Damn good price!!!

What is the difference between ITT and Grand Depart? 

Just the starting date! Everyone's racing for time, it's just that the Grand Départ peeps just so happen to be doing their personal time trialing with the same start time!

His girlfriend wrote on Facebook  (in Dutch) that the second half starts now... sounds hopeful.

Ho ho ho! Must be five halves to this race, considering they're still in MT!

I think the second half of the race starts in NM, myself!

Happy to hear Ben is on track - that can take a lot to keep on truckin' after that sort of gear failure.

Dayum! I hope Ben is faring OK - that fork failure looks like he may have took quite a tumble.

I think I saw a video of someone clearing Fleecer. I was a bit more than impressed.

I fully expect all the UK riders out there to be singing in this rain like ducks!

So happy to hear about the wallet being found.

Dish Washing Gloves = Classic

Keep moving! It keeps you warm!

Was snowing near Jackson yesterday. Get used to it! 

Showers available at the Princeton Hot Springs. Or jump in a creek!

32 ounce bivy sounds really heavy - mine is more like 7 ounces. It's not waterproof, but that's a good thing, as it would cause a massive amount of condensation to develop inside the bivvy - check the reviews:

https://www.rei.com/product/867215/outdoor-research-helium-bivy

Bring a tarp to allow for a dry night - being stuck in a bivy without a tarp in any sort of rain would SUCK. Like, what happens when you have to get out of the bivy in the middle of the storm? Now you're wet, and you'll have to go back into the bivy. What are you going to do with any gear that you don't want to get wet? That goes in the bivy, too? You can get fancy with tarps, like this sea to summit one:

https://www.rei.com/product/868692/sea-to-summit-escapist-tarp-shelter

Or just use an old 2 man tent ground cloth - spent many a night underneath one in pretty terrible storms in CO up high. Put guide lines on it to attach to trees and/or use your bike as one of the tie-up points.

OR go with a one-man tent of the same weight as this bivy system.

A 30 degree 800 fill bag is overkill for most of this course in August. Maybe 35 - 40, if you put on more of your clothing kit on? Makes getting up a bit easier, too as you're already dressed! I honestly didn't even bring a sleeping bag: ground cloth, sleeping bag liner, pad, and bivvy. The lighter you are, the funner the trail is.

 https://blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/tents-and-bivys-BD810212WASAALL1.html

Description

The minimalist, four-season Black Diamond Twilight Bivy is built from water-resistant and breathable NanoShield fabric that keeps weight to an absolute minimum and packs down incredibly small, making it ideal for an emergency shelter or as a sleeping bag cover. Built with a zippered entry across the shoulders, it's easy to get into and use while sitting up.

* Frameless construction to minimize weight
* Proprietary NanoShield single-wall fabric
* Year-round performance

Tech Specs
Season : 4
Average Packed Weight : 302 g (10.7 oz)
Minimum Weight : 290 g (10 oz)
Dimensions : 208 x 84 cm (82 x 33 in)
Area : 1.75 m2 (18.75 sq ft)
Packed Size : 8 x 13 cm (3 x 5 in)

MSRP: $149.95 USD

I'm holding back sharing evidence of 2011's version - it looks as if there's icebergs floating on the lake itself! I DO remember curling up under a large tree to sleep while it started snowing. I was so happy to get into town, and the people of Whitefish proved to be most inviting community (although I heard there may be a weirdo living among them...).

I have run my Luxos U for several years now with no complaints. Having a light on all the time is a great safety feature plus with it's USB port you can keep your phone topped off.

My wife wanted one and I found it from Star Bike for only $115 plus shipping. I paid well over $200 for my first one.

Here is the link: http://www.starbike.com/en/busch-mueller-lumotec-iq2-luxos-u/?currency=USD&vat=hide&gclid=CjwKEAjwse7JBRCJ576SqoD7lCkSJABF-bKut8vv81-6PQgX9ppWlm_2JVhFSdC1fMuzpwdr38_odBoCVdTw_wcB

Nice - I'll have to check that out. There's some pretty nice benefits over Klite's (sweet, I'll add) offerings: B+M has a great rep. and that price is pretty damn good, if I'm reading the description correctly, it includes in the unit:

Light,
Handlebar switch
Cache battery
USB charging option

So instead of buying the 3 sep. components from KLite (Light: 265.00, USB charging thingy: $120.00, Handlebar Switch: $60 (and even battery pack?!), it's all in one?

Seems like the difference of a German-flavored efficient industrial product and the handmade artisanal offering?

I'll have to do my research on that idea, that's a huge cost savings.

This might work, but when I was researching charging AAs from dyno I remember that folks who had done it weren't happy with how long it took...

http://www.goalzero.com/mobile/p/133/guide-10-plus-recharger

I've been a little underwhelmed with most of Goal Zero's offerings. They def. have beautiful design and snazzy marketing, but all the gear seems 1+ generations behind their competitors like, https://www.anker.com/ if I'm to believe the reviews at http://outdoorgearlab.com

Ha! Current Tour Divide Live Satellite Tracker:

Tracker link: http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide17

New section must be tough, we don't have anyone over the border, into the states, yet! I believe in year's past, the faster peeps could get through Canada sub-24, which you know: blew my mind, fer sure.

The collection of people near Elkford this morning is just amazing - there's a "30 day" flag near them that just don't seem right. I can't imagine that may people at that slow of a pace. Something tells me they all had an interesting night out there, or an extra round at Elkford! Ha!

Here's a bit more background, as reported by Neil,

http://bikepacker.com/2017-tour-divide-news/

Looks like he's going to try to keep a running commentary,

Very happy to see another most successful start. Give it hell out there! We're all very happy and a little jealous of your journeys, ahead!

There's the MintyBoost, if I understand what you're thinking of - https://www.adafruit.com/product/14

I've built one (construction isn't difficult if you're handy with a soldering iron) and it works well with my phone (Andriod); can't speak to iPhones. It works well for emergency powering/charging a phone, but carrying/buying multiple sets of AAs would be heavy & costly.

Nope - just something I can charge AA's with, from the Dynamo via the USB interface. (Gawd, this gets complicated to talk about!).

Funnily, they now have a charger that does BOTH:

https://www.fenix-store.com/fenix-are-x2-dual-channel-smart-charger/

I think a Lithium battery pack like Anker et al provide would be a much better idea than charging rechargable AA's, to then charge... other batteries though, but maybe as a... backup? Seems silly.

There's a few types of batteries I hope to be able to charge up: AA's, AAA's, and the battery in the Petzel NAO head torch, which is basically a 18650 with its own proprietary electronics - the torch itself has a USB plug in it. AA's are for the eTrex, AAA's are for the SPOT. So getting just a AA/AAA USB interface charger should be all I need. (and uh, a Lithium battery pack).

I believe I can run the SPOT direct from the Dynamo -> USB thing, but from what I read, it's probably more practical to run the SPOT via the  Lithium battery pack, if needed.

I WISH I could run/charge the eTrex through the battery pack the same way, but I don't believe the eTrex has that capability. From what I've read, the Oregon models DO. The newer Oregon models are a tad more expensive than an eTrex, so I don't I'll go for one. I just lost my eTrex though, so I'm contemplating between an eTrex 35t and an Oregon 600t - an older version, but still highly recommended that you can get for cheap. Their specs. are *so close*.

Still a bit of money just to say, "hey I didn't need to buy batteries!" (all that much...), unless you're committed for the long haul. I'm car-free and have for a WHILE, so it's not like I'll hang up the bikepacking bike after this summer and say, "Fun, but we're done until next summer!". All this gear is gonna be used all year 'round!  Sticker price, though.

Thanks for your thoughts, Yogi!

Dynamos are a pretty BIG leap in terms of price tag to get things set up, and it's a little daunting: you got the hub, wheel built around it, the light, the light/usb the switcher box, the usb power thingy, the battery - whoa! That adds up!

I've been pretty happy with my Fenix light, and just grabbing batteries, but I'd like to not use so many batteries, for long-term costs (which may be hard to break even in < year!), always-on light, and the ability to charge things without needing to go to town would be awesome!

I'm still stopped in my tracks on just WTF the differences in the options at:

https://www.kliteusa.net/product-page/klite-backpacker-pro-light-1200-700lm-w-standlite

*are*. I'm guessing that I'd be good with, "Light and USB"

The two other choices just confuse the heck outta me.

Thanks for the reply!

Looking at, https://www.kliteusa.net/product-page/klite-backpacker-pro-light-1200-700lm-w-standlite

I'm scoobied at the choices.

If I'm running a PD/Shim. hub, it seems that I would want to choose, "Light only SP/Shim", but there is another choice, "Light AND USB". What the heck is that other choice about? I would like to run this with a switch to be able to hook this up with a USB charger. I *think* that switch is sold separately, and the USB charge is most def. sold separately.

I emailed them, and their response was to choose, "light and USB" - am I missing something important for a SP/Shim choice?

Sorry if I'm reviving this thread -

Any more updates to the following:

* Running a GPS Unit "directly" from the dynamo hub? The Oregon Series of GPS units have a battery pack that can be used in lieu of 2 AA's, and when you connect it to a USB chord, it'll recharge directly from there. I guess the alt. would be to have some sort of USB to AA recharger (is that actually a thing?) Can you do this trick with the eTrex 35t? (I don't think you can...)

* Hubs with some sort of future-proofing. I'm most likely getting a hub for 100mm/QR, but it would be nice to get it to work with 115/thru axle

* Any new lights out there to check out?

* Any new battery packs to check out, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-iPhone-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B01NBQX0O5

Just reposting the trackleaders link:

http://trackleaders.com/americantrail17

Apologies are all mine! I'd hate to confuse people out there - just want to make sure y'all get your extra helpin' of hills! Muahaha! Def. a highlight of the route - the change from Union Pass to the Basin is extreme. Revel in it!