Is this list sufficient/overkill for a 1st touring weekend?

[Daniel B]

Hello all,

having never been touring before, this is a list I have come up with for what I would look to take with us - when I say touring, we will be thinking of staying in B&B's rather than camping - to start with at any rate.

This is a list for staying away for 2 nights, and a bit of cycling on each of the 3 days, more on days 1 & 3, potentially not too far on the middle day.

2 pairs of cycling shorts
2 Jerseys
2 pairs of cycling socks
2 base layers (Short/long sleeve)
Windproof/water resistant montane jacket
Spare inner tubes X 6 per bike
Tyre levers, including metal ones
Decent multitools
Mini pump
Chain pin extractor
Extra bottle of water
Park tools patches
Bike locks

Wallet
Mobile phone
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Flannel
Soap/Shower gel
Beard trimmer
Shaving gel
Razor
Brush
Deodorant
Shampoo

Pair of normal shoes
Trousers, 1 or 2 pairs
2 pairs of normal socks
2 pairs of boxer shorts
T-Shirts X 2
Long sleeve top X 1
Zippy/Fleece
Jacket of some kind?

Will be wearing:
SPD shoes
Shorts
Jersey
Helmet
Glasses
Mitts

What do you reckon - have I missed anything, is it too much, and will it fit in a normal pair of panniers - what capacity would you recommend?

Thinking of Altura dryline panniers, either 34 or 56, and probably a rack bag as well.

No chance of panniers on the front, as the bike has carbon forks and no mounts.

Cheers

Dan

[lauriematt]

Hello all,

2 pairs of cycling shorts
2 Jerseys
2 pairs of cycling socks
2 base layers (Short/long sleeve)
Windproof/water resistant montane jacket
Spare inner tubes X 6 per bike
Tyre levers, including metal ones
Decent multitools
Mini pump
Chain pin extractor
Extra bottle of water
Park tools patches
Bike locks

Wallet
Mobile phone
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Flannel
Soap/Shower gel
Beard trimmer
Shaving gel
Razor
Brush
Deodorant
Shampoo

Pair of normal shoes
Trousers, 1 or 2 pairs
2 pairs of normal socks
2 pairs of boxer shorts
T-Shirts X 2
Long sleeve top X 1
Zippy/Fleece
Jacket of some kind?

Will be wearing:
SPD shoes
Shorts
Jersey
Helmet
Glasses
Mitts


Dan

i think one pair of cycling shorts...one cycling top

socks / undies as a spare if you get wet plus to change (so only what your wearing and one set as spare)

you should be alright without base layers...its ' summer '

waterproof jacket a must

whey too many inner tubes...bring 2 at a max (this is in total not for each bike)...and a puncture kit

usual tools and lock yep...any tyre levers will do...no point carrying a set of plastic and metal ones

toiletries list looks good...though try and get small bottles! do you really need a beard trimmer??? can you go without it??? this will also save carrying shaving gel

i think a fleece is good...no need to carry a jacket aswell tho

and probably one pair of trousers will do...2 tshirts is good

[hamster]

I would go with 2 sets of cycling things (nice to have a spare in case other doesn't dry in time)
dark T shirt, underpants, fleece, zip off leg trousers / shorts (dark shows the dirt less)
Cycling shoes only (hopefully trainer styled, not power-ranger style road ones)
Waterproof jacket
Toiletries (an airline amenity kit is ideal, whatever you should be able to fit it all in a coke can - any more is too much)
Toolkit, spare tube, puncture repair kit.

That would be it. Any more and you'll lose the fun and have to slog up hills.

[Mick F]

Cycling tops and shorts:

I was away three weeks, and only had two pairs of each. I washed and dried both sets when I had a day off. I would go for day after day with the same kit on.

Modern cycling gear gets just as wet in the rain as anything else, but it dries easily. They also get as sweaty, but they wick away the sweat and moisture easily too.

Three days of cycling? - one set only.

Socks, on the other hand. A clean set each day is good.

[pjclinch]

2 pairs of cycling shorts
2 Jerseys
2 pairs of cycling socks

Just one of everything if it's a weekend. It shouldn't get too wet if you use your waterproofs, or if it's too warm for 'proofs then the dry stuff will get wet or dry out while you're wearing it.

Spare inner tubes X 6 per bike

6! Why 6? Two between the two bikes, unless you're planning a special tour of broken glass with knackered racing tyres... A puncture kit will take up any extra slack and take up much, much less space.

Tyre levers, including metal ones

I only use [Park Tools] plastic ones, 'cause I know that's all I need to get any of my tyres on/off. Try the levers in advance to be sure they work.

Decent multitools

Why plural?

Mini pump

Unless your bike(s) won't take a frame pump, take a frame pump. Bigger, and thus shift more air. Minimal extra weight.

Chain pin extractor

SRAM PowerLinks are your friends.

Beard trimmer
Shaving gel
Razor
Brush
Deodorant
Shampoo

My word! Unless you're planning on fine dining while you're out this is a bit excessive. Basic toiletries will be found in the B&Bs at any rate. You can perhaps forego trimming your beard for a couple of days without the Style Police getting you!
My personal feeling about deodorant is it smells considerably worse when mixed with a bit of honest sweat than the sweat alone.

Pair of normal shoes
Trousers, 1 or 2 pairs
2 pairs of normal socks
2 pairs of boxer shorts
T-Shirts X 2
Long sleeve top X 1
Zippy/Fleece
Jacket of some kind?

Excessive, I would say. Shoes are heavy and bulky, sandals or Crocs are light and less so, and perfectly adequate in summer. No need for socks either. You'll be away for 3 days and using cycling gear most of the time, why do you need any more than a single pair of trousers and a single top (take a long sleeve, roll the sleeves up if it's more T weather...) You'll have a jacket of some kind already, your cycling jacket, so why take another? Take good quality light travel clothing and it won't suffer in transit, and won't be at all disagreeable if worn for more than a day.

What do you reckon - have I missed anything, is it too much, and will it fit in a normal pair of panniers - what capacity would you recommend?

Way, way more than you need. I'd read the Touring Light article in the current Cycle. I personally don't go as far as that suggests in cutting weight, but it's a good indicator of possibilities. All you need will fit in a pair of normal panniers, but i'm not sure about that lot!

Thinking of Altura dryline panniers, either 34 or 56, and probably a rack bag as well.

Rack bags are good if you're not using panniers as they draft by the rider, but used in combination they mean you can't lash oversize stuff to the rack, and they're a pain (relatively) to take on and off. A bar bag puts things in a more convenient place for immediate access, is easier to take on and off and helps take some of the load off the back.
IME Altura make nice panniers, but I think Ortliebs are better as a place to put cargo. They're rack fixings are easier to use than anyone else's and the quality is really really good rather than just really good.

HTH, Pete.

[Daniel B]

Thanks for the tips everyone, thought it might be over kill

Replies duly taken on board, and I will prune down accordingly.

Many thanks

Dan

[Sepulchre]

No chance of panniers on the front, as the bike has carbon forks and no mounts.

Interesting this one. I have carbon forks on both back and front.

Are you saying that carbon forks are no good for touring? What make model is your bike if I may ask. Mine is a Specialized Sirrus Pro.

Ditto on the beard trimmer and inner tubes - no need me thinks.

Have you thought about how you're going to read the map, might be an idea for a map cover in case of rain, or just somewhere to hang it from the bike. Easy to get to etc.

Good luck btw...off to Cambridge for weekend, first tour too.

Sep

[pjclinch]

No chance of panniers on the front, as the bike has carbon forks and no mounts.

Interesting this one. I have carbon forks on both back and front.

Are you saying that carbon forks are no good for touring?

More that they're not really good for clamping pannier racks too, I think. Not sure about that myself, but I'd certainly want to check before I added lowrider frames to carbon forks and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a no-no.

Have you thought about how you're going to read the map, might be an idea for a map cover in case of rain, or just somewhere to hang it from the bike. Easy to get to etc.

Another place where a Bar-Bag Is Your Friend. Many have built or removable in map-cases on the top so the map is always right where you want it, and protected from the rain.

Pete.

[Sepulchre]

No chance of panniers on the front, as the bike has carbon forks and no mounts.

Interesting this one. I have carbon forks on both back and front.

Are you saying that carbon forks are no good for touring?

More that they're not really good for clamping pannier racks too, I think. Not sure about that myself, but I'd certainly want to check before I added lowrider frames to carbon forks and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a no-no.

Pete.

I actually have an aluminum end at the bottom of my carbon forks, so the rack isn't attached to the carbon forks but the metal ends (for the attachement to the rear wheel hub. Thsi is only for the rear, Daniel B you might wanna check the front forks.

Agreed on the map reading bar bag. Might get me on myself. That or GPS...again feel it's cheating, but for short trips might be useful.

Back to the general question - I definitely think less is more though, don't you? Never toured before (will do this weekend), but I'd rather a light load and a nice pace then heavy and slow pace. Depends if you like comfort at campsite or not. I prefer to eat grass and sleep.

Sep

[pjclinch]

Agreed on the map reading bar bag. Might get me on myself. That or GPS...again feel it's cheating, but for short trips might be useful.

The "cheating" argument has often been raised in mountaineering circles, but it's a really stupid argument. The idea is to have as good a time as possible according to your rules, not some luddite snob's. if you find navigation easier with a GPS, take a GPS.
But you need to realise that a GPS isn't really a substitute for a map, more typically something to be used in conjunction with a map. GPS doesn't give you a good overview of your options (even on dedicated mapping units, the overview you can get on a couple of inches of screen is not much of an overview). Knowing where you are to 10m accuracy isn't actually much use on its own, you need to know how to get to where you're going and a GPS can't make route planning choices for your personal needs.

Back to the general question - I definitely think less is more though, don't you? Never toured before (will do this weekend), but I'd rather a light load and a nice pace then heavy and slow pace. Depends if you like comfort at campsite or not. I prefer to eat grass and sleep.

Overall less is often more, but you can overdo it. You also need to assess the degree to which you are in it for the cycling, or the camping, or some combination of the two. If it's just cycling take a Visa card and a toothbrush, if it's camping take a trailer and lots of luxuries. I think for a lot of folk it'll be somewhere between the two
Our summer tour this year is planned for the Outer Hebs. We have less than 200 miles and a week to do it, so there's really no need to hurry, so we're taking a bigger tent than usual for a bit more luxury when we're camping. As often the case, horses for courses.

Pete.

[Daniel B]

No chance of panniers on the front, as the bike has carbon forks and no mounts.

Interesting this one. I have carbon forks on both back and front.

Are you saying that carbon forks are no good for touring? What make model is your bike if I may ask. Mine is a Specialized Sirrus Pro.

Hi Sep,

no I wasn't saying that at all, only that my bike has no mounts on the forks, which I thought were required for front panniers?

My bike is a Marin Highway One, converted with drop bars, which I have subsequently fitted out with 35mm sks guards, and a topeak rack.
Also fitted some Vittoria tyres, and that's what the metal tyre levers are for, it was the only way I was going to get them on, so I will need them if I ever have a flat.

The rear of the bike didn't have any mounts on the rear triangle either (Carbon stays again) so I bought a seat clamp with integrated mounts to screw the rack into, works a treat

Thankyou for all of the details replies, the one posted before my last one I hadn't seen when I clicked submit, if that makes sense.

But fair play re the shaving kit/beard trimmer, maybe a bit of overkill

Cheers

Dan

[pjclinch]

no I wasn't saying that at all, only that my bike has no mounts on the forks, which I thought were required for front panniers?

Lowrider racks come in various flavours, some assume braze-ons and if you've got braze-ons then those are the easiest to fit, but there are options (including for MTB suspension forks) that don't need them. But as noted above, I don't know whether a carbon fork would be happy with racks designed to for use without braze-ons.

But you really shouldn't need a full set of 4 panniers for a weekend in B&B. I use two pairs of panniers for a week's camping, and I'm not even trying too hard to be frugal.

Pete.

[p_pitstop]

I agree with the general consensus of drastically cutting the list down (you have more than I had for 3 months touring !) and I would like to add another suggestion. If you are close with your travelling companion why not share a soap bag ? My partner and I use the same shower gel, deodourant etc. I confess we have even been known to use the same toothbrush after I found out he was just using the first one he grabbed

[hamster]

I usually use 2 panniers only for camping, plus a front rack to support the sleeping bag and tent. This assumes two of us, one carrying tent, the other the cooking things. This will do for 2 weeks.

That keeps it all below 15kg, which is all I can be bothered to drag up hills.

[andrew_s]

1) If you want front panniers on carbon forks, the Carradice Limpet panniers are your best option. These attach via the QR and a velcro sleeve round the fork blade, so you don't need to fit a rack.

2) Chain tool. SRAM powerlinks are best for putting a chain together, but they are no good at all for taking one apart. If the chain breaks or is damaged, you'll need the chain tool for getting the damaged/broken link(s) off. Take both.

3) Toiletries. A plain bar of soap does for me - shaving, hair, body & clothes.

4) Luggage. 2 normal panniers should be plenty. It it's not, you are taking too much stuff. I generally have a small saddlebag (Barley) for day-ride kit, and 2 small front panniers.

5) Clothing: I must admit that for a 2 night/3 day trip, I'd take 3 pairs of shorts and cycling socks, and save the washing 'til I got home, packing space permitting. Don't forget that 3 pairs of cycling shorts means 3 total, so only two pairs in the luggage. I suppose that 1 on, 1 off, and washing nightly will get you more into the way of longer tours though.

6) What time do you anticipate arriving at your overnight stops? If it's relatively late by the time you are done showering etc and ready to go out, you aren't going to be wearing your off the bike kit for all that long. Same socks 2 nights shouldn't be a problem, same for other off-bike clothes.

7) Off the bike footwear is one area where what you take makes a lot of difference to your packing, as much through bulk as weight. You may wish to look around for something as easily packable as these jingas.