Bike Tour Gear List: 24 Hours on the C&O Canal

Chrison
REI 2 person tent

Before I get too far along in the primary trip I’m planning for, it makes sense to do a bike tour gear test, especially since I have so many new pieces of gear.

For this test I’ll be taking on an overnight bike trip on the C&O Canal Towpath along the Maryland -Virginia border. Total planned trip, approximately 100 miles, with a stop to make camp in the middle. Not too involved, but it has been raining heavily in the DC area this week.

Take a peek below to see all the gear that’s coming with me.

24 Hour Bike Tour Gear List

Let’s just start by saying I may be over-preparing and under-preparing at the very same time. But here’s a quick list of what will leave with me today on the trail:

Attached to the bike

Cannondale Quick Speed 3

Cannondale Quick Speed 3

I’ve had this bike now for almost 2 years, it’s lightweigh, fast, steers nicely, and came ready for my rear rack, etc.

 

 

Shimano SPD Sport Road Pedals
These are one the new additions to my collection. Living in a small apartment with no access to a bike repair stand made this challenging. If I’d had a long-handled wrench I might have been able to pull it off, but in the end it necessitated a quick trip to my local bike shop to get these mounted. They only charged me $8 for the labor!

I also probably waited too long to get these connected and start getting comfortable with them. So this weekend will be trial by fire. On the way back from the shop I was feeling very confident about using them. And then, I had to slow up for some pedestrians and I unclipped one way and leaned the other and boom – I fell right over, just as every blog post and video said I would. No significant cuts or scrapes, so I was back up and clipping in in no time.

I can already feel the difference when pedaling and am very excited about giving these a full workout on the road.

Shimano SDP Compatible Sandals
There’s no point in having clipless pedals if you don’t have some compatible footwear.

I just got these but wow, are they comfortable. And with the tension set to low on my pedals, I had no issues clipping in and out of these. I’m normally a size 10 for footwear, and the first ones I tried (45-46) were a bit large, but I was able to bump them down (43-44) and they fit great for me (Shimano estimates that corresponds to a 9.7 US shoe size).

Being a complete noob, I didn’t realize you had to fasten the clips themselves (why are they called clipless again?) to the shoes before hitting the road. But it took a basic philips head screwdriver and a hextool and I was clipped in and running. There are a couple of adjustment points on these shoes, with two sets of screw holes in the sandal. This lets you choose whether you want to clip in a little more forward on your foot, or more centered. Since I have no idea which is more comfortable, I’ll  find out this weekend!

Axiom Seymour O-Weave P55+ Panniers
Can’t carry all your gear without some bags. I looked at a lot of bags before landing on these. I knew I was not going to spend the kind of money that some companies (like Ortlieb) command, but I was just as wary of going for the bargain basement bag.Enter these Axiom bags, made from sustainable materials (recycle fish netting!), with a great carrying capacity, handy exterior pockets, waterproof material (note: these bags are waterproof but they are not sealed, so they can’t literally go under water).

The first thing I did was start jamming all my gear into one of the panniers and I found that I was able to get almost all of my gear gear (not clothes and food) into a single bag (sleeping bag, sleeping pad, spare tubes, etc.)

So far these feel durable, they look great, and I’m excited to take them out on the road. They also have an adjustable lower clip to keep them nice and snug against your rear rack frame.

RockBros Waterproof Handlebar Roll Bag and Bag
This is another area where I’m taking a step away from the more expensive brands and trusting a little bit in a wealth of positive online reviews.

This set includes two bags for the price of 1/4 of some of their more expensive cousins. The first bag is a tube-style handlebar bag, it opens up on either end and is perfect for holding your tent or really just about anything that you can roll up into that shape. The sides folder over and snap into place, and it comes with spacers to get the fit on your handlebars just right while avoiding any obstruction of the brakes or other mechanisms.

Fitting right over top of that is a handlebar pouch (the two can be used together or separately) that has a roll-top design to keep your belongings free from water damage, but snaps open easily enough to get your camera, wallet, or other personal items out in a hurry.

Packed on the bike

REI Co-op Passage 2 Tent
Here comes the REI gear. You can’t beat the ability to stock up in person at the outdoor superstore, and I’ve always found their Co-op brand to be reliable, high quality, and generally lower cost to the alternatives.

I’ve set this tent up at home to get used to it, and to be honest it’s a no brainer. Instead of fishing poles through a nylon tube, the tent itself has clips that snap onto the tent poles. So it’s tent poles in the corner pockets, clip, clip, clip, and your tent is assembled.

If I were a bit more aggressive at this phase, I probably would have gone for the 1-person tent, and if you spend a bit more money you can probably walk away with something even lighter weight and more compact. But remember, I was able to stuff this, a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, spare bike tubes, and more into a single pannier without any issue, so at 4lbs this is a great option. I did pick up the optional (but honestly required right?) footprint for another $29.99. I also managed to score this early in the season when REI was running a sale on this tent for just $99.99.

REI Co-op Helio Down 45 Sleeping Bag
Another great deal I got from REI was cashing in a 25% off any co-op item to acquire this sleeping bag. It’s not rated for those really cold nights, but I figure I can easily add a sleeping bag liner later to handle colder temperatures as needed.

It’s light, it packs down small, and it has arm opening to turn it into a snuggy

In addition to the fact that this bag packs down to about the size of a large water bottle, it’s temperature rated to 45 degrees, and it has some handy zipper tricks that let you pop out your arms and legs and essentially use this thing as a snuggy.

If later in the year I get out during some colder days, or take a trip out West where the temperatures at night can be a little lower, I’ll pick up one of these Sea to Summit Thermolite liners, which I’m told reliably add another 25 degrees Fahrenheit to your bag.

REI Co-op Stratus Insulated Air Sleeping Pad
Next on the list is something soft to lay down on at night. I’m not going lie, I had just two criteria here: (1) packs down compact, and (2) does not cost an arm and a leg.

Incredibly compact

The Stratus does those 2 things and one more – it’s insulated to keep in some additional warmth. Probably best for my summer-weight sleeping bag.

 

 

Hiking / Camping First Aid Kit
You never know what might happen on the trail, so I definitely acquired an affordable, waterproof first aid kit.

Comes with everything I can imagine I might need to treat cuts, scrapes, splinters, headaches, etc.

Tweezers, bandages, a whistle, scissors, tape, triple antibiotic and more. There are lots of options out there, but why go on a long trip without the basics you need to handle a minor medical issue. Personally, I somehow manage to dig the gears of my bike into the back of my leg about once every 3 outings.

Camping Shower Wipes
If you’re not staying at a full service campsite, then you’re likely going without a shower. There are alot of options to consider here, but I thought for this first overnight this would be an easy way to get started. Something to remove the sweat, grime, and dirt off of me so I can get comfortable before a meal out or before I head to sleep. On a future trip I might look more deeply into dry shampoos or other options.

Waterproof / Stormproof Matches and Case
You never know what conditions will be like when you need to make camp, or how much mud or water you might have to trek through to get to camp. So I’m taking a small pack of stormproof matches in a waterproof case so we will be ready to get a warm fire going in any conditions.

Bike Adjustment / Repair Tool
 You’ll need something to make those quick adjustments on the road, and preferably something with a good set of hex tools, a philips head screwdriver, and folds down compact and light.

Bike Tire Inflator
When your tire goes flat, you could hand pump, or you could attach one of these CO2 cartridges to your tire (after repairing the flat of course) and fill it up in an instant. I haven’t had to use one of these yet (knock on wood), but I have a few spare cartridges on hand in case of repeated flats or if I just make a mistake trying it for the first time.

Other Gear