Prelude (equipment check)

Well, after a long wait period I finally have all the equipment I need to make my trip and ought to be flying out for Vancouver on Saturday, June 28th early in the morning. I’ll buy the bike setup I’ll be riding there and then head out, hopefully the next day.

In terms of a plan, I decided not to have one; at the very least I won’t have a very detailed one. I’m aiming to travel an average of 100-125km per day, heading generally east. I’m going to pick and choose my route as I go based on which roads look the prettiest, although I do hope to follow the trans-canada trail as much as possible since that should be the most scenic anyways. There are a few friends and family members who live along the way who I hope to visit as well. This is the route I am going to (very loosely) follow – it should be pretty accurate across the praries anyways since there is really only one way to cross them.

In the mean time, here is my equipment list:

• 70 liter kayaker’s backpack. Everything fits in it, it’s waterproof, I can easily carry it myself when I’m away from my bike and it’s bright yellow and ought to add to my visibility on the road. Pretty awesome all around.
• Clothes:
  – 2 pairs of padded biker’s shorts. These things will keep me from getting very uncomfortable blisters.
  – 3 close-fitting biker’s shirts. Not really necessary I guess, but normal t-shirts look weird with the spandex shorts.
  – 1 pair jeans, 1 pair normal shorts. For days when I’m not biking as much or when I’m exploring around town.
  – 3 t-shirts. Same as with the jeans
  – 1 pair running shoes for biking in
  – 1 pair sandals for the rest of the time
  – underwear and socks. Hygienic goodness!
• Bicycle repair kit. (you know it’s going to break at some point)
  – set of hexagonal allen keys
  – air pump
  – 2 spare inner tubes
  – tire levers
  – chain tool (don’t know it there’s another name for them, but they let you take the rivets out so you can replace the gear-chain)
  – spare chain
• Ablutions kit.
  – soap
  – shampoo
  – toothbrush/toothpaste
  – sunscreen
  – bug spray
• First aid/survival kit
  – bandaids
  – snake bite kit
  – bear spray
  – big knife
• Camping gear
  – 2-man tent
  – air mattress
  – sleeping bag
  – stool
  – pots, pans, cutlery
  – camping stove and fuel
• Camera plus hard, waterproof camera case
• Miscellaneous
  – food
  – cellphone/charger
  – headlamp
  – maps
  – sketchbook and pencils
  – books to read when I’m rained out.
  – glasses and sunglasses

I think that’s everything. I’ll edit as necessary if I remember anything else.

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