Trip Preparation (Part1)

Penobscot, Maine Fall 2023

For the last few months, I’ve been preparing for a trip to Europe and Morocco. This trip will be using a bicycle. I want to stay away from engines for a while. I purchased the bicycle online and put a lot of work into it. I updated some of the drivetrain. That is to say I replaced a chain and I went from a front derailleur to a rear derailleur system. See my other post on choosing a good touring bicycle. I have also spent time figuring out what I actually need to bring with me. The hardest part of this was that I am leaving in December so it’s going to be winter. I want to be prepared for the worst so I included camping gear. The gear had to be absolutely light and minimalist because I hope not to use it a whole lot. As much as I hate to admit it I spent a lot of time on Amazon. One can do one stop shopping at Amazon. Living in Maine this helps conserve the fuel it takes to drive in to the closest town. I ended up buying a very lightweight sleeping bag. I have tried it out on top of a small mountain nearby called Togus. The system worked pretty well down to about 40°. I don’t think I’d like to go much lower than that, unless I actually have to.

The picture above is my experiment with minimalist camping gear. The bivy, by “slumber-jack”, works well but holds in a little condensation. I stayed out of the wind and stayed warm. The sleeping bag and pad go in the bivy so rolling off is not an issue.

Considering how cold it was I am surprised at how well it performed. For my trip it is meant as an emergency measure or for a spot where the surroundings are good and the weather is not too terrible,The whole sleep system (bivy, bag and pad), weighs about 3-4 LB's which is how much a good tent weighs.

The list of things I’m bringing is as follows (preparing for 3 months):

• • Bike, boxed (C and G bikes Belfast Maine) for British Airways. 35 pounds. 
• • Camping: bag, mat, bivy, titanium cup and stove (no gas), 4pounds.
  
• • Ipad/portable keypad 1pound
  
• • Nikon camera, 35mm and 50 - 200 Nikon lenses 1.5 pounds
• • Small tool kit• Rechargeable headlight
• • Backpack and waterproof (handlebar) bag
  
• • Goretex rain pants (REI)
  
• • Waterproof overshoes (Amazon)
  
• • Raincoat (Columbia)
  
• • Merino Wool sweater
  
• • Med Kit
  
• • Extra glasses
  
• • Bike shorts and leggings
  
• • Riding shirt
  
• • Shirts, two pairs pants, Uwear, wool socks, etcetera • Biking shoes (waterproof)
  
• • Birkenstocks (to keep feet happy)

I’m not bringing paniers. Simplicity calls for wrapping the backpack up in a waterproof bag and strapping it on to the bike rack. Then the handlebar bag will contain the camping gear. This makes my gear easy to remove from the bike and throw on my back and put the bike on the train or bus.