Originally Posted by
Darth Lefty
That's... a lot of stuff. Are you not permitted to leave anything in your office?
At least you know where your towel is
Yeah, I'm a hoopy frood.
I could probably bring and leave brown and black pairs of dress shoes. When I did bike commuting previously, I also basically brought a week's worth of dress outfits folded and compressed in those three gallon bags. I could probably do something like that again. I also used panniers, and I think it's not just a volume but also a shape thing. I'm definitely thinking I can use your suggestions here.
Originally Posted by
Darth Lefty
The last few times I've bought warm clothes, I've bought stuff that packs down small. Fake-down puffy jacket, and about to buy some wool thermal stuff. My beloved NF wind wall soft shell is right out unless I can wear it both ways.
I've got pants and shirts I can cycle in, at least in the morning and all of oct-may. That helps too.
In the depths of the drought a few years ago we had some really cold snaps where it was worthwhile to wear extra lower layers but since we started having rain again it's been warmer.
The softshell I wore the other day was actually TOO warm. Usually it's only good down to maybe mid-40s. The same is not true when you're hoofing it on a bike. I can probably get away with my much thinner and closer fitting softshell jacket over a baselayer when it's even colder. I've had mixed luck with thermal jerseys, especially for the price. Usually, they still need some sort of wind blocking shell for me to not be cursing the cold for the first 15 minutes or so. Right now, I just wear hiking pants over bike shorts (yeah, I'm a wuss and nervous about riding without a chamois) and can add a baselayer or tights when it gets colder and go to more wind resistant pants. I've got plenty of wicking t-shirts and a couple of jerseys. I try to use as much of my hiking gear for commuting as possible so I'm not spending even more money on even more clothing. I can recommend merino baselayers. You'd be super surprised at how warm even a thin one can keep you. You don't need to pay the extra for a cycling specific base layer. I've gotten good ones from TJ Maxx for $8 and from Costco for $15.
Thanks for the suggestions. I can probably make better use of this pack and carry less **** every day if I follow them.