Lighten the load : Keep chanting: lighter, lighter, lighter...

It seems that every time I tour I think - couldn't I get by with less stuff? Or lighter stuff?

Everytime I get ready to head out, I look at everything and make small adjustments - but I think I'm at my own ideal amount of stuff right now. Someday maybe I'll figure out how to happily get by with less. In the meantime, what I take works for me, and my bike touring has even retrained my thinking when I head out on non-biking trips. When I headed to Hawaii in the fall of 2004 without my bike, it was my biking packing list that allowed me to get away with only one small carry-on bag and no checked luggage. Yes, I did have to wash out clothes every night, but traveling light is a great way to go!

When I was at Yellowstone I talked to Gerald - who is an avid hiker - about ultralite backpacking, and it started me thinking. Folks are out hiking, backpacking actually, on trails like the Great Divide and the Appalachian Trail carrying a minimum of gear. That started me thinking... Of course there is some stuff that I carry as a cyclist that a hiker doesn't need, but whereever possible lighter is good.

The easy area of "lighter", at least for me, is clothing. I think I do pretty well there, carrying only 2 changes of biking clothes and 2 changes of off-the-bike clothes. (What! 2 sets of off-the bike clothes? You'll have to keep reading to find out why.) But on some trips I need extra layers - that's usually a common-sense decision based on where I am traveling, the time of year, and what additional activities I have planned.

One thing that changes as time goes by is that manufacturers are always coming out with lighter gear. This is particularly noticeable with camping gear. I purchased a new tent, sleeping bag, and pad back in 1998 before I headed out on my first unsupported tour, and they were pretty light at that point in time. If I were starting out today (in 2005), it's likely that I would start with lighter gear. In fact, I bought a new sleeping bag last year for use on a planned but not taken tour. My old bag, which is a North Face Blue Kazoo - an awesome sleeping bag - weighs 3 pounds. That's pretty light, all things considered, and was pretty much the lightest bag around when I bought it. (OK, you're right, I was also swayed by the name!) The new bag, still unused due to unforeseen circumstances is a Mountain Hardware Phantom 32D, weights 1 pound 5 ounces. The weight comparison isn't totally fair because the Blue Kazoo is rated for 15 degrees (Fahrenheit) and the Phantom is rated for 32 degrees - but the Phantom that is rated for 15 degrees weighs 1 pound 15 ounces, which is still a pound saved. The fact remains that the lighter sleeping bag would have been fine for all of the biking camping trips I've taken so far. And those pounds add up when you're carrying your gear yourself.

It really comes down to my comfort level, although the location of the tour also can also be an important factor. On my cross-country tour, I started out with extra cables, and extra brake pads. And those were among the things that were sent home. When I started my trip, those components were new. And yes, things break, but I figured I could probably get by without the extra parts. Elsewhere on the bike parts front though, I do carry an extra tire for my trailer and (often I also carry) an extra tire for my bike. It's hard to find a decent touring tire in out-of-the-way places, and while it's easier to get a 700c tire than a 406, unless you're passing through a reasonable sized city or a town where biking is king like Missoula, it can be difficult to get touring tires. But even then it really depends on the "where" of your tour. You might have to sit still for a day or two, but overnight delivery can work to get those spare parts to you! (Mind you, overnight delivery is not always overnight if you're in a location far from an airport...) The tire lesson was a lesson learned on the road. When I was on the road in Washington back in 1999, I managed to slice a tire by (I assume) running over or into a piece of glass. Luckily the tire wasn't cut through so I was able to ride on it for a couple of days. I picked up a tire in a shop in a small town, but it was more of an emergency ration than something I really wanted to use since the tiny shop didn't have any reasonable touring tires. I bought it as a backup and continued riding into Spokane, where I was able to get the replacement tire that I wanted - another Conti Top Touring 700x32 tire. Lesson learned...

When I'm out on day trips, and when I commute to work, I don't carry a lot of extras. I have tubes, a patch kit, tire irons, and a multi-tool. If something goes wrong that I can't deal with I figure I can call a friend or co-worker for help, and I also figure I can call a taxi if I'm really stuck. Out on tour though, in that vast area between cities - sometimes I need a few extras to make me comfortable.

And I'm still chanting, lighter, lighter, lighter...