I was until I looked at how much it would cost for two nights. I'm going to hit up the free spots at Granbury lake. I'm aiming to get to Thorp Spring RV park.

For a short trip I think you are ok. However, the worst feeling in the world is having something break and not being able to fix it. Hubs BBs etc aren't really field fixable, and they usually give notice of their demise. I carry parts for stuff that can fail without giving much notice, so that includes cables, screws, tubes, tires (carry boots). I carry the same stuff for a 3 day or a 3 month tour.

There's a mountain bike camp 7 miles from Dino where you can camp for just a few bucks. http://www.solavaca.com/

Mack, the owner, will have no issues with a tourer. You can drop the name "Truman suggested I call" and he'll be great. He has water and campsites, and a portalet, but you might want to stop in at Dino and hit their shower before heading there.

The Granbury Lake sites are right in town. Plenty to do, but I wouldn't want to sleep there much.

WalksOn2Wheels, I think your setup is fine. Don't listen to all these people trying to get you to carry more weight! Ultralight backpackers of the world unite! IMO you're trending more conservative than what I'd consider ultralight. Which is fine.

Ok, maybe consider adding a Powerlink to your tool kit.

best thing you can do is go ride a few times with your rig and see what needs adjusting. I don't see the need for tools beyond allen wrenches or small multi-tool for a weeks worth of road riding. If the gear is a new package that's what you'll be readjusting/securing.

+1 multi-tool is fine. Hauling around an extra two-pounds of tools/parts is a waste.

Really? Right in town? I was under the impression that it was like 4 miles away from downtown by the lake. I have a good lock for the bike and headphones for noise, etc. Are you more worried that it will be loud or that I might get messed with/bike stolen, etc.?

This is very interesting and shows the infinite variability in the stuff that is "needed" to go touring. The OP is well on the way to a good ultralight setup and is leaving me behind in the comparatively heavy 20lb gear weight region of the lightweight tourist. What you carry is also somewhat dependent on when and where you're going. My goal has always been to use ultralight equipment and keep 95% of the comfort and utility of the "loaded" tourer and have a setup that would work anywhere in Spring, Summer or Fall. So I use a Tarptent Contrail rather than just a tarp and carry quite a few spares, rain gear and stuff for cold weather. Many travel lighter and I admire that.

Since it seems you're not expecting rain, you could just ditch the tent. between ditching the tent and the pillow (HTFU) you could save quite a bit.

The tools you have are sufficient, as long as you're near civilization, just remember to buy a new tube if the old one goes.

Also, using grams makes all of your spreadsheet problems go away. You can use the remainder function in excel; but metric is better.

It always rains when you least expect it.......

Two Powerlinks, and two Fiberfix spokes. They don't weigh much of anything and are the only way to replace a driveside spoke on the road.

Silnylon tarp, bug net. you're not likely to die sleeping out under a tarp for a couple of nights.


For the likes of me, I cannot figure out how the yellow/grey bag got so large for carrying such light weight. Definitely some more straps, i dropped a stuffsack off a rack once while mountain bike touring in the eighties, and had to backtrack at dusk to find it. no fun.

Eh, you're probably looking at different ones than what I saw. I'm sure there's more than one set of campgrounds.

The bag got huge mainly because I have the unnecessarily large pillow in there that hardly compresses down (primaloft) and the down bag can actually go a lot smaller in a better stuff sack, but I didn't bother with it because everything fit. Without the pillow and packing the sleeping bag to about half it's size, I would probably do away with about a third of the size of the bag. But for now, I'm going luxury. :lol:

I think I'm also going to look at another sleeping pad in the near future. Maybe more of a torso length one. The majority of my trips would be in nice weather anyway. I'll have to save my pennies before spring break. Waiting on the 2011 tents to get out there as well. Nothing worse than spending 2-300 bucks and then a bunch of lighter, cooler tents get released a month later.

Why two powerlinks? A broken chain can be fixed with one set. Why do you need spare spokes for replacing a spoke on the road? A wheel with broken spokes can be passably retrued using the multitool.

I don't begrudge people their extra tools and spares, but there are other lightweight ways to deal with mechanical issues on the road. Everything weights something and it's utility must be critically examined before going in the pack.

Walkson2wheels, keep an eye on http://www.gearattack.com/.

There's a carbon-poled MSR 2-person tent in the rotation tight now that weighs 2.7lbs, going for 55% off. Saw it yesterday, and I'd expect it to come up a few more times.

Kind of funny how so many people say that there is no way to do touring 'wrong,' and then when someone posts their gear, lots of people say it's 'wrong.' Just an observation. :)

Funny, seems like the only wrong comment so far is the one above. :rolleyes:

Everyone else just offered their thoughts and advice; trying to be helpful. Fortunately, the OP seems to have taken the replies with that spirit.

Just an observation. :)

Uh huh.

definitely true, but that doesn't mean you have to pack for a monsoon. If the only rain gear you have is a disposable poncho, having a full 3 person tent seems like overkill.

I might suggest a closed cell foam pad; while they can be pretty bulky, they are light and cheap. I tend to put mine into my dry bag (strapped to the rear rack) first, and expand it so it works kind of like a frame.

+1 on the closed cell foam, it's light inexpensive and worked in lots of situations, no need to blow it up either, of course it is bulky. I spent some pennies of a Neo Air at Christmas and I like it a lot, comfortable, light and packs small. Only bad thing is the feel of the material, but it wear long johns and a T shirt to bed so it'd no big deal.

Fir me a tent has to shelter me from rain AND bugs...so I'd never use a tarp without a bug net. the upshot is I like single walled "tarptents" like the Contrail. It only weighs 1.5lbs so thats good too, I'd recommend the OP get one of those to replace his old heavy tent.

Well 3-4 days you can easily rough it to reduce weight. Winter riding usually pulls a few extra pounds on. I went on a 90 day tour with out a stove, to give you an idea of what I think roughing it is.



If your in Texas you should be able to easily plan for rain or no rain. I had many trips in AZ I never even brought a tent. I simply looked at the humidity level.


I suggest finding a few stores along the way. In case you need anything rather than carry it.

Looks good man, there have been several constructive reviews so far. The only thing I would add is maybe you turn your big bag on the back rack the other way. Not sure it will fit that way, but might make it more aerodynamic. Only take a minute to try. have fun!

Oh I wanted to ask about your stove, pot combo. How well does that can pot rest on the cat stove? I think I tried that combo sometime in the past and thought it was a wobbly fit, maybe I had a different brand of beer, might have been Fosters?? Anyway, love the cat stove, works great!

As for the pot/stove combo, it's totally wonky. Dangerous at best. :lol: Ok, that's a bit extreme, it really is manageable. I really like it as a system, but it is lacking in stability. I've used it a lot with no issues, but I'm considering going to a nice red bull stove I made and a Ti cup that wouldn't require a protective container. Just drop the spork, fuel, etc. in the cup with the stove and throw it in a drawstring bag. Once again, I must save my pennies (for the Ti cup).

The redbull stove I made doesn't work with the Heineken pot because the jets are too high up and the top of the stove nestles in the bottom of the beer can and suffocates the jets. I was in the process of making a second one with lower jets to see if that would work, however, it doesn't look like it would fit inside of my container with the current fuel bottle... It's a constant back and forth. The stove I did make with the redbull cans is an absolute champ with a flat bottomed pot for boiling, hence the ti-cup idea.