MidLife50

Wife and I are prepping for our 1st tour (credit card touring) on Gap/C&O from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. We're riding stock Trek FX-2 hybrids with 700x35 tires. I'm carrying a pair of Ortlieb Back-Roller Classics and she's carrying a handlebar bag. We leave in a couple weeks, but are going to do a 2-day test run this weekend on the Tanglefoot trail in MS. It's 44 miles out and back so it should give us an accurate picture of our upcoming longer tour while giving us some time to make any last-minute adjustments needed.

Here's our tentative packing list (based on what we'll be taking on our longer tour).

On bikes:
Headlight/rear light, helmets, bell, 2 water bottles each

Underseat bag:
2 spare tubes, 2 CO2 cartridges plus control/head unit, tire lever, bike mini multi-tool, patch kit, chain lube.

Handlebar bag:
Phone x2, Mini plug in chargers, sunglasses, glasses, sunscreen, chap stick, bug repellent, facemasks, hand sanitizer, TP, zip ties, granola bars, wallet/cash, cable lock, mini flashlight.

Panniers: Pack for 2 people
1 extra pair bikes shorts each
1 extra bike shirt each
1 pair extra bike socks each
Sundress for her
Casual shorts/shirt for me
1 extra pair shoes each
1 pair flip flops each
1 bike rain jacket each

Toiletries/ First Aid (in pannier)
daily meds
razor x 2
brush/comb x 2
deodorant x 2
travel tube toothpaste
toothbrush x 2
travel make-up
bandaids/gauze
advil
neosporin/cortisone cream
cotton balls x 4
TP/baby wipes

Did I forget anything obvious? Do I need to cut down the stuff further? Any general suggestions?

Thanks. First time out so a bit nervous.

Kelly I

I love it! Someone else who is a minimalist credit card tourist! Isn't it nice how few things you really need?

I don't carry an extra set of bike clothes. I wash and wear each day. I have been told it's obvious I live in an arid area, as you couldn't count on clothes drying overnight in a humid area . . . .

I see you have rain jackets. For a weekend where you can see the weather in advance, that should be good enough. But for a longer trip, I'd probably throw in a long layer, just in case. Look at what just happened to the Chinese ultra marathon people - the weather looked fine at the start.

Give us an update after your trial weekend!

Tourist in MSN

Add a pump. If your plan is to use CO2 cartridges, the pump does not have to be a really good one, but if for some reason you ran out of CO2, a pump will just keep going, and going, etc. You can ride on a tire with low pressure but not on one with no pressure.

Phone, each carry one in case you get separated. Not a bad idea to check cell coverage map with your provider before the trip.

Anything that must stay dry, such as meds, put in a zip lock bag. Yes, Ortliebs are water proof, but if it is raining when you open up an Ortlieb to get something, ... you get the idea.

Your Ortlieb panniers have adjustable hooks that hold the panniers to the rack. Adjust them so that they are as far forward as practical, while providing adequate heel clearance. Reason for that is that if the weight is too far to the rear, the bike can have a tail wagging the dog feel in bike handling.

I see granola bars on the list. You will find that a lot of times there are no places to eat out when you are hungry, so do not scrimp on the food you carry with you.

Good shoes for cycling have a fairly stiff sole. The shoes that have soft soles like deck shoes are not good for cycling, that forces you to push on the pedal with more force on a smaller part of your foot. Shoes to wear off the bike can be anything you want.

If it might be cool in the evening or morning, I like to bring a down vest, they compress down to almost no volume at all when packed and are very light weight. But can be quite comfortable in chilly weather..

If the motels have any disposable shower caps, keep them. You can use on your bike saddle or over your helmet.

Are your phones also your cameras?

indyfabz

Definitely a pump.

indyfabz

+1. A couple of years ago I started a week long tour. Only rain in the forecast was for the first afternoon. That changed drastically between the morning before my 6 hour drive to the start and that evening. Things went totally down hill and I ended up abandoning.

gauvins

+1 for the pump

1. Perhaps a spoke wrench (tiny, sometimes priceless).
2. Gloves (I find them essential) and perhaps a merino beanie (I always have one in my bag).
3. Instead of a second set of cycling clothes, I'd (strongly) suggest carrying an optional layer. Something like a long sleeve merino T and running tights/full length cycling pants.
4. Perhaps rain pants.
5. The idea of storing items in a water proof bag is a good one. This being said, I've had negative experiences with Ziploc plastic bags. You may want to invest in a small dry bag.
6. Small camping chairs definitely make mid-morning/afternoon breaks more enjoyable.

skidder

Like others said - get a pump. Get one of the small ones that can stand on the ground while you pump your tire up; definately easier than the more common noes that you have to hold with both hands.

I'd also suggest some sort of lock. It doesn't have to be a super-duper lock that will thwart all criminals, just enough to keep the honest people honest. I use a home-made cable lock made from a 6-foot long 1/4" braided cable I got at a bicycle shop, then a small padlock at the hardware store, and that works great for locking the entire bicycle (wheels and frame) to a post, fence, or similar on quick stops to run into a store/restaurant, etc. Since there will be two of you I'd suggest both carry locks, maybe with the same key, so if one looses their key or a cable gets cut, you'll always have one lock left.

Maybe a few more tubes? I've gotten three flats in one day so I usually carry three extra tubes for quick road fixes, then patch all the tubes in the evening wherever I end up.

A rear rack for you wife's bicycle. Seriously, get an inexpensive $20-$25 lightweight aluminum one at a LBS that you can put on the rear, also carry a stuff sack or similar that you can fill with stuff (extra clothes or what-not) and lash to the rack with a bungee cord. The extra space is really nice, and the 'weight penalty' will be almost nil.

An assortment of screws/fasteners to use on you bicycle in case some go missing, also zip ties and a length of thin rope (paracord I think its called) from the hardware store.

staehpj1

As pretty much everyone has already said... take a pump. CO2 bleeds out and requires topping up much sooner. It isn't a great choice for touring. If you use much it pretty quickly weighs as much as carrying a nice small pump that never runs out of air.

How much clothing is pretty much personal preference. I have often gone with one set of bike clothes, but I don't mind starting out with damp clothes in the morning. Two sets is fine.

If you have a glue type patch kit be sure the glue is fresh and not dried up.

Pratt

Test run sounds like a great idea.
Pencil and paper to write down what you wish you had brought and why, or what you wish you hadn't brought, and why.
When you unpack, you might list everything and decide whether you would take it again.
Sunblock
Chamois butter, or equivalent.

imi

If you decide to take a pump, the Topeak Mini Morph with gauge is small and good, though the Road Morph G (gauge) is preferred by many.

A bag of trailmix goes further than power bars in my experience

MidLife50

Appreciate the advice. Getting excited as we leave in a week. Adding to my stash (and load) almost daily.

Definitely packing the extra layer top/bottom, gloves, added a 15mm wrench to remove my pedals at the end to box the bike for my train ride back to Pittsburgh (roll on/roll off full), more spare tubes (will carry 4 total), and the Topeak Road Morph G pump. Last evening spent time on the porch to practice taking my bike tires off, deflating and removing the tube, and then practiced reinstalling the tube and pumping up the tires.

We may not need all of this but just like completing the back-to-back 44 mile overnighter test run, it's done wonders boosting our confidence even further. Will probably tweak the off-bike clothes a bit, add a paperback for downtime, and may yet go with just 1 set of bike clothes (although my wife seems set on 2 pair).

ericoseveins

The GAP passes through a lot of rural neighborhoods and I would definitely bring something to deal with being chased by dogs, whether that's an air horn, dog treats, or pepper spray if you feel confident about using it. I have bad memories of pushing 80lbs of loaded bicycle as fast as I could over 1/8 mile while being chased. Also I would make time to stop by Fallingwater if you've never been! It's not too far off the GAP and well worth it if you like design of that period.

Tourist in MSN

I think most better pedals now can be removed with a long arm 6mm allen wrench, some use an 8mm instead of 6mm. That is smaller and lighter than a 15mm open end wrench.

It is a good idea to check pedal tightness a day or two before you need to remove them. Sometimes they are on really tight and if they are on too tight for the tools you have at hand, that extra time can come in handy. Earlier today I removed a pair of pedals with a long shop sized pedal wrench, and using a rubber mallet to beat on the pedal wrench. But those pedals were put on by a bike shop, so were expected to be much tighter than needed.

I carry two tubes on a tour, with a patch kit. I consider that enough, but if you sleep better at night knowing you have four, go for it.

MAK

When you do the C&O/GAP, I recommend fenders as the C&O could get very muddy. Just be sure that you have good clearance or the mud can clog between the tire and fender ruining your ride..

Regarding your 'anything else' question:

I carry a small zip lock bag (2x3 inch) with three or four screws in case one loosens and falls off your rack.

I also recommend a small length of duct tape. You can get a six foot piece of duct tape at Walmart in the camping aisle of the sporting goods department or at REI, Dicks etc.. You can also wrap some duct tape around a pencil or pen.

Lastly I coil a few zip ties into one of the 2x3 zip locks.

Enjoy your rides

With duct tape and zip ties you can deal with most emergency temporary repairs.

StarBiker

It will certainly be muddy for the next few days.