The Bragging Never Ends
The First All-Inclusive Gear List in the History of ME
This is the page I hinted at yesterday--the one where I'm going to brag about my extreme minimalism. I have never included a gear list before because nothing I carry would impress anybody, much less the experienced bike tourists on this website. Today, I'm going to try to impress anyone still reading this with the stuff I WON'T be carrying.
On multi-week bike tours, I carry about 35 pounds of gear on my 29 pound Surly. It has been pretty close to the same on my first two Touring Differently mini-tours. More than half that weight is camping equipment. I know I could go faster and further without a tent, sleeping bag, foam pad, stove & fuel, pan, cup, spoon, food, etc. But, to me, it's not worth the trade-off. I love to cook, eat, sleep, and walk in the great outdoors. Those activities are almost as fun and as adventurous as the bicycling part of a tour.
Despite everything I just wrote, there will be no camping on this mini-tour.** No, I'm going big-time, you've-got-to-be-kidding-me, minimalistic minimalism.
How to achieve this ultra-minimalist goal has taken a great deal of thought. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized ANY bike tourist could reduce his or her touring load to four or five pounds for such an insignificant three day/two night credit card tour. I'm sure I could extend such a tour to a week or more, but since I'm not doing that, it's a moot point.
The Things I'll Have Attached to Me and My Bike:
Helmet, shirt, padded shorts, socks, shoes, air pump, full water bottle, rear rack, and one pannier. In the back pocket of my shirt will be a credit card, driver's license, the latest model of Samsung Galaxy cell phone, and my cartoon alter-ego, G-2.
My cycling jersey will also be carrying some extra weight--a burden of guilt. The weight cannot be calculated on a scale, but I still feel bad about not giving it to a certain Cycleblazer who has been coveting my Caribou Coffee jersey for more than a year.
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The Things Inside My Single Pannier
A shirt, a pair of socks, shorts, bike lock, bluetooth keyboard, inner tube, patch kit, tire irons, air pump, small multi-tool, a foot of duct tape wrapped around a pencil, rain jacket, toothbrush, dental floss. I weighed it all on a bathroom scale today, and it amounts to about four pounds. NICE!
It's only a mini-tour, why bring anything at all?
It would be in poor taste to ride naked. It would be gross not to change into new clothing at the end of the day. Same with ignoring dental care. It would be deadly not to bring a little bit of water. It would be irresponsible not to carry a couple of basic tools for minor adjustments and repairs. It would be embarrassing to have to be rescued because I didn't have the items needed to fix a flat tire. It would be an expensive mistake not to lock my bike in the inner cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. It would be an unsatisfying end to my day without writing about it. Like I always say, "To tour is to brag about it in an on-line blog." That's one of my best quotes, for sure. Feel free to use it on your own blog some time.
** I created this footnote because I think it's worth mentioning that I DID have a camping idea for this trip. It would have really and truly been different, adventurous and, dare I say, revolutionary in the Cycleblaze world. Unfortunately, when it comes right down to the nitty-gritty, I don't have the guts to set up my tent in an inner-city homeless encampment. I'll camp in bear country without a second thought, but I don't think I can deal with the conditions homeless people deal with every day. Some Tough Guy I am! Hah!
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