On Sunday, I am leaving for a five-day bike tour with five friends.
We will bike around 280 miles through north central Nebraska, and we will haul everything we need -- sleeping bags, tents, camp stove, food, clothing, bike tools/gear, etc. -- in panniers fashioned from Tidy Cat kitty litter buckets. Tidy Cat buckets are both plentiful (if you have cats, which I do) and waterproof, and they have the advantage of being far less expensive than traditional panniers (free, if you have a bunch of Tidy Cat buckets laying around and a brother who is willing to make them for you and everyone else on the trip).
I've gone on various supported bike tours before, and I've gone on extended camping trips before, but never at the same time. I can be a relatively light packer when I need to be, but I'm a girly girl at heart. Which is making packing both difficult and stressful.
I want to make sure I pack everything I need to be at least moderately comfortable on a bike/camping trip in Nebraska in July. I also want to make sure I have all the bike stuff and camping stuff I need, and that all of this stuff fits easily inside two Tidy Cat buckets without weighing a billion pounds and thus slowing me way, way down.
And (VANITY ALERT), I would like to pack one outfit that does not look like biking/camping clothes. It doesn't have to be fancy, but I would also prefer it not be made of spandex or nylon. I would also like to pack some shampoo, and maybe even a very small amount of makeup (powder, lip gloss, mascara) so I feel sort of like my normal self when we see other humans.
So far, I've begun by throwing things I think I might want to take into a laundry basket, which I'll cull down to the necessities the day before departure. Preliminary (and very, very incomplete) packing featured above includes: various articles of biking apparel, world's smallest bag of toiletries, thin striped top (this is my non-biking apparel), leggings, bike tube, rain jacket, and fanny pack. I'll also pack a jacket, some wool socks, sunscreen, bug spray and my beloved track pants and my sleeping bag (presuming I can find it in my basement).
If you have ever packed for a five-day self-supported bike trip (or backpacking trip, camping trip, etc.), this would be a great time to chime in.
If anyone can pack their stuff in a litter bucket and look fabulous at the same time, it's you. I've seen you pack for a trip to New York in what I would consider a makeup bag and yet still have all the things you need for every appointment and event you go to. It sounds like a very fun time!
ReplyDelete