Warm gear for the Tour Divide?

[flanagaj]

I have booked my flight and will be starting my ride on 6th Sept.  Conscious that you can hit weather from all aspects, hot, cold, rain, snow, dry .. I have been busy trying to work out my full kit list.

So far I have the following, but would appreciate any tips and comments.  Always conscious mind, that keeping the weight down is a fine balance :-)

Gore Goretex waterproof jacket / trousers
Gore fleece headband
Winter mitts which are wind / waterproof (I suffer with cold hands :-( )
Waterproof overshoes.  Unsure whether to pack lightweight ones or heavy neoprene ones (I do suffer with cold feet when it gets below 10c! )
Leg / arm warmers
Patagonia 800 fill down vest jacket

Now I was wondering whether I should also pack a fleece or a light weight merino wool base layer top too?

Would really appreciate advice here from anyone who has done this ride.

Thanks

[james-o]

Hard to say as it's all based on persoanal comfort levels and it varies so much, I think you can expect a fair chance of being as cold as you'll ever get in the south of the UK in winter though. Could be 50+ miles and a few long, chilling downhills to a warm dry place, potentially.

Spare warm/windproof gloves and warm feet aids of some sort are a good thing to have. You can buy stuff along the way, may not be the best riding kit but a basic fleece or wool tope, etc just basic stuff that's ok to ride in when you get wet. I'd take a spare warm layer for sure.

[flanagaj]

Hard to say as it's all based on persoanal comfort levels and it varies so much, I think you can expect a fair chance of being as cold as you'll ever get in the south of the UK in winter though. Could be 50+ miles and a few long, chilling downhills to a warm dry place, potentially.

Spare warm/windproof gloves and warm feet aids of some sort are a good thing to have. You can buy stuff along the way, may not be the best riding kit but a basic fleece or wool tope, etc just basic stuff that's ok to ride in when you get wet. I'd take a spare warm layer for sure.

Cheers James-o.  I currently have a Alpkit Pipedream 400 down bag which is rated down to -4c and I am now thinking that as I sleep cold I need to quickly get a 4 season bag and a down jacket.   I have sent the Patagonia vest back as I feel it was more for mild climes than for the Rockies.

The plan is to wear my Gore Goretex jacket and Gore windproof fleece to counter the cold on the descents. 

[Lentamentalisk]

Leg warmers: I keep seeing people mention them, and they seem like a great way to have shorts and pants without having to bring pants. But I've never had leg warmers so I'm not sure what to look for in a pair. Can you point me in the right direction?
One of the things I line about having lose pants is that they protect me from bugs. Will any leg warmers do that for me? Here on the east coast, sunset is dinner time for both humans and mosquitoes alike.

[Adam Alphabet]

flanagaj are you going the whole way? How long is your trip? are you racing (ITT) or touring?
I live and ride in BC and can offer some advice for up this way. All of the items in some combination make up my various bike touring/packing/racing kits depending on season/climate etc. If I were setting off on a tour from Banff in September this is what I would bring from my kit closet.

Worn:
ice breaker wool t-shirt with full zip (myog)
-maybe defeet un-d shirt sleeveless under t shirt
ice breaker wool arm warmers
patagonia houdini full zip/hooded wind shirt
chamois and overshorts
defeet woolie boolie 2 socks full length.
shoes
Fox reflex gloves
helmet

Layers:
defeet wool kneekers, mate to socks for full leg warmth.
defeet un-d shirt long sleeve shirt
defeet woolie boolie 2 extra socks for sleep or when other pair gets soaked.
defeet wool duragloves
*insulated layer: feathered friends daybreak hooded insulated jacket

Rain:
OR helium 2 jacket or *driducks
FULL length rain pants for cold rain, absolutely. People try to save an ounce with knickers. They're great for an expected dry run or short term but for potential trip ending sustained cold mountain rain in the fall you want full.
Some way of keeping your feet dryish:Shoe covers, I had descent success with some Endura's last winter.
After 5+ years of mixed reviews with Rocky Gore socks, I'm done with them. Not reliable (for me).
home made cuben fiber 1/3 lobster shells.

*dependant on sleep system choice as I have a few options I go with depending on the trip.
The above is a touring list.
A racing list would likely look a little different, but I can't comment on racing the divide as I have yet to do so.

Good Luck!
Adam.

[Sparkyga]

Your initial list seems pretty good and I wouldn't worry too much about the sleeping bag if your carrying a decent somewhat insulated mattress. If your considered about being cold at night, consider carrying SOL bivy or related product in case you end up with a really cold pre winter night.

Watch the weather at that time of year. I suggest you check the weather forecast regularly so you don't get stuck riding through a pre winter storm. They happen occasionally and you can see a huge dump of snow with some decent subzero temps.  We had 5 cm snow in mid august and some of the mountain roads were nearly in very poor conditions the other day here in Alberta...

Waterproof gloves, a warm hat are a must at that time of year, the mornings can be frosty it might not warm up until later in the morning. I also too recommend a full set of good rain gear as it can be cool enough at that time of year with a rain storm to bring on hypothermia.

Enjoy

[flanagaj]

After looking at the possible overnight temps I decided to add a few extra items to my kit list.

An additional down liner for my sleeping bag.  It weighs 250g but adds which adds an extra 10c to my existing bag
A lightweight waterproof outer for my down bag.  Will hopefully avoid bag getting damp in the tent from condensation
A mountain hardwear synthetic down jacket.  Super warm not too heavy and no worry of it getting damp
A new set of Gore bikewear waterproofs.

Glad I bought these extras, but it has not been cheap.  Lightweight and cheap are 2 words you don't find in the same sentence, when it comes to bikepacking equipment.

[Adam Alphabet]

Lightweight and cheap are 2 words you don't find in the same sentence, when it comes to bikepacking equipment.

As they say about UL gear; 'light, cheap, durable pick two' and it won't be the third.