I spent the summer of 2005 on the road. One of the many many cool things about a long tour is that you evolve a very good packing "system." A few weeks in, you can set up camp or break down camp in about minutes. It's very comforting to always know where everything is.
I am very glad that I had the presence of mind to write a packing list such as yours *after* I got back. Now, years later, I can take a quick look at that list and be ready for a trip in a jiffy. One note on your choice of clothing: I found that you don't really need to take too too many clothes. You can almost always find enough time and water to wash socks and underwear. Gas station bathrooms are very handy, but a stream or pond will work just as well. I put a large safety pin on each side of my handlebar bag. Every night, I would wash that day's hosiery and unmentionables and hang them over the bike for the night. In the morning, I would pin one sock to each safety pin and strap the undies on the front rack with my sandals. After a few hours of riding, everything was dry. I had three sets in rotation, so that I was wearing one, had a clean set for tomorrow, and a set drying. I had one more set on reserve, but in over two months I never had to touch them. (I was comforted to know they were there if I needed them...) I found that I could rotate through two lightweight wool shirts for riding. The shirts just got washed every two or three wearings. I just let them air out at the end of the day. I'm sure you've thought it through, but that's what worked for me. And the weight does really add up! I always try to keep in mind the old backpackers maxim "Keep track of the ounces and the the pounds will take care of themselves..." Have a good trip, and have fun planning it. That's half the fun! Cheers- Mike in So. Boston, Mass On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 4:15 PM, Kelly Sleeper <tkslee...@gmail.com> wrote: > First off this is not about what I consider best for you. Only how I do > it. I can assure you I'm in no way attempting to be light. I like to take > what I want / need to be comfortable. I have taken into consideration > hills and my abilities. The weight is in a range of what I've used in the > past and passes the test of my capabilities. So hopefully you understand > it's not an argument or even a considered better than other ways of doing > it just a way to do it. Ok enough disclaimer .. just realized I could > write another page on trying not to offend.. but then what fun would that > be. > > Ok so in July I'm doing a 2 week (14 days) self contained tour in Alaska. > At this point there are some unknowns. Such as if there will be a place to > do laundry. To that end I'm test packing as though there will be no > laundry available. > This list avails me the ability to travel for two weeks without need of > washing clothes. It also covers temperatures from the high 40's to mid > 70's. > > Packing List > > Clothing > 5 Pair of Riding Pants (Convertible) (3 Days each) > 7 Pair of Wool Underwear (2 Days each) > 7 Shirts Long Sleeve (2 Days each) > 1 Pair Wool Underwear Long Johns - > 2 Base Layer Tops > 7 Pair of Wool Socks (2 Days each) > 1 Rain Gear > 1 Sweater > 2 Camp Towels > 1 Swim suit > 1 Balaclava > 1 Ear cover > 1 Pair Gloves > extra pair of shoes > > Electronics > Nikon D90 with 2 lenses > Iphone > iPad with camera card adapter > extension cord > 2 LED head lamps for campsite. > Charging devices > > Cooking > French Press > 2 lbs of coffee > Boiling Stove > Origami Dishes > Thermos > 10 packs of instant oat meal > 10 packs of instant things like mashed potatoes > Knife Spoon Fork > 1 Gallon folding Water Container > > Campsite > Sleeping Bag > Sleeping Pad > Extra piece of foam > Solar Shower > Tent > extra stakes > Hammer > > Bike Tools and Parts > Brake Cables > Shifter Cables > Black Tape > Chain links > Master Link > Spokes > Spoke Tool > Chain Whip > Air Pressure Gauge > 3 Tubes > Patch Kit > Boot Kit > Folding Tire > Chain Lube > Brooks Multitool Pouch > > After packing the following weights came about. > > Left Rear - Clothing - > 15.00 Lbs > Right Rear - Sleeping bag & pad- cold weather gear 16 .00 Lbs > Seat Bag Large Saddlesack tools tubes camera 18.00 lbs > Left front - Stove food dishes etc 10.00 lbs > Right Front - Electronics / rain gear 11.00 lbs > Front Rack / Basket Tent thermos 12.00 lbs > Total > 82 lb. > > I had to leave 1/2 of one of the front panniers open for shared food and > have added 5 lbs to that pannier ... > If we have a laundry day then clothes could be cut in 1/2 > Some big weight items... > Camera - with zoom lens comes in at 5.5 lbs > Thermos- Stanley Steel - comes in at 3.0 lbs > > I was going to migrate another 6 lbs of stuff to the front panniers .. may > just carry my camera lens up there and move soft goods to saddle bag as > well as tools. The weight limit on the front low rider rack is 33 lbs so I > don't plan on pushing that number. > > Anyway I thought it was interesting how fast weight adds up.. yes if I > wanted to safe weight I could save a lb by using plastic water bottles > instead of insulated steel. Save another 4.5 lbs by taking a point and > shoot camera, and another by leaving the thermos at home.. might do that > anyway... between the french press and a good boiler stover I take > advantage of just stopping to make more coffee... not to mention I could > save almost 1.5 lbs on a lighter stove. Depending on how remote / I have 3 > lbs of tools and supplies that I wouldn't normally carry but that make me > self sufficient for all but the worst of cases. I was proud of myself for > leaving the spare derailleur at home. > > In the most likely case the only thing I'll leave behind is the thermos. > Even loaded as above I can ride freehanded long enough to zip a coat and it > feel solid at 40 mph on a downhill. > > So Bike 40 + gear 80 + me 225 = 345 lbs .. yelpers know why I loves my > Bombadil. > > When it's all said and done this is about normal with 75% of it being > packed the same way it's been packed for every tour over the last 10 > years... I don't miss the days of trying to figure out where I put things. > I like having things in the order needed, easy to reach when needed and > used for multiple purposes. For me on this trip a minimalist weight will > end up at 60 lbs and I'll end up taking around 70. > > Kelly > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/vryLbKVUxHQJ. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
