What gear would I need for a 4-5 day tour?

MotownBikeBoy said:

Last time I went camping, I was about 11. I would like to do a 4-5 day cycling tour of the Thumb region of Michigan in September. And, do it ONLY with what I can pack on myself and the bike. I basically would need field emergency bike repair supplies, shelter, clothing, toiletries and meds, communications/electronics, as far as I can tell. Food could be purchased as-needed.yes but you need a gas cartridge portable stove with two or three spare gas cartridges Even clothes probably could be purchased on an as-needed basis if necessaryno, go to a trekking or mountaineering store and buy light, fast drying and easy to carry clothes, even if I just pick up a couple of cheap changes of clothes at Wal-Mart and then leave them behind. Aside from gear, what else would I need to know/plan for? your route and daily mileage planning of course I'm an idiot, lol, so help me out, guys. Thanks!

you are not an idiot, a 4 to 5 day tour is about right to learn your ropes on bike touring, good luck

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by MotownBikeBoy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Last time I went camping, I was about 11. I would like to do a 4-5 day cycling tour of the Thumb region of Michigan in September. And, do it ONLY with what I can pack on myself and the bike. I basically would need field emergency bike repair supplies, shelter, clothing, toiletries and meds, communications/electronics,
as far as I can tell. Food could be purchased as-needed. Even clothes probably could be purchased on an as-needed basis if necessary, even if I just pick up a couple of cheap changes of clothes at Wal-Mart and then leave them behind.

Aside from gear, what else would I need to know/plan for?

I'm an idiot, lol, so help me out, guys. Thanks!

Its basically just the gear you need to worry about. If you are going somewhere safe then it will be great fun!

I would go for a lightweight tent, with a big entrance hall so you can put the panniers there. Something big like a 3 person hi-viz so no drunk campers will fall at your tent when you are sleeping in it. [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG]

Go for lightweight fast drying stuff. Waterproof panniers would be great to have but you can try to have a panniers cover too. Its important to have waterproof panniers there is nothing worst in camping then wet gear, well snakes maybe but...

A good planning of your mileage would be good too. I would go for more then 4-5 days though. I think about a week or 10 days is best. You can cycle something like 50km every couple of days and have a few relaxed days in the camping to drink beer and talk with the tourists.

One of the best things to have though aside of gear is good company. So you wont be that guy in the small tent with the bike... [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG] Allthough I did that once and it was great if I had some company with me it would be even better. [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/IMG] Here is my bike and setup, mostly cheap stuff but it worked out fine, except from one occation when it rained and had to dry everything in a hotel room:

[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]

[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]

But if I had some $$$ for gear I would get these: [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG]

[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]
[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]

[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]

etc... [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG]

Cool pix! I actually bought the tent, because it was on sale at REI. Only one person but big enough I could get all of the gear I could need in there. I also might book a room in a B&B for one night, just for a place to really get some rest and have a hot meal. I already have a great waterproof panniers. I ride locally with a pack now, a North Face medium camping pack, to carry "stuff" - I'm not good without "stuff". Between pack and panniers I should be good. The Thumb is very "safe" - actually a touristy area on the coast, quiet small farm towns inland.

yes a small to medium back pack can get you out of trouble if you run out of space, and then if you don't need it it is easy to carry, snickers can be carried out outside the panniers making a knot, or helping yourself with the outside elastic ropes that many panniers have, cycling computer for distance is really useful in this kind of riding,

On a 4-5 day tour, why bother having a backpack? Why not just strap an additional bag to a rear rack or your handlebars, or add front panniers? It's better dynamically on your bike than on your back. In fact it's better in most respects on your bike.

Front panniers? Told you I'm an idiot - didn't know they existed. Cool.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MotownBikeBoy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Cool pix!

I actually bought the tent, because it was on sale at REI. Only one person but big enough I could get all of the gear I could need in there. I also might book a room in a B&B for one night, just for a place to really get some rest and have a hot meal.

I already have a great waterproof panniers.

I ride locally with a pack now, a North Face medium camping pack, to carry "stuff" - I'm not good without "stuff". Between pack and panniers I should be good.

The Thumb is very "safe" - actually a touristy area on the coast, quiet small farm towns inland.

Fanks [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG] It was a pretty nice trip. [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/IMG] It would be nicer if I had some company and avoided a few roads but I didnt know from before... If I make it again this summer its gonna be really good. [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/cool.gif[/IMG]

One advantage of a bigger tent is that you can sit in it and have a beer with some privacy. But you can always check in in a hotel. In some campings there are people showing up with huge RV's and cars and sometimes the tents get "lost" in there. But the better camping grounds usually have separate areas for RV's and tents.

Its probably better to cary everything with the bike not a back pack. Its keeping the center of gravity low and its more comfortable too... You gould probably strap the back pack on top of the rack...

I've not read all the replies. That said...don't forget some DEET spray for mosquitos. As an Alaskan I once went on a summer tour and forgot to bring a flashlight because we never need them in the summer. Don't forget to check all your nuts and bolts. Using a bit of blue loctite on the bolts that hold in the panniers is a very smart thing. You don't want those to work free but you want to be able to remove them when you want.
Be sure to check your spd cleats so they are well tightened. Tool sets often don't have a small enough allen wrench.
Be prepared for rain if it's of any concern. That means a real limit on cotton clothing that will just stay wet forever. I bring one Tshirt that is cotton. Nothing much else.
if you can wash your biking shorts every night you don't need to bring a second pair. If water is an issue and you may not be able to wash your shorts each night bring a second pair of cycling shorts. Bring soap that will let you wash them. Clean shorts are terribly important.
If rain is a potential, decide if you want to bring booties. Riding 4 hours in the rain can be really hard on the feet if it's cold rain. Thin grocery store plastic bags can be tied over your cycling shoes too.
Know how you are getting water. On some tours you can stop "anytime". Other tours not so much. On many of my tours I bring a steri-pen or First Need water filter so I can stop at any river/lake that is clear and get water.
Have snacks all day. Sometimes I'll set a recurring alarm every 20min to remind myself to take a bite or two. Cycling all day is much, much easier if you nibble a bit all day long. Trying to stop and eat a full lunch doesn't work well for me and that's common. You need to snack.
Decide if you will take a bike light and how you'll charge it. Otherwise have your stopping points reasonably well planned or plan on stopping by 2-3PM because sometimes it can be an hour or two before you come across a place to camp. I typically "stealth" camp because I live in a wilderness area where it's easy but having a sense of where you'll need to stop or when you need to start watching for camp grounds is important. You don't want to be riding in the dark without lights.
Have a spare tire and plenty of patches. You may have zero problems or you may find a seriously nasty piece of road that flats you three times in ten miles. It happens.
Be sure your wheels are true and all your spokes are reasonably tensioned. It's a lousy thing to find, after loading up, that one or more spokes are not good and the added weight was all that was needed for them to cause a problem.
Have a pump. Don't bother with C02 on tour. I love C02 but no point in it on tour imho.
Bring your credit card and some cash. ID too.
Put all your clothing in plastic baggies, rolled and held with rubber bands. Then those go in the panniers. Even if the panniers are waterproof. Everything is double protected. If you use stuff sacks in your panniers to organize things, write down what's in the bag on some duct tape so you can remember easily.
Double check all your bike adjustments. Head set is not loose....gears are smooth...drivetrain is clean...be prepared to oil your chain in the event of rain. I bring one rubber glove. They weight very little and help a lot if I have to change flat and have no water to spare for cleaning my hands.
I like Cytomax or HEED energy drinks for rides over 50mi and never do 70+mi rides without bringing energy drinks. They make a HUGE difference, but be careful...HEED, for instance, gives you some decent calories. You don't need to snack as much when drinking HEED as you would otherwise. Some drinks are just electrolytes...others provide carbs. Understand the difference and use them accordingly. Or just don't worry about it...eat gorp/cliff bars and drink water.
Bring a book or have something to do in camp after the sun has gone down. If you're touring with a sex partner, be prepared to clean up...🙂.
I've done 10+ day solo trips with almost no stores or resupply along the way. Totally doable. It just involves planning each meal and bringing all your food and snacks. That's when front and rear panniers and a true touring bike becomes important. 5 days worth of food and snacks isn't too hard to manage.
Make sure you put your sleeping bag inside a plastic bag (heavy weight compact trash bags are the thickest, strongest bags you'll easily find), then twist the plastic bag at the top and tie it in a knot. Put that into the regular stuff sack for the sleeping bag and you're safe from the worst rain.
Be 100% sure your tent is waterproofed and bring a small plastic footprint for your tent so a tiny sharp rock doesn't puncture your tent floor. The "footprint" should be just a few inches smaller all around than the tent so it doesn't stick out and gather water if it rains.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Have a fantastic time !

@digibud what kind of portable stove do you carry, with gas cartdriges or petrol cartridge ?