TD packing list

[sulfate125]

Since I spent so much time on my packing list for the 2011 Tour divide, I thought I would share it in the event that others needed some ideas.  There should be an attached Excel spreadsheet.

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Did you mean "spare quick link" instead of "spare chain"? 

Also, what kind of hub are you using that would need new pawl springs?

I've been debating what to carry for rain in regards to the downstairs area.  With a 36" inseam, I really don't want to carry full length pants.  How did the knickers work out for you?  Were you forced to wear the shoe covers and were they able to keep your feet dry?  Or did water just run down your shins into your shoes and your feet stayed clammy and wrinkly?

[sulfate125]

Yes, Spare links.  Hope hubs.  Knickers were great.  I wore them 24 hours a day for the first week and then a good fraction of the second week.  Not just for rain.  Shoe covers got torn up pretty fast.  Showers pass club shoe covers were not the best choice.  I would bring something though. Toe covers would probably be just as good. 

[rooster14]

what type of frame pump and water filter did you carry?

[sulfate125]

Tire pump was an old planet bike mtb plastic pump.  shock pump was Topeak microshock.  I used a Steripen and iodine tablets.  Steripen was good but it took too long with a 16oz bottle.  I would bring a 1 l bottle next time. 

[Done]

Awesome, thanks for sharing. Choosing gear that is light and efficient, but still safe, is a huge challenge in this sport. I bought a scale this year, and I'm using these cold winter months to completely rethink my setup for 2012.

[rooster14]

well that is why i am on the fence about my water filter purchase.  I want to buy the new MSR miniworks because of the flow rate and weight....but the miniworks ex is phenomenal because it filters out chemicals which are certainly on my mind with all of the mining and natural gas work done along the route.  any one care to chime in on these thoughts? it is going to be one of these two though haha.

[sulfate125]

I would suggest that you look through the forums regarding water treatment before deciding to filter.  I drank about 5L/day and maybe treated a total of 5L.  Hardly worth lugging around a 1lb filter.  There is only one short section where the water is contaminated, but there is a huge area of NM where there was almost no surface water available. 

[DenisVTT]

I would suggest that you look through the forums regarding water treatment before deciding to filter.  I drank about 5L/day and maybe treated a total of 5L.  Hardly worth lugging around a 1lb filter.  There is only one short section where the water is contaminated, but there is a huge area of NM where there was almost no surface water available. 

I didn't have a filter last year. I did have a few water purification tablets that I never got to use.

Granted, I'm kind of a camel. But overall I found that you can usually do without emergency procedures. The 2 "hot" spots were the Gila Wilderness (about 170 miles without services) and the high desert of Wyoming. The Gila was very hot, but there is some traffic on those roads so I was able to get water from a film crew, a construction crew and a firefighting truck (I figured they'd have water...  ). The high desert was different in the sense that there is absolutely nobody out there (I saw a grand total of 2 cars in 130 miles) but it's not as hot so I was able to cross the entire thing in one shot with just a little over a gallon.

YMMV.

[Georg66]

I will also go without a filter system, but will take some purification tablets.
For the Wyoming high desert and Gila wilderness (and some other areas) I will take some additional water bottles in my backpack. To count on third parties seems to be hazardous to me ...

[Roland Sturm]

Yeah, and riding a bit behind Denis, we kept hearing reports from people who think they rescued a crazy Frenchman from certain death over and over again!

Anyway, I would not cue from Denis because he may not only be a camel, but is also very, very tough mentally and physically. Most people would crack trying to do some things he did (e.g. he made his break from the rest of us by riding straight through the Basin). And I'm sure he was hurting there.

As far as I'm concerned: Absolutely a filter. Hard enough to find any water in NM or the Basin (last year was easier than normal), but are you really able to wait for another few hours to get it purified when you finally find it? I had the capacity of carrying up to 2 gallons through New Mexico, at times barely enough. I filtered both in the Gila and in the Basin. And I was glad to get rid of weight after the first half (after the Basin, I only used 3 bottles) and stop occasionally for a quick filter. I had tablets just in case (my filter froze during one night in CO, which damages it, but I could buy a new cartridge the next day).

[DenisVTT]

Yeah, and riding a bit behind Denis, we kept hearing reports from people who think they rescued a crazy Frenchman from certain death over and over again!

Ah, ah, that's funny.  

Although I think you're joking, getting reports on the conditions of the riders ahead of you by the locals is one of the most fun things on the TD.

For me, for a good part of the race, it was Craig Dolwin. For a long time, I kept hearing how he was surviving on burritos, eating every available one in every bar or cafe in town! Then one day as I was starting to catch up on him, I heard he was sick from stomach problems. That made me laugh, as I thought about all the burritos he was allegedly eating!  

Most people would crack trying to do some things he did (e.g. he made his break from the rest of us by riding straight through the Basin). And I'm sure he was hurting there.

Yeah, I remember that day. I actually started around 5:30 in the morning about 45 miles south of the basin, and rode all day and most of the night. When I finally made it exhausted and completely out of food and water to Atlantic City (pop. 39) around 1:30 in the morning, I looked for the tipi that people had told me I could sleep under in that town. Instead, I saw some light in the bar next to the tipi, and 4 drunk guys (I think they were celebrating the fact that it was Thursday!) greeted me there and gave me food, iced tea, and rented me an old cabin behind the bar. Good times!  

To answer Georg about getting water from 3rd parties, yes, it might be a bit hazardous but frankly, so is this entire race, and unless you're ready to take some calculated risks, it's hard to make a case for even getting on the start line.

I only asked for water during the Gila crossing. Like I said, there is some traffic there (maybe around 15 cars a day...). Some of the cars are there for work, others are on vacation but I'm pretty sure that nobody is undertaking any part of this route in June without copious amounts of water (the construction crew I asked water from had weeks of bottled water reserves, replenished by their employer every few days). We're the only fools that do that, so I think it's OK to ask. The thing is, the Gila is a very tough section with a lot of total elevation and very high heat that will likely take you about a day and a half or more and there's just no way you can carry enough water to go through it. So yes, if you don't have a filter, you kind of take your chances, but to me that's what the race is all about.

[Georg66]

... and unless you're ready to take some calculated risks, it's hard to make a case for even getting on the start line.

Ok, that's very true ...

[rooster14]

how much water capacity does everyone have on their rig?

[elobeck]

how much water capacity does everyone have on their rig?

most answers to your questions should be in here....

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,539.0.html