June 11, 2022
Gear list
Subject to change until I actually hit the road
THERE’S NOTHING UNUSUAL here, but since the devil is in the details and since many people seem to like having information like this as a reference / checkpoint for their own planning and comparison, here’s mine. This list has evolved in the time since it was originally compiled; changes have been dated and noted. The most recent changes are annotated in bold type to make them easy to spot.
I’ll be using four panniers and a handlebar bag. My front panniers are Arkel T28s, the rear are an older Axiom model (Kootenay) that is no longer produced. The handlebar bag (yet to be acquired as of December 2021) will be the Arkel Handlebar Bag Large model.
Following the advice of more experienced riders, I’ve organized my gear using the concept that each pannier is a room of or piece of furniture in my house. I’ve got the kitchen, bedroom, closet, and garage. A couple rooms serve multiple purposes.
Also, since I typically lean my bike so that the left side is more accessible, things I anticipate needing easy access to during the day gravitate into the left panniers.
To facilitate easy organization and general tidiness, as well as to add a layer of water resistance, I typically use plastic bags to group and contain clothing and other items that need more protection than a non-waterproof pannier provides. For example, I’ll take a jersey, a pair of riding shorts, and a pair of socks, roll them together, then put them in a bag so that when I want a day’s clothing all I have to do is grab a bag and don its contents. The empty bag then gets yesterday’s clothes (assuming they’ve aired and dried enough that they won’t ferment and get REALLY nasty as the day warms up and stews them). I’ve found I can generally use each set twice with a sink-washing in between uses, before it becomes essential to do a more thorough laundering.
I carry three sets of riding clothes for three reasons. One, as alluded to above, is so that I’m not wearing items as frequently. My body chemistry reacts “unpleasantly” with synthetic materials, so it’s best not to expose them too frequently between launderings.
Secondly, and related, if yesterday’s gear is not fully dried at the start of the day it can continue to air during the day’s ride- weather permitting, of course. This is of particular importance in the humid conditions of the East coast.
Finally, based on a tip I read in someone’s journal years ago, carrying three sets of gear, particularly riding shorts, of different manufacture helps move exposure to seams and other stress areas around a little bit, so you don’t end up chafing a sensitive spot day after day because of an inconveniently-placed bit of stitchery.
[6/10: As noted elsewhere, it became apparent during my later, longer testing and training rides that a reduction in payload weight was highly advisable and desirable. Reviewing, and carefully weighing, everything I had in the panniers and on the bike led me to make a series of changes, mostly by eliminating some items but in other cases making substitutions, that cut over 8 pounds from the rig. That amounted to about a 15 percent reduction in gear weight- discounting, of course, the weight of the bike itself as well as that of the operator. At that scale, weight savings can provide a significant benefit. I'm still not a "gram weenie", hell-bent on shaving every last gram from what I'm carrying, but I'm quite pleased to have been able to make the gains - or technically losses, I suppose- that I have. You can see, by examining the dates of the annotations below, the evolution and results of my thinking and process.]
With that, The List:
FRONT LEFT - BUREAU (riding clothes)
Main Pocket
3 x bundle of riding jersey, shorts, and socks
2 x long sleeve base layer, quick-drying (6/2 These will stay home) [6/11 Alright, I'll take ONE rather than two, or none.]
2 x sun protection sleeves (added to list 4/2022) [6/11 I'll take three, and add them to each day's on-the-bike bundle as "standard kit"]
3 x spare bandanas (worn under my helmet to keep sweat out of my eyes, and as additional sun protection for my otherwise bald pate)
CPAP battery (1 of 2)
1 x tights (6/2 these will stay home)
1 x windstopper vest
1 x skull cap
1 x long-fingered gloves (4/2022 maybe? Maybe not [6/2 Definitely not going])
1 or 2 x spare short riding gloves (I rotate them to give my gloves a day off to dry)
TP and trowel (kept at the top of the bag for easy access)
Top Pocket
Rechargeable LED lantern (6/2: this lantern is off the list. I can get by with just one, and I don't need ready access to it so I'll carry only the one in the right front pannier top pocket and use this space for something else like maybe food)
Miscellaneous chargers and cords (lantern, headlight, camera battery)
Outer (Mesh) Pocket
Rain jacket
Rain pants
FRONT RIGHT - BEDROOM CLOSET (non-riding apparel)
Main Pocket
3 x tee shirt (synthetic, quick-drying) and underwear bundles
1 x convertible shorts (the kind with zip-off legs)
1 x gym shorts (sleepwear and possibly swimwear)
1 x package of wet wipes
1 x toiletry kit (all the usual stuff, plus the travel plug adapter/expander: 3 outlets + 3 USB A ports, giving me enough capacity from a single extension cord to charge or power nearly everything at once and all necessary USB charging cables)
CPAP battery (2 of 2)
1 x medication container
12 x spring-loaded plastic clothespins
1 x notebook, pencil or pen
Tablet computer (4/22: this item is now "on the bubble" because it turns out not to be much easier to use than my phone as far as composing posts goes. Who knew? 5/14: The tablet is back on the list, thanks to the addition of a Bluetooth physical keyboard that makes typing MUCH easier. 6/2: it's almost certainly back off the list, and staying home. 6/10: This is definitely off the list and staying home. It was eliminated during my final gear review and purge after a shakedown / testing ride into Pennsylvania over Memorial Day week. I'll use the folding Bluetooth keyboard with my phone instead.)
Foldable Bluetooth keyboard
Top Pocket
Rechargeable LED lantern
Charger cord for LED lantern
Shoulder strap for pannier set
Outer (Mesh) Pocket
Camp towel/washcloth set
Small bottle of Woolite (for “camp laundry”)
REAR LEFT - BEDROOM
Main Pocket
Sleeping bag (including silk liner and inflatable camp pillow in the stuff sack) [6/10: Substituted a down-filled backpacking quilt for the original synthetic-down filled mummy bag, to reduce weight and volume. The silk bag liner and inflatable pillow are still going, though.]
Sleeping pad (Therm-A-Rest ¾” thick, size long) [6/10 Substituted my 1/2" Therm-A-Rest for the 3/4" model, in the name of reduced weight and volume]
Travel CPAP machine (a regrettably necessary evil)
Side Pocket
Electric cord (for CPAP when power is available, and for charging devices)
Flap Pocket (workshop)
Tool kit (allen wrenches, pliers/small vise grips, screwdrivers, tire levers, Capreo cassette lockring tool, multi tool (includes chain tool))
2 x Spare inner tubes
Hi-viz yellow windbreaker (in the external shock cord webbing on top of the pocket)
Front Mesh Pocket
Fuel bottle for stove (1 of 2) (6/2: I can get by with just one fuel bottle so this one will stay home. When needed, this pocket can carry additional beverages, or simply remain empty when drinks are readily available.)
REAR RIGHT - KITCHEN / PANTRY
Main Pocket
Cookware (large pot+skillet/lid, coffee pot, 1 x plate, 1 x plastic coffee / measuring cup, 1 x pot/skillet handle, 1 x folding sharp knife)
Can opener
Eating utensils (table knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks)
Backpacker’s stove (MSR Whisperlite, liquid fuel version)
Coffee
Coffee brewing device
Salt, pepper, oregano, basil, dried garlic, dried onion, olive oil
1 x 1 liter Nalgene water bottle (usually carried empty; can be filled for long days or possible planned overnight “wild” camping) (6/2: Nope this bottle isn't going to make the trip. It takes up too much space.)
Water filter
Foodstuffs
Collapsible 10 liter camp sink (4/22 this item is now "on the bubble"; I can use the skillet/cook set lid for the same purpose so why take this item? 6/2: This is definitely off the list and staying home.)
2 x butane lighter (the type with the long neck, designed for lighting gas grills)
Small bottle of dish soap
2 x small microfiber dish towel (doubles as hot pad) (6/2 These are not going. Paper towels will do the job.)
Microfiber dish towel
Side Pocket
Stakes for emergency rain fly (Tyvek tarp) (6/2: The Tyvek tarp is not going so these aren't either.)
2 x 50 foot 1.8mm (175# test) paracord (think tent guyline cord) for clothesline, sundry purposes
Flap Pocket
Spare cables (brake, derailleur)
Inflatable seat pad (6/2 This will not go after all.)
Shoulder strap for pannier set
Front Mesh Pocket
Fuel bottle for stove (2 of 2) (6/2 now 1 of 1)
HANDLEBAR BAG
Wallet
Camera (when not on handlebars), spare camera battery, and charger
Snacks
Camp food as needed
Maps
“Whatever”
HANDLEBAR ACCESSORIES
Phone mount
Cyclometer/mount
RAM mount for camera
GPS mount and Garmin Edge 810 GPS
FRONT RACK
1 x pair of sandals, bungeed to rack
Solar panel (for device recharging both while riding and while stationary) (4/2022 this item is now "on the bubble". A field test demonstrated that its output is marginal at best, and not adequate to keeping devices charged. 6/2: This is definitely not going.)
REAR RACK
Tent roll (includes tent, poles, stakes, rain fly, tent footprint, Tyvek “tarp” for extra rain fly if needed, and plastic tent stake mallet), bungeed to the rack. (6/2: The Tyvek tarp isn't going after all. The tent footprint will stay home, and I'll substitute something homemade from a smaller piece of Tyvek.)
My tent is the REI Half Dome 2-Plus model; I find that the extra space - as compared to smaller tents - inside as well as in the "vestibules" outside under the fly is well worth it. (6/2: I may get a different tent, in hopes of shaving a few pounds off the load.) [6/10; I did get a new tent today; it's the REI Quarter Dome 2 SL model.]
SEAT PACK (lives on the bike at all times)
Spare inner tube
Patch kit
Tire levers
"Leatherman" style tool
Tyvek strips 2” x 12”-14” (for use as tire boot material)
Presta / Schraeder valve adapter
WEARABLE GEAR [Category and items added to the list 6/10 after field tests confirmed that it's viable]
2 liter CamelBak
WAIST PACK [6/10 I've added this piece of gear, mostly because it doubles the number of water bottles I can carry.]
Main Pocket
C&O Canal floppy hat
Bottle Holders (2)
2 x 20 ounce water bottles. I'll rotate these into the bottle cages on the bike as I empty the ones that start on the bike. When all four bottles, and the 2 liter CamelBak are empty, it's time to refill!
[UPDATE 1/28/2022
I now have everything, and more, that I might take with me. My Therm-A-Rest has come back after Cascade Designs repaired a leak; I've received and mounted the handlebar bag; I've gotten a selfie stick as well as a means of mounting an actual camera on the handlebar accessory rail; I've fabricated a means of mounting the headlight on the front rack; my ACA route maps have arrived and have already proven useful; my travel CPAP and accessory batteries are in hand.
Next up, I can fool around practicing how to shoot a time-lapse video of the packing process. That should be an amusing way to spend half a day sometime, and then there will likely be several more hours of editing, trying to make a watchable result.]
By special request, herewith a few photos of Odysseus approximately as he will look on tour. Not shown, because I don't have it yet, is the handlebar bag. Also, the left rear pannier sags a bit because instead of my sleeping bag and pad it's carrying a dummy load so that the sleeping gear doesn't spend the next six months all compressed.
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2 years ago
2 years ago
All in, the gear tips the scales at a between 45 and 50 pounds if I recall correctly.
Bike Friday makes only small wheel bikes, aimed specifically at the travel and commuter niches. The bike can be disassembled and folded to fit in a regular Samsonite suitcase. The wheels are 20 inch.
They also sell an optional adapter that converts the suitcase into a trailer. I have one, and have used it a few times including a couple shakedown test rides this fall, but in the end elected to stick with panniers for several reasons: weight and simplicity were the two main ones.
My panniers weigh eight pounds empty, the trailer 20. It also has different sized wheels than the bike, meaning more sizes of tubes to be carried. And tires, if it comes to that.
A lot of the kitchen stuff nests, collapses, or both, and the panniers are pretty roomy. The stove is a tiny model aimed at backpackers, and its fuel bottles will be in external mesh pockets on the rear panniers. You see them as red splotches in the photos.
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
For the first three weeks, which is all the farther I have taken it so far, it's about 50/50 between camping and other accommodations.
2 years ago
Yesterday I made and posted a 20 second time lapse video of what goes in the "kitchen" and how it gets packed.
I anticipate that for the days where I don't camp, or where I take meals out, I may not disturb this pannier at all. But there will be plenty of days where I need to cook dinner and/or "breakfast" (probably just instant oatmeal and coffee) so I'll have to break out the gear for that.
2 years ago
Here are a couple of lightweight additions to your load.
A master chain link would be useful. (Make sure it's compatible with your chain.)
A small piece of wire. I clip mine off a wire coat hanger, perhaps five inches long, bent at the ends. Use this to hold your chain while you're repairing it.
I only skimmed your list but a small amount of duct tape and a few zip ties could be useful. (Charmaine went on a Bike Friday ride with friends. They drove to the start with bikes folded and such. One of her companions forgot her front skewer. They used zip ties to secure the front wheel. It held!)
Instead of multiple soaps I bring Dr Bronners. I am currently looking for some that is odorless. Bears and other critters might like the fragrance.
2 years ago
Thanks for the tips.
My tool kit already includes a piece of a spoke, bent to serve the purpose you describe for the coat hanger. It saw service during my roadside rescue of Mr. Kim (see the lead-in to Two Days, One Night a few pages earlier in this journal, though I didn't mention it).
I also have some vinyl tape wrapped around a plastic film container (remember when 35mm film came in those); the container now holds an assortment of metric hex head cap screws in case I lose any of the ones on the bike.
I was on the ride where Charmaine's friend substituted zip ties for her front skewer. I may have supplied them, in fact, as they were a permanent part of the collection of useful bits I kept in my rack pack. I'll be sure to add some to my rig fothis tour; thanks for the reminder.
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
Looking forward to reading about your tour once it gets going.
2 years ago
I've already carved six pounds out of my load, and think I could find four more without resorting to extreme measures. That's a reduction of between 15 and 20 percent of what I set off with on my mini-tour on Memorial Day.
2 years ago
Jacinto is still carrying that glass quart jar of honey that he bought on week two! It's a good thing it did not break yesterday when he crashed during the dog chase. Imagine what a mess his pannier would be!
2 years ago
The stuff I bought is replacements for thing lost, broken, worn out, or eaten so no net gain over baseline.
2 years ago