Originally Posted by
pacificcyclist
Wow that's great and good for you to treat your daughter to a trip like this! Looks like an awesome trip and great destinations. We'll be visiting NYC and the east cost this Sept, so looking forward to that!
As far as backpack is concerned, I like to pack light too. I'm sure you are a sound of wisdom in terms of going with very little. When I experimented with the pack, I tried carrying it but gave it up. Just not comfortable. Then I tried strapping it to the rack and that worked better until I started climbing out of the saddle on hills. Laura Crawford and Russ Roca of Path less pedalled tour with a backpack strapped behind their Bromptons. I saw their contraptions in person in Portland when I met them at the PDX bike show -- very interesting, but you need a Brooks saddle.
You can actually pack less just knowing what you need. I usually carry 2 pairs of everything and just do laundry more often, plus I've been slowly buying functional quick drying and light clothing as seconds in the past years. I like Icebreaker stuff and the new Mountain Hardware down jacket that can pack into the size of a fist have been extremely handy for those cold nights that you need to keep warm. For internet, I use the phone and the Playbook for notes and journals and keep the iPad at home.
I am hijacking my own thread a bit, but relative to your backpack discussion I am not sure which to go with, but have narrowed the selection down to an Osprey Syncros 20 liter for me and 15 liter for her (
http://www.rei.com/product/828404/os...pack-100-fl-oz) or one REI pack for each of us (
http://www.rei.com/product/827110/rei-flash-18-pack). I like the suspension system of the Osprey because it keeps the pack off your back and therefore less sweat. However, that same suspension (and the internal frame) might give us a hard time when it comes to securing the pack on the bikes (like they do on apathlesspeddeled - I do have a Brooks). The Osprey has a couple of cool features (like a helmet keeper and rain cover), but the REI is way cheaper and might be better for use as a pillow or item to rest against whilst waiting or, well, while resting...
I have a thread in "touring" that discusses the internet/GPS/phone options as well. All in line with keeping the number of things we bring to a minimum and keeping the weight down. Right now I am experimenting with carrying the IPAD for WiFi access (no need for it via cellular lines) and GPS (I bought the MotionX app and playing with that). I'd like to know where lodging and restaurants are while we are out on the bikes.
Sometimes I think half the fun is planning the trip. However, I have found that so much going into the details and schedules can be thrown for a loop when reality hits while travelling. My last motorcycle trip was amazing, but if I had to do it all over again I would not have scheduled so many stops, with so many people along the way, and so many miles. This came to me a couple of times, but when I was still 900 miles from my next meet up, but only 10 hours to get there I realized that would not work. The bike (Ducati) will do that speed, but I won't!. You live and learn.