Sir
In the spring, could you file a report And let us know how much abuse your extra light tent can withstand?
I suppose my question is, Are 1 pound tents a summer time thing, or can they be relied on when the witch of  November comes stealing?

 

How does a person go about changing a single speed to a 1 by 9 drive train.  You know how it is,  you find a dusty old single speed at a garage sale, dust it off and find out it is a good one.  Next you look in the closet and find a old Saint m800, (derailleur attaches to axle), rear wheel that never got used.  with visions of a 22 tooth ring in front and a whole cluster of cogs in back  and ... .....      .... . .. screech      Did not someone say there were problems with the chain jumping off, or some other problem I did not predict?

or

In my dream I was pedaling on a little used trail for about a month, more or less in a 22 too 36,  accept for once a week a crossed a paved road which took me to a distant post office, where I collected my box of food, while pedaling a 22 too 12.  ( Why don't they make a 5 speed with a single speed chain. )  Next I went home put the single speed drive train back on, put the rigid fork back on, and rolled around town a bit.

or

If I am going to have bike parts collecting dust like my Grandmothers 67 Dodge, should the bike not run smoothly, like my Grand mothers Dodge

before you sew your own bag, you will need fabric, velcro, thread,
I am attempting to start a list of supplie houses

this one is a little expensive, but well supplied
http://www.seattlefabrics.com/

perhaps more people will pipe in with links to sail cloth distributors and such

sometimes I carry a cat can stove and a little denatured alcohol
http://www.thru-hiker.com/projects/cat_stove.php
the cat can is for use if I am unable to cook on a fire, not a primary source for hot food.  3 rocks make a pot holder.
sometimes I carry my vargo stove. It works well with Snow peak canisters, and poorly with red canisters.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/vargo_jet_ti_stove.html
It is a little unstable, but simmer capabilities are excellent. There are many brands to chose from.  Great back up for a no fire night.
In the winter, I prefer my Dragonfly
http://www.rei.com/product/709002/msr-dragonfly-backpacking-stove
a person using an MSR stove should be able to rebuild it before leaving home. In particular, know how to lubricate the pump cup, and change an o ring.  Most any liquid fuel can be used in the Dragonfly.  Accept for fire wood, it is the easiest to refuel.  Liquid fuel works in colder places and at higher altitudes.  The XGK works quite well, but does not simmer.

I have a half dozen stoves, but prefer to cook on the fire, when possible.

Dehydrating my own vegetables makes it easy¿ (possible) to carry a  10 day supply of food into the mountains.  I don't pack any candy or sugar or high fructose mono sodium.  I just eat simple natural meals. Until I get back to town where there is a pizza place on the corner.

I'm not in a hurry to get some where, I'm just trying to have a nice day on my bicycle.

A wool shirt helps, I prefer IceBreaker.
I've been pooring rubbing alcohol on baby wipes for the last year or so, seems to work.
Bad smells and saddle soars start life as bacteria.  Alcohol kills bacteria.  Unless I'm wrong again.
The most washed thing I have is a wash cloth.  That wash cloth has more than just 2 uses.
If I chance to cross a stream at lunch time some socks and such may dry on a rock as I eat.  Removing ones shoes and soaking the feet seems to help make the water a comfortable temperature for pooring over the head.  Also, 30 minutes in the sun can warm a bottle of water a little.
I'm happy with a Selle Anatomica saddle and no padded shorts.  On the mornings when the socks and underwear are not dry, I hang it from the handle bars.  The longer the trip the more important hygiene becomes.  A little preemptive strike on the problem causing bacteria can prevent a lot of problems.

http://www.parktool.com/product/big-blue-book-of-bike-repair-second-edition-bbb-2

Updated to include new topics, techniques and equipment. Packed with hundreds of photos and hundreds of procedures, the BBB-2 provides both the novice and veteran mechanic the information needed to perform nearly any repair from trailside repairs to complete overhauls. Written by Park Tool Director of Education Calvin Jones, the Big Blue Book is the perfect reference guide and step-by-step repair manual for nearly any bike, including road, mountain, BMX, and single-speed. We wrote the book on bicycle repair.

includes detailed bike wash instructions-

 
a very sad day
 
find room for everyone

http://gwt.org/
sooner or later, some one will have to figure out how to navigate the Great Western Trail.
On paper it looks like the more scenic route
not well defined, multiple trails claiming the name, (gwt)
mostly on public land, free camping, etc

http://www.tctrail.ca/thetrail.php
The Trans Canada Trail.  more research, the word trail could mean road in Canada.
Vancouver Island, the east side gets much less rain than the west side.  The rain cycle in the pacific NW continues into June.  Vancouver Island is, well, you might decide to stay there.  Don't worry about the route, there are many and the people are friendly and helpful.

In south British Colombia there is the kettle Valley Railway http://www.kettlevalleyrailway.ca/

The Vancouver BC bike club would be worth while to contact.
http://broughton.ca/bcakfaq.html#a1
http://vbc.bc.ca/links
http://vbc.bc.ca/

The Yukon Government will give you some info
From:   
"Karine.Grenier@gov.yk.ca"

I'm sure emailing the BC government would provide info as well.

They can adapt to most any bladder or even a soda bottle.
I used the attachment for back flushing from a sink, to filter water from a sprite bottle, into my cup.
No moving parts to break.
I was told the word purifier is regulated, not used on most filters, is used on the Sawyer.
 
http://www.rei.com/product/781792
I got a black one, Seems to cost more this year .          note: the word purifier
More adaptable, last much longer, and less likely to fail.
Slower than a pump.
As with all filters, freezing enlarges the pores, fine print reads, "replace if frozen."

I have pedaled my bike to the trial head in a national park a few times.  locked my bike to the no bikes sign.  not very comfortable

equipment that works   the list
How many people have some bike or camping gear that works without fail.  Most of the things are the latest and greatest, or lightest therefore fastest.  I want to start a list of things that don't let you down in the middle of nowhere.  Things that last for years.  

Revelate Designs innovative gear carrying systems
suntour power thumb shifters
Sram Gripshifters
Dura-Ace 9spd barcons
shimano bar end shifters/Paul thumbies
Rohloff internal geared hub
Schmidt dynohubs
DT Swiss 240s
philwood hubs
Stans ZTR Flow Rim
Velocity p35 rims
8 speed Shimano XTR Components.  The 950 series XTR component especially hubs
7-speed XT, 7-speed DX ( Deore-II )
6-8 speed Hyperglide freewheels and cassettes
Surly DingleCog
White Industries ENO freewheels
shamino M 970 bottom bracket
Velo Orange's Grand Cru bottom brackets Square Taper BB
Phil Wood bottom brackets
Shimano square taper bottom brackets
mid-high-end square-taper Shimano and SunTour cranks
Sugino's Double Cranks
SRAM chains, connecting link
wipperman quick links
Time Atac clipless pedals
ATAC Aliums
Cane Creek Headsets
Chris king headset
Surly Crosscheck Frame
surly karate Monkey frame
Deore 9speed rear derailleur
Tiagra front derailleur
Crank Bros multi-tool.
Brooks saddle
Selle Antatomica saddle
WTB SST saddle
WTB Silverado saddles
Thomson stems and seatposts
DT Swiss spokes
panaracer rampage 29 tires
Magura HS-33 rim brakes
Kool Stop Eagle II brake pads
Avid bb7 disc brakes
Bontrager Race Lite cages
jandd bags
Porcelain Rocket Anything Cage bags



camp stuff
MSR Whisperlite International (for cold weather)
evernew TI pots
trianga stove
Blue foam pad
3oz homemade windcoat (thru-hiker.com kit
Hilleberg Akto tent
Military issue rain gear
milspec poncho
Osprey Talon 22 pack
moutinsmith lumbar pack
chorme backpack
Source hydration bladders with CamelBack bite valves
LL bean Bigelow day pack
REI synthetic sleeping bag
Patagonia stretch capilene base layers
Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover
Marmot outerwear
Pendleton wool shirts.
silk shirt
Icebreaker shirts
thick merino wool Jerseys
Smartwool medium, heavy cushion socks
Lowe Alpine daypack
Leatherman.

quote from sigma 7 link
(i) good planning of trip, (ii) excellent and reliable equipment, and (iii) the right kind of nutrition during the tour. Therefore, we usually take self-made dehydrated foods with us and rely only on equipment that we consider among the best and that has in the past proven to work for us.

I gota figure out how to sun dry tomatoes

These days my cook kit consists of
1 GSI kettle 800 ml perhaps
http://www.rei.com/product/798276
1 titanium cup 14oz?
1 msr ti spoon
http://www.rei.com/product/620886
1 stove
varies by season
1 plastic knife from a good will store
I set the kettle directly on the fire. I had to cut the thin silicone from the handle. gsi plastic is for the trash can.
a small amount of heated water and it cleans easily.  I eat a lot of rice this way.
The plastic knife cuts carrots and tomatoes fine, never cuts my hand, no cutting board needed.
 

No guns on my bike. 
To catch trout in a mountain stream,
locate deep pools water
fish 30 minutes after the evening shadows cover the water for the night.
worms work well

I will be living from store bought items. 

Every person should have some emergency survival skills. Know how to catch a fish, build a fire with wet wood, as a last resort eat roots that do not taste bitter.  that is another thread on some other web page somewhere.

What I want is to purchase food at a store, carry some, mail some ahead, not worry about gathering some on the way.  Spend the days taking photos, pedaling my bike, wondering if I should have turned left instead of right. 

How does a person carry 10 days worth of food on their bike?¿?

I am not a chef or a nutrition expert. my food is boring.  I need advice to plan a menu, hopefully one with some nutritional value,  hopefully manageable number of pounds to lug around and mail ahead.

note, I bought a bag of pasta and some cheese to cook for lunch today 

butter & peanut butter oats and brown sugar, raisins etc. 1 lb per day for snacks and breakfast. then pasta, potato flakes, more butter & cheese etc for dinners.
I mean who does not like cookie dough?

Yummy, sounds good to me! too, dense, tasty, and nutritious  I wonder if there is a way to lighten the load a little

I am considering going to the Yukon.  The Canol road - trail have some allure over the internet. Or not, I don't know yet.  Still the question of food is useful info everywhere.  My last 10 day trip I resupplied 2 times.  I mostly ate rice, carrots, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, vegetables that I perceived to have vitamins or nutritional value. I am not pretending that I dint stop at burger king on my way to dairy Queen as I walk around town.  On the days when I pedal my bicycle all day I prefer vegetables.
Or, without junk food I will eat when hungry, not from compulsion.

Most of the time I could change my route and get to a store within 1 or 2 days.  As I did last week, mostly to get coffee, since the rain was going to continue for days not hours.  

Planning 30 days worth of meals is a new task.  Toting 10 days worth of food is heavy.  The desire for more isolation requires greater knowledge, and far less, I don't care where the road goes    

Sleeping on your food would most likely keep it from a black bear.  A grizzly bear has no fear of humans.  If some fool feeds a grizzly human food, to get a better photo perhaps,  well the Griz has the same respect for my life as I do for the life of a fly.  

A good question,  but is the question how to physically attach the food to the bike, or is the question what food to take, for a 10 days while traveling by bike  Or is it both?

What kind of food to take

How big is the bear canister? 

About the same size as an Ortlieb front bag.
Commercially available bear cans come in 2 sizes.

Many backpacker books could give menu ideas

I have seen those books.  most of their recipes are 10 ingredients long.  not what I want
simple meals, easy to prepare, one pan, mostly set the pan on the fire to conserve fuel.

What is the climate/environment?  Does it effect the menu?

I can not predict the weather many months in advance.   The word  ( bear )  in the sentence can help select the diet.  Some foods can be smelled at a much greater distance than others.  The smell of tuna can carry 10 miles.  The smell of melted fat is one we all detect at a greater distance than most other foods.  The Environment does affect the menu

Fat and bacon butter!
One of my best skills is sticking my foot in my mouth, or typing without looking into the info first.
Not the ansewer I had imagined would be forth coming.
I got a book on dehydrating vegetables, but haven't tried it yet.
one more rule,  I have to eat the food for one month - 2 mail drops.
thinking about eating lumps of fat for 30 days      %&¿>ª      r u sure

How does a person carry 10 days worth of food on their bike?¿?
There are rules.
It all has to fit in a large size bear can.  About the same size as an Ortlieb front bag.
No energy bars, candy bars, mono sodium, junk food.
Fire and water are available most, but not all of the time.
Trash should be burnable.

does anyone have experience/opinions of the Sawyer in line filters? Their site says that they are good for 1 million gallons with adequate care and backwashing, but are they a good choice for bikepacking?

I have used a Sawyer in line purifier since last summer.  It claims to be a water purifier, supposedly better than a filter.
The good; 
no moving parts to fail, comes with a facet adapter for back flushing, adapter can be used to filter water from a soda bottle when your bladder fails, light weight. {lightest?}
The bad;
As with all filters, the fine print reads replace if it freezes.  Did it get down to 33 or 31 that one night?  last night it was in my sleeping bag while my bottle of water froze solid.  (No need to filter snow, just melt and drink.)  Slow, think rapid drip drip drip.  Fast enough for me, just enjoying the back woods, for a racer, hum? 

I gave up on the Steri Pen after another failure. 
Boiling is the only way with a 100% guarantee of safe water.
The in line has many advantages over other methods, 
most adaptable to various water sources, light, long lasting if you are sure it did not freeze, there seems to be a regulation about claiming purifier over filter.
The in line stays in my pack, next to my little tea kettle.  By the way, the tea kettle makes a good pan for cooking and sets right in the fire, so I can lug less fuel.