First Tour - Self Contained
 

Hi everyone,

I'm about to try my first self contained tour. This is my current plan. Please tell me what won't work.

The tour:
The tour will be a short (1 week) one. Boston to Niagara Falls. I'm planning on mostly camping and not cooking but simply dining out for dinners and snacking at convenience stores.

The bike:
My commuter bike is a Specialized Tri Cross

The gear:
My bike is outfitted with a Gary Fisher Interchange rear rack. No front rack yet.
I've got 2 Arkel XM28 panniers.

I think this might not give me the carrying capacity I'm gonna need for the essentials (tent, thermarest, sl. bag, clothing and such). Does anyone have an opinion or advice?

Thanks
Danny

You shouldn't need a front rack.

One pannier for the clothing and toiletries. Another pannier for the sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and pillow. Tent on top of the rack, behind the Carradice. Tools, rain gear, and sandals in the Carradice. Cup, spoon, knife, wallet and camera in the handlebar bag.

You got plenty of storage space, with a rack pack. Long as you're not toting a 4 man tent, a daily change of clothes, or a week of groceries.

Most novice tourers pack too much. Way too much. Best way to solve this problem is do an overnighter. Use it or lose it.

On my non-catering tours, 2 panniers are enough. I also carry a bar bag on a quick release mount for carrying valuables and holding a map.
If your sleeping kit wont fit inside your pannier bag you can strap it on top of the rear rack. You can use plastic bags or nylon drybags for protection.
I used a very cheap and small solo tent, a 3/4 length thermarest style mat. For commercial campsites you need some privacy but for wilder/primitive campsites, a simple nylon tarp may do the job. I suggest you keep everything simple, cheap and lightweight to start with.
You can find packing lists around the net but don't overpack.
Don't take tools that you cant use. As long as your bike is in good condition to start with it should be OK. On a week's tour, a chain tool and spare powerlink is really the only special bike bit you need.

You can take quick drying clothes and wash them at night. 3 of everything is about as much as you need, 2 in good drying weather.
Minimise your footwear.
For non-cooking, I took a spork (or plastic disposable utnesils) and swiss army knife. If I need a cup, a coffee machine disposable one will last a week. Some people take brew-kits eg solid fuel sterno or alcohol gel burner and a metal cup.

Read up on some ultralight camping styles.

You should be fine with rear only. I use front bags basically for kitchen and food, for tours longer than a couple of weeks that include back-country camping.

Couple of things, I notice you're from VA and you say you're "about to try". I hope you don't mean any time real soon as it's still pretty much winter up here. Maybe a mild winter, admittedly, but still a challenging time to try a first time bike tour in that area.

Others have answered the equipment questions.

Going from Boston to Niagara Falls - are you planning on using the Erie Canal trailway for all/part of the trip across NY? If so, be aware that some of the eastern sections, particularly between Schenectady and Albany, were severely damaged by the hurricanes last Fall, and are probably not open. The last reports I've read are that sections of the path may not be repaired until late this year.

If you're going to use NY Bike Route 5 or part of the Ontario State Parkway/Rt. 104/etc, you should be fine.

When are you planning on going?

Try test packing what you plan to bring and see if it fits. As noted, tent (and even possibly sleeping bag) on the rear rack. If you don't have enough capacity, cut down the load or increase capacity.

You have picked a wonderful first tour. Like everyone else I can't emphasize enough on the overpacking thing. One change of clothes will do you fine. I did a week long last year and all of my clothing fit in one rear pannier with plenty of room to spare. e.g. 1 t-shirt. 1 convertible pant/short. I brought two pair of bike shorts and one long sleeve and two short sleeve bike shirts. A pair of sandals and two pair of socks. A rain jacket completed by wardrobe. On the Erie Canal we cooked one night while camping. The rest of the time we got prepared food at a supermarket. They are never far away from the canal or bike rt5.

I'm not far from Boston so if you need anything, get in touch. I'm on warm showers also. In Fairhaven Ma.

capejohn, 1+ on the clothing, maybe heavy on the shirts:)

I use my clothing stuff sack for a pillow. Have to carry stuff I don't need so it'll be puffy enough. It and sleeping bag in the rack pack.

yes, with those 56l panniers you will be fine, and bungee cording tent etc to the rack will take some weight off the bags too (Ive always preferred sticking the tent there anyway, if its wet then all the better)
I ride a Tricross and find it handles well with two full rear panniers. Have never put a front rack on it, even if it has the mounting holes in the fork. What gearing setup do you have on yours (diff models have diff cranks and cassettes)?

not sure if you mentioned a handlebar bag, but they are very handy for snacks, keeping id and valuables, camera etc that is nice to be able to quickly grab without messing around with a rear pannier (map of course too) etc.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

Time frame will be late July into early August. I don't have a bar bag but do have a trunk bag. My Tri-Cross is from 2004/05, is almost all stock, has suicide brake levers that would probably need to come off if I was going to use a bar bag (= hassle). The bike has a compact double crank. I couldn't give you the numbers without taking a close look. The rear cogset is probably something like a 13-26.

The route is still in the development phase. I will investigate the path and BR5.

Thanks for the packing list Capejohn! That really helps. I tend to overpack and know how I'll pay for that misstep. And thanks for your offer to help. There's an outside chance that I'll need a ride from the Amtrak station to Wellesley on Aug. 4 or 5.

I'll definitely test pack everything and probably test ride the rig too once packed and see what I've set myself up for.

Really appreciate the advice.
Danny

Everyone has said all you need are rear panniers. I agree, but I also feel having both front and rear panniers is better because it helps balance your load. It also gives you some extra room for groceries. You should be fine with just rear panniers, but if you have the money you might consider a front rack and front panniers as well.

A tune-up tour or two would be a good idea. Ride somewhere for a weekend and see how your load rides, what you need to bring, what you need to leave at home, etc.

two things--firstly, about the cross brake levers, you should be able to just angle them down more to have room for a handlebar bag if ever you go that route, or at least tilt them down (I find they still work fine tilted down) if you would like to visit some stores and see if a bar bag attachment system fits on alright (also, be careful of some very wide bags that could squirsh the brifter cables too much)

secondly, your model of tricross with the double cranks may have a wheelset with perhaps 24 spokes or thereabouts (my more heavy Tricross Sport with a triple crank has 32 spoke wheels) so depending on your weight, plus whatever weight you end up packing, could put you at risk for rear wheel spoke issues. (which is a pain in the rear, and that you would want to avoid). You would want to get some properly informed opinions on your wheelset and the total weight that will be on the rear wheel.
Put up a photo of it, and then start throwing crap into your panniers plus tent to get an idea of how many lbs are involved (probably 20-25?)

Take what you got and go out and do an over-night tour. You'll learn real quick what works and what doesn't and then tweak accordingly.

And be sure to bring a pad of paper and pencil so that when you discover you've forgotten some crucial item, you can write it down to add to your packing list.

Of course, if you forget the pencil.... ;-)

I don't know the geometry of your bike, but low riders and front panniers might be a good idea. Some bikes handle better with low riders.

Getting to Wellesly is easy on commuter rail, or you can ride your bike there.

Take a few overnight trips before you go.

After fourty years, this is what I carry.whether its a weekend, weeklong or more, thats what I need for bike camping. Since you're new,you might
Wander through the Real bike travelsegment for a "feel" of it.

Marc

You got yourself some nice Arkel bags there. 56 liters of bag capacity plus whatever you can stack on top of the rack. You will be fine. Depending on the time of year, you can save LOTS of room and weight with a hammock. and the route you should be following will have LOTS and LOTS of trees. You can't count on the frequency of convenient stores personally. I always bring Beef jerky, Ramen noodles a jetboil, Khatadin water filter (so i don't have to LUG so much water around, plus you can't really even trust the tap water from many country resources. Only need 1 WARM Layer 1 MEDIUM layer and all the rest is lightweight under-layers. though I typically over pack from excitement alone.

You'll be fine and you will have one of the greatest experiences of your life. Are you going with somebody or by yourself? Try packing your bike and riding it a couple time before the trip. Make sure you are not Seriuously overpacking in the back with no weight in the front. You will notice going uphills and starting every time.

Your tour is one week in summer and in an area with a good population density. You'll be able to get away packing quite light.

How you pack your gear depends on some of the equipment you're taking. Here's what I do for a trip of that length.

Right pannier
• Clothing, with the things you'll need most quickly near the top.
• Computer (if you take one) would be well padded and packed in the middle of the pannier.
• First aid kit in a special pocket near top.
• Toiletries
• Spare tubes, bungee cords, oil and tools too big for the underseat pouch in the rear pocket of pannier.

Left pannier
• Sleeping bag
• Cookware and food supplies
• Stove (stored in the cooking pot)
• Stove fuel in rear pocket of pannier

Handlebar bag
• Wallet
• Camera
• Notebook
• Snacks or trail mix
• Light jacket (optional)

Top of rear rack
Sleeping pad
• Tarp
• Tent

Tools and tire patches go in a small bag under the saddle.

If your sleeping bag is bulky and won't fit into the pannier, then put it in a waterproof bag and strap it to the top of the rack with the rest of the gear. Balance out the rest of the load between right and left.

Update from the OP
 

The departure day draws near, and I just want to give everybody an update on the sitch. Here's some update factoids and replies to some of your queries, in no particular order:

We've reined in our projected daily mileage to about 60-70 a day. I am traveling with one other guy, Mark. He's the instigator for this tour. We're getting an automobile assisted head start, getting dropped off outside of Boston. I'm not sure just where yet. I'm letting Mark plan out the route and the camp spots. I do think we'll be on the Erie Canal path for allot of it.

As I was getting concerned about hills, weight and not having low enough gearing on my Tri Cross, I got a Surly Disc Trucker. I put Tubus racks on it, a Duo-front and a Cargo-rear. I also bought a pair of Arkel GT-54s. Paired with my XM-28s I've now got more than ample carrying capacity. Also I'll be able to balance the weight among all four bags. I don't plan to take a bar bag. I've spent just about enough money!

The hammock idea sounds great. I'd love to not have to lug the tent, but what does one do to avoid being mosquito food?

I already love touring and know I'll like going self contained, so I felt strongly that all of this is an investment that will pay me back for many years.

Your advice and encouragement is priceless. Thanks to all.
Danny

+1 on the hammock. The commercial backpacking hammocks all come with mosquito protection. Hennessy is one brand but there are many others. I bought a nylon "backyard" hammock and sewed my own mosquito "tube" for it. You definitely need something. I found that out on my first tour with one. Couldn't get any sleep despite a bath in 100% DEET and so found myself starting my ride that day at about 3 a.m. With the tube I've toured in Newfoundland, Northern Maine, Quebec and Labrador. No problems. Good luck and have fun.

Nice set-up! :thumb:


You might consider a Hennessy Hammock. It's fully enclosed and you enter it from the bottom.

http://hennessyhammock.com/

I didn't see your dates anywhere but my group of three will be riding the Erie Canal west to east beginning July 14th. Maybe we'll meet along the way.

I'm posting HERE during our ride. Keep in touch if you want.

Wow, that is a lot of capacity! Did you actually gather your gear and determine that it will take somewhere near that much room? I can't imagine myself carrying enough to need that much space. It seems like a generous amount of space for a tandem team on a long tour. Everyone is different in their requirements though, so I hope it works out well for you.

FWIW, look before you leap on these. Hennessey and other camping hammocks are generally heavier and more expensive than some of the solo tents on the market. You still need insulation under you so you do not eliminate the need for a pad. So go with a hammock if it suits you for comfort reasons or for the specific terrain you will be touring in. Just don't expect to save weight or money.

Have a great trip and many more in the future.