What will I take?

Even after several biking trips I still have a hard time deciding exactly what to take with me on these trips. On my first ride I started off with everything but the kitchen sink. I soon realized that taking all those things on a bike ride is not the same as taking all those things along for a road trip. Extra weight means extra work for me, and this extra work becomes very noticeable when riding uphill. Different riders have different priorities and will take different things with them. Something like a 4-person tent would seem outrageous to some riders, but I take a 4-person tent and put in the extra work because I like being able to take my bike inside the tent with me at night. Some riders take extra tires and other bike parts which I have never felt the need to take. So I will give you a list of the things that I take that seem to work for me.

Every last piece of camping gear I used on my ride home from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico to Canton, Ohio.

This bike ride was started in February and I rode through some pretty frigid temperatures. So the gear on this trip was a little different than the gear I took on my other rides.

List:

4-person tent

2 sleeping bags for cold weather riding. One down, one polyester

4 backpacks to attach to my bike

10 bungie cords to hold gear to my bike

Waterproof tarp

2 insulated water bottles

Cooking pot

Fork and spoon

Powerbank, chargers, and charging cables

3 T-Shirts

2 sweaters/jackets

2 pairs of pants

2 pairs of shorts

3 pairs of underwear

4 pairs of socks

2 bandanas

2 pairs of gloves

Facemask for cold weather

Bike pump

Survival knife

2 spare bike tubes

Journal and colored pens

Hand warmers

Flashlight

Zipties

Duct tape

Bike multitool