We're viewing this tour as a big challenge. It will be our longest to date. It will be our most mountainous. We will likely encounter more adverse weather conditions than on previous trips. To help take the edge off, we've purchased more than our usual share of luxuries this time around.

First are the camp chairs. We should've bought these long ago. Spoiled by the ubiquity of picnic tables in the U.S., we have passed many a good rest spot in Europe due to the lack thereof. Even at campgrounds, it's hit or miss. While we still don't have a table (maybe that'll be an impulse buy next time around), we hope the chairs will make a big difference. Back support after a long day in the saddle sounds like heaven.

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Second is the bike computer. It's no fun watching one's phone battery drain while squinting to make out your route in the midday sun. It's enough to make paper maps seem tempting again. I've had my fancy-schmancy Hammerhead Karoo 3 for about a month now. There's been a learning curve, and there are still some features I haven't mastered. One thing's for sure: it's going to be a lot less hassle to upload rides to the journal now.

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Scott AndersonWorth its weight in gold, where you’re going. We got our first Garmins for our own tour of Japan, certain we’d get hopelessly lost without them.
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2 months ago

Kevin StevensTo Scott AndersonThe fact that you guys were able to navigate successfully from Nikko to Fukuoka using almost the exact same GPS tracks gives me confidence that this will work out okay. Thanks for the tips, especially the alternate route to Hiroshima! Have fun in the low countries!
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2 months ago

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Last, and certainly least, is a handy-dandy air pump. I didn't even know I wanted one of these until a Warmshowers guest of ours showed hers off. It fills our big sleeping pad in about a minute. This compares with about ten minutes and a fair amount of manual labor with the inflation sack. Don't get me wrong: that itself was a huge improvement over the old days of lung power. After so much time and effort only to find my pad only half full, I would lose patience, pick up the pace, and start to hyperventilate. I sure don't miss those days. We've come such a long way!

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No changes from last tour as regards our bikes. Mine is starting to get long in the tooth, but it's still doing its job. Surly Truckers are tanks. By the time this tour is done, I should have 40K miles on the beast. My dear wife is nearing 5K on her new gravel bike. I still fret over the tubeless setup, but it's been pretty reliable so far. I bought a plug kit, a couple extra valves, and some extra valve cores just in case. And we have tubes if we need to use them as a last resort. Just typing that out makes me feel better. Phew.