The things I carry

Scroll down for my pack list.

For the last couple days, I’ve been hanging at my parents’ farm in Trumbull County, Ohio. They run a small organic produce operation here. In one of the barns, I found a gram scale to weigh everything. In the middle of my efforts, a strong rain storm came through as they do in late May, a time where bands of heavy rains blast northeast Ohio. Trapped, in the barn, I measured the entire pack with the help of Boomer, the trusty Black Lab:

I saw these cool little tree frogs (below) that hopped into the barn during the rain storm as I packed.

My pack. I don’t normally count ounces or spend surgical moments dialing tenths or hundredths of decimals of how much each item in my panniers weighs. But I know there are weight weenies out there, as well as genuinely interested folks in what entails the specific weight of a bike touring pack. For everyone, I’ve weighed each item I will carry on my 4,200 mile ride for Virginia to California.

For some, this is too much. For others, not enough. I feel it’s a good representation of what you’d need for a cross-country trip. My goal was to keep the pack under 50 pounds. Win. The bike weighs about 30-35.  That puts the entire load about 80-85 pounds. I’d like to get it to 75. Once I get riding, I’m sure I’ll shed items quickly, as most bike tourists do.

I used a handy website called Lighterpack.com to itemize my pack down to the ounce. Check it out:

My bike touring pack list

I welcome any feedback on the pack, good or bad. Bring it!