My gear

Here, somewhat belatedly, is a look at the stuff that's making this trip happen. It's going to be mostly pictorial, and there is a slight chance that it will be updated in the future. 

The bike. This is the heart and soul of the whole shebang. It's a 2012 Jamis Aurora, which I settled on purchasing after careful deliberation. When I set out to find an touring bike in a reasonable price range, I realized the two big players where the Surly Long Haul Trucker and this. I had a chance to ride both, and deciding that they would both be perfectly adequate for what I wanted to do, made my selection based on price. My bike has functioned excellently so far, I really couldn't ask for more. There are bits here and there that I would change if I had a chance, such as the sluggish rear derailer, but nothing serious. It shows it's true colors as a touring bike by handling better loaded than it does unloaded. 

This is my cook set. It's an old pre shaker-jet MSR Whisperlite, and a MSR Skillet. If I remember right, I told the story of my acquisition of this stove in a previous posting. 

This is a small sample of what I'm eating. My budget for food is $50 per week, so it certainly isn't gourmet. 

 

Here's the panniers and front bag I'm using. The largest bag is one of my Axiom rear panniers, the smaller one of my Louis Garneau front panniers. My handlebar bag, which is also made by Axiom, is one pice of gear I have found to be quite indispensable. 

Here's my sleeping arraignment, which consists of a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 down bag, a cheap Thermarest trail scout sleeping pad, and a trash bag that gets used as a groundsheet. I happen to be especially proud of my sleeping bag. 

And here's why I'm so proud of the bag. That, from left to right, is a 1 quart Nalagine, my thermarest, my bag, and my tarp, all stowed away and ready for travel. The 32 degree bag weighs a slight 22 ounces. 

This is one of my ACA maps. Each panel covers about 30 miles and includes all kind of helpful bicycle specific details. I fold it up to the panel I'm currently on and rubber band it to my handlebars. 

My borderline outrageous bottle collection. The two on the left are fuel bottles, and the rest are for water. I've got a total water capicty of over a gallon.

My cycling shoes. These where also a bit of a last minute purchase as my previous pair was very tight and I was worried that they would give me blisters with such heavy use. They're not the nicest road shoes, but they fit me quite well and have proved themselves comfortable. 

If you ever decide to do anything even mildly adventurous, this is one item you absolutely must have. My leatherman gets used many times daily, and I'd pretty much be sunk without it. 

My tarp set up. The exposure is pretty bad, but you get the idea. 

The final result.