Packing list for touring in 2019
 

Inspired by this thread, I'd love to hear what is on peoples' essentials (and non-essentials) list for bikepacking in 2019. Let's say for a one-week outing. I'll leave food out as this is highly situational and personal.

As a bonus, list the #1 dumbest thing you've ever brought touring/bikepacking.

I'll start

Essentials

- Layered kit (jersey, bibs, baselayer, arm-warmers, knee-warmers, rain jacket, gloves)
- Socks + spare socks
- Sunglasses
- On-bike shoes
- Off-bike shoes/sandals (depending on the time of year/conditions)
- Off-bike campsite clothes (must be able to double as civilian clothes; pants, shirt, underpants, warm hat, warm socks for sleeping)
- Sleep system (A: Hammock with mosquito net, sleeping bag or B: Bivvy, sleeping bag)
- Cook system (Mini-stove, gas canister [unless wood-burning], small pot with lid, Aeropress if coffee drinker)
- Eating system (Modular utensil/spork, coffee/warm-beverage mug, bowl if not going solo and eating out of the small pot)
- Water purification system (Lifestraw, iodine tablets..etc.)
- Front/rear lights (preferably dynamo, especially if Sinewave or other USB-out system for charging GPS..etc.)
- Headlamp
- High-tensile line/rope
- Knife
- Spare cable (1x shifter, 1x brake)
- Multitool
- Spare tubes
- Patch kit
- Map
- Emergency phone/beacon
- Basic first-aid kit (sterilizing wipes/liquid, band-aids, antibacterial)
- Pack towel
- Sunscreen

Non-essentials (but nice to have)
- Painkillers/anti-inflammatory
- Inflatable pillow
- Candy/chocolate
- Card games
- Notebook
- Camera
- Flora/fauna ID book
- Something to smoke... (see also: painkillers)

Dumbest thing
Many years ago while riding the Colorado Trail, I tore the sidewall of my tire. It was a 29" and this was prior to the full-on ubiquity of 29" tires (circa 2009). I hiked two days out of the bush and onto a trucker route, hitched a ride to the nearest town with a bike shop only to find that they didn't have 29" tires. Two truckers, two towns and two bike shops later I finally found them. Bought a replacement, then two more. Stuffed them in the bottom of my panniers and rode back to the trail to start from whence I came. I rode another 220mi with those two extra tires and never even got another flat.

I also started a 10 day ride while I was in the middle of Finnegans Wake and, being enthralled with the book, decided to bring it with. In the end I started tearing out what I'd read and burning it so I wouldn't have to carry the 900+ pages the rest of the way.

CBD oil

Travel toothbrush, toothpaste
Plastic bottle filled with detergent for laundry
Spare tire
Paper maps

a sense of humor

On a long bike tour/journey, it doesn’t matter how much you cut the list down. You will end up sending a bunch of it home.

Flat rate boxes work great for this.

Chamois butter.
helmet.
extra spoke(s)
chain lube
I like to have a small lightweight speaker on my bars instead of headphones. listen to podcasts and stuff.

Once, I carried a giant Park Tools chain whip from Norfolk, VA, probably to Colorado before I was like, "why?"

Painkillers - Non-essential??????????????? :eek:

I have nifty tool called a hypercracker. It's a small lightweight thing that lets you loosen a shimano cassette without a chain whip. I brought it in a long tour and it saved me when I had to replace a driveside spoke.

Haven't used it in ages!

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

How long are you talking that you're doing proper laundry? I've done 4 week trips with no laundry and been fine - granted it was all wilderness minus food runs so I didn't exactly have to be presentable.
Eh, they never really seemed to be crucial for me. Mileage may vary..
;)

How do you wash cycling clothes? I usually have two pairs of shorts, two base layers, and two jerseys when I tour, and each evening I wash the clothes I wore that day in a motel sink (if it's a credit card tour). The detergent that I carry is usually Ivory Snow.

"Vitamin I" is a bone of contention. I've done tours with 100+ daily miles and have never found the need. Lean into soreness, lean away from pain.

I try to camp near water sources, and just swim in my kit and rub on a touch of Doc Bronner's, then hang it to dry overnight. For colder weather tours, I just don't wash it... I'm not touring into/out of cities so its not really an issue.

+1. I often carry them just to be safe, but always return home with the same amount I left with.

If you are self-supporting, carrying ibuprofen to control inflammation is smart. That it also controls pain is secondary. On a long solo, medicines, first aid and antiseptics are far more valuable than almost anything else you can carry, by weight.

ha!!