The Gear We Brought

Determining which gear to bring is always a balancing act. You don't want to bring too much stuff because that will increase the weight you are carrying, but if you don't bring enough equipment you can run into issues. In situations like this, I always tend to err a little more on the side of bringing more than what's probably necessary.

Here's the full list of gear:

4 tech wick yellow shirts

4 padded biking underwear used as shorts

3 cotton shirts

3 sports shirts

Towel

Helmet

Toothbrush 

Toothpaste

Razor 

Shaving cream

Deodorant

Contact stuff/glasses

Gold bond powder

Masks (for coronavirus rules)

Sunscreen

Soap

Shampoo

Scrub brush

Flip Flops

Sleeping mask/ear plugs

Extension cord - very important

Usb hub plug

Proper Cables

2 Butt pillows

Phone mount holder for bike

Phone

Watch

Speaker

Wallet

Jack Knife

Duct tape

Headlamp

Lantern

Bike Light - 2

Sunglasses

Spare tube

Tube patch repair kit

Bike tire boot

Waterpack

Food bag with snacks

Pepper Spray

First aid kit

Tent

Inflatable mattress

Inflatable pillow

Sleeping bag

Quarters for showers

I should also note that my dad carried the camp stove equipment with him - which we used for breakfast and dinner. Also, I would like to highlight a few items. 

First is the "butt pillow." I got two of these on Amazon because saddle soreness was a big problem for me on the last trip. On that trip, I brought an actual pillow that I used over the bike seat. It probably wasn't the best idea. This time around I got two cushions that were designed for bikes. I have read that narrow seats are best for long bike trips because it reduces friction. So far, this has been a life-saver and I would highly recommend it. My dad is very conditioned to this, so saddle soreness is not an issue for him.

Next is the extension cord. This might seem like an excessive item to bring on a trip like this, but most of the camps we will be staying at have electricity. This combined with a usb hub plug makes it much easier to recharge our electronics while keeping them securely in the tent. 

Third, is the repair kits and spare tubes. Obviously, this is critical. Flat tubes on a trip like this is inevitable. I have gatorskin on my back tire, but even still there's still a high chance one of us will end up with a flat tube. And as we later discovered, it is important to be prepared for a tire issue. This is why we now have boots. 

Finally, I should note the apps used for this trip. 

We are using maps from the Adventure Cycling Association. They have an app called Bicycle Route Navigator. It is not the greatest app, but their maps are impressive and they are designed specifically for bikers. So they minimize hills and highlight important stops on the way such as stores and campgrounds. Having used both their maps and Google Maps for biking, I can tell you there's was much better. It will take you on longer routes and the app itself lacks turn by turn navigation (which really, really sucks), but the roads they take you on are generally much more manageable. Again, it is designed for bikers. It is also worth noting that you can opt for the gpx files and then use the Ride with GPS app to get voice guidance for the maps. We did not use the trans-America map for this and instead pieced together various maps for this trip.

In order to measure what we've traveled, I use Cyclemeter. This is a great app that lets you see what ground you've covered and give all sorts of cool stats about your speed and elevation gain. I would highly recommend it.