Hi 🙂
In September I will to ride from Seattle to San Francisco (maybe in 6 or more weeks, will do it without any rush) and I like to hear your advice about my packing list.
Camping stove is not in the picture.
Is there anything I can leave here?
What do you think of my packing list?
Which item has to be in my bags for the trip?
What is totally unnecessary in your opinion?
by sleepingmaffy
9 Comments
What are the things on the left for(The two me’ru bags, Yellow bag, Tribord bag and gray bag) ? Sleeping bag and mattress is enough.
Honestly, I don’t see anything I’d leave behind. It looks great! But isn’t your trip only in the US? Just wondering why you’re bringing a world power adaptor?
Note sure what’s all in the stuff sacks so can’t comment on that. I can see two sports towels – wouldn’t one be enough? I can’t see any tick tweezers, but ticks may not be an issue where you are going.
I’ll list what I normally take. It might help:
* Shelter: Hennessy 4 season hammock + fly + tree lines + a few carabiners + 8 mm x 20 Meters Static Nylon Heavy Duty Outdoor Climbing Rope (for ridgeline) + pre-tied paracord loops for prusik knots + a few varying lengths of reflective paracord
* Sleep system: either generic summer or Rab four season sleeping bag (season dependent) + generic pillow (not inflatable)
* Food: MSR pocket rocket + gas + SOTO Thermolite pot + generic stove feet + food + Msr AutoFlow XL Water Filter + Lifeventure Silicon cup + 2L Water bladder
* Electrical: OLIGHT Perun 2 Mini Head Torch + battery pack (various) + Rolling Square inCharge X – USB C Charger Cable + Sony XB13 speaker (bit of a luxury item, but I need sounds)
* Clothes: Base layer + Mid layer + Fleece + Waterproof jacket + Boots + Waterproof socks + Cargo trousers + Sleeping jogging bottoms + Spare sleeping socks + Midge head net + baseball cap
* Hygiene: Toothbrush and paste + Face/body wipes + Hand sanitizer
* Medical: Mini first aid kid + hay fever tablets + tick tweezers
* Other: Fixed blade knife + Spork + (sometimes) Silky Bigboy hand saw + Deck of cards + Phone + (if very cold) a small generic hot water bottle
* Luxury items: Helinox Chair Zero Ultralight + Helinox Table One Hardtop (not always with me) + (sometimes) catapult and ammo (just for target practice when bored) + as much beer as I can manage.
I pack my shelter in a Northcore 10L dry bag (they are super tough), and the rest either goes into a cheap 40L Thule bag (in summer when no need for 4 season sleeping bag) or my Osprey 65L bag (in winter). Everything packs away easily and the bag is easy to carry.
Hope that helps!
Do you have a list? Have you weighed every thing?
What are you going to measure
Looks like you have way too many clothes to me. 3 T-Shirts (even 2), 1 Pullover, 2 Pants are enough IMO.
Get merino wool clothing and you won’t be stinky at all. Polo, shorts, socks and undershorts for riding, Gore shake dry rain jacket for when the weather turns bad. Spare socks and undershorts, joggers and hoodie a T shirt (again all in Merino wool) These are the spares and off bike wear but can be used to layer up both on and off bike it things are severe. In winter type conditions I’d take some leg and arm warmers but not in summer.
Merino wool clothing is unbeatable for its temperature regulation plus it still keeps you warm if soaking wet. It dries very quickly, naturally antibacterial so doesn’t smell. Even at home I only wash it every now and then, just a quick air is perfect.
On towels, two small flannel sized towels work brilliantly, one to get most of water off yourself, 2nd to dry, microfibre ones dry very quickly too. I try and cope with cycling shoes (Sidi Gravel shoes) and a pair of sliders, extra footwear is a pain to pack and usually heavy.
I have been inspired by Tristan Ridley and his round the world cycling exploits, he knows how to travel light!
Id get light sandals instead of flip flops. In case you want to ride with them. But im a weirdo and do long tours in crocs.
My opiniated critiques:
– Thise towels look very bulky. You could find more compact [microfiber towels](https://cascadedesigns.com/en-eu/products/personal-towel). (Anything that you can’t source in Europe, you can probably get at an [REI](https://rei.com) store in Seattle. You’ll want to stop there to get fuel for your stove anyway.)
– I can’t really see what clothing you included, but make sure you are prepared for rain. Weather along the Pacific coast can be quite unpredictable: even on a “sunny” day, you might get mist and rain rolling in from the ocean — that’s the climate that keeps the giant redwoods alive.
– Consider omitting the lock. The coastal route is hilly, and you’ll be happier with less weight. The vast majority of the time, you’ll be in remote areas where nobody will be interested in stealing your bike. If you’re exploring in the major cities (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco), park your bike at the hotel and take public transport, borrow a lock from your WarmShowers host, or just never stop at places where you need to leave your bike unattended. (What is underneath the lock? I can’t tell.)
– What’s the plug adapter for? If it’s just for a USB charger, then buy a North American USB charger when you get there — it’s simpler and more compact than the Schuko plug.
– I don’t see bike repair stuff in the picture: spare tube, tire levers, inflator / pump, cycling multitool, chain lube, zip ties.
– Consider bringing a second water bottle or expandable water bladder. Distances between towns on the west coast of North America are greater than what you might be used to in Europe.