I just checked time and temp, it's 4 am and 70F in St. Louis. I'm planning to take off for a week or 2. I'm thinking I should take some light fleece jacket and my tights if it gets below that. I'm thinking prepare for 20* below what normal/average temp is. The extra clothes are almost a kilo, that I might not use. Is it good insurance or not??
Anything else you bring that you hope to not use?

I take enough be comfortable at the average low and to get by at the record low.

I carry my 7oz down vest. It's my pillow stuffing and extra warmth layer. Paired with my long sleeve wool top & rain shell I'm good for summer extremes.

I don't think I'd bring fleece for 70° weather.

How are you camping/sleeping? Bringing a sleeping bag? So will you be out and about in the middle of the night?

St. Louis has a wicked habit of having sunny weather in the morning, then clouding up with thunder showers in the afternoon. I'd be tempted to bring a lightweight rain slicker which would double as a long-sleeve shirt or warm top. No need for additional fleece.

Here's my complete summer/mountain clothes list:

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]riding shorts[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]tech T shirts x2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]padded under shorts x2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]wool socks x2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]swim/extra shorts[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]rain gear[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]17.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]down vest[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7.1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]fleece cap[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]merino pants[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]merino top[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]total weight in (ozs)[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]92.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]total weight (lbs)[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]base wear (lbs)[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]max carry clothes (lbs)[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

This is what I carry for an extended trip that would include various summer climates. If I was doing a short bike-camping trip (with a specific weather report), or limited to tropical area, I'd cut down as warranted.

What have you been wearing over the last 2 months kf riding when itit was in the 50s and 60s?
Bring that stuff if you are worried about the temp dropping 20deg under what it was this morning.

...a pair of lightweight tights balls up to a softball and weighs basically nothing in my mind. Have a lightweight rain jacket from Novara or PI and that will more than warm your torso and arms. $50 for the Novara one and you can remove the sleeves too.

https://www.rei.com/product/891386/n...ke-jacket-mens bundles up small enough to pack in jersey pocket.

https://www.rei.com/product/884481/n...ke-jacket-mens arms velcro and zip off.


These sort of jackets warm you up like crazy.

https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-iZUMi-I.../dp/B0089DP1M2 this is prob not needed, but if you are concerned about riding in 50deg weather, it doesnt hurt to bring along when there is a lot of wind with that 50deg temp. Keeps your ears warm but doesnt overheat your head. Most important, it keeps earache away due to wind and cold. Prob not needed in even 50s weather, but this seems like a legit post and not some trolling thread, so here are legitimatw suggestions.

I have a Saucony Drylete headband which is thinner than the PI, so i dont have experience with the PI.

I do have a Novara conversion jacket and love it for what i use it for- spring/fall morning rides where it starts out very cold and is expected to warm up.

In the old days when I shaved my legs I would grease them up with cooking oil to keep out the light rain and cold wind. After a while the legs warmed up and absorbed the oil.

When I go on a bike trip I take summer clothes only...cycling shorts and jersey. Last year on a 8400 mile June 22nd-September 19th trip that's all I took. Remember your body is the best protector of itself. Let your body heat keep you warm not the clothing. The clothing will make you cold since you will raise you body temperature by wearing it. When your body temperature gets above 98.6 you start sweating to cool the body down. Sweat is called evaporative cooling not evaporative warming. It's not designed to warm you up, rather to cool you down because you are already too warm. Instead of taking clothes off and on just let your body naturally take care of itself. It generally takes 10-15 minutes of riding to get the body heat kicked in evening during the winter.

Yes, I will admit that last year on the 227 mile day that I finished around 4AM I spend most of the predawn overnight hours riding with temps in the mid to upper 50s with nothing but cycling shorts and a jersey on. I was fine as long as I kept moving. The real problem had simply been the nice warm up the previous couple of days otherwise I would have even been fine while stopped. When you get hit by 90+ degrees for daytime highs for a while when you are out riding everyday the body gets conditioned to it so when the temps drop like they did that night the body isn't used to the colder temps and it will make you colder much sooner than you normally would otherwise when your body is conditioned for it.

Just remember the key thing to do is to get riding and let your body warm up due to the exercising then you will be warm even if you don't have much in the way of clothes on. Let the body regulate itself. I do this even during the winter and only wear cycling shorts and uninsulated wind pants and a long sleeve cotton tshirts and an unisulated wind jacket clear down into the teens. I'll ride 100 mile days in the dead of winter when the temps are in the 20s dressed like this. I just let the body heat keep me warm, not the clothing. The clothing can't keep you warm. Take a dead person and toss all the clothing on him that you want and see how long he stays warm. It's your body heat that keeps you warm.

No way would I take a fleece for a summer trip unless I was traveling to the top of the Rockies or someplace like that. I have would to be way up in elevation before I would contemplate a fleece for a summer trip. Wasted pack space and pack weight.

By learning to ride smarter you can ride with less and save more money and go for longer trip because you don't have to work as much to buy the extra unnecessary gear. Ride smarter.

I toured in southern Utah last June. 85 degrees during the day, 35 degrees at night. I had a light down sweater and was glad I did. It stuffs down very small and is really warm. I pack it on every trip of any kind I go on.

weatherspark.com has a page of averages for cities. For example, near St Louis.

The highs and lows chart shows the 25th to 75th percentile in darker red and blue, 10th to 90th percentile in light color, and the averages with a dark line.



The time spent in the different temperature bands is useful, too. This includes all 24 hour periods in that time of year.


And they have wind speeds, wind directions, rain and thunderstorm percentages, and more.

I've started looking at their dew point chart to see if the hot weather is going to be muggy and uncomfortable, or drier and cooling.

Cool!!
Pun intended!

I live in a place where in the middle of summer, it can snow. So I have always toured with an additional layer of clothing in my panniers, just in case. It has served me well over the years.

Two of the better acquisitions for me have been light fleece jackets from Decathlon in France, under the Quechua brand. They are full-length zip, but of a very light fleece, so they compact down to a small pack size, and they are warm to wear over my other tops and under a waterproof jacket. I like them also for their wicking capability to keep whatever tops underneath as close to dry as they can be.

I mention them, because I have yet to find in Australia and Canada tops that are of the same light fleece material.

Light thermal tights, a thermal top, and a light toque (we call them beanies in Australia) plus some long-fingered gloves would be a minimum requirement for me. Plus waterproof pants and top, generally to keep cold wind out.