One aspect of bicycle touring that appeals to me is the high degree of self-reliance required. While on the road or trail, any number of things can go wrong. Bike parts fail, weather turns bad, food and water supplies run low, and morale fades. We have only four panniers (or a trailer) to carry the equipment necessary to overcome these predicaments. Here is a list of the gear I used:
Bike, Racks, and Panniers
| Bike |
Schwinn Sierra GSD 2007 |
| Front rack |
Old Man Mountain Sherpa |
| Rear rack |
Topeak Explorer MTX |
| Front Panniers |
Lone Peak P-500 Mount Superior |
| Rear Panniers |
Lone Peak P-100 Parley’s Summit |
| Backpack |
Camelbak Mayhem |
| Pedals |
Crank Bros Smarty |
| Bar Ends |
Ergon Performance Grip GC2 |
| Wheelset |
Shimano Deore M525 Hub/Sun Ringle Rhyno Lite Rims 32h |
| Tires |
WTB Nano Raptor |
| Rear light |
ViewPoint 5-LED |
| Cyclo-computer |
CatEye Strada Cadence |
Bike Tools
| Bike multi-tool |
Crank Bros m17 |
| Allen wrenches (2 extra) |
– |
| Tubes (3) |
– |
| Pump |
Topeak Road Morph |
| Patch kit |
– |
| Tire Levers |
– |
| Spokes (3) |
– |
| Chain links |
– |
| Power link (2) |
– |
| Chain/Cable lube |
ProLink Chain Lube |
| Rag |
– |
| Brake cable |
– |
| Derailleur cable |
– |
| Spare nuts/bolts |
– |
| Pliers |
– |
| Zip ties |
– |
Clothing (on-bike)
| Mesh shorts (2) |
– |
| Cycling Underwear(2) |
– |
| T-shirt (1) |
SmartWool |
| Long-sleeve shirt (1) |
SmartWool |
| Warm base layer |
UnderArmour long-sleeve |
| Socks (3) |
SmartWool |
| Warm long-sleeve |
Ski fleece |
| Warm Tights |
– |
| Rain pants |
– |
| Rain jacket |
Showers Pass Double Century w/ hood |
| Shoe Covers |
Serfas Waterproof Breathable |
| Riding gloves |
– |
| MTB shoes |
Shimano MT-70 |
Clothing (off-bike)
| Underwear (1) |
– |
| Jeans |
– |
| Camp/Water shoes |
Keens |
Clothes (misc)
| Warm gloves |
– |
| Warm hat |
– |
| RoadID |
– |
| Watch |
– |
| Sunglasses |
– |
| Bandana |
– |
| Tilley Hat |
– |
Hydration
| Camelback bladder |
100 oz. |
| Water bags (2) |
MSR Dromedary 4L |
| Water bottle |
Klean Kanteen |
| Water filter |
MSR Sweetwater |
| Purification |
Iodine tablets |
Camping
| Tent |
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 w/ ground tarp |
| Sleeping bag |
GoLite Venture 20 degree down |
| Sleeping pad |
Big Agnes Air Core Mummy |
| Army Poncho |
|
| Multi-tool |
– |
| Pocket knife |
– |
| Cord |
50 ft. |
| Lighter(s)/matches/flint |
– |
| Bug spray |
100% DEET |
| Duct tape |
– |
| Dry/Stuff sacks |
– |
Cooking
| Stove |
MSR Whisperlite Internationale w/ windscreen |
| Fuel bottle |
MSR 20 oz. |
| Pots |
Snow Peak Trek 900 Titanium Cookset |
| Sugar/spices/tea |
– |
Toiletries
| Toilet paper |
Half-roll |
| Toothbrush |
– |
| Toothpaste |
– |
| Floss |
– |
| Deoderant |
– |
| Bar soap |
– |
| Washcloth |
– |
| Towel |
MSR Packtowl UltraLite |
| Nail clipper |
– |
| Q-tips |
– |
Medical
| Medicine |
Ibuprofen, Benadryl, Pepto Bismol |
| Scissors |
– |
| Tweezers |
– |
| Misc. |
Tape, bandages, disinfectants, bacitracin/hydrocortisone ointments |
| Camera |
Pentax Optio S5i + mini tripod |
| Batteries |
AA/AAA |
| Solar Charger |
Solio Classic-i |
| LI battery Charger |
KeyChain USB DC Battery Charger |
| GPS |
SPOT Personal Tracker w/ carrying case |
| Cell Phone |
Phone w/ USB charge cable |
| USB Memory |
Kingston DataTraveller 8GB (3) |
| Helmet camera |
VholdR ContourHD (+ handlebar attachment) |
| Memory cards |
3GB for digital camera; 18GB for helmet cam |
| Memory card reader |
Kingston 19-in-1 |
| Wall charger |
– |
Misc.
| Wallet |
– |
| Blank checks (3) |
– |
| Passport |
– |
| Photocopies of documents |
– |
| Emergency contact info |
– |
| Maps |
Adventure Cycling, of course! |
| Guide Book |
Cycling the Great Divide by Mike McCoy |