Gary's 2005 Cross Country Bicycle Adventure
Maine to North Dakota
(Originally Maine to Washington)
Equipment
menu
Home
The Route
Why?
Equipment
Gary Sr
Great Links
Other Stuff
Henry David Thoreau Cycling Blog Guest Book Rolling Roads Tours Metal Cowboy
Camp Creative
lsidebar
If you are interested in  adventure travel via bicycle I highly recommend Joe Kurmaskie's book "The Metal Cowboy"

http://www.metalcowboy.com/
  Click on the picture to go to Joe's site!
Joe is a great guy and has a million stories! And as Joe would say,
"On Yere Bike!"
Would you like to have a copy of Walden?
Walden Cover
  Click on the picture to visit Amazon.com
menu
The Route Pre-Trip ME NH-VT NY PA-OH MI-WI MN ND 05 ND 07 MT ID-WA
Gary is finishing his cross Country trip! Please see " The Route" pages (above) of this web site to read about my trip.

Equipment List

This page will detail the equipment I selected for my trip, since my trip will be a solo and fully self-supported trip I won’t discuss equipment or set-ups for other types of cycle touring (such as credit card, van supported, group tours etc..) There are many other pages devoted to those types of touring, please see my links page for further info.

When choosing equipment for a long distance self-supported cycling tour it’s best to keep a few things in mind, the items below are just a sample:
  1. Weight – You’ll have to haul everything up every incline you meet.
  2. Durability – You don’t want to be 100 miles from the nearest town and have a major breakdown.
  3. Spares – See #2, you should carry crucial replacements for all essential equipment, don’t forget about your stove and tent!
  4. Comfort – What level of comfort do you really need? Sleeping on hard ground can ruin an otherwise pleasant evening for most folks!
  5. Weight – This is so important it deserves to be mentioned twice!
A quick word about Bikes
Trek 520 LoadedChosing a bike for touring is to a great degree a matter of personal taste, the prevalent opinion leans toward using a touring specific bike such as the Trek 520 (my personal choice.) Its longer wheel base, sturdier frame, extra bottle cage braze-ons, full rack & fender eyelets, rugged component group and 36 spoke rims make for a much more reliable machine on extended tours than say an 18 lb road racer. I also recommend riding the bike as much as possible before you begin a tour, this will help work out any kinks and also insure you’ll be comfortable riding the bike day after day. See my links page for sites that provide additional information on selecting and fitting a bike, there are literally hundreds of sites to choose from, Sheldon Brown's site is among the best and provides more detail than most.

A quick word about Tents
I would strongly suggest that you spend several nights in the tent you intend to take on tour before your tour starts. At first it might seem like a great idea to take the lightest tent possible however this may present problems, particularly on an extended tour. Also concentrate on the durability, ability to breath and it's ability to stand up to weather without leaking. Ask yourself these questions when buying a tent:
  • Can I sit up in the tent?
  • If I have to sit out an extended rain storm in the tent will I be comfortable? (will the walls close in on you?)
  • Do I want to store my gear inside the tent at night? (security issues)
  • Will the tent stand up to heavy rain and high winds?
  • Will the tent poles fit on my rack? In my Panniers? Etc… (most tent poles are too long, 14" is about perfect)
  • Is the tent self-supporting? (a must in hard pack ground, usually found in dome tents)

Eureka Apex 2XTA TentI selected the Eureka Apex 2XTA because of prior experience with Eureka's expedition and adventure series tents. While on a week long wilderness canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern MN we rode out exceptionally heavy rain 3 nights in a row, considerable standing water (the tent floor was like a waterbed at one point!) and even good sized hail all without a scratch or single drop of water due to leakage.
Left Picture with rain fly - Right without


A quick word about Sleeping Bags
Weight and pack size are show stoppers on a bike tour, these two items alone will quickly disqualify any bag not designed for adventure travel. Think backpacker and you’re on the right track. Also consider the insulation composition, Down is lighter but once it gets wet it loses it’s ability to keep you warm, Synthetics are a bit heavier but will keep you warm even when wet. I choose a synthetic bag by Slumberjack, again because of prior experience with the manufacturers product.

In my opinion there are 3 items of particular importance to consider when choosing a sleeping bag, you may have other considerations based on personal taste but these 3 items were paramount, in my decision:
  • Size – Is the bag wide enough to roll over in?
  • Temp Rating – You want to be comfortable, not too hot, not too cool.
  • Material composition – does it feel good against your skin?
Lastly, a Thermarest pad (or an equivalent) is surprisingly comfortable, I don’t know anyone who would go backcountry camping or self-supported cycle touring without one.

Equipment Checklists
In the table below you will find the checklist I developed for my trip, I used the web to find lists created by others then modified them to suit my own needs. If you are planning a tour, you will of course make adjustments to suit personal tastes and needs but this list should prove to be a good starting point.

When all was said and done the equipment below minus the bike weighed in at 53 lbs, (plus an additional 6 lbs for water and 4 lbs for food on the road) 40 - 60 lbs of equipment is the norm for extended solo touring, when riding with others you can share; a tent, camping equipment, tools and spare parts lessening each persons load!

Equipment Checklist
(Trade and copyrights property of their respective owners)
(* denotes items I either found to be unessecary and sent home during the trip or items that didn't work well)

Category

Item

Qty

Where

Bicycle

Trek 520

1

B

Rear Rack

1

B

Front Rack

1

B

Pump

1

B

Gauge

1

HB

Cateye Cycle computer (Cateye died in the rain during week 1! replaced with a Sigma Sport covered with plastic)

1

B

Tail light

1

HB or B

Pedals

1

B

Water Bottle cages

3

B

Terry TyFly saddle

1

B

Cargo Straps

7

B

Cateye Headlight

1

RFP

Seat Rain Cover

1

HB

Lock Cable

1

B

Polar Water bottles 

2

B-LRP

*Zefal Magnum Water Bottles

2

B-LRP

Rear Panniers

2

B

Front Panniers

2

B

Handlebar bag

1

B

Rain covers for panniers & HB bag

1

RR

Small compass

1

HB

Maps

var

HB

Fenders

1

B

Under seat Bag

1

B

 

 

 

Camping

Eureka Apex 2XTA Tent

1

RS

Eureka Apex 2XTA footprint

1

RS

Sleeping bag

1

RS

Sleeping Pad

1

RS

Extra Tent stakes

2

RS

Parachute cord

50'

RS

Lacing cord

50'

RR SK

Leatherman

1

HB

Hydroseal sack

1

RS

Light (head strap lamp)

1

RFP

Mini Pillow

1

RR

 

 

 

Cooking

Stove

1

RF

Fuel Bottle

1

RRP

Mess Kit

1

RF

Lexan utensils

1

RF

Bic Cig lighters

3

RF-HB-SK

*Dromedary Bag

1

RR

Camp Soap

1

RF

Mess Cleanup

1

RF

 

 

 

Clothing

Helmet

1

B

Cycling shoes

1

B

Sandals

1

LR

Street Shoes

1

LR-RR

Rearview mirror

1

B-HB

Cycling shorts

3

LF

Jerseys

3

LF

Leggings

1

LF

Cycling socks

3

LF

Goretex Windbreaker

1

LF

Thermal Jacket

1

RS

Convertible pants

1

LF

Casual shirt

1