philcalvert's photostream

Keith, looking menacing

Not shown - NWT Bike Friday, Synthetic sleeping bag (+40 degree), vinyl poncho (used as ground cloth), patch kit, multi-tool, spare tire, pump, iPhone charger. Total weight is slightly under 21 pounds (excluding the bike).

Observations:

* iPhone - it was great having the iPhone; nine years ago (when I did part of this tour) the first thing we'd do as we rode into a town was to see if there was a public library with internet. The iPhone changed that. I used it for; Email, twitter, Yelp (we ate much better on this trip), camera, compass, weather report, ATM finder, GPS, etc. AT&T's coverage was a bit spotty in places along the coast but worked most of the time.

I was able extend the battery life by following the steps in this NYTimes article t.co/bj7kLx4 and by using the two external batteries. Even so, we were always on the lookout for AC outlets anytime we went into a shop or store.

* Eureka Spitfire Solo Tent; I was fairly pleased with this. I can sit up in it and it doesn't weight too much (3 lbs, 9 oz). Not bad for $85. But I did replace the steel stakes it came with with some titanium ones. Speaking of which...

* Titanium tent stakes; IMHO, superior to aluminum ones. While my tour-mates were bending their aluminum stakes into pretzels, my TI stakes remained straight.

* REI Lumen +40 Synthetic sleeping bag - I was concerned that it might be too damp in the Pacific NW for a down bag and I didn't want to worry about the bag getting wet. This bag was perfect; I was never too hot in it but it kept me warm every night. Also, it's fairly lightweight at 2 lbs. 1 oz.

Things that didn't work (or didn't work well);

* Vinyl Poncho as ground cloth - to be honest, I forgot the tarp I was going to use and the poncho worked as a OK ground cloth but was a bit small.

* Waterproof Socks - I quickly found out that these *were not* waterproof and sent them back home.

* Rain Parka - this was old and bits of it fell off as we made our way down the coast. Also, it was mostly too hot to ride with - the poncho was better in this regard.