Equipment: Why Do We Have So Much Stuff?

March 11, 2012

There is a fine line between stuff you would like to bring and stuff you NEED to bring. Alright, maybe the line is not all that fine. Anyway, Dodie spent the last week or so sifting endlessly through our selection of gear, clothes, electronics, toiletries, etc trying to select the right mix of what is necessary, what we would like to have, what we have room for in our panniers and on the bikes and how much weight we can actually physically drag around with us.

Last year we sent back 30 lbs of 'extra stuff' after only 3 days of cycling. Doable from one part of North America to another, not so easy (or inexpensive) to do from Europe. So this time round we trimmed 30 lbs from our initial selection this week. Hopefully what we now have with us will meet our wants and needs and will not break the bikes or our bodies as we travel.

(There is a [fairly]complete gear list at the end of this page for those who like those things.)

ELECTRONICS

Steve was in charge of trimming the fat from the electronics assortment.

Stuff on the other side of the yellow cord got weeded out.

A bunch of lights crashed the party and wanted to be with the electronics. They left the "Security and Visibility" section below looking pretty dim.

We later were able to eliminate the spare netbook battery and trade the larger backup hard drive for a 32 gb thumb drive. Good work!!

SLEEPING GEAR

Not much room for trimming here. You need a good night's sleep if you are to feel comfortable and have energy to cycle the next day.

CAMPING

Last year we bought and then ditched/returned these camp stools several times. We did the trip without them and it was fine. However, we have been told that many campgrounds in Europe do not have tables/benches/chairs and at our age getting up and down from the ground is not as easy as it once was. So, here they are again!!

FIRST AID AND TOILETRIES

These things got seriously trimmed down. We are going to be in Europe, not the wilds of Africa!

MAPS AND BAGS

We have over 5 lbs of maps and guidebooks to various cycle routes we want to follow. There is no way any sane (or even insane) person will carry that much, so the plan is to scan the map portions only of the books and print them out double sided. This reduces the weight to a slightly more manageable 1.5 lbs of materials. We will probably periodically mail home what we have finished using.

Duffel bags and travelling Scrabble set (air flights only), bike carrying bags,and five pounds of maps!

BIKE TOOLS

Again, Steve's department. It is hard to anticipate what might go wrong, as opposed to what could go wrong. So we have what is hopefully a good compromise kit and the knowledge that there ARE bike shops in Europe.

COOKING

Last year we abandoned all cooking gear and any food that needed either heat or water to make it edible. This worked out fine, except it is very expensive to be eating in restaurants all the time. Even when we ate from grocery stores the selection of foods that do not require cooking is not so great. This year we are determined to cook most meals (occasional restaurant meals are OK - we are going to Europe after all) so we brought a modest selection of cooking gear.

FOOD

Not knowing what will be available in European stores we brought a 3 day supply of emergency foodstuffs and will work with what is available when we get there.

CLOTHING

Always a hassle to decide how much to bring. Just one set and you end up really stinky or sometimes riding in damp clothing if things didn't dry overnight. Too much and you have needless weight to drag around. There is also the issue of clothing for different weather conditions - hot, cold, rainy, etc. So we made a selection and later eliminated some of the 'extra' stuff that we hope we can manage without.

SECURITY AND VISIBILITY

Security and visibility are critical when on a bike tour. We have powerful, rechargeable from the dyno hub, headlights and bright flashing tail lights. As well we have extra smaller, less powerful versions on our helmets and at key places on the bikes. We also wear hi vis mesh cycling vests.

One concern is what to do with our bikes when we are off them. For example, when we go into a store, a museum, a church, etc. It would spoil our enjoyment if one of us always had to stay with the bikes. We like to do things together. On the other hand if we are in a 'risky' area we will probably split up, leaving one to guard the bikes.

When we feel that we can safely leave the bikes we have two strategies. Our handlebar bags, containing wallets, passports, cameras, etc always come with us and so does the netbook computer and the associated chargers, adaptors, etc. We have a lightweight cloth bag to carry them in. The other part of the plan is the various locks we are bringing. We have two Ulocks and a heavy cable that will join the bikes together and to a stationary object. The quick release skewers have been replaced with fixed ones. We have a small cable and mini lock to secure the front panniers to the front racks. This to prevent snatch and grab of the panniers since Ortliebs are so easy to lift off. In the rear the handles of the panniers are buried underneath the items strapped on top of the rack. This is not secure, as such, but really nothing is in the face of a prepared and determined thief. All we can do is make it less appealing to the potential opportunistic thief and hope to have made it difficult enough that they will look elsewhere.

We hope the whistles will repel and not call the dogs.

Dodie just spent the last two hours typing in the definitive version of our gear list and since she doesn't understand this computer stuff too well didn't save it. When Steve was asked to review what Dodie wrote he accidentally lost all the work that was done. So...... Dodie is too tired to do it all over tonight, but, as they say "Tomorrow is another day".

OK - rested up a bit and will try one more time, this time remembering to SAVE.

Camping: Black Diamond Vista 3 person tent, fly, footprint, peg hammer, pegs, 2 x 3 legged camping stools, 2 x down sleeping bags: Steve-MEC Cygnet, Dodie-MEC Gosling, 2 x MEC brand thermarest type sleeping mats, 2 x inflatable pillows, 2 x silk sleeping bag liners (sheets in hot weather), Eddie Bauer travel alarm clock

Clothing: unless otherwise noted all items are the same for each of us. Bell Influx cycling helmet with front and rear lights, Keen sandals for cycling and walking around, fake crocs for camp wear, cycling clothes - 2 shorts, 2 ss merino shirts, underwear - 4 pr socks, 4 underwear (Dodie - 2 sports bras), Eddie Bauer Nisqually waterproof rain jacket, rain pants, waterproof socks and gloves, fingerless cycling gloves, Dodie-prescription glasses, Steve-reading glasses, sunglasses, Steve also has clear safety glasses, off bike-long pants, Dodie-cotton blouse, light dress, Steve-2 breathable t shirts, light weight walking shorts, Permethrin treated mesh hoodie (for bug protection), hoodie-for cool weather, leggings-Dodie uses these for cool weather, Steve uses his long pants, Hi vis vest, wind shell, sleep clothes-shorts, light t shirt

Cooking and food: 5 water bottles, 1 small coffee thermos (Steve), MSR Superfly stove, foil wind shield, bbq lighter, 2 cooking pots with lids, small frying pan, cutting board, utensils-small sharp knife in sheath, can opener, scissors, whisk, folding spatula, wooden spoon, pot lifter, bowl scraper, cutlery-2 ea knife, fork, spoon, 2 x each of folding bowls and cups, soap flakes, 2 scrubbies, 2 microfibre drying cloths. 2 freeze dried meals, 2 soup mix packets (each makes 8 cups, use as needed), 8 instant soup packets (add boiling water), 10 instant oatmeal packets, 30 instant coffee packets for Steve, 20 peppermint tea bags for Dodie

Electronics: Nokia N8 cell phone, Canon Powershot SD 1200 Camera, EEE PC netbook, mouse and mousepad, 32 gb back up thumb drive, Shimano dynamo hub, Reecharge charger, 2 Urban 300 bike lights, 2 Planet bike rear lights, bike computers-Filzer DZ4L, Planet Bike Protege 9.0, both wired, Anker battery charger, Energizer back up rechargeable battery, San Disk 16 gb thumb drive, 2 Black Diamond Spot 75 lumen headlamps, Dynex USB wall plug, assorted chargers, cables, adapters and spare batteries

First Aid/Toiletries: Antacids, antibiotic cream, antifungal cream, antiseptic towelettes, baby powder, Bag Balm ointment, bandaids, Deet bug spray, eye drops, folding scissors, Gold Bond cream and powder, 1 travel size pkg Kleenex, Lactaid, Ibuprofen, Immodium, muscle relaxant, Tylenol Cold, nail clippers, tweezers, Dodie-spare prescription glasses with clip on sunglasses, sunscreen-spray, stick and lip gloss

Security: 2 U locks, 10' cable lock, 2 mini cables and locks, 2 whistles, very loud alarm to use when bikes are parked

Tool Kit: Inner tube off cuts/mylar, 3 spare inner tubes, tire irons and velcro straps, patch kit, cassette puller, spare spokes, zip ties, electrical tape, 1 Kevlar spoke, Prolink chain lube, 1 small rag, 1 small bottle hand cleaner, 1 pair surgical gloves, 3 sets brake pads, duct tape, swiss army knife, scissors, Phillips screw driver, flat screwdriver, Park chain wear tool, Allen keys-3,4,5,8 mm, 2 quick links, chain breaker, pressure guage, felt marker, spare Ortlieb pannier hooks, tire pump, folding tire

Miscellaneous: Travel Scrabble-for long plane trip, then leave in London, mini deck of cards, notebook and pens, 'business cards', 2 Bike Friday soft travel bags, lightweight cloth bag for shopping/off bike transport of computer, maps and small plastic magnifier strip, purse/wallet containing passports, money, ID, cards etc

OK - we think it worked this time. A mere 4 hours later and it is done.

Some interesting statistics about the weight of our stuff: Steve's bike weighs 34 pounds including the dynamo hub, bottle cages and racks. Dodie's is 30 pounds.

Steve's bike is carrying 65 lbs of gear, including panniers and water. The weight is distributed 22 lbs on the front wheel and 43 lbs over the rear. Dodie has 45 lbs of gear, 15 on the front and 30 on the rear. We went for a loaded test ride today and it all felt "normal" That is, same as last year and totally manageable. No problems with load shifting, no steering or braking issues. We struggled on some small local hills, but we feel that is more a function of our being out of shape than any issues with the bike.

Next on the agenda: decide what goes in the panniers and handlebar bags we are using for carry on luggage, make sure the remaining gear fits in the two duffels we are using for checked luggage, and most importantly, practice getting the Bike Fridays into their travel suitcases. Lots of fun still to be had in preparing for this trip, and it feels like there is not much time left to get it all done.

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