Right here’s an in depth take a look at my Northern California bike tour packing listing: the bicycle, tenting tools, clothes and electronics I used to be carrying with me on my latest biking journey via the Redwood timber in Northern California.
As I’ve stated with my earlier bike tour packing lists, I encourage you to make use of this packing listing as a tough guideline on your personal bicycle touring adventures… or (higher but) see my ebook, “The Bicycle Touring Blueprint“ for extra info on what to pack, how heavy your bicycle ought to be, what kind of bicycle and kit try to be utilizing, the best way to get your self and your bicycle/gear to the beginning of your bike tour, what to anticipate when you hit the highway, the best way to discover free and low cost locations to remain every evening, and a complete lot extra.
My Northern California Bike Tour Packing Checklist
Co-Movement Cycles Siskiyou
That is my second main bike tour that I’ve achieved with my Co-Movement Cycles Sisikyou touring bicycle. This bike is made for highway using, however can deal with dust roads and gravel surfaces fairly splendidly. It was completely suited to my bike tour in Northern California.
Shimano SPD Clipless Bike Pedals
SPD pedals help you now solely apply stress if you find yourself pushing down on the pedals, and in an upward course course as effectively. Not solely that, however they lock your ft to the pedals, offering you with extra stability when pedaling on quick descents. In other-words, you’re ft aren’t going to slide off the pedals as you journey.
Axiom DLX Streamliner Disc Cycle Rack
The Axiom DLX Streamliner is a reasonable rear bicycle rack with a narrower profile than many different rear bike racks. I’ve used this rack on a number of of my earlier bike excursions and it has held collectively simply effective, so I used it once more for this bike tour in Northern California.
Arkel AC Lowrider Entrance Rack
The Arkel AC Lowrider is identical entrance bicycle rack I’ve been utilizing on my bicycle touring expeditions all world wide for the final 14+ years. The Arkel AC Lowrider rack is an excellent entrance bike rack that I might extremely advocate. Nevertheless, it was not designed to go along with the Co-Movement Cycles Siskyou touring bicycle, because it doesn’t match effectively on the entrance fork. I might go for a Tubus entrance rack sooner or later.
Planet Bike Entrance & Rear Fenders
I used a set of cheap 26 inch fenders produced by Planet Bike for this explicit bike tour. These fenders are cheap and so they work extraordinarily effectively. I might advocate them!
Pletscher Zoom Esge Kickstand
In 18+ years of bicycle touring, I’ve by no means used a kickstand on any of my long-distance bike excursions. This bike tour in Northern California was removed from “long-distance,” however I made a decision to check out the Pletscher Esge kickstand on this explicit journey. It actually was good to have in some conditions and I’ll in all probability use a kickstand like this once more sooner or later.
Water Bottle Cages
I’ve received two of those water bottle cages mounted to the body of my touring bicycle. I want there have been room for 3 water bottle cages on my bike, however due to the Pinion gearbox and S&S couplers I’ve constructed into the body of my bicycle, there merely isn’t room for a 3rd water bottle.
Water Bottles
Inside the 2 water bottle cages on my bicycle, I’ve received two standard-sized bicycle water bottles.
Ortlieb Bike-Packer Plus Rear Panniers
The Ortlieb Bike-Packer Plus panniers I used on this journey are my absolute favourite bicycle touring baggage. They’re giant sufficient to hold all my gear, utterly waterproof, and good wanting. The pannier is proven right here with a shoulder strap, however I don’t pack or carry that strap with me once I’m touring. This is identical pannier I’ve been touring with for a lot of, a few years.
Ortlieb Sport-Packer Plus Entrance Panniers
Ortlieb Sport-Packer Plus panniers are high-quality, waterproof bicycle touring panniers for the entrance of your bicycle. As soon as once more, the product is proven right here with the included shoulder strap, however I don’t pack or carry this strap whereas I’m on the highway.
Ortlieb Final 6 Handlebar Bag
The Ortlieb Ultimate6 Handlebar Bag is certainly one of my most-commonly used items of drugs. I take advantage of this huge handlebar bag to hold my pockets, cameras, and varied bicycle instruments. After I go right into a grocery store or go away my bicycle for any size of time, my handlebar bag comes with me.
Blackburn Central 50 Rear Gentle
The Blackburn Central 50 rear bicycle gentle has labored effectively for me on earlier bike excursions, so I opted to carry it with me on this bike tour as effectively. The battery lasts fairly some time and the sunshine doubles as my nightlight when I’m inside my tent.
Blackburn Atom SL 4.0 Bicycle Pc
The Blackburn Atom SL 4.0 bicycle laptop is a really fundamental wi-fi bicycle laptop which is able to let you know your pace, distance for the day, most pace, common pace and general complete distance. It doesn’t do rather more than that, however I’ve discovered that that’s all I really need or want in a bicycle laptop.
20 Inch Bungee Twine
I take advantage of this brief bungee wire to hold my tripod on the highest of my rear bicycle rack.
Lezyne Sport Drive HV Hand Pump
The Lezyne Sport Drive HV hand pump is a reasonable bicycle pump, nevertheless it has labored flawlessly for me on a number of completely different bike excursions during the last two years, so I made a decision to carry it with me to Northern California as effectively. It’s compact, light-weight and simple to make use of.
Origin 8 Multi-Software
The Origin 8 wood multi-tool is a little bit on the heavy facet, nevertheless it has all of the Allen wrenches, screwdrivers, and such that I want for a brief bicycle touring vacation of any size.
Spare Rack Screws
Rack, fender and water bottle screws are infamous for wiggling free throughout the lengthy days of biking on a bicycle tour. That’s why I at all times carry a minimum of two or three further rack screws with me – simply in case.
Patch Package & Tire Levers
If I get a flat tire, I can normally restore the flat with a fundamental restore package and two further plastic tire levers.
Spare Tube
Within the occasion of a flat tire, I at all times have a minimum of one spare bike tube on me always. I wasn’t truly capable of finding a 650 tube for my new touring bicycle, so for this explicit bike tour I carried a 26″ tube with me – simply in case (for emergencies solely).
Huge Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1-Man Tent
The Huge Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1-Man Tent is a small, light-weight tent that feels fairly massive inside when you set it up and crawl inside. I purchased this tent a number of years in the past due to how small and lightweight it’s and it has turned out to be my favourite bicycle touring tent ever. Extremely beneficial!
REI Flash Sleeping Pad
This was my first multi-day bike tour utilizing the REI Flash sleeping pad. I purchased this sleeping pad to make use of on my light-weight bikepacking journeys, however wished to check it right here to see how sturdy it was on an extended biking journey. To date, so good!
Marmot Sawtooth Sleeping Bag
The Marmot Sawtooth sleeping bag is a medium-grade wintertime sleeping bag that’s excellent for cold-weather bike excursions. I knew that it was going to be actually chilly on this explicit bike tour (and I did run into some snow within the mountains), so I opted for this bigger and heavier sleeping bag as an alternative of a number of the lighter and smaller sleeping baggage I may have chosen.
MSR PocketRocket Camp Range
The MSR PocketRocket is a small, light-weight camp range that’s excellent for individuals who have the choice and talent to journey with a propane/butane gas canister. The range is compact, light-weight, simple to make use of and lets you management the temperature of your meals with a easy twist of the nozzle.
Primus Gasoline Canister
When you choose to hold a camp range just like the MSR PocketRocket (listed above) you then’ve received to choose up a number of of those gas canisters on your travels. I solely used a small portion of the gas inside this canister throughout my 5-day bike tour via the Redwoods in Northern California.
Titanium Cook dinner Pot & Pan
Along with the camp range and gas canister, I carry a small titanium cook dinner pot and pan from Toaks. This pot and pan works effectively for any meal you may wish to put together for your self after an extended day on the highway.
Folding Knife
This small folding knife is carried in my handlebar bag and could be accessed shortly if want be. Would I take advantage of it to defend myself from a bear assault? Hell, sure! However realistically, the primary function of this knife is for meals preparation.
Titanium Spork
A light-weight titanium spork is the one kitchen utensil I carry with me on my bike excursions today (except you rely my folding knife, after all).
Bike Helmet
The Giro Revel isn’t a high-end bike helmet, nevertheless it match my head effectively and is comparatively comfy. I want the visor had been a little bit larger (to assist defend me from the solar), however in any other case it’s a pleasant, cheap bike helmet.
Lengthy-Sleeve Biking Jersey
I purchased this long-sleeved biking jersey from Fox, considering that I might not often, if ever, put on it, nevertheless it has turned out to be my favourite biking jersey ever. The jersey is gentle sufficient that I can put on it even in scorching climate, and since it’s long-sleeved, it’s excellent for sporting on cold-weather bike excursions as effectively.
Quick-Sleeve Biking Jersey
Along with the long-sleeved bike jersey I packed for my Northern California bike tour, I additionally introduced alongside this brief sleeved jersey made by Nike. For a 5-day bike tour like my journey via the Redwoods, two jerseys was greater than sufficient for my time on the highway.
Shorts
I don’t journey in a pair of particular bicycle shorts. I simply cycle in a pair of black Hurley shorts – like the sort you may discover at your native surf/skate store.
Rain Jacket
The REI Rhyolite rain jacket is light-weight, tremendous compact, waterproof and nice for blocking out the wind. It may be squeezed into any empty areas you may need inside your panniers, nevertheless it isn’t very heat, so it must be used along with a hotter, insulating jacket.
Fleece Jacket
My major insulating layer is a fleece jacket from Columbia. I not often, if ever, wore this jacket throughout the daytime, however at evening I used to be on this jacket from the second I arrived at camp to the second I awakened within the morning and commenced making ready to his the highway. Sure, I sleep within the jacket too!
Down Jacket
This jacket took up plenty of area inside my panniers, and I finally may have achieved with out it, however on the few events once I did want it, I certain am glad I had it. I solely wore this jacket round camp and in my sleeping bag at evening.
Fleece Pants
For sleeping in chilly climate, I pack a small, gentle and compact pair of fleece pants. These pants are nice to put on inside my tent within the evenings and had been on my physique virtually each single evening as I lay inside my sleeping bag.
2 Pairs of Underwear
On my longer bicycle excursions I normally pack three or 4 pairs o underwear, however on this explicit 5-day journey, two pairs of underwear was actually greater than I wanted.
Baseball Cap
As quickly as my bike helmet comes off my head, I instantly place this black baseball cap onto the highest of my head. It helps to cowl my helmet-hair.
3 Pairs of Black Socks
I packed three pairs of black socks on my bike tour in Northern California. Two of the pairs I used to cycle in throughout the day, and the third pair of socks I used to sleep in at evening.
Pearl iZUMi Males’s X-ALP Search VII Biking Footwear
I knew that I’d be biking just about all day, day by day, on this explicit bike tour, so I left my strolling footwear at house and opted as an alternative for a single pair of SPD biking footwear made by Shimano. I’d advocate these footwear if you would like a pair of SPDs which are each comfy and don’t essentially give away the truth that they’re cycling-specific footwear.
Sun shades
A top quality pair of sun shades are important on a long-distance bike tour. My sun shades are prescriptions, so I put on them virtually on a regular basis.
Canon G7X Mark II
The audio on the Canon G7X Mark II isn’t the best, however that is my go-to digicam once I’m capturing my video blogs for the Bicycle Touring Professional YouTube channel. Any shot that you just see of me speaking to the digicam whereas I journey was shot on the Canon G7X Mark II.
Canon T7i DSLR Digicam
My Northern California Redwoods Bike Tour was the primary time I ever received to make use of my new Canon T7i DSLR Digicam. I purchased the digicam earlier than this explicit journey and actually loved testing the digicam out throughout my 5 days on the highway. Along with the digicam and lens, I additionally packed and carried a USB battery charger and three spare digicam batteries.
GoPro Hero Video Digicam
I packed a GoPro Hero video digicam and used it to get a number of motion pictures on my bike tour, however this digicam was truthfully not used all that usually. The GoPro is sweet at getting vast pictures of me and my bike, however was not used for rather more than that.
DJI Spark – Drone & Controller
This was my very first 5+ day bike tour with my new DJI Spark. This drone is a lot smaller and lighter than my outdated one. For this bike tour I introduced the DJI Spark, the optionally available controller (which is an absolute should), three complete batteries and I packed all the things contained in the carrying case that comes with the drone.
Cheotech 19 Watt Photo voltaic Panel
This light-weight Cheotech photo voltaic panel is nice for bicycle touring as a result of it’s comparatively small and folds right down to a compact dimension. Nevertheless, it’s tough to make use of when you’re truly biking. As a substitute, it’s finest used when sitting round camp within the morning or on the finish of the day.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Smartphone
For mapping out my route, listening to music/podcasts, studying international languages, flying my drone and easily entertaining myself, my Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone is certainly one of my favourite bicycle touring necessities for the trendy bike traveler.
USB Cables
To cost my varied electronics, I carried two completely different USB charging cables. One cable was used to cost my smartphone, digicam batteries and bike lights, whereas the opposite was used to cost my GoPro video digicam.
Anker PowerCore 26,800mAh Exterior Battery
The Anker PowerCore 26,8000mAh Exterior Battery is an enormous, heavy energy financial institution that you should use to energy or recharge all kinds of digital units by way of USB. I take advantage of this battery to cost my smartphone, USB bike lights, my GoPro video digicam, my drone and each of my Canon cameras. This factor is important in the event you’re touring for a number of days on a motorbike tour and received’t have entry to electrical shops regularly. Plus, you should use this battery to cost as much as three completely different units directly!
Earphones
After I crawl into my tent at evening, the very first thing I normally do is plug my earphones in and begin listening to a podcast. Due to this fact, these small, light-weight earphones are an absolute should!
Sony VCT-60AV Tripod
As a result of I journey alone and take nice pleasure in documenting my bike excursions, I journey with a Sony VCT-60AV tripod. It’s fairly massive contemplating I used to be carrying solely two small point-and-shoot cameras with me, however I like this tripod as a result of it’s so robust and dependable.
Toiletry Case & Toiletries
All of my toiletries are carried on this single REI toiletry case. I’ve not listed the person toiletries that I carried, however I’ll let you know that for this explicit bike tour I didn’t pack a camp towel. I principally simply had a toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, deodorant, cleaning soap, tweezers and nail clippers.
Zippered Journey Pockets
I purchased my Buxton zippered journey pockets at Staples a number of years in the past and have been utilizing it as my go-to bicycle touring pockets. I like the truth that it’s zippered, so I don’t have to fret about my money, bank cards or ID falling out.
There you’ve gotten it! That’s my detailed packing listing for my Northern California Redwoods Bike Tour.
Need To See Extra Bike Tour Packing Lists?
If you wish to see extra bike tour packing lists like this one, click on right here to see how this gear listing compares to what I carried on my 2015 bicycle touring expedition, my 2016 bike tour in Europe, my 2017 bike tour in Ecuador and Colombia in South America or my most up-to-date bicycle touring journey in Sweden, Finland and Norway.
If you wish to see a great light-weight packing listing, please see this text I’ve written on the topic or decide up a duplicate of “The Bicycle Touring Blueprint,” which accommodates a number of completely different packing lists that you should use to plan and put together on your personal unimaginable bicycle touring adventures – wherever they occur to be on the earth.
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