Philosofiction

Steve Bein, writer & philosopher

Find all of the Fated Blades novels at Powell's, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Audible, or from your favorite neighborhood bookstore.

The final chapter of the saga of the Fated Blades is the novella Streaming Dawn, an e-book exclusive available for any platform.

 

TT Report Day 13: The Packing List

Thought people might want to know what’s in all those bags!

Here’s my checklist, which when I’m smart I check every time I set out for the next leg. There are a couple of repeats so I check myself before I wreck myself.

BASICS

  • Bike

  • Helmet

  • Money clip

  • Passport

  • Food

  • Agua

  • Sense of adventure

LUGGAGE/STORAGE

  • 2x Voilé straps for side cages

  • 2x Voilé rack straps

  • Bungee for rack

  • Extra 20” Voile strap

  • Handlebar bag & joey

  • 20L drybag

  • 2x 8L drybags

SERVICE & REPAIR DEPARTMENT

  • Air pump

  • Toolbox 1 (Gerber multitool, quicklinks, allen wrenches, needle, thread, thimble, superglue gel, patch kit, paperclip)

  • Toolbox 2 (spare brake pads, little plastic thing you stick between your brake pads so you don’t lock them shut, sandpaper, spare derailleur hanger, misc nuts/bolts)

  • Chain lube

  • Ultralight inner tube

  • Tire levers 2.0

  • Pedal wrench

  • Tubeless plugger tool

  • Handlebar hidey-hole stuff (spokes, zipties, chain breaker)

  • Tire boots

  • Gear floss

  • Loctite

  • Duct tape & electrical tape wrapped around random shit

NAVIGATION & SURVIVAL

  • Water—1L bottle and 1.5L bottle

  • Water filter

  • Wahoo compooter

  • Bivy personal locator beacon

  • Advanced Alien Technology (aka iPhone)

  • Guidebooks

  • Prescription meds

  • Pain pills

  • Chamois roll-on thingy

  • First aid kit (antibiotic goop, bandaids, athletic wrap, quick-clot, bite-away, blister treatment, benadryl, bonine, imodium, anti-itch cream, 10’ paracord, disposable latex gloves, spray skin stuff)

FOR GOING NIGHT-NIGHT

  • Tent, rainfly, groundsheet

  • Tentpoles & their bag

  • Tent stakes & their bag

  • Bedroll & its bag & strap

  • Pillow & its bag

  • Sleeping bag

  • Nighttime meds

  • Tent & bedroll repair tape

  • Trash compactor bags for sequestering wet things

COSTUME DEPARTMENT

  • Rain jacket

  • Rain pants

  • Puffy coat

  • Gloves

  • Merino hat

  • Longjohns

  • Long-sleeve merino

  • T-shirt x2

  • Undies x2

  • Triathlon shorts

  • Giant socks

  • Normal socks

  • Light socks

KITCHEN

  • Cutting board

  • Kick-ass knife

  • Stove

  • Fuel

  • Lighter

  • Spice cabinet (cinnamon sugar, salt, chili flakes, Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle)

  • Titanium pot & pan

  • Scouring pad

  • Spoonula

  • Towel scrap

  • Sand hanitizer

  • Food!

BASIC BEING OUTSIDE STUFF

  • Sunglasses w/ Croakies

  • Toilet paper

  • Latrine trowel & storage pad

  • Sand hanitizer

  • Sunblock

  • SPF chapstick

  • Bug spray

  • Mozzie net if shit gets bad

TOILETRIES

  • Moufpiece

  • Prescription meds

  • Pain meds

  • Soap/shampoo bar

  • Floss

  • Toofbrush

  • Toofpaste

  • Nail trimmer

  • Shower wipes

  • Chamois butter

ELECTRONICS DEPARTMENT

  • Headlamp

  • Spare batteries

  • Plugger-inner

  • Charging cable

  • Headlight

  • Taillight

  • Incredibly fucking tetchy motion-sensitive alarm

  • Wahoo compooter

  • Bivy PLB

  • Power bank

  • Dumbphone (needed for hotspot for Advanced Alien Technology)

  • Ziplock bags for all this shit

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Ottolock

  • Plastic bags tucked away here and there, ditto for duct tape & electrical tape, ditto for peanut M&Ms

  • Extra 20” Voilé strap

LUXURY ITEMS

  • Ukulele for no get bored

  • Old man chair

  • BiteAway

  • Journal

  • Pen

  • Teensy tiny packable backpack