Technology and OCD tour planning
 

I've always been an organization junkie. A few years ago I was keeping a rough spreadsheet of my gear, but it was not an ideal solution. I wanted a way to quickly generate a packing check list for whatever kind of trip was on the schedule. Obviously you have different requirements for a weekend/6 month trip, road/backcountry, US-Europe/ 3rd world. How can I plan better to keep my costs and packed weight down? I decided to use a database and I think it was worth the time to build it out.

I can now:

• Create packing lists for any length of trip quickly
• Create packing and resupply lists for any number riders.
• Keep records of serial numbers for expensive gear and bikes
• Calculate cost of consumables for duration of trip
• Plan and prepare mail drops ahead of time for resupply
• Calculate accurate weight estimates for specific trips
• Calculate weight by pannier for load balancing

Just about any other info you want to know is a simple query away.

http://www.bicycle365.com/postimages/database.png

I know many of you don't give it this much thought and just figure it out. I did that too for 20 years but have found I can much better tailor my kit and streamline what I bring by applying some OCD level planning in the off season. (I was the operations manager of a 300k sq. ft. warehouse before becoming an enterprise systems analyst, so I love this stuff anyway)

How do you prepare for a trip, logistically speaking? Do you use a computer, index cards, just a big pile of gear in the middle of the floor?

have you been self-medicating again? :lol:

Been a long snowbound winter here in the Boston area :) Meds would have been good to have :thumb:

This next week is going to be the first time I've toured, but so far I've churned out half a dozen spreadsheets, three hand-drawn packing diagrams, called the BLM and the Fish and Wildlife Service, applied for and received several pro deals, learned to sew, practice-packed my bag twice, called the manufacturers of my wheels, my panniers, my racks, spent at least a full day's worth of time poring over topo maps and Google maps of the route, changed the tires on my bike twice, and read a book on the history of the area. This could explain why I'm behind on my homework.

you must be a wreck! sounds like you need a vacation. :lol: i've heard bike touring can be relaxing...

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=438141

After my first tour, this is what I end up with on my light/minimalist setup. on a list, it looks like more than it really is. Total, the gear is probably only 23 lbs or so.

I did up lists on Microsoft Word a number of years ago, including weights of all individual items. The weights became paramount because of the restrictions on airline luggage. Those lists were very helpful.

Word has the ability to have simple formulas for cells within tables, which also can be sorted quite easily. Excel obviously is much more advanced. If I could be bothered, a databasing system could be even more useful, and may come in the future.

Several years ago I came home from a boundary waters canoe trip where I was convinced I had to do something to change how I pack to lower the weight. When I got home I put a bunch of my gear into a spreadsheet with accurate weights. Next trip, I could compare different items by weight and decide which items to take. That next trip I reduced my weight almost 10 pounds by substituting lighter weight stuff for heavier items.

Since then I use that spreadsheet for my trip planning. Since I keep a record of past trips, when I go on another trip I can pull up an old list from a similar trip to use as a template to work from. Everything else on your list, costs, load balancing, mail drops, other rider gear lists, etc, I do not document. I only use it as a tool to keep weight reasonable and to avoid forgetting to bring something along.

Have been adding to and modifying that same spreadsheet for over 10 years now, it is a good thing that my old computer still runs Lotus 123, Version 5.

I like to do detailed planning for my tours and I created a webpage that puts all my research in an on-line database that I can access from anywhere I have internet access.

In the US, I can access the data using my smartphone from just about anywhere. Outside the US, I have found wi-fi readily available so, again, this data is easily accessible.

The page stores my usual packing list that I then can customize for each different tour I am planning. It also holds a day-by-day itinerary and other details.

Anyone can use it with a free login: Bike Tour Planning Main Page

Here is the plan I created for my last bike tour in Wales.

I'm the opposite. but I was older already when the stuff was Invented.

Paper Maps bought as I went . now I have a collection of maps from many Countries ..

i thought about doing the database thing a few times, but each
time i just went on a bike tour instead.

I have a spreadsheet, but my list isn't that large so I can pretty much keep it all in my head and as everything has a specific place in my baggage it's hard to leave stuff behind. If you need a data base you might have too much stuff.

I have a word doc of a wide range "list", ie stuff that I think of for all kinds of trips (diff weather specifically) to help as a reminder to jog my memory of for example, "oh yeah, that fleece neckup would be good to add" sort of thing.

in reality though, each time I do a trip I tend to print out the list and just keep it along with the specific maps or whatever in a cardboard holder or two of various "bike trip/maps/info" stuff. When I think of a trip, I just get this stuff down from a shelf and then start going through things and go over my little notes from previous trips.
I find it handy to make little notes after a trip, like-- didnt use this, too hot, or "wish I had a X" or whatever.

not very organized but I like having it on paper still, to be frank I don't ever see myself doing a setup like you, I'm too much of a lazy bugger to spend the time on it like you have. Guess I just dont have the interest either (computer programs wise) , although the basic idea is the same--keeping track of a "bike list" to not forget stuff and to reflect changes in what you bring depending on conditions and/or over time and wanting to bring less stuff.