Traveling by Bicycle Across America

Tag: Packing list

How Much is Enough: Better Choices for My Packing List

You don’t always need the economy size

Comparing sizes

On the Northern Tier I carried the big one on the left. At 10 ounces including the container, with far more sunscreen than I needed for a 74 day trip, it was too much.

Items like sunscreen can be replaced along the way. I hope the small “stick” works as well as the lotion. A weight savings of 9 ounces compared to my first bicycle tour is a great change to the total weight for my packing list for the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Weight Reduction: Do You Really Need That?

Can opener from my first tour

From my first bicycle tour

When I started on the Northern Tier in 2012, I had not cycled on a self-supported trip before. I did not have a stove. I used it to open cans of tuna fish. I am thankful for the wide availability of tuna in foil packets and many options not in a can. On my next tour I used the opener on my pocket knife. After that, I haven’t carried any cans. At 6.4 ounces, it was a heavy luxury for limited use.

My packing list is much more refined today, yet it still is not as light as I would like it to be. It still is not an ultra light packing list.

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