Originally Posted by
Newspaperguy
I tend to plan a little pessimistically. If it's a hot, dry summer, I'll still carry full rain gear, just in case. If it's warm in spring or fall, I'll carry cool weather clothing for the same reason. And I prefer having a little more food than I think I'll need if I'm on a road where services are a distance apart. If something goes wrong along the way, I could end up being on the road a lot longer than I had planned, so I want to be ready, just in case that happens.
yah, touring BC and the west is often pretty remote. i've ridden into towns so small everyone's gone and everything's closed up. probably happens in the rural prairies too.
For riders in Ontario, who's ever come ridden into a small town and pulled up to the BeerStore five minutes after they've closed up? That puts a damper on a trip.
I'm not sure what kind of lightweight rain gear I'd be able to find in a small town- likely stuck with a 30 dollar kilo of PVC that rolls up the size of a soccerball. I'm not confident of the advice of just buying things as you go along....it starts to rain. you have no raincoat. buy it later, wot? sure, you can resupply your toothpaste when needed, no need to pack a costco sized tube, but bring a raincoat and your shelter.
if you're buying a tent mid-tour, somethings likely gone wrong in the planning and execution.
An exception would be starting a tour in a large city and purchasing things immediately before setting out - i've helped outfit scads of northern tier and west coast riders setting out the next day or later that week who were just picking up what they needed then. not the best way to get familiar with your tent, but you've got to start somewhere.