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Don't leave home without it...

Old 04-22-05, 05:16 AM
  #26  
Alekhine
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-Mosquito repellent

I also like a lot of 'non-essentials' to keep me occupied during rainy days; otherwise, everything's already been mentioned that I bring, and then some:

-Books (not novels, but books that you can work with, that take longer to get through, and that will improve you somehow: Foreign language books, chess books, bicycle repair books, books on nature/field guides, outdoor survival manuals, etc...)
-a small pair of binoculars for birdwatching, along with a camera & zoom lens.
-A small musical instrument and some blank staff paper.
-Mini sketchpad/notebook and pencil.
-I also like the ThermaRest chair/pad combo, and will frequently turn away park picnic tables in favor of it.
-LED headlamp (instead of a flashlight; attaches like a sweat band and can be used for everything from a night light for reading to a headlight for your bike)
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Old 04-23-05, 09:39 AM
  #27  
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Wow, a lot of cool ideas. I forgot to mention that the t-shirts weren't cotton, all the clothing is going to be synthetic with the exception of the wool sweater. I was looking at the spread today, I could get by with two Panniers, I have four. I keep rereading this book that says leave room for the stuff you'll purchase on the road. So I think of using the front panniers for such items, but this morning I was like thinking this is daft.
What about carrying extra water? I have an MSR water bag it's the 2 liter, and I have several Nalgene bottles. I stumbled on an idea this morning about frozen OJ with a little salt mixed up as a "sports drink." The thought of not having to cook is a cool idea. Maybe it is this romantic notion of setting up a tent and getting to cooking a pot of noodles for a meal at the end of a ride, it just sounds cool. Of course after a hot long afternoon of riding who'd want to eat a hot meal?
My other concerns are just keeping the cost down.
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Old 04-23-05, 12:47 PM
  #28  
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Stick with cooking if you want to keep costs down. And you'd be surprised how often you want a hot meal after riding in the hot sun all day. I enjoyed it every time and when I did go out to eat, well that was usually hot as well. Being able to make oatmeal and coffee in the morning is of course priceless. The alcohol stove/titanium cookset I used is so light and small that I can't image not bringing it along.

Take the four panniers, you'll appreciate the distributed weight.
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Old 04-23-05, 02:09 PM
  #29  
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Two or three pairs of bicycle pants?

I take one pair. I wash them every night, along with my only jersey. The jersey always dries by morning; the chamois crotch pad may be a bit damp, but body heat dries it out quickly.

I carry a tube of crazy glue and a foot of Velcro. On my first big trip, my plastic map case, which attaches to the aero-bars, was flapping around. To secure it in place, I attached two squares of Velcro to the bottom of the map case, and their matching pieces to the top of my aerobars.

I also carry dental floss, and not just in the interest of oral hygiene! When my rear rack broke, I wrapped it with floss and sealed it with crazy glue.
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Old 04-23-05, 02:42 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by acantor
Two or three pairs of bicycle pants?

I take one pair. I wash them every night, along with my only jersey. The jersey always dries by morning; the chamois crotch pad may be a bit damp, but body heat dries it out quickly.

I carry a tube of crazy glue and a foot of Velcro. On my first big trip, my plastic map case, which attaches to the aero-bars, was flapping around. To secure it in place, I attached two squares of Velcro to the bottom of the map case, and their matching pieces to the top of my aerobars.

I also carry dental floss, and not just in the interest of oral hygiene! When my rear rack broke, I wrapped it with floss and sealed it with crazy glue.
I'm pretty much the same on all counts. I tend to skimp on clothes before most everything else, and I also only bring one pair of shorts. And crazy glue is indeed useful! I had to repair my glasses once on the road with it, and duct tape would have been wrong for that particular job, since they were really done in. Floss, I bring for oral hygiene. I haven't really used it creatively yet.

Oh, and naisme, for water, I tend to fill up in towns, but I also have an MSR filtration pump that attaches to my nalgene bottles, with which you can collect and clean stream water to drinkable grade, assuming there's no DuPont plant right nearby or anything. Tablets work too, and take less space.
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Old 04-23-05, 04:21 PM
  #31  
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I take $200 - $300 in travelers checks, put them in a small size baggie and roll it tight. I then take the cap off of the handlebar end, put the checks in the bar and replace the cap. This gives me emergency money, and can be replaced if the bike happens to be stollen (receipts stay in a different location). Never leave home without it!
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Old 04-23-05, 05:03 PM
  #32  
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A friend had a spare spoke taped to the rear triangle, for years. He finally had a chance to use it but it was too short and ended up buying a new wheel. I carried a piece of leather--tongue of an old shoe--if you slash a tire, you are supposed to put it inside to keep the tube from poking out; I never needed it.

My suggestions: trashbag liners to put the sleeping bag in when it rains (and maybe for inside your panniers if they might leak); two pair of riding shorts; mosquito repellant?; flashlight; corkschrew; some way to lock up your bike; and, depending on with whom and where you are riding, think of what you might wear--e.g., black windbreaker pants, T-shirt and atheletic shoes--for something you could wear in a restaurant without looking like a geek. You'll probably want a full-size frame pump too.

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Old 04-23-05, 05:16 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by JoeLonghair
Fire lighter is what I carry, once i got to my camp , all the matches were soaked and my lighter filnt went. Had to cycle another 10 miles to buy new matches. Now a fire lighter and a 2 sticks of tampons. Very compressed cotton wool inside. Just tear off the amount of cotton needed, shave of wood with a knife. With a fire lighter the cotton goes up in now time.
I've also added a very small jar of vaseline to my fire kit - a tiny bit of vaseline in the cotton does wonders in wet condition!
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Old 04-23-05, 05:59 PM
  #34  
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Bungee cords and duct tape (or electrical tape).

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Old 04-23-05, 07:00 PM
  #35  
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P.S., Also, the towel . . . the size and type take some thought but not white (it gets dirty-looking real fast and looks funky hanging off the back of your bike to dry): a light-weight brown that will dry fast. And, the small individually wrapped soaps are perfect--just 1/2 per shower and leave it behind for the next guy who isn't prepared. Cheers!
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Old 04-23-05, 07:23 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by naisme
Wow, a lot of cool ideas. I forgot to mention that the t-shirts weren't cotton, all the clothing is going to be synthetic with the exception of the wool sweater. I was looking at the spread today, I could get by with two Panniers, I have four. I keep rereading this book that says leave room for the stuff you'll purchase on the road. So I think of using the front panniers for such items, but this morning I was like thinking this is daft.
What about carrying extra water? I have an MSR water bag it's the 2 liter, and I have several Nalgene bottles. I stumbled on an idea this morning about frozen OJ with a little salt mixed up as a "sports drink." The thought of not having to cook is a cool idea. Maybe it is this romantic notion of setting up a tent and getting to cooking a pot of noodles for a meal at the end of a ride, it just sounds cool. Of course after a hot long afternoon of riding who'd want to eat a hot meal?
My other concerns are just keeping the cost down.
There are times when you may need to carry extra water. Cycling across West Texas it's a must. It's also good to take if you expect to be stealth camping awayt from a water source. But wait until you go through the last town before where you plan to camp before filling up unless you don't mind the extra weight. An MSR water bag is probably a great way to be prepared as it should take up little volume when empty. I would avoid the nalgene bottles. They usually don't fit in a bottle cages and unless you store something in them when not used for water, they occupy a lot of pannier volume for nothing.

BTW, empty 1L soda (not water) bottles are very strong and light weight.
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Old 04-23-05, 09:52 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by wagathon
And, the small individually wrapped soaps are perfect--just 1/2 per shower and leave it behind for the next guy who isn't prepared.
I carry Dr Bronner's Pure Castile soap - because it's pure soap, and liquid, it goes a long way - and it can be used for sink laundry and dishes as well as showers. Plus it's completely biodegradable - no guilt about using it outdoors and at campsites. It's the only soap you should use for bathing in natural water...
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Old 04-23-05, 09:55 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by koffee brown
Bungee cords and duct tape (or electrical tape).

Koffee
I've taken to use helmet straps. I've had a few old helmets lying around, and the straps are one long length with buckles on the ends. You do need to remove one (preferable the male clip-in end) to unthread the strap, but it's a simple matter of using needle and thread to turn one end over on itself a couple of time, and to create a loop for the female buckle-end. The straps are long enough for a single one to wrap over my tent back on top of the rear rack and keep it securely in place.

I've also used very thin bungee cord usually available from ships chandlers, plus stainless steel hooks on the ends. They have proved very effective and durable.
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Old 04-24-05, 01:06 PM
  #39  
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I wear glasses. On my last two outings I took a tiny screwdriver for tightening my glasses. I used it several times!

On my next tour, I will bring a Swiss Army knife; some models have this kind of screwdriver. It is tiny -- it fits into the threads of the corkscrew!

Last edited by acantor; 04-24-05 at 01:09 PM. Reason: I included a redundent link
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Old 04-24-05, 03:38 PM
  #40  
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naisme,
amazing amount of help everyone offers here, I always have a destination, purpose, goal in mind when I go on out...when hiking or out in the bush (west coast) we always share our 'rough' plan with others when we go out. Like how long, where approx., and possible route - I know this is not always practical or useful, but it has been very good for saving someone stuck in a bad situation. Also, depending on your location and route, hikers regularily send 'care packages' to themselves via general delivery...If near phones, I personally like to have a long-distance calling card with me.
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Old 04-24-05, 06:32 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by supcom
...I would avoid the nalgene bottles. They usually don't fit in a bottle cages and unless you store something in them when not used for water, they occupy a lot of pannier volume for nothing...
I take a small Nalgene (~500mL size) touring, the larger sizes I use hiking+backpacking. The small size works great for me, just rite for carrying while off bike doing touristy stuff. I also made a "cozy" for it out of Reflectex insulation. The "cozy" keeps my coffee, tea, or cocoa piping hot for a long time when I want it to be, and juice/eletrolite drinks/water chilled for a bit. This size fits perfect in my cages (sans cozy), particularly in my third cage-where 1L bottles don't fit (under the downtube).

I've also made a "cozy" for my cook/food bowl. I simply use those Gladware brand disposable bowls with lids. One of the round sizes, with the "cozy" nests inside my cook pot (an Isobutane canister nests in that). I just add boiling water to oatmeal, ramen, instant soups, rice & such. Foods that may need a few minutes of simmer time continue to cook when I close the bowl lid (with an insulated top). Easy&sanitary food prep&clean up.

The "cozies" are simple to make, cut strips of the insulation (found at any Home Depot/hardware type store), tape+all done. I use aluminum foil tape, but good old duct tape would work as well. They hardly weigh anything. I use the remaining Reflectex as intended, for insulation.
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Old 04-24-05, 06:49 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by naisme
...What about carrying extra water? I have an MSR water bag it's the 2 liter...
I have a 1.8 or ?2L Playtypus bag with hose+bite valve. Rolled up it takes up minimal space. I melted two holes through the extra plastic at the base, and ran some utility cord through them. I can then hang it up (at camp say), and use the hose/valve for a mini shower, clean stuff, fill stuff etc. I've rarely needed to ride far with it filled, but it seats nicely strapped across my rear rack under my tent. Has held up for me for ?3-4 years so far.

I only put water in it, and I give the whole system a good cleaning/soak in dilute bleach at home when it gets "funky". For cleaning on the road/trail, I add double water treatment tabs (non iodine-teeny Silver ion ones), let sit+rinse.
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