30 Day Tour Packing List? Hotel every 5 days'ish!

[JRT]

I am a newbie at bike touring and am going to bite off a trip from Portland OR to Minneapolis MN (my retirement gift!).  I have a lot of camping experience but little / no bike touring experience. 

1. Anyone have a list of items I will need to carry with me?  My current plan would be to primarily camp but stay in a hotel every 5 days'ish.  Looking or ultralight BUT functional.

2. I am assuming that the only food I will travel with is that which I buy along the way; restaurants and grocery store, is this reasonable? 

Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise!!!

[John Nelson]

crazyguyonabike.com is the place to see as many equipment lists as you want. Below is a list of 226 journals with Northern Tier equipment lists. Look at a number of them and pick the items from each that suit you.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/search/?main_type=journals&docs=tocs&query=northern+tier+equipment+lists&categories=northern+tier

[Old Guy New Hobby]

I have a "kitchen sink" list in Excel. I use filters to mark which items I'm taking, then mark things as they are packed. When I walk out the door, there should be nothing left on the list. If you are interested, PM me your Email and I'll send it to you.

[staehpj1]

I'd recommend that you pack about the same as you would for a backpacking trip, if any of your camping experience was backpacking.  I go really minimal, carrying as little as 9 pounds, but sometimes a bit more.  In the past I carried a heavier load, but found that I liked a minimalist approach.  How heavy or minimalist you go is personal preference, but I'd advise watching the ounces regardless of which way you go.

FWIW length of trip doesn't affect my packing list much if at all.  I carry the same for a few days as for crossing the continent.

Definitely buy food as you go with only a little extra carried for those times where you may wind up unable to stock up for a day or so.

[indyfabz]

Pack for climate conditions you are likely to encounter, not the number of days.

As for food, during road tours I don't recall ever having to carry food for more than the day and a little something for the next day's breakfast. Personally, I like to plan most of my overnight stays in locations that have a food source, or at least one close to the destinations. When that's not possible or when I want to stay at a place with no food source near by or close on the way, I will try to come up with dinner and breakfast ideas that are relatively light weight.

[DaveB]

One advantage to bicycle road touring, as apart from backpacking or MTB touring, is that you are rarely far from shops so anything you forgot can be purchased along the way.  The other side of that coin is anything you find you don't need can be shipped home.

[canalligators]

I also started with a backpacking list.  If you can get away with just adding a few bike-specific things, you should be good.  You certainly already know the "three piles" rule, it counts for cycling too.

But a couple of hints:
- Do make a couple of short shakedown tours.
- Only take tools and spares for problems that you'd expect: tire repairs, spoke replacement, chain tool and link, multi-tool, a spare rack mount screw or two.  Bike shops won't be more than a day or two apart.
- Make sure the bike is in top shape to start, especially the wheels.
- Make sure you will be able to sleep well.  You can take a lot of other crap if you're well rested.
- Aim for things that have multiple uses.
- Don't take a lot of extra clothes.
- Only take one pair of shoes, i.e. cycling shoes that can be walked in (MTB shoes).

[JRT]

Thanks for all of the help.  I purchased a BA Fly Creek 2 Platinum tent, will buy a Thermarest neoair xlite, and I have a Western Mountaineer Megalite bag. 

Next its on to the Panniers, I am thinking Ortlieb back rollers and a handle bar bag, plus a rack.

Any recommendations on light panniers and rack plus what are the top handle bar bags?

[indyfabz]

If all you are going to have in the way of bags is two rear panniers and a bar bag, you might consider Ortlieb Bike Packers instead. Compared to the rollers, they are easier to open and close in the event you need to quickly access things like foul weather gear. They are just as waterproof as the rollers unless you do something like submerge them.

[canalligators]

One option is to make your own from plastic bucketshttps://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=tS&doc_id=1841&v=2O.  They're cheap, durable, seal very well and can be used as a camp stool or table.

I have bought and made fabric panniers, but if I'd known about the bucket idea, I would have done that instead.