I've got a confession to make.
I've been doing a lot of shopping lately.
I'm not really a shopper - the whole thing makes me kind of edgy, and spending large sums of money tends to make me feel a little ill. Maybe its deep seated issues with consumer culture, or maybe I'm just cheap. The jury's still out on that one.
Anyhow, of late I've been spending loads of time in and out of outdoor and bike shops around town, whittling down my list of things to buy. Its actually been kind of fun.
The other day I picked up a pair of Axiom Typhoon waterproof paniers.
They've now made their way onto Rex's front rack and are full of old textbooks to get me used to pulling that kind of weight around. I guess hanging on to all of those books after grad made sense after all.
In the last few days I've also picked up a thermarest, camelback bladder, tiny little multi-fuel powered camping stove and pot set and some other exciting bits and peices. Its really the first time I've owned a complete camping set - when this trip is over, I'll now have the capacity to skip town at the drop of a hat. Its an idea I find quite appealing.
The most exciting thing I've acquired in the last week, though, has been my accomodations for the comming months. An old friend was kind enough to lend me, on long term loan, a Hennesy Hammock.
These things are pure grade A made in BC ingenuity. Totally waterproof, and functional to set up even in the absence of trees. I'll admit I'm a little nervous at the prospect of living in a hammock for five months... but I'm also kind of stoked on the concept. Time, I suppose will tell.
In the mean time, I'll continue to work my way down the list.
My complete inventory should look a little something like this:
Camping
Sleeping bag
Compression Sack
Tent/ Hammock
Thermarest??
Cammo net for stealth camping?
Ziplock bags & heavy duty plastic bags
Groundsheet
Cooking
Spoon/Fork/Swiss army knife
lightweight potset
Small Camping stove + fuel bottle
Lighter
S&P&Spices
Can Opener? (or just use swiss)
Coffee filters/ pour over
Clothes:
Lycra shorts
Thermal top/bottom
Wool socks/ socks/ 3pr undies
Cycle cap & bandana
Rain jacket/ shoe covers/ H20 proof tights
3 jerseys/tshirts
1 long sleeve shirt?
2 pr. Bike gloves
Shoes
Flip Flops
Zip off pants/shorts
Sunglasses
Personal Effects
Toothbrush/paste/razor
Small journal, pencil
Digicam, batteries, charger
Microfiber chamois for towel
TP
Soap, small bottle shampoo
Sunscreen
Tools/ parts/ riding gear
Chain breaker
Tri-Allen and Tri-Socket
Tire levers & patch kit
Head Lamp
Spare tube x 2
Swiss army knife
Adjustable wrench
Zap straps
spoke wrench + spare spokes
Compression straps for racks
Pump
Lock setup
chainlube
Duct tape
Length of Rope
Water bottles/camelback
If y'all spot anything obvious missing from this list, point that shit out to me, cause I need to know on the sooner than the later!
see you cats on the streets.
/ms
About Me
Amsterdam to Istanbul on two wheels and willpower
6 comments:
Shopping is justifiably fun if you're doing it for a purpose. A lot of the stuff you need, you want to have new, and don't have a lot of time to look for it. The hammock, if comfortable, seems cool.
A can opener can be helpful for taking cans on and off of a fire, but I'm not sure how often you plan on cooking by fire rather than stove. Remember Eddie Izzard's comment about how you can open a can in a week with the swiss army =D
Clothes washing? Woolite? What about the in-spandex crotch lube?
How do you plan on getting the cogset off if you happen to blow a spoke on the rear drive side? And, on the topic of spare spokes, it'd be a good idea to have access to the spoke lengths you need if you do end up breaking some. Maybe save it in your gmail drafts?
Something to use as a rag?
So many things...
Morgan
re- drive side spokes - Johann said he'd make me some ghetto temporary spokes you can slot in without taking the cassette off that will get you to the next bike shop with adequate tools. Tim showed me some, pretty sweet!
Simon, you forgot earplugs! You could buy them there but they rock when it comes to helping you sleep on long plane trips as well as in hostel dorms and near train tracks etc. Sort out a good pillow although I don't know how needed that will be in the hennesey hammock.
ditch the can opener - but test the swiss knife opener first.
If needed for saddle sores - diaper rash creme is good. Hopefully you won't need it.
Bike computer is very helpful.
And can I give you 50 bike decals to give to people you meet. It is great to offer these when you bump into new friends.
Have fun!
+1 on the stickers, bike caps, vancouver bike schwag to hand out. surely you have a few MM patches or pins laying around? these make grrrreat gifts for kind hosts and new friends and can open you up for exciting swaps/exchanges.
they dont take up much space either...
I've got MM pins and a few spoke cards left, but not much vancouver scwag... anyone wanna help me out there?
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