Hello all,

I am going touring through the Florida Keys with my lovely lady at the end of this month. We have already made all the reservations and planned the itinerary. I am in charge of gear list meaning a little leeway in the way we pack. The plan is to do a 6 day bike trip up and down the Keys.

Currently we have 2 bikes, a Schwinn Varsity with a rock solid rear rack, and a Salsa Vaya with a busted cheapo Sunlite rear rack. We will be cooking and camping every day. The plan is to carry water, food, and alcohol on the bikes. Both bikes have adequate lighting systems. One is battery driven and the other is dynamo driven. Gearing has already been chosen. I'm taking the following:

2 sleeping pads https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...01_i00_details
1 Alps 5 lb tent https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details
softpack cooler https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details
Tarp/footprint for tent
Thin cotton sheets for sleeping (this is FL in late march, it WILL be warm at night, we will be skipping sleeping bags)
Small folding propane/butane cooking torch
2x 8oz Propane/butane mixed fuel
Clothes for 6 days of beaching and boozing (1 day of slightly nicer clothes for a beachside date)
2x Bathing suits (girl might pack more )
Cookware
Cutlery
Coffee cooking cup (small thermos bottle with a french press built in... pretty swag gift my gf got last year)
2x Flip flops
2x 24oz bottles each, 1x 20oz bottle each all mounted in bottle cages
2x small luggage locks for our tent doors
6x mini carbiners (to mount solar panel)
7 watt solar panel
2x AA/AAA charger, each can charge 4 at a time via USB/solar power
12x rechargeable NiMH AA
2x 36"x60" lightload towels (extremely small packed, 5 oz each)
3x 12"x24" lightload towels (even smaller)
2x Delta rack webbing
4x biking outfits, 2 each (shorts, shirt, shoes)
Sunscreen!
Trail mix / Clif bars / Gatorade powder
Small med kit
2x spare shift cable, 2x spare brake cable
1x spare chain and small chain parts
2x Topeak Alien II bike tools
6" adjustable wrench
18mm cone wrench for my Surly Singleator tensioner (necessary for rear wheel removal)
6oz bottle of Rock N' Roll Gold lube
Zip ties
2x Droid phones (battery hogs)
Decently nice point n' shoot camera

We plan on buying ice, beer, and food when we make camp in Key West for a few days. Both of us are vegetarian. One night each way we will have access to power for electronics. 4 nights are without power. I need to replace the rear rack on my bike. I'm looking at the Tubus line for both front & rear. My gf is concerned that we do not need front & panniers on my bike. Her bike is incompatible with all traditional front racks on the market. It is simply not worth the trouble at this time to outfit her bike with a front rack.

Question is: do I need front rack & panniers? We both will have rear Ortlieb Rear Roller Classic panniers (already own 1 set) & suitable racks. The lady friend thinks instead of buying her rear panniers and buying front rack & panniers for me we can just get a bike trailer. The cost is equivalent for most units, except for the Aosom trailer, which is also well rated. Also, if you see anything in the gear list I forgot, please let me know. If you think I need to take something out of the list, I feel as I've cut down as much as possible while still getting the 'vacation' feeling. Luxury is a consideration as well.

I am also considering getting a Busch & Muller E-Werk for power for our gadgets, which aren't many. We hope solar power will be enough to meet our demands but we both seriously doubt its ability to keep everything going. Our last short tour we ran out of power on day 3, albeit it was cloudy the entire trip. Seems a bit pricey if it's not something I need. Thanks for reading my long post.

If you've got a rear rack on each bike and rear panniers, that should be plenty. Add a handlebar bag to each bike for the things you need to keep close to you. That's all you need. If you were planning a longer tour and one in more remote or harsher areas, I'd suggest front racks, but not for one week in Florida in the spring. You're not even taking sleeping bags.

Most of your list looks decent to me, but there are a few thought I should mention.

1. You don't need much in the way of clothing. There's nothing wrong with taking a bit of time along the way to do laundry. This means less clothing, which also means less bulk and less weight.

2. I don't see a lot of value in luggage locks on the tent door. If someone sees something of value inside, an honest person would not consider taking it and a dishonest person might slash a locked tent to get at your stuff. The locks, while light, seem useless.

3. If the droid phones are battery hogs, turn them off except when you absolutely need them. You're on vacation and you may want a break from some of the technology.

4. I haven't used the propane/butane fuel mix, so I don't know how much weight it will add. Is this stuff easily available where you're going? If so, you may wish to have just one canister at a time.

5. One item I don't see is rough weather clothing. I haven't been to Florida and I have no idea what you can expect for weather, so the clothing you need is not the same as what I'll need. Do you need a light rain jacket or waterproof pants?

6. I'm wondering why you are planning to take two battery chargers and 12 rechargeable batteries. On my last trip, I didn't use a battery charger. Before that, I've only needed it because I normally have a GPS on the bike. What are you taking that will demand battery power?

I've found solar to be impractical for touring. Eliminate all this:

6x mini carbiners (to mount solar panel)
7 watt solar panel
2x AA/AAA charger, each can charge 4 at a time via USB/solar power
12x rechargeable NiMH AA

and buy one (or two if you must) HyperJuice Mini (7 ounces, unit charges phone 5-6 times).

Extra chain is overkill. If your chain is somewhat old then replace with SRAM w/ powerlink, before leaving. Bring one extra Powerlink for unlikely emergency. Also replace cables if old and don't bother with extras.

6" adjustable wrench is heavy and unnecessary. Only bring one multi-tool.

For FLA Keys touring, sunscreen & water are your most important friends.

One more thing, when I did my Key West tour I did have a few flats from the jetsam on the bridges. Bring a spare inner tube and a patch kit.

A spare chain? For six days? In the Florida Keys?

One or two sets of clothes can be worn for six days. I boozed it up crossing the northern tier (93 days) and then down the coast to Philly) with one pair of pants and two t-shirts.

BTW...I have never understood why people lay out their gear lists and then ask questions like "Do I need front panniers?" You are the best (if not sole) person who can answer that question.

1. Assemble your gear.
2. Test pack it in what you have.
3. If it doesn't fit, cut out stuff and/or add more capacity.

The good new is that since you'll be touring in flat terrain, the extra weight will have minimal impact on you. That said, I agree with the comments above. Also, I don't see the point of two identical multi tools, or taking any spare cables. For the dérailleur, just a front will give you 3 gears - plenty for the flatland of Florida. Likewise, all you really need is a front brake. The potential issue is only temporary since there are bike shops where you're touring.

Might I suggest you swap out the "busted cheapo Sunlite rear rack" for a new one.

B

I just bought this package on line from Tekkeon site.
https://www.tekkeon.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=9&idproduct=194

Came in 3 days and I have started testing it. So far it does everything it said it will. It is both a battery backup / charging device and also a charger for AA batteries. The reason I am trying it out is it takes my NMH batteries and also alkaline that in a pinch I can pick up anyplace along the way and they have a 5 year shelf life. I have a iPhone 4 with a Mophie juice box case that doubles the battery capacity. I have charged both with the Tekkeon together and alone. The unit is rated at 1000ma max draw and when I charged case and phone together the Tekkeon got slightly warm so I think I will use it one at a time. I don’t know the charge rate of the droid phones so you would have to check that out. My old DIY solution gave me weeks of recharge but was not as elegant of a solution as the little Tekkeon pack. The DIY shown below worked well.



.

Great advice everyone, solid stuff.

I do not think I will purchase one of these battery packs as my charger already fulfills this purpose, it outputs USB power. I am bringing 12x AA because each charger hold 4, and I will 4 in backup. The cost of a dynamo charger is also very similar to the packs you linked me to, so if I feel I need more I will probably get one of those.

Things I forgot to add to the list: tire boot, 3x spare tube each (different sized tires), patch kit, and a few KMC master links, super glue for tire repair

The luggage locks are extremely small. I do not see a reason not to bring them. I know if someone wants in they can always cut the tent, but it's a deterrent. Someone can steal my car using a coat hanger or breaking the window, but I still lock it. Makes a would be criminal make that mental leap.

For rough weather clothing... not sure what to bring here. I've lived in FL almost my entire life and whenever it rains... well... I just get wet. We will be wearing full spandex kits so rain won't be an issue. The only thing I'm worried about is shoes.

As for spare cables, well, I already own a bunch and they take up little space and provide me with piece of mind. I think I will end up replacing the cables on the Schwinn, they are just over a year old now.

Yes, I will replace the rear rack I just need to order the rear one. I was putting off ordering it until I knew for sure I didn't need that front rack. Wayne @ thetouringstore price up all the components; if I get the front rack & panniers with the rear rack and panniers I'm only saving about $30 on the bulk deal, so I can always call and order later for little opportunity cost.

If you are done with a series of cheap racks .. Tubus or Bruce Gordon,
but if you are not going to commit to more than a week a year for just a couple years ,
another aluminum rack will Do.


I have a Rain Cape, torso arms and legs stay dry
when the rain is not blown sideways..

Campmor out of NJ, has one with a hood so your head stays dry. but maybe
its so tropical just wait under a palm tree for a while.

I've towed only a little bit, but vastly prefer the way a loaded bike handles. Weight on the front adds weight overall (in the rack and bags,) but getting the bike balanced front to rear takes weight off the rear tire and makes for a more stable ride. Also, having a little excess carrying capacity makes packing after a shopping trip easier.

Another reason I'd recommend a front rack system is that if you decide to do a super lightweight trip later on, you'd have the option of leaving the rear panniers home and using the front panniers for gear with a bedroll on the back, which is my preferred way of packing. Here again, I think a bike just handles better packed this way. I've had front panniers for years and only bought rear ones last year.

I use a Salsa lowrider on my Vaya. For the rear rack I've had a Blackburn Mtn for years. Somehow it's survived a number of gravel road tours.

Carrying too much won't kill ya. Have fun!

Whatever you do - it's all good.

B

What night time lows do you expect? Perhaps I missed it, but with no pad and only a sheet, I hope it's 80 degrees at night.

There could be antifreeze factored into the equation also.

Low of 60, high humidity. Looking like low 60's all week.

If money is a concern, I suggest the Racktime Addit rear rack as the Sunlite replacement. It's $60.00 at REI and is available on their website if there's no REI close to you. Racktime is made by Tubus and is a very solid aluminum rack.

I ended up buying a Tubus Logo & Duo rack set, Ortlieb front & back roller classics, and a rack top bag. We are skipping the dynamo charger, and I'm trying to DIY it since we spent so much on gear already Weather is projected to be low 70, not 60! Whoops. Gonna be a couple of warm, muggy nights every night. Yum. Florida, where Summer starts in March.