Laurens4790

Hi All,

I am planning to do a 10 day bike tour around Florida on a carbon road bike. I will be sleeping in Hotels so no camping gear needed and all will be on-road routes.

What amount of packing space would you guys advice to take with me? Would a 17L saddle bag be enough or would you suggest also a frame/handlebar bag? And if so, should I take a frame bag or a handlebar bag in addition?

This will be my first packpacking tour so your help is really appriciated.

Many thanks!

spinnaker

There are tons of packing lists on line Just do a search. But what you carry is up to you. Some people take nothing much more than a grooming kit. They wear the same clothes and shoes they rode off with.

I like to be comfortable. 2 changes of clothes, a pair of light weight street shoes. a pair of comfortable shorts and a t-shirt.

But before you do your big 10 day adventure, do an overnight somewhere. You will learn a lot about what you need to take and what you should leave behind. Also learn a lot about making decisions.

I hope this trip is going to start soon or is for much later this year. A 10 day tour in Florida in summer could be brutal.

jon c. 

As a Floridian, I'd find it a bit chilly to do a tour now. But I'm in the northern part of the state and it's 45 this morning. I would need to pack much warmer gear to ride in these parts in the winter. What you pack definitely depends on when you're doing it.

Tourist in MSN

If you put all the stuff you want to bring in a box, measure how much space that takes (a liter is almost 60 cubic inches), that tells you how much volume you need.

alan s 

PedalingWalrus

That's a cool idea

Laurens4790

Thanks for the help all! Trip will be next month, so should not be too hot. I am used to Dutch ****ty weather so every little bit of sunshine is already perfect cycling conditions for me

I went for a saddle bag and a frame bag totalling 23L. Let's see what I can fit in there!

jon c. 

Should be fine in the southern part of the state. February could still have pretty cold mornings in the north. Or not. One can never tell. Last year, January was brutal (by our standards) with more nights below freezing than we've had in 10 or 20 years. And February was the warmest February ever recorded.

archfotos

just being cynical, but the most important piece of gear for me would be glass proof tires or a lot of patch kits maybe even a spare tire if you're riding a thinner road bike tires. At least on the roads I've ridden in the north. It's not like the local DollarStore is going to carry a road bike tire. Sometimes I wonder if the oyster men throw their bottles on purpose. I would also echo the other posts that Florida can be a lot colder than one expects, not to say it can't have nice days, but a windy cold drizzly day in Northern FL can be cold.


I like a handlebar bag to carry into stores/restaurants and carry a good amount of snacks in case the small town on the map is an abandoned building.

alan s 

Paul Barnard

I hope you'll keep us posted on how your trip goes. If you feel like you need a little extra storage space, a hydration backpack with storage compartments is an easy way to get it. I use one out in CO each summer whether on the road or off road, and I love it.

Tourist in MSN

Bummer.

I have only had one puncture on a bike tour. On the highway through Big Cyprus I picked up what looked like a large staple. On that trip I had Schwalbe Marathon tires (with Greenguard).

Bassmanbob

Let me know if you'll be anywhere near the Treasure Coast (Martin and St. Lucie Counties) on the east coast. We can talk safer roads and such.

Have fun!