I started planning for this in fall of 2019, so the list of things I’m using is pretty static.

Bike: 2019 Salsa Marrakesh Deore. I test rode some other bikes (Surly Disc Trucker, Kona Sutra). This one just seemed to fit the best. In fact it fit me much better than my beloved Rivendell Atlantis did. I sold the Atlantis and a Mercian to buy the Marrakesh. After a couple months I have zero regrets! This bike feels like I’m riding the irrestible force, but have yet to encounter an immovable object! It’s not a light bike, but it fits me like a glove, handles beautifully, and has more places to attach stuff than any bike I’ve ever owned. It’s also a fabulous commuting bike, for which I’m currently using it. I did add a front rack and fenders, and swapped the saddle for a Brooks Imperial but it’s otherwise unchanged from the picture. I recently gave it a name: The Teal Tank.

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Panniers & Bags: Ortlieb Panniers, front and rear. Salsa Dry Bag for the sleeping pad & a few other items. I have a handlebar bag (also Ortlieb), and a Rivendell saddle bag.

Water Bottles: Klean Kanteen. I went with the insulated ones. Something about drinking hot 100-degree water or sports drink grosses me out. There are five spots for bottles on this bike, which should be enough.

Camping: MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 tent. Two person tent with room for my gear (and me). I’ll be testing this out in my back yard later this spring. From reviews I’ve read I may need to do a bit of seam sealing before my trip, but otherwise I think this tent will do the job. I have a matching ground sheet, also from MSR. Nemo Tensor pad & Nemo Disco sleeping bag along with a Nemo pillow.

Cooking Gear: I intend to eat mostly at restaurants, but am picky about morning coffee, so I have a Jetboil Flash stove, Porlex grinder & Aeropress coffee kit. I also have some Mountain House freeze-dried meals, just in case I stop somewhere and everything is closed.

Electronics, for me is a whole category:

GPS: Hammerhead Karoo 2, with the whole route programmed in. This has a sim card installed so does not require my phone to route and update.

Phone: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra which will be my Kindle reader as well as blog-editor (with a bluetooth keyboard).

Camera: Sony RX10 Mk IV camera. This can zoom pretty far and should be able to capture images my cell phone just isn’t capable of.  EDIT: I REALLY wanted to take this camera but it’s almost 3 lbs (all that glass and zoom motor) so it’s just too heavy. I’ll use the phone.

Charging: PedalCell generator – charges a USB battery. Also a solar-panel mounted across the rear bags will power another battery. These can then charge up my devices overnight.

Entertainment: JBL Flip speaker (fits in a water-bottle cage) as well as ear-buds. I have Spotify playlists dialed up for each day. Some will be headphone days (if wind or road noise is excessive) and others will be speaker days. Lots of podcasts and Audible books queued up as well.

Clothing: I don’t wear a lot of traditional cycling clothing. I absolutely loathe lycra shirts as they just stick to me and (on my physique) aren’t flattering. I do have a couple pairs of padded lycra shorts, but they are usually not necessary. Typical riding outfit would be unpadded shorts, merino t-shirt or jersey, sometimes a long-sleeved shirt for sun-cover. I don’t clip into cleats any longer – I have strapless toe-clips but just wear Teva sandals and wool socks.

Safety: I have a small first-aid kit, emergency whistle, small flashlight, I thought about pepper-spray for the occasional aggressive dog, but I’m not sure it’s legal everywhere, and decided on a small air-horn (like for boats). I’ve heard those can shock and stop a dog mid-attack long enough to get a bit further away, and it’s an alternative to the whistle if I’m lying in a ditch somewhere, unable to get out. Front/rear flashing lights & reflective safety triangle for the back. I also have a Garmin Varia radar on the back which tells my GPS unit when vehicles are approaching from the rear.

Bike repair/maintenance: Spare tubes, multitool, patch kits, tire levers, CO2 inflator & cartridges, mini-pump (in case I run out of CO2), chain lube, spare brake pads. My bike has two spare spokes already installed, but I’m also bringing a Fiberfix spare spoke. I’m also downloading a few bike-repair books onto kindle, so I have them at hand.

Toiletries: Just the basics. I found travel-size versions of what I use most. Sunscreen & bug spray and a roll of toilet paper (there’s nothing to dampen the mood like finding the outhouse or port-a-potty you stopped at is empty!) There are a couple of stretches of 2-3 days with no apparent shower opportunity, so I have some body-wipes to clean up with. I’m sure the folks at the local diner will appreciate that!

Miscellaneous: Spare cash, paper copies of reservations, train-tickets, insurance cards, etc…, pocket knife.