jeepseahawk

So I am getting the touring bug, bought an used bob trailer and started modifications on it, bottle holders in rear and currently welding up a kickstand. Maybe I will take photos of the kickstand build, pretty cool so far and only 5 bucks spent on metal.
I am going this route using my Seven Ti bike, no braze-ons for racks but the bike was built with heavier tubing designed for me, the clyde. I went relaxed geometry for century rides. I have had the bike 9 months now and love it, will do until I piece a Surly LHT disc together. Per Seven, they recommended a 32 hole rear wheel for towing the trailer and the bike will handle it with ease, I chose a Deep V with 105 hub, should do.
Got my sleeping bag, REI special close out, Mountain hardwear Switch 35 long, should be fine for summer California trips.
Cheaped out on tent, bought a Bass Pro Shop single person, will get a better one later.
Next on list is a Jetboil, still deciding which one will work for me, or if someone has better one in mind, don't want that self-made one though.
I plan not to bring a lot of stuff but am thinking about getting a Topeak handlebar bag that also works as a fanny pack, will be great for taking valuables with me.
I really want to take my Garmin 500 but am worried about charging it, can someone recommend a portable battery charger to top off the Garmin and Smart phone, will be using smart phone for mapping my location? Will also take a paper map, just in case.
I am covered for lighting front and rear, battery operated.
Tools, first aid kit, tubes and bike maintenance stuff will go with me.
Thanks to this touring section I have learned a lot! Still researching though, sure it will be trial and error first time out.

crazy cheste

You seem to have every thing in order. Take smaller trips first couple times so you learn what you need and what it takes. Don't forget about clothes, and if you have the money to spend look up the Msr Hubba single man tent. It is very well made. Or look up the Eureka Solitare, it's about 90 dollars and will get you through a lot of stuff. Good luck man, I hope to get to California one day.

seely

The Coleman Xponent single tent is awesome and around $70. Shock corded aluminum poles, welded sealed seams, bathtub floor, etc. around 3lbs with the fly. For a stove, Amazon has a great one similar to MSR's designs for around $10. Cheaper metal/construction but works fine.

Western Flyer 

The Jet Boil stoves are about as space age a backpacking cooking system as I have seen out there. They go from zero to boil in seconds flat. At hiker/biker campsites I have experienced folks sitting down to eat their piping hot “soup in a box” dinners while I am still cutting up my dinner fixings to stir-fry over my >2 oz alcohol stove. But I think the Jet Boil is a mismatch for most bike touring - even “heat and eat” meals. It is a very heavy system, which seems more appropriate for deep back country hiking where fuel conservation is paramount. I suggest you look at something like the Snow Peak Lite Max canister gas stoves. It weighs less than my homemade cat-can alcohol stove and matched with ultra-light aluminum or titanium cookware could cut your cooking weight in half or more and still have all the ease of gas cooking.

Booger1

Jetboil is great.....if you want to heat stuff up or boil water.Try cooking some real food in it......

I normally have hours to kill,why do I need to cook my food in 2 1/2 minutes? Chances are good I will be passing some place that has fuel every few days at least.

I expend alot of energy on tour,I need real food on tour,I can only stomach soup,chili,rice and pasta so many days in a row.

It's worth it just to see the look on the other campers faces when you pull a steak and fresh corn on the cob out of your panniers for dinner.

Get a stove that will simmer well,whatever it runs on.Cooking in lightweight aluminum or Ti with a burner that has one speed is no fun.

If your just heating things or boiling water,great,the faster the better...if not,you might want to think this over some.

rifraf

LOL, I remember being where you are not so long ago. Just try to remember bicycle touring is a lot about learng to do things as light weight as humanly possible. I couldnt believe that my super reliable Optimus 111C wasnt the best stove on earth but I slowly came round and now I use an alcohol fueled, no spare parts needed, Trangia stove set with kettle. Whilst I still believe the Optimus is the best stove ever made, I now concede its not the best stove for an extended bike tour.
Work your way up to getting a dynamo hub, not just for lighting which your unlikely to need whilst touring, but to charge your phone/gps/batteries etc. I was an easy convert and bought a Son dynamo hub and E-werk which is a German gadget for setting voltages and charging almost anything less than 13 Volts.
Work your way up to a 4 season tent (2 man max). Something that wont blow over in a storm. Pricy but worth it. Less than 2.5kg. Tubus make the best racks and Ortlieb the best panniers (and no thats not just my opinion - google is your friend) Make sure your sleeping bag is warmer than you think you'll need. Nothing worse than being too cold to sleep). Put a footprint (small tarp) below your tent to keep the bottom clean, hole free and dry. That enough tips from me to get you going. The best tip is "just get out there and do it"!!!

seely

Here's the $10 piezo light stove I use. It's super simple and has not let me down. If it did, its simple enough that I believe I could easily fix just about any issue with it on the road: https://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Bac...s=hiking+stove

It works with most any gas as well.

jeepseahawk

Like that one, probably will be it and some titanium cookware. I liked the jetboil concept because I love coffee!
Thanks everyone for the input, most likely I will hit restaraunts and only cook one meal a day. I like the dynamo idea but not in the budget quite yet.
I don't expect all my gear to be over 40 lbs including trailer weight of 18 with drysak, not including bike though. The good thing is that my bike will only weigh 19 lbs with the deep v and heavy touring tire. The bad part is my gearing, compact with 11-28 cassette and hills are my downfall.

fietsbob

pack it up and do a weekend out and back .. see how it goes..

not going long or far,? cartridge stoves or Alcohol fuel are simple to operate.

I got a Multi-white/auto gas/Kero one ..the ability to use unleaded petrol
meant fuel was bought 50c at a time. as I went..

RE the Coffee thing.. Otrlieb's cone filter holder packs flat weighs nothing, and
any napkin 'filter' will hold the grounds , a couple sticks or extra wire tent pegs
hold it over your small Pot/cup , to pour the boiled water through.

antokelly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dahGa...NBmXg&index=29
you got to take a full look at this .
enjoy,

seely

The coffee thing is simple. Cafe Bustelo espresso ground beans in vacuum sealed 10oz packs is $2 at the dollar stores here. Its super compact and lightweight. Put enough grounds in the bottom of the mug to cover the bottom, pour in boiling water, stir. Let it steep for a minute or two. The grounds will completely settle to the bottom of the mug and the coffee is excellent.

Rob_E

I use this New Trent battery, but I will probably replace it this spring/summer. A relatively short drop on to the concrete has damaged it to the point where, while it still works, it's not entirely reliable. I wish it was more rugged, but I don't fault it too much. Not many electronics like being dropped on a hard surface.
If you're looking to charge two devices, you might focus on batteries with two USB charging ports so that everything can charge at night. I got a high capacity battery because I was charging my tablet. You might go smaller, but if you're relying on your electronics for navigation, more capacity might have its use. Also, some batteries can recharge from a USB port, and some cannot. My battery cannot, and I wish that it could, because that would allow me to only carry one plug: A USB charger that would work with my phone, tablet, and a couple other random items.

Coffee. I think just about any stove can heat water, so coffee is pretty easy. To make it super easy, I tried carrying some Starbucks instant coffee. It works well, but I'm not crazy about it. My wife is a fan, though, and a coffee addict, so it might be worth a look. Now I use this GSI cone. I pack up some filters with ground coffee pre-measured into them, then I'm ready to go in the morning. My alcohol stove heats up my kettle just fine. Pour the water into the cone which sits on top of my insulated travel mug. My only issue is that between the near-boiling water and the insulated mug, it sometimes takes a while for the coffee to cool down enough to drink.

jeepseahawk

What about this little stove? https://www.jensonusa.com/Stoves/Opti...e-w-Terra-Solo

digibud

the garmin isn't going to work unless you can find something to charge it with every night. I'd be looking for a unit that does gps but uses regular AA batteries assuming you can buy them along the way. If you're using your smart phone for mapping you can get away with a non-gps bike computer with a battery that will last for months. It's the gps that sucks battery life. Don't forget a small, good flashlight and/or bike lights. I don't need lights when I tour but you probably do just in case something happens and you have to continue past dark.

stevepusser

You can get inexpensive chargers that hold a couple of protected 18650 Lithium ion cells. You charge the cells on AC, then the charger can use the cells to charge other items via a USB port, or the cells can be used in a bike headlight.

Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, about 35 miles from San Bernadino at 3000 feet elevation, has some nice hike and bike sites. The store in the campground had a limited selection of food when I stayed there a few years ago, so bring your own gourmet selections if you try a test overnight there. Also be prepared for some short steep sections on the winding road between I-15 and the lake.

Doug64

An 11-34 will fit, coupled with a Deore LX ( on sale at Jensens Bike) rear derailleur, totalling less than $100, will give you a some lower gearing

jeepseahawk

I got the Bob Yak kickstand all put together, little welding and brainstorming gave me decent results. Only added 1.5 lbs to trailer. Still cannot believe they have not made this an option, much needed. I used all stainless steel hardware to alleviate rusting. I am a backyard welder so critique with that in mind.

This is the bottom bracket, attached with stainless bolts.



Folded out and holding bike and trailer upright with no issues.



Close up of linkage, the pin was designed to lock stand back or front and also used to turn the stainless adjusting bolts for length.



Folded up and out of way.



Linkage pin used to turn adjusting bolts to get level, drilled holes in the heads and it works perfect.

jeepseahawk

I actually have sram 11-32 on my carbon bike, was used for climbing but just can't get myself to switch over the parts. My buddy did the Shimano Mtn Der trick and had a horrible time keeping it aligned.

digibud

nice job on that kickstand. great to have the ability to do that

jeepseahawk

Thanks digibud, it was fun to make and great relaxing therapy, I love to tinker.