west from Lubbock, TX to Valley of Fires (Carrizozo, NM). Not terribly hilly, often pancake flat, southern winds (so cross) nearly all the time.
The bike would ideally be my Diamondback, but it's still under the knife, so it will be the Denali on which I've commuted for 3 months (and "rebuilt" in a piecewise fashion). There's a rack on the back that holds things quite nicely up to about 30 lbs so it will have the tent and emergency rain gear, tools are in the under seat bag, and I'll get a handlebar bag for anything else minor. All my previous camping excursions have been absolutely minimalist, and I expect my tour will be as well.