Memorandum of Articles in Preparedness

Preparing for a 70 day bike trip is no different than a seven day tour. The gear list is nearly identical. Matt has spent the last two years researching different types of equipment, pouring through catalogs, doing Google searches on the internet until the wee hours of the morning, searching for the perfect balance of durability, lightweight, and functionality in all our equipment. It’s been his quest, not unlike what Meriwether Lewis went through a little over 200 years ago in preparing for the expedition to find a Northwest Passage to the Pacific. Once he was named by President Thomas Jefferson to head the Corps of Discovery, Captain Lewis began preparations for the long trip ahead.

Lewis spent nearly two years accumulating all the supplies that the expedition was going to need. In his "Memorandum of Articles in Readiness" (1803) he compiled list after list of provisions, which included guns, ammunition, medical supplies and scientific instruments. While still on the East Coast, Lewis accumulated almost two tons of goods using the $2,500 Congress had allocated for the expedition.

Our “Voyage of Discover” is no where near as complicated, but nearly as expensive. Unlike Lewis and Clark, we know where we're going, and have ample opportunity to replenish supplies “along the trail”. Also, the internet and specialty shops like REI certainly make the acquisition of provisions a much simpler process. Following tips from Adventure Cycling and drawing on our own real life experiences, we’ve come up with our provision list. As we travel, we’ll undoubtedly find that certain items are missing, or that some things are never being used. This is something we won’t know until we’re underway. Presented below is our own “Memorandum of Articles in Readiness” for your consideration:

Clothing (per person)
Cycling shorts, synthetic chamois lining (2 pair)
Leg and arm warmers or tights for riding
Short-sleeved shirts (3)
Light, long-sleeved shirt for sun protection and off-bike wear (1)
Light weight jacket-windbreaker
Rain/wind gear (jacket and pants) made of Gore-Tex (waterproof, breathable fabric)
Fleece vest
Long pants (1 pair)
Zip-off pants for off-bike wear (1 pair )
Underwear (2 pair)
Socks (3 pair)
Touring shoes, good for walking as well as riding (2 pair.)
Cycling gloves, helmet and headsweat band
Flip flops (for wearing around camp site, public showers, etc.)
Sleeping clothes (long underwear top and bottom, doubles as cold weather clothing)
Waterproof shoe covers, gloves
Beanie cap
Swim suit

Miscellaneous
Toiletries and medicine (excluding performance enhancing drugs)
Towel (lightweight to enhance quick drying)
Lightweight lock and cable
Water bottles and Camel-Backs (2)
Fuel bottles (2)
Basic first-aid kit
Bandanna
Sunglasses
Flashlight
Sewing kit
Insect repellent
Sun lotion/chap stick
Clothes line
Bungie cords
Collapsable insulated cooler
Miniature AM/FM radio with alarm
Cell phone and battery charger
Camera and battery charger
Writing journal
Books

Maps, Tools and Spare Parts
Tire levers/patch kit
Spare tubes and BOB tire
Pump
Blue Loctite
Duct tape
Multi-purpose bike tool (Alien 2-21 different tools)
Emergency spoke (fiber)
Small vise grips
Small crescent wrench
Brake and derailleur cable
Extra nuts and bolts (particularly for racks)
Assorted plastic zip ties
Chain links and pins
Chain cleaner and brush
Chain lube
Bicycle lights
Spare BOB QR skewer and trailer hitch pins (4)
Rearview mirror

Camping
Sleeping bags (Big Agnes Cross Mountain)
Sleeping pads, air pillows and camp seat
Tent- REI Taj 3
Personal eating utensils. Fork, spoon, cup, bowl, thermal mugs.
Cook kit-Utensils, herbs, spices, knife, cutting board, cleaning supplies
Stove-MSR Whisperlite (gas) and Snow Peak Giga Power (propane)
Cooking equipment- GSR Anodized non-stick Extreme cookset

BOB and Olga ready to roll
All told, we will be hauling about 100 pounds of gear, including the weight of BOB and the packs. Roughly speaking, 20 pounds will be carried in the front panniers, 20 in the rear panniers, and 47 on BOB. Clothing, tent, sleeping bags and rain gear will be stowed in compressible waterproof sacks. Other items will be packed in mesh bags to try and keep them somewhat organized. There will be about 5 to 8 pounds in the handlebar bag for things that we need to get at easily (wallet, camera, suntan lotion, bug spray, etc). We’ll start our trip with extra space in the panniers for items of interest picked up along the way. The extra room will also make it easier to pack quickly. Our all purpose bike tool, tire levers, spare tubes and patch kit for fixing flats will go in a small seat bag, for easy access. Other tools, spare parts and all cook gear will be packed in the front panniers. We’ll experiment with load distribution and packing permutations once we get rolling. Even with such an extensive gear list, we’ve had to make a number of compromises on what to take and what to leave behind. Our feeling is that we’ll probably be sending items home as we move along.

Confucius is noted for saying that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. We agree, but imagine that his gear list was a lot simpler than ours.