Riding to the Root: Backpacking without a backpack

When you spend seven years in Boy Scouts like I did, you learn a thing or two about backpacking.

There's the little nuances to it, like air-compressing your gear to maximize space. And there's the major points of it, like packing light, remembering a toothbrush and knowing what you'll need for the trip.

Over the years, I've been on a lot of cool backpacking trips (Grand Canyon, Isle Royale and the Boundary Waters, to name a few), all of which required their own degree of preparation. The preparation stage of backpacking is something I always took a major interest in. I like feeling prepared for all scenarios and I've often compared the process of loading gear into your pack to solving a puzzle: It's not just about having the right piece, but also about knowing where that piece is supposed to fit in the puzzle.

The three-day bike trip to Lanesboro that I'm about to leave for requires a lot of same backpacking principles, only with one key difference: There's no "backpack" involved. I don't know if it's the same for other cyclists, but I try to avoid loading gear on my back for long-distance bike rides. My reasons for this include:

• It eases the strain on your back and shoulders, which are already being used to support your upper body while riding. Ultimately, your gear's weight (and yourself, for that matter) is being carried by the wheels of your bike. It makes no sense for your back to have to carry that weight as well.
• The added items on your back make it more likely that you'll overheat. Wearing a heavy backpack on your back would be like throwing a thick wool blanket over a furnace: Bad times all around.
• The weight isn't evenly distributed on your bike. If you're packing gear for a bike trip, you generally want to have it spread out on your bike so the front and rear wheels can share the workload.
• Not as important as the other points, but if you're biking shirtless with a backpack, odd tan lines happen.

Lightweight packing also takes on premium importance when it comes to bike trips. The more weight you're carrying, the harder the pedaling. You're also more likely to have bike malfunctions, as the extra weight can put strain on the tires and spokes.

I'm actually having a little trouble with the lightweight concept for this trip. For starters, I'm packing a laptop. I'm also trying to keep costs along the way to a minimum. So instead of staying in hotels and eating at restaurants constantly, I'm packing a tent, a camp stove and four meals worth of food.

However, I'm shaving valuable ounces off in other ways. Instead of bringing my entire wallet, I'm only packing my ID, my insurance cards (worst-case scenario), a check card and some money. Instead of bring full bottles of items (camp soap, toothpaste, ect.) and a full roll of duct tape (a camping essential), I compressed them down into smaller containers. Other luxuries like an air mattress and a pillow are also being left behind.

After taking all of that into account, here is what the items packed onto my bike look like (sans the food, which is in a fanny pack that will be around my waist):

For the sake of keeping the blog entry relatively short, I won't list EVERY item I'm packing. But I will say that I feel decently prepared for the ride.

Electronics, toiletries, maps and my first aid kit are in the handlebar bag. The bike repair kit is on the center bar between the seat and the handlebars. My tent, sleeping bag and a change of clothes are attached to my bike seat via clips and bungee cords.

You'll notice the absence of bike racks in my packing methods. This is for two reasons: I didn't want the extra weight, I didn't want to spend the money on a decent rack unless I needed to. Besides, I used a rack last fall for my trip to Red Wing (a $25 one from Wal Mart, bad choice) and it wound up being more of a headache than it was helpful. I'm not opposed to using racks, but if you can get by without them, more power to you.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Time to hit the road. Hope to check back in later today.

***In case anybody is curious, here is what my gear looked liked before being packed:

Packing for RAGBRAI

As my article on Tuesday indicated, the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa is just around the corner. I'm driving to Sioux City on Saturday and the week-long bike ride begins bright and early the next day.

Like any other first-timer, I'm a little nervous packing for RAGBRAI as it draws near. Unfamiliar events, by their very nature, carry with them an unfamiliarity about what to pack. RAGBRAI's website offers tips on the subject, but I've always felt such information is more of a useful guide than it is a definite statement about what to bring and what not to bring. There are obvious items that everyone should pack for something like RAGBRAI (toothbrush, soap and probably a bike), but other items are more optional based on the person.

Do you need three changes of clothes for the week? More? Less? Do you need an air mattress to sleep? Would you want to read a book with your spare time? Is music an everyday necessity for you? Are you planning on going swimming at any point? Should you bring a camera?

These are just a few of the questions someone goes through when packing for something they've never done before. It's been a week-long debate for me as well. On RAGBRAI, you're allowed one soft-sided duffel bag to be shipped on a semi truck from town to town, and I've probably packed and re-packed my things a dozen times.

At first, I treated it like I was packing for summer camp all over again, but I came to realize that it's hardly the same thing.

Unlike summer camp, I'm not staying in the same spot every night, so quick re-packability is something to take into consideration. Another difference is in the priorities of the trip. At summer camp, I tried to earn Boy Scout merit badges; here I'm trying to bike across a state and chronicle the trip. So bike equipment and a laptop (making blogging much easier) were priorities over hiking boots and my Boy Scout book. Cost-cutting maneuvers is another aspect to consider, as the majority of RAGBRAI's expenses come from the trip itself rather than the entry fee.

After much deliberation, I've broken down my packing needs into the following categories:

• Campsite: tent, sleeping back, foam pad, flashlight, pocket knife, 30 ft of rope, bungee cords, lighter, camp chair, large garbage bags (for covering the bike and for a makeshift ground cloth when it rains)
• Toiletries: shampoo/conditioner, soap, wash cloth, towel, toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, razor, washtub/laundry detergent/brush (saving costs on laundry)
• Personal: 2 changes of bike clothes, 1 change of campsite clothes/sleeping attire, 5 pairs of socks, rain coat, swimsuit, sunscreen, bug spray
• First Aid: aloe vera, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone, hand sanitizer, ibuprofen, Tylenol, assorted band-aids, Ace bandage
• Bike stuff: 2 spare tubes, tube patch kit, tire levers, bike pump, allen wrench set, pliers, bike helmet, water bottle
• Miscellaneous: wallet, cell phone, camera, laptop, book, mini football, box of granola bars (saving cost on food while biking), maps, notebook, watch, day pack, mp3 player, assorted chargers, frisbee

After getting all that stuff collected, next comes the task of making it all fit into one duffel bag. Thanks to wonderment of 2 gallon Ziploc bags, I've managed to compress down the majority of items that I'm capable of compressing. Ziploc bags also help water-proof the majority of my belongings, as it's sure to rain at some point during the week. The camp chair and foam pad are too bulky to fit in my bag, but thanks to bungee cords, I'm at least able to attach them to my bag.

There is also the consideration of things to pack on my bike everyday. It's good to be prepared for anything on the road, but it's also important to keep the weight light and the pedaling easy. I'm planning on carrying the following: bike repair items, water bottle, wallet, cell phone, granola bars, and my camera.

After all that planning and packing, here is how everything looks for the trip:


Hopefully I didn't forget anything major.