@John Rinker: For your GD loadout, it amazes me how much bikepackers have in common: our list matches *almost *verbatim - down to the Sea to Summit eVent drybags (and no, I'm pretty sure we didn't memo each other before heading out). The make and model of other items might be different, but you get the idea. The 'essentials' are remarkably the same. We, too are huge believers in wool!! A couple of things stood out, at least for us: we did not bring dedicated cameras/equipment (used smartphones) or fishing gear (we should have, in retrospect). But, 99% the same.
We did the GD in 2017 NoBo (depart from Puerto Palomas/Columbus). We left in July and ran out of season upon getting to Butte, MT (snow). Hit pause and restarted from Butte in July 2018. Life-changing, to say the least. That is, so far, the only route I would do again in a heartbeat. So gorgeous. We too had a Big Agnes CopperSpur tent (loved it) but we actually *wore *it out (it was used extensively until late last year - zippers failing). I love wearing out stuff. We liked to call it a big mosquito net ;). We just got a Durston X-Mid Pro 2 tent a few days ago. Goodness gracious! Talk about light! We'll see how durable that tent is.... Heading to the UK, France (PBP-bound) and Spain this summer. Then South America (Santiago to Ushuaia) in November. Back home by early April? Like you said, the variables change, so the Goldilocks list can be elusive! Best regards, Jeff Claremont, CA On Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 3:44:31 PM UTC-8 John Rinker wrote: > Moving this over from Johnny's 'Fitting the Hunqapillar' thread and in > response to Jay's inquiry about my essential packing list for touring. > > Of course, some of it depends on the nature of the tour itself: climate, > remoteness, and goals for the trip. For example, on the Great Divide, I > packed my tenkara rod and for the Cabo loop, I swapped it out for a mask > and snorkel. When I rode the Annapurna Circuit I didn't pack shelter or > kitchen as I stayed in tea houses and ate dahl bat. > > As examples, here are packing lists from the two very different trips > mentioned above. > > The Great Divide (2018) > <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ouCYzQyFddgBy5eoBP0jqZnWAWnxwKG_/view?usp=sharing> > > The Cabo Loo (2023) > <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JKw5jjIsqOsMEuArUl2WWNW4ChmJsWBK/view?usp=sharing> > > Sadly, the photos are the same, but the Cabo Loop list is more > representative of what I've learned that I'd rather not be without on any > journey. > > The clothing in the Great Divide list was basically cut in half before I > left- where there are 2s, I kept 1. I did retain both pairs of sandals- a > small luxury after a long day in the saddle. Neither did I end up carrying > so many water bottles, and I have since swapped out the MSR gravity filter > for a Steri-Pen UV filter. > > Didn't take my full spice kit on the Baja Divide because I'd planned to > live on fish tacos the whole time (very tricky in the mountains!). I no > longer take the Nikon as my iPhone 8 takes fine snaps, I leave the Garmin > GPS as I use GaiaGPS on my device, and I've swapped out my tripod stool for > a lighter Japanese folding stool. > > I love my Big Agnes CopperSpur tent but wanted to spend some time getting > good at setting up my Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar tarp in the deep > sand of Cabo where tent stakes are useless. > > As far as essentials, hmm? My Marmot sleeping bag, a water bottle, my tool > roll, down jacket, wool undies, bandanas, rain gear, and camp slops. > > Anyways, that's my thinking on packing on wilderness-focused tours. > > I'd love to hear what you've gleaned from your experience and what you > consider your essentials when heading into the mountains. > > Cheers, John > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f609cf68-49eb-4c92-ab11-93fce884578an%40googlegroups.com.
