So much stuff

What I brought

One of the most helpful things for me when doing research into this trip was the inventory list of other touring cyclists. So I'm returning the favor and making my own. Note however that I brought too much stuff so emulating me might not be desirable.

On the bike - clipped or attached somehow
- Garmin eTrex Legend GPS - one of the most useful pieces of equipment I brought. Seriously, if you are considering any sort of touring GET A GPS. It can take the place of a cyclocomputer since it has all the functions you would want from a standard computer: speed, distance, time, etc, and it does a whole lot more. The only downside is that it eats batteries. 2 AAs every couple days. Still, totally worth the price.
- Polar S510 HRM - I didn't use this at all. I send the transmitter back in Pueblo. It was nice to have the time prominently displayed somewhere, so I kept the watch part.
- Cateye 5 LED headlight
- Cateye 3 LED blinky
- Three rear blinkies, one on the seat, one on the rear rack, one on my helmet
- Yaesu VX-7R ham radio - used to listen to FM broadcast bands to occupy the time.
- can of Halt! dog repellent - never used, but other cyclists I met had used theirs.
- GU flask
- Camelbak Unbottle 100, clipped in place behind the seat - don't even think of touring without a Camalbak.
- Two water bottle on the handlebars
Handlebar bag
- Wallet
- Sunglasses case
- Cell phone
- Keys
- Canon S230 digital camera with case, spare battery and spare CF card
- Crank Brothers Multi-17 multitool - A perfect little multitool. This should be in the repair kit of every cyclist.
- Swiss army knife
- Spare AA batteries
- Ibuprofin
- Blistex
- Pen and scraps of paper
- A couple GU and powerbars - for when I was too lazy to stop to eat.
Left Pannier - Bike repair stuff
- 3 spare tires, one for each wheel - The downside to having three different size wheel was having to have a spare for each. I never had to use the spare BOB tire, but it was good to have anyway.
- Spare spokes, two for each size wheel - never used.
- Spare tubes, two for the rear wheel, one each for the front and BOB.
- Topeak Morph Road pump - a nice pump with built in pressure gauge.
- 2 tire patch kits
- Spare stuff: screws, cabling, a few chain links - never used.
- Tools: Allen y-wrench, 2 hex socket y-wrenches (8-14 mm), adjustable wrench, 3 Al tire levers, letherman.
- Chain lube - my considered favorite is Finish Line Teflon Plus dry lube.
- First aid kit: band-aid assortment, neosporin, aloe, etc.
- Pen wrapped with many feet of duct and electrical tape.
Right Pannier
- Goretex rain jacket - a bit too heavy. I'd recommend a lighter rain shell.
- Marmot rain shell pants
- Knee warmers
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Wet-ones baby wipes - make sure to have these readily accessible. You never know when you will need them and you will be glad you had them!
- Pop-tarts and other random food items for on the road snacking
- Multi-vitamins
BOB Trailer
- Eureka Zeus EXO-2 tent - A wonderful tent. I didn't use it much, but still good to have along. It is small, light, quick to set up and take down, and a perfect size for one person and some gear (very snug for two people, though)
- Mountain Hard Wear 30 degree sleeping bag.
- Thermarest 3/4 length sleeping pad
- 2 pair cycling sock
- 3 cycling shorts
- 2 jerseys
- set of street clothes (tshirt and shorts)
- a pair of Teva sandals - I strongly recommend bringing a pair of light sandals for rest days and walking around after you get in.
- fleece sweater
- 1 pair thermal underwear and top - never used
- small camp towel
- Dromedary 10L water bag, for days with no services - a great piece of equipment to have. I usually used old bottled water bottles but sometimes you just need *lots* of water.
- Titanium spork
- Lexan mug
- Hair brush
- Toiletries
  - shampoo
  - conditioner
  - Dr. Bronners Magic Soap - the worlds best soap. Cuts through bike grease like no other.
  - toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss
  - deodorant
  - razor and shaving cream
  - skin cream
- Backpack full of technology stuff
  - Apple iBook - My baby. Before I left I loaded it with TopoUSA 4.0, some really really cool mapping software which proved invaluable on the the trip. Unfortunately, the laptop died and had to be sent home in Pueblo. Very sad face.
  - Chargers for iBook, cell phone, camera and radio
  - Cables for camera and GPS
  - spare money and ID
  - piles of maps
  - random books for when I got bored
- More random food items, like beef jerky.

Nick Martin Last modified: Sat Apr 26 09:23:06 EDT 2003