The requisite Equipment List

(Updated 6/12/09)

It seems to be traditional on bicycle tour journals to include an equipment/packing list, and I've read many of those lists while deciding what should make it on mine. I've gotten a lot of questions about how I could possibly carry all my things, so for the uninitiated, touring cyclists carry their gear either with a trailer pulled behind their bike, or with bags called panniers that attach to front and rear racks and hang over either side of each wheel. I'm not really into the idea of having to control any additional wheels, so panniers are the way I'm going. If you're interested in pictures of such a setup before I get any up here of mine, go on over to fullyloadedtouring.com and check out the gallery where touring cyclists post photos of their loaded bikes.

After months of careful research, these are all the things I will be carrying across this great big country of ours, subject to revision and redistribution for weight/bulk/necessity after I get everything situated (oh yeah, I did a LOT of revision for placement when all was said and done):

On self

• Helmet
  
• Sunglasses; ridiculous red plastic that are going to give me terrible raccoon eyes, but I do enjoy them.
  
• Zip jersey
  
• Cycling shorts
  
• Socks; carbon from coconut shells incorporated into the fabric cuts down odor. I have tested them, and this, miraculously, does work.
  
• Cycling shoes; these clip directly on to my pedals for more efficient power transfer.
• Cycling gloves; the half-fingered variety which help cushion the palms and support the wrists.

On bike

• 2 water bottles
  
• Bike computer; keeps track of statistics such as speed, mileage, cadence, and their averages and maxes.
  
• Front and rear lights
  
• Frame pump
  
• 2 bungee cords wrapped around the rear rack, in case anything needs to be strapped to the rack, and for hanging laundry to dry.
• Fenders

Handlebar bag- detaches easily to be taken with me when I lock up the bike somewhere. These are things I'd like to have accessible and/or really especially don't want to lose.

• Camera; Fujifilm FinePix F470. I wish this ran on regular batteries, but I'm not about to buy another.
  
• Cell phone; switched to my old, less crappily-made one.
• Wallet; ID, medical insurance card, debit card, small amount of cash.
• Journal; in this bag because if it's lost, I'd be super pissed.
• Mace; for ill-intentioned dogs, murderers, and zombies.
  
• Folding knife; if I do encounter a zombie, maybe I'll skip the mace and use this.
• Headlamp; instead of a regular flashlight, to keep hands free, and to look really cool of course.
• Quick flat-fixing or bolt-tightening tools: tire levers, a patch kit, and a bike-specific multi-tool
• Sunscreen and chapstick
  
• Sanitizer gel and baby wipes
• A couple energy bars
  
• Ziploc bag with a length of rolled-up toilet paper, to be replenished along the way as needed (camping-store "emergency toilet paper"? What are you really paying for?)
  

Front right pannier

• Cooking equipment: MSR Pocket Rocket (I still chuckle at the name), fuel canisters, a cooking pot whose lid doubles as a frying pan (genius), a lighter, 2 stainless steel plates, 2 collapsible silicone bowls, 2 fork/spoon/knife sets, and a tiny pancake flipper that I couldn't resist which can be used also to scrape the pot clean, a sponge (cut in half to save a little space)
• Spices/herbs: garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano; these spices seem to make me feel full for some reason, salt and pepper packets to be replaced along the way, a little squeeze bottle for olive oil, gatorade mix, the night's dinner and the next day's breakfast
• A frisbee for playing

Front left pannier

• Rain jacket and rain pants, which will probably be used only if it's cold out while raining
• A shower cap, for rain, to cover my precious Brooks saddle when I'm off the bike and to cover my helmet while I'm on the bike if it's really pouring and making my head wet and uncomfortable. I probably couldn't look much weirder to non-cyclists anyway, and the cyclists will understand.
• First aid bag: Ace bandage, ibuprofen, Excedrin Migraine (and the hopes that I don't get one in June, July, or August), band aids, roll of gauze, neosporin, burn spray, antihistamine, tweezers
• Emergency blanket, for um, emergencies... and rain cover, shade, etc
• Flip flops
• Bike repair: patch kit, spare tubes, folding tire, extra spokes, old toothbrush for cleaning; since I'm not exactly what you'd call a "bike person", and Lou is, I'm trusting his knowledge of the other tools we'll need and hopefully I'll learn to use them along the way.
• Zip ties, rubber bands, duct tape, super glue: the things that hold the world together
• A Sharpie (may come in handy) with some electrical tape wrapped around the handle; don't need a whole roll, but may need a little, and this saves the space.
• extra Ziploc bags
• Chargers for various electronics

Rear right pannier

• In a waterproof bag, to do double duty as a pillow, because I'm a thinker like that: extra cycling shirt, high-visibility shirt (the thing is ridiculous bright yellow, but it's actually great in hot weather, and could be useful when bad weather makes me harder to see, my pride be damned), 1 extra pair cycling shorts, tights, 2 extra sports bras, 1 regular bra, 3 extra pairs of socks, 2 pairs undies, 1 pair of off-bike shorts, 2 off-bike shirts, a bathing suit, bandanas
• Zip jacket for warmth
  
• A camp towel; got a MSR Personal towel in XL and cut off a little extra length to be used for hands and clean cookware.
• A drain plug, for doing laundry in sinks that lack stoppers; recommended by many veteran tourers
• 6 clothespins; the amount that the aforementioned tourers deemed sufficient
• The Plastic Tomato (details on that particular item to come; something for y'all to look forward to)

Rear left pannier

• Sleeping bag & sleeping pad
• A book; a gift from Matt for my birthday
• Toiletries: a bar of Castile soap (for hands, body, face, hair, dishes, clothes, and everything else), deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, nail cutters, spare pairs of contacts and solution, razor and spare blades, bug repellent, comb, Divacup (someone in the bike-tour blogging world had to address this issue: guys, don't click on that link unless you want more information than you bargained for, but ladies, you should check that out, even if you never plan on riding a bike ever in your life: it is awesome)
• Water filter
• A 4L dromedary bag, which is basically a Camelbak minus the whole wearing-it-on-your-back thing. I know my limits, and I would not be able to handle having a big heavy bag of water plastered to my sweaty back for hours on end. It probably won't be needed and therefore not filled most of the time (because water is heavy), but I do need to be able to carry enough water for the Nevada desert.

That's everything! I'm planning on doing a post at the end of the trip reviewing the things I bought for the tour as a reference for those who may be looking at this to plan for their own, so if you'll kindly wait 3 months I'll have that ready for you.