A quick update

May 12, 2024

The time's nearly here

LESS THAN A WEEK remains before my friend and I shove off for our ride. In a flurry of anticipation, I jumped the gun last week (Tuesday? Wednesday? Thursday? a few days ago, at any rate), pulled out and dusted off my camping gear, and mostly packed.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Over the following days I've made small adjustments (and one not-so-small adjustment, adding provisions that should see me comfortably through the entire week even though I'm certain that we'll have at least one dinner and one breakfast at a cafe or restaurant somewhere) to the content and organization of my gear. I've been on the fence about the handlebar bag but it seems like I can get along well enough without it so it'll stay home.

Some, but by no means all, of the commissary supplies. I don't intend to run a risk of coming up short on sustenance.

After my Fall Line trip I've concluded that I don't really need to carry as much clothing, either for on or off the bike, as I have done in the past so I've pared back on that aspect a bit. It's as much, or perhaps even more, about reducing the volume as it is about gross vehicle weight: clothing isn't all that heavy but it does take up valuable cubic inches that might be better used for some other purpose. With the middle night of the ride targeted for a hotel, I can do laundry at the halfway mark and have fresh duds for the last days.

As we're planning to camp most nights, it'll be necessary to go the four-pannier route rather than the two bags I carried in North Carolina and Virginia. There's the tent itself, of course, al0ng with the related impedimentia of sleeping mat, backpacker's quilt, cooking gear, and the aforementioned comestibles to be carried.

A re-introduction of a configuration I used years ago. Two extra water bottle cages ride on a mount intended to be placed at the back of the saddle and clamped to the backs of the seat rails. That, however, is where my wedge pack goes so this mount had to find a new home. I couldn't do this on the Bike Friday folding rack but my venerable 45 year old Blackburn handles the task as if it were made for it. Sadly, I have yet to contrive a good way to attach two blinking taillights. Not such an issue on the Katy, probably, but on roadways the extra attention-getters would be nice.

For Kelly Iniguez, who can't seem to see enough photos of fully-loaded bikes. :) You can also see why the water bottle mount had to go on the back rack: there's no room for it behind the seat when the wedge pack is in place, as it *always* is.

Due to the number of other items claiming space on the handlebars (I've written about that issue before) I've created a simple headlight mount that rides on the front of the front rack. The battery is attached to the rack with a hook-and-loop strap.

Last November, on Black Friday, I took advantage of the only annual price reduction I'm aware of offered by Arkel and splurged on what has been a longtime desire: a set of their GT-54 panniers. They're a great complement to the GT-18s I've had for a couple years now, just enough larger than what I already had (Axiom's long-since out-of-production "Kootenay" model) that it's easier to pack "comfortably" rather than straining all of the closures on the bags. Much of that additional room is taken - for the moment - with food, so as the ride progresses it'll be ever-easier to repack.

Out: well-used, much-traveled still-functional and perfectly good Axiom "Kootenay" rear panniers. One main top-loading pocket plus a large external pocket and a flap pocket. I'll loan them to Wil if he needs extra capacity.

In: Arkel GT-54s. Roomier, more small pocket options, front-loading, and with a dedicated tent carrier.

It's the first opportunity I've had to try the GT-54s and I'm eager to see how they work in comparison to the Axioms. One big difference is already apparent: their design features a fully-opening front rather than a top-loading setup like the Axioms. They're also discernibly roomier: carrying almost everything I carried two years ago, there's still room for about 10 percent more stuff if the need arose.

When they're off the bike and laid on their backs at least, it'll be far easier to search through the main pockets to find things than on the Axioms, where the "grope and hope" method gets far too much play. Since they carry things I only need when camped, I expect only to need to open them when they're off the bike anyhow.

Stick out your tongues and say "ahhh..." Thanks to a tip from CycleBlazer Leo Woodland, each bag represents a virtual "room" or piece of furniture: bedroom, closet, kitchen, wardrobe. That makes it easier to remember what got packed where, when I need to hunt down something specific.

They also have many more secondary pockets than the Axioms. There's the signature Arkel "cylinder" pocket atop each one, and the left-side bag has an additional cylinder at the back. Each bag's flap features a removeable pouch as well, and below the flaps are large permanently-attached zipper pockets.

I hope not to need to test the watertight integrity of the built-in rain liners but it's nice to know they're there "just in case". The right-side bag features a tall removeable cylinder specifically intended to hold a tent and its poles, enabling me to keep the top of the rear rack free for other uses. I'll take advantage of that as the location to bungee my sandals on when they're not needed.

I've added color-coding (vinyl tape) to the handles on each bag to aid in easy identification. Following maritime convention, green goes on the starboard, red on the port. Easy-peasy, simple, cheap, and effective.

Today - Mother's Day - I'll get together with Wil for a logistics conversation and a final ride before we leave early Friday morning. Serenity will stay home, and instead I'll take my road bike. Should be a breeze.

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John PickettOkay. Okay! I need to get my butt in gear and get organized. After 11 tours I have yet to figure out how to pack. I always run out of room (and I am NOT putting full sized bags on the front!).

My system is food on front left, tools and bike stuff on front right, camping gear on rear right, clothes on rear left. This allows me access to my rain jacket and to food as needed. Front bags are Ortlieb small roll tops. Rear bags are Ortlieb large roll tops. I put my tent in a wet bag on the rear rack. I use a medium Ortlieb handlebar bag with a map case (still don't do the electronic map thing.) I also stash a collapsing cane under my tent.

I have a blinky light on the rear of my helmet (high is better) and a Light and Motion Urban 1000 mounted on my helmet when needed.

No saddle bag.

Two water bottles. Maybe a third or fourth in my front bags or maybe a water bladder which can carry a gallon or so. (Helpful in Nevada and Utah.)

Now to the shed to pull some things together!
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6 months ago

Keith AdamsTo John PickettAfter 11 tours I'd have thought all you'd need to do is pull out your gear and panniers, clap your hands twice, and say "Abracadabra" and all the stuff would magically jump in where it knows it belongs.

Five water bottles is probably more than I need for this trip, but it's comforting (if a bit heavy) to know I have the capacity should it be needed. At least I can confidently leave my 2 liter Camelbak at home.
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6 months ago

John PickettTo Keith AdamsOne drawback to the bladder is the fact that it is awkward to pour. I lost about a third of one on the side of the road in Nevada. I wanted to cry. Noooo!
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6 months ago

Keith AdamsTo John PickettI never pour from mine, and I generally don't pour into it except to empty a glass of restaurant or café ice water into it to refill. Spillage in those conditions is unlikely to be problematic except for the mess it makes. There's always an ample supply to complete the filling process.
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6 months ago