Actually Bill, a buddy and I are leaving Banff on July 14 to complete the route and we have tossed the idea of bear spray around, but we've opted for bells and music to let the bears know we're in the area.
They look like nice bags and, you're absolutely right, nothing says you have to fill them. To a point, I think it's always better to have and not need rather than need and not have. Plus, a chain tool looks awesome as a necklace pendant! I love to take photos on tour and carry a Nikon AW130, a compact point-and-shoot that takes amazing photos, is waterproof and the battery seems to last forever. Here's a photo of my loaded bike from a tour through BC I did last Fall. My kit for the Great Divide will be the same except for an extra King Cage and a 64oz Kleen Kanteen which makes a very fine growler. Hunqapillar on the KVR <https://goo.gl/AYyjKf> Oh, and I've put my Nitto Albatross bars back on because they're the bomb! Cheers, John On Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 9:40:33 AM UTC-7, Bill Schairer wrote: > > Thanks, John. So I need to add bear spray to my load? > > I think my load probably looks heavier than it is, though it is by no > means minimal. The rear panniers are Beckman “tandem” panniers which I > picked up 2nd or 3rd hand virtually unused and they are massive(hmm, the > reason for their being unused?). I am trying to be mindful of not > “filling” them unnecessarily. As previously noted, some of that “fill” is > my tent which ordinarily I’d have strapped to the rack. I do really like > some of the features the Beckmans offer over my Madden panniers from AC so > I’m going to go with them even though they may be overkill. > > Otherwise, one of my joys from cycling, whether touring or not, is the > idea of self sufficiency. This gives me more satisfaction than low weight > and fast times. I have only broken a chain once in my life many years ago. > I did not have a chain tool with me and had to call for a ride. Ever > since, I have always ridden with a chain tool and never needed it. I’m > leaning towards carrying a spare tire even though I’ll probably/hopefully > not need it. I also plan to be prepared for some extreme weather even if I > hope I’ll have carried some gear I never use. And, how much camera > equipment to take? I will say I’m questioning some of my thoughts on > weight (and listening to you and DP) with respect to hike-a-bike portions. > I don’t mind weight while riding as long as I have the gearing but I know > I’m going to have to do some pushing! How much pushing I have to do, I am > thinking though, will be as dependent on my limited off road > experience/skill as on the weight I’m carrying (ie I don’t think if I’m > 5-10 lbs overpacked it will make a big difference on how much pushing I do > but could make a big difference on how difficult the pushing is). > > What I’m most sure of is that I’m going to learn a lot and have a good > time. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
