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Old 01-09-03, 11:11 AM
  #11  
sakarias
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Juneau, AK
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I echo Braumeister's suggestions for what to leave out and the philosophy behind it. We have gone out for 6 weeks starting with a comparable kit. Any more than that becomes a burden, in more ways than one.

I would suggest a metal spoon as plastic breaks too easily, if a spoon is necessary. Regarding food, use grocery stores as much as you can. Lots cheaper. If you do decide to eat in camp, at least sometimes, a small bowl or Sierra cup, small can opener (unless there is one on your multi-tool or Swiss Army knife) maybe a fork. Carry food with you so you can eat as you ride. Eat BEFORE you are hungry (and drink before you are thirsty).

I would probably leave out the scotch malt and cigars, personally.

For sleeping and keeping the inside of my sleeping bag clean from grimy legs, I use a pair of light weight long underwear bottoms, and set aside a clean tee-shirt for sleeping. (Cleaning a sleeping bag is a hassle I like to avoid, especially a down bag). otherwise, I tend to spend most all my time in bike clothes, and pull stuff over that for warmth. A pair of supplex nylon pants can cover up a lot, and add warmth for evening camp time over bike tights.

There ARE some things you should take for safety emergencies and roadside repairs that you may NEVER use. You still need to take them. You can go overboard here, too, as you can't really take things to repair ALL possible mechanical problems. There are things you can buy along the way, if you really need them. Bike tours generally take place in a civilized environment. People, businesses, restaurants, etc. can be used instead of hauling everything. I had to repair a wheel, on one tour. I hitched a ride to a nearby town with a bike shop.

In other words, if you find you are missing something, you can probably find a place to buy it enroute. If you are really worried about wanting/needing something and fear you might not find it along the route, then you should take it along. But, justify everything you take.

We once went on a month long river kayak trip on the Porcupine River in the northern Yukon Territory. There is only one small village on 300 miles of river, so we were on our own, period. We didn'e see anyone for a week (Much more isolated that one ever is on a bike trip. After the trip someone asked me if I forgot anything. I could honestly say that I did not regret taking anything we took and did not feel we were missing anything. It took a lot of years of practice to get to that level of confidence in packing for a trip, and a lot of thinking about gear and what to take/not to take on that particular trip, like you are doing, now.

Have a great trip, N_C.
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