I think every rider should carry a toothbrush given to them by Dolly...
For clothing, I'm carrying three "Advance Scout" t-shirts
(had five and sent two home), two pairs of black shorts with beltloops and pockets, one
pair of long "nice" pants (khaki is lighter than jeans), a button-up long sleeve
shirt and button up short-sleeve shirt ( with pockets, so I can put my glasses in the
pocket...), 5 pairs of underwear and socks, one pair of sneekers, one heavy wool sweater
(recently used as pillow to elevate sore knees), and a rain/wind-breaker. I keep all this
in plastic grocery bags to contain them, water, and "odours".
For cooking, I use a single wooden spoon, a single covered pot ( 2.5
qt?), and a sierra cup for eating from. A MSR "Dragonfly" stove is more than I
need (more heat than just about any other stove out there), but it burns unleaded gas and
is pretty light. One disadvantage is the fuel bottle dis/connects with a fuel line that
dribbles unburnt fuel when disconnected (environmental and hygeinic faux pas...) A
workaround is too leave the hose always connected, which makes packing it a pain. Dolly
will be horrified to learn that I carry no dish-soap; I just rinse well sponge dry
everything.
For dinner I eat 1/2 pound of macaroni cooked in 20 ounces of water (
a large bike bottle, and I'll be dammed if I'll carry and boil all that extra water just
to dump it out!) mixed with a can of tuna (Dolly sez I must eat meat) and a head of
broccolli, cut up.
Gear I have but never use: swimming trunks, extra t-shirt.
For Breakfast I like 5-minute oatmeal made with raisins and honey, but
Martin points out that cooking breakfast is an unnecessary luxury that eats daylight.
My tent is a 4.5 pound 1-2 person tent, a Kelty "Zen". It
sure was cheap ($105!) but the rainfly doesn't allow much fresh air circulation, so dew
(internal dew is dew from you!) can be a problem. Although recently I've started using my
reusable wringable thirsty camping towel to dry the tent a bit before packing it. I have a
warm mummy-style sleeping bag and a sheet to keep my sweaty body from sticking to the
nylon bag. And the sheet is more easily cleaned than the bag. My pad is a cheap recycled
foam pad that doubles as waterproof cover for everthing when when the weather gets
"inclement." I tried a fancy self-inflating air mattress, but it made my back
hurt.
For tools, I carry a leatherman ("always the first tool, never
the right one") 3,4,5, and6 mm Allens, a 15 mm and 5/16 (?, but it seems to fit a lot
of things on my bike..), loots of ty-wraps, spare tube and tire (16 and 20 inch), a
tube-patch kit. I bought a spoke wrench and chain break tool, but I haven't the nerve to
use either of them.
I carry too much electronics. I'm carrying Dolly's 35 mm camera,
this Pocketmail device, the Delorme Tripmate GPS antenna, and the Palm Pilot for
running/recording the GPS.
