Minimal travel gear.. some thoughts on what to pack

I don't do a lot of solo riding & camping, but when i do, i like to keep it simple. There's something about getting away from other people & conversation.. words & other's thoughts. ..just the sounds of nature, & the bike when riding.

Our ears are inundated with noise, advertising, loud music, machinery, vehicles, etc. It's rejuvenating to get away with no sounds.. no noise.. just the quiet of nature & the great outdoors. Most of the time we are constantly interacting with family, work, media, etc. Alone & quiet we renew our acquaintance with ourselves & the great unknown. Mystery & eternity re-introduce themselves. Our minds & souls are renewed. Our focus on life restored.

Not much is essential.

As far as travel gear goes, i decided if i wasn't using something almost every day, i could manage without it. It does show us what we really need, & what we think we need. In the past, i took too many clothes & other stuff. It's easy to wash things when stopped, & out west, they will dry out quickly, especially if i bring more poly stuff.. socks, underwear & shirt. I wash them, then they're ready to wear in the morning. If there's no water around, i don't wash things.

I'm also not into lots of cooking when travelling on the bike. If there's not a local cafe around, you can always get something at the gas station. Anyway, i've found i enjoy riding with less.. i'd rather be lighter when i get into tough terrain than weighed down with a bunch of unnecessary clutter. Maybe i'm trying to get away from all my clutter at home.. years of hoarding have complicated my life with too much junk. When i ride, i leave it all behind.. part of the isolation therapy that solo riding provides.

I basically have my riding gear that i wear. I wash it when stopped (undershirt, socks, underwear, etc). I have some 'civvies' for going out or even when camping. Nylon pants, shirt, sandals. Hat & mosquito head net are nice in buggy spots. Here is my travel package list:

Ride gear:
Helmet, gloves, boots.
Mesh riding jacket with rain cover (slips in zippered back pocket).
Riding pants, knee guards.
poly underwear, underarmour type t shirt, coconut socks
Long sleeve fleece shirt & pants if cold weather traveling.

Nylon pants, long sleeve nylon shirt, flipflops, hat, head net.
sleeping bag, hammock (doubles as ground cloth), tarp for rain cover.
Camera, cell phone, gps, chargers, wallet.
Water bottle, snacks, sun block, whiskey flask(optional!)

Small tool kit, tire irons w/wrenches, patch kit, bicycle pump, zip ties, elect. tape, first aid kit, folding lock blade knife, flash light.

I have my first aid kit (which is the one thing that has increased) in a number plate bag. In it is also a string type sack/backpack in case i have to walk some distance carrying stuff.

Everything fits in my tank bag & the 2 panniers. I put the sleeping bag, tarp & hammock in a tail bag. Everything weighs less than 20#.. probably closer to 10 without the tools. The point in having a light weight bike for travel is being light weight. If you pack 100# of gear on board, you might as well get a bigger bike to haul it.

I've not had problems with bears or other wild animals.. hopefully it will stay that way. I camp pretty close to the bike, & i have an air horn on it, so i hope if some woodland creatures were scoping me out, i could let out a blast from that horn to discourage them, somewhat. Other wise, i'm left to chucking rocks at them, poking them with sticks, then a knife vs. teeth fight if all else fails. I'm pretty fearless around animals.. they have a sense of that & usually leave you alone. Usually.

I prefer the simplicity of not cooking. You have to stop for gas every so often, anyway, so i refuel myself then, too. When travelling i usually only eat 1 or 2 big meals a day. I'll have some jerky or trail mix in my bag for snacks. I fill my water at the gas stops, & get a gatorade or soda.

A hammock isn't all that comfortable.. if there are some thick leaves or grasses around, i prefer to lay the hammock down as a ground cloth & put the bag on that.. especially if it's cold. Hammocks are notoriously cold without a sleeping pad. But if you're carrying a sleeping pad, you don't really need a hammock.

It's always a work in progress.. i don't obsess about it. I just try to keep it simple. Part of 'getting away from it all' is the simplicity of things. With less to manage or think about, i have more freedom for deeper philosphical musings.. or wondering what i'll have for my next meal.. always a highlight!

Riding front tire flat

This is from a ride i did a couple of years ago.. but i realized it was not on my blog, so here it is.. just an experience of riding a flat tire..

This event took place on 8/2/08.

Just a short note, here.. i'm still in utah. ..stopped for a construction break with my daughter's house in ogden. internet is sketchy.. pics & ride reports will come later.



But i thought i'd post a little comment about riding a tire flat. I was heading up to ogden a couple of saturdays back, when i got a front flat. I had ridden through the 'hell's backbone' trail, & was just outside of boulder, ut. There was about 25 miles to go, all pavement. I had my cool spoons, but no patch kit or tire pump. I asked a couple of rv'ers if they had a tire pump in their rigs, but no offers.. one of them had bicycles loaded on.. i guess they were trying to help the environment by keeping a motorcycle off the road.



But i did get back on! I just put on my trusty zip ties!





I kept it around 30 in the mountain switchbacks.. elevations were in the 9k range. After about 10 miles of riding, i saw a camper with quads off the road. I stopped & asked if he had a pump, & he generously offered to help. I pumped the tire up, but could hear it losing air fast. I got on the road, but only got a few mile before it was gone. So i continued plodding along on the side of the road. curves are tough with a flat.



I made it into Torrey, ut. which is near capital reef, my destination. The garage was closed, but the convenience store had a patch kit, & air was near, so i commenced the patch.







I found a plastic bucket & tilted the bike onto it for a stand. took off the wheel, tire & tube. A local character stopped by, already full of beer, & offered his observations & running commentary. I patched the hole, which wasn't too big, & pumped the tube up to check for other leaks. My helper was watching closely, & might have bumped the bike, or the bucket just buckled & the bike came down on me, the gallery, & the newly patched tube. My associate helped me reposition the bike back on the bucket with too many assurances that he did not bump the bike. I reassured him that he surely didn't bump it, but the bucket just buckled, like buckets do when supporting a 300# bike.



But now i had a big cut in my tube. I put a bigger patch on it, tested it, then mounted it. It seemed to hold air. I bought my new friend the biggest can of beer they sold at the market, & after a few more stories, bid my farewell. It held up fine through bryce canyon, & made it nearly 100 more miles before i noticed it was flat again. I still had nearly 200 miles to go, it was gettin late, & was to I-15, now. I found a station who let me use their air, took the tire off, & tried to patch it again. The station owner had a bigger patch, & suggested putting it over the old patch, so i did. It seemed to hold. I gave him $10 for his patch & air, then started on the long ride on the freeway.



I tried to keep it under 65, riding behind some slower trucks. But less than 50 miles & i was flat again. There was nothing around, & slim chance of finding a tube, so i shifted my weight back & rode. I-15 is pretty straight, so i could cruise at 60 without much trouble. I made it to Provo & called my daughter. She was coming back with her boyfriend from a bicycle race in Wyoming, & would be several hours before she got home. It was after 8, almost dark, & i still had about 80 miles of freeway.. city freeway.. to go. No point whining. get on the bike & ride. It was pretty stressful.. trucks passing.. lane changing, curves & traffic on a saturday night. I could only do about 60 comfortably. There was no swerving or sudden stops for me, so i had to look ahead & hope to be lucky. I was. No problems.. no trips to the IC unit. City traffic in Ogden was just as tricky.. turns were very difficult. The front would wobble around the corners. It was after 10 when i got in.



Naturally, it would be the front, instead of the rear teraflex, which will run flat easily.



But short of carrying a spare tube, i had no other option. I put a total of about 180 mile running flat, most of which was on the freeway at 60mph. I kept my weight back & avoided sharp movements or braking. I used the rear brake when stopping. I slowed way down when turning.



I think i will add a patch kit & a small bicycle pump to my travelling tools kit. But it is good to know that in a pinch, you can ride it flat. My front was getting a little worn, anyway, so i replaced both the tube & tire when i got to my daughter's house.



It might have been different if i'd have had a lot of weight, but i travel light, & only had 20# or less in my tail bag.



I had just gotten the motion pro aluminum spoons.. they are nice. They make changing a tire in full gear a lot easier. They were pricey, but i was glad i had them, though why have them with no tire patch?



Anyway, i haven't posted much, but will have a few more adventures (misadventures?) upcoming.
I'm looking forward to getting back home, & hope to return in another couple of weeks.