Good non essential items

[Jackalope]

What items have you brought on a tour that weren't essential, but make your trip a whole lot more pleasant?

The two things I bring with me.. my solar power hand crank coleman radio.  I also never tour without my stuffed jackalop, hence my name.  When touring solo the Jackalope keeps me great company and is a fun conversation starter when I pull into a town.  And I can not live without music, so the radio has become essential.  

[Lucky13]

Hmm...

...one of those small, keychain sized thermometers, and a frisbee.

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

I started carrying a small Bible with me when I was a missionary to Russia, biking from village to village. I never stopped. I also carry a Daiwa Silvercast collapsible rod, reel and a few ultra-light lures, all in their own case. Finally, I usually have a book to read. In the past couple years I have read Undaunted Courage, The Journals of Lewis and Clark, Fire on the Mountain, Doctor on Everest, The First Big Ride, Miles From Nowhere and several other biking and wilderness books while bikepacking. This year I have Against the Wind,  Above the Circle and am waiting for the July publication of Twenty-Nine Hills A Great Divide Mountain Bike Epic, all by Marty Basch, as my books for this season. (No, I don't carry more than one at a time.)

Ride safe,
Hans

Hans Erdman, WEMT
Backcountry Trail Patrol
www.trailpatrol.org

[wanderingwheel]

A camp chair.  My mascot is a pelican, but I would never consider that nonessential.  I gave up on the radio due to its poor reception and expensive battery habit.

Does a large tent count?  Afterall, I could always travel with a smaller tent.

What about items you thought were necessary but eventually stopped carrying?  I dropped my flashlight after I realized I was never awake after dark.

Sean

[crabbe]

a bottle opener, antibacterial hand cleaner, toilet paper

[alh]

A 1 cup coffee maker. Much more civilized than instant coffee.

A couple of airline sized bottles of my favorite alcholic beverage. Nothing like a small celebration after a memorable day.

A small pair of binoculars for wildlife spotting.

I once met a fellow on the TransAm trail with a cot strapped to his bike--he did not like sleepng on the ground!

Al.

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

Two other things I just remembered: (They are so automatic, I guess I didn't consider them "non-essentials.")

A camera. I used to carry a point and shoot 35mm, and some extra film. Now I have a digital camera and a spare memory card.

A FRS/GMRS/Weather radio. We may have a couple FRS (Motorola "Talkabout") radios in a group ride, and on patrol we usually all have them. More important are the NOAA weather channels to keep track of what tomorrow might bring!

Ride safe,
Hans

Hans Erdman, WEMT
Backcountry Trail Patrol
www.trailpatrol.org

[Jackalope]

I imagine my next tour might include the silk hammock my sister bought for me in Bali.  Completely non essential, but the thing weighs about half a pound and is oooooooooohhh so comfortable.  Especially on days off

[driftlessregion]

Ditto the camp chair for the long Thermarest pad. A few oz. of 16 yr old Scotch.

[hoogie]

Lightweight polyprop thermal tops [x2] ... took them with me on my South Australia tour in 2001 ... area was experiencing 30+degC heat, up to 41degC on some days ... didn't wear them, but they came in handy as a pillow at nights!

Stovetop mini espresso maker ... bought for the next tour ...

Best item I have forgotten to take with me ... camera [last two major tours!]

hoogie
timaru/oamaru, new zealand
my website

[perpster]

deck of cards

[veithurst]

My dog.  At 60 lbs she's no lightweight, especially when riding in the trailer, but her entertainment value is unbeatable.  She's also an excellent early-warning system, kills every bug in the tent at bedtime, is great at helping to pull our load up big hills and thinks everything I do is fascinating!