Gear

I don't know that I've ever posted what I bring on a really long ride. It's not because I'm trying to hide anything. I've pimped my gear list from others and, over time, ground it down and swapped things out to what works better for me. It's not the lightest load of junk but I'll share and hopefully help someone else get things sorted.

Front roll bag is made by Carousel Designs. It holds a bivy and my sleeping bag. The bag is always a North Face rated at 45 degrees. The bivy for this trip is going to be an REI Minimalist but there are times when I take my Outdoor Research one. The OR bivy has poles that help keep the fabric off my face and I trust it 100% in a torrential downpour but it is heavier at about 2 lbs. The REI bivy weighs about a pound I think and it's acceptable in rain and I don't have all that many issues with condensation.  I have not decided if I am going to bring a sleeping pad or not. If I do it will be an 1/8" closed cell foam pad from Gossamer Gear thats trimmed down and weighs maybe 2 oz.

Gas Tank bag is from Revelate and it carries food that I can eat while riding. I usually just buy stuff at gas stations and then take it out of the package and throw it in so I don't have to sweat unwrapping things and dealing with trash. It's nasty inside that bag.

Rear saddle bag is also from Carousel Designs and it holds my clothing which consists of:
-Craft long sleeve base layer.
-First Ascent fleece hat.
-Some really old Bellweather arm warmers.
-Simms mittens that are convertible and made from Windstopper material.
-Pearl Izumi knee warmers.
-One pair of socks (I use some tall wool socks at night or when it's cool and my trusty Mountain Flyer Olefin socks during the day).
-First Ascent down vest.
-Marmot Precip rain pants that I have cut off just below the knees.

Osprey Talon 22 backpack:
-Tool/repair kit and first aid stuff.
-MSR water filter (some go lighter here with tablets or other devices but I've had Giardia twice now but not since using this filter so I don't go with anything else).
-Water bladder (think this is a 2 liter version).
-Mavic rain jacket. This was a purchase I made about a month ago and almost threw up when I handed over the credit card. Best rain gear I've ever had. Each time I ride in rain I feel less sick about buying it.
-Foldable Platypus 1 liter bottle for the dry stretches (which it appears there might be a few of those this year).
-Enough food for me to leap frog from town to town until Buena Vista. From BV to Silverton every one will have heavy packs and all available space on board will be stuffed with food.
-Bandana. These are really handy for lots of things but this year I anticipate that it will see tons of use wrapped around my neck after being dunked into ice cold streams/rivers to help with the heat. I didn't wanna upset Crips or Bloods so I'm reppin' gray like my beard.

For technology I have an Etrex GPS unit, my SPOT device, my Polar heart rate monitor/computer, iPod Nano and my iPhone. This year Heather has a new job and does not have nearly the flexibility that she's had in the past to come pick up my tired ass when I call so there is a good chance that I will be pedaling back to Woodland at least some of the way because I'm broke and don't have enough cheese for hotels to wait for her and would rather see some more cool stuff and even if I could afford to stay in a hotel for 2 or 3 days who wants to sit around in rotten spandex?