First I should thank everybody whose brain I picked for the last year or so; Mathew, Trish, Dennis, Reuban, Andy....ya'll rock!
Also, shout out to Adventure Cycling, awesome resource for getting started, especially those couple articles by Aaron Teasdale.
First lesson learned, it's easier than you think.
Sometimes the biggest hurdle is simply stepping out the door.
So, here's the full inventory of what I took along for the ride:
The bike: Salsa El Mariachi, geared 32:19, Conti MtnKing 2.4 front, Exiwolf rear
OldManMountain Sherpa rear rack, mtd via rack eyelets instead of QR.
Strapped to the rack is a a waterproof OR compression sack containing:
Marmot Pounder 40deg synthetic bag.
Thermarest Prolite3 pad.
Knickers w/ boxers for camp time.
Cook kit: .8L Ti kettle
MSR PocketRocket Stove
small JetBoil fuel canister.
Lexan spork
1/2c measuring/drinking cup.
mini Salt & Pepper shaker
spare spokes taped to rack leg.
small 'Bento box" style frame bag holding
a handful of cookies, bars, & a gel. enough
to comfortably get 6ish hours up the road.
(2) bottles of drink mix
saddle bag w/ tube and CO2's w/ shooter.
Mtn Hardwear bivy sack strapped to the bars.
In the Camelback HAWG:
Pump
shock pump
multitool
chain tool
extra links of chain
couple chainring bolts, spare half link, spare qwik link
patches.
not yet worn out set of brake pads.
pack of misc bolts for rack.
SOG leatherman-ish tool.
zip ties.
duct tape around tooth brush handle
Wool hat.
Tall wool socks.
long sleeve mid wt base layer.
bandanna (w/ glow in the dark constellations!)
Water purification elixer.
small bottle of soap.
small container of chamois butt'r
limited first aid kit.
toothbrush & paste.
eye/contact drops
fire starter sticks.
pak towel
Princeton Tec EOS head lamp
TP
chain lube.
100oz bladder.
food to start: Mountainhouse dehydrated beef stew,
two packs of instant oatmeal
1 pack of chocolate PopTarts
Nuun electrolyte tabs.
(2) Starbucks Doubleshots.
turned off cell phone.
camera on the shoulder strap.
Ipod in the jersey pocket.
map in a bag in the baggy shorts.
kit: baggies over bibs
w/ knee warmers to start.
base T, jersey, armwarmers
w/ a wind vest to hold off
the morning chill.
The bike, loaded but without water bottles, weighed 35lbs on my semi accurate bathroom scale.
Camelbak w/ full 100oz. bladder was ~14lbs.
Post game analysis:
Don't really feel like I drug along anything 'extra.' Was lucky, and needed absolutely none of the bike repair bits, other than a splash of chain lube. But I'll still carry it all along next time, will probably eliminate the CO2's and shooter though. Those are redundant w/ a pump in the bag.
I did get chilly overnight, got a bit cooler up in the hollow than expected and I should've done a better job of drying out my riding kit.
So, next trip, hopefully in two weeks, I'll add base layer bottoms and a down jacket to the list.
Only toss up on gear is morning coffee...I have one of those single shot camp espresso makers, but dropped the ball and didn't have ground beans to take along, so it stayed home. I also saw at the gear store, a one serving, 10oz?, french press. Will probably add one of those two to the gear list for next time. The Doubleshot was nice, but not an inspiring warm kick to get you up and moving in the morn.
Another technical change I'm looking into, is some sort of frame bag under the top tube to hold the bike repair stuff, open up some space in the HAWG for more calories. Something I didn't think much of before, is carrying enough for the day, not just for the ride. When venturing into the unknown, a little insurance would be nice. Also need to look at weatherproofing the bivysack, realize now that if I'd hit some weather, the bivy woulda been kinda exposed in its stuff sack on the bars, probably just need a different stuff sack....
Oh, and I'll be gearing down to a 32:20.
