Equipment

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A few words about equipment. At Christmas time I did a bit of research on biking and found blogs that talked about the equipment that they used or brought on their trip very helpful. So if my experience can be helpful to others I think it is worth sharing. I am not going to get specific with model numbers etc. Everyone buys what they buy from different places and for different reasons. I am not going to mention the obvious equipment unless I learned anything useful or helpful.

Camping Equipment

Camping Equipment was all purchased at MEC (Mountain Co-op Equipment)

Tent - I made the mistake of not buying a free standing tent (I had to make sure my tent pegs were in firm ground). I got lucky and never ran into serious problems. Just make sure you don’t make the same mistake and get one that has good quality water proofing material. My tent was long but narrow; it perfectly fit me on 1 side and my gear on the other side. Perfect for a solo cyclist.

Sleeping pad – I got a good quality blow up one that took almost no space packed in with my gear. I saw some cyclist with those large sponge ones tied on top of their gear. I don’t know what good they are after they get rained on.

Tarp – I only got a tarp towards the end of my ride. It saved my bacon on the Queen Charlotte Islands. So it is something to consider if it looks to be a rainy season.

Multi Fuel Stove – You want the multi fuel style in case of emergency; that being said I only purchased and used camp fuel for the whole trip. I am sure vehicle gasoline is cheaper but I did not want everything smelling like fuel. The camp fuel is odourless and evaporates quickly if any is spilt. A repair kit might also be wise purchase.

Ceramic Water Filter – I used it only once and found it very time consuming the next time I ran out of water I boiled it. You never want to run out of water but even way out in the wilderness there is generally lots of water. I suggest boil water and as long as the water is not dirty looking and then a filter is not necessary.

Bear Container – Maybe not practical if you don’t have a trailer but I found it extremely useful. Nothing worse than trying to tie up your food in a tree with no long branches in the dark. I found most trees in the far north are not overly large and have no long branches for hanging food to speak of. If you can figure out how to strap the container to your gear/panniers I recommend it. In the whole trip I never had a bear problem with my food.

Bear Spray & a Hunting Knife – It can’t hurt when you camp in the wilderness.

Garbage Bag(s) – I used one regularly to put my wet tent fly in to keep the rest of the tent dry.

Bike & Accessories

B.O.B. Trailer – Loved it and glad I went with the trailer. Did some prior research regarding bags vs. trailer. Everyone seemed to love using both. I think the trailer allowed me to carry a few extra things; is that a good or bad thing? I think the trailer also took a little wear and tear off the bike which doesn’t hurt. I kept food and camping gear in the trailer. If you go with the trailer get a kickstand for the trailer (does not come with one) I ended up with 3 kick stands to support the bike and gear (2 on the bike & 1 on the trailer).

Rear Bike Panniers – I bought the best that the little bike shop that I bought the bike had. They worked okay but I regularly had trouble keeping things dry. Ortlieb Panniers seem to be the pannier of choice. I used 1 back bike bag for clothes and the other back bike bag for my laptop, personal papers, books and daily snacking food. I had things pretty organized and used specific pockets for specific things so I never got confused about where things were.

Gloves – I bought a pair of gardening gloves at the Dollar Store to fit over my bike gloves if things got real cold for my fingers. Well they came in real real handy on more than 1 occasion. I only found this recommendation on 1 other blog. I am so glad I came across the suggestion.

Bike Fenders – came in handy

Bike Locks – I got those small pull cable combination locks to keep my bags connected to the bike and trailer frame. Can’t hurt for when and if you have to leave your bike for any time such as getting groceries

Bike Lights – I did not have quality bike lights and got stuck in the dark often. I should have addressed this in the beginning.

If you can learn how to tune up a bike before you leave it is a good idea. I still don’t know how; but I did learn how to use a chain tool. Lucky to because I had to use it twice.

I only got 1 flat tire on the whole trip and that was after 5000 km’s. I replaced the bike chain in Yellowknife and replace the rear tire and brake pads towards the very end of my ride. I had to use my chain tool twice. I got 4 tune ups throughout the
trip.

Personal Items

Laptop – I brought my big heavy one with all my stuff on it. The hard drive crashed and I had to replace it while it got repaired. I picked up a mini laptop for $200 on special. I should have just bought a mini laptop before I left on my trip.

Back up your pictures – Enough said.

Clothing – I don’t ride with bike clothing. They may work but I find they look ridiculous; in fact I rode with my steel toe boots. I’ve been wearing steel toe boots for at least 20 years I was not going to stop now. If biking clothes is your thing knock yourself out. If they aren’t might I suggest that wear clothing (shirts) that you want to throw out anyways? That way you can buy a t-shirt from a memorable town and by throwing out the old t-shirt you end up not carrying extra weight but you end up with useable souvenir.

Camera – the best quality that you can afford. Bring a second water proof camera for the rainy days. This was my big mistake; not having a water proof camera; don’t make the same mistake.
Gore-Tex Jacket – I bought a good quality one and am very glad for doing so.

Industrial Paper Towels – Not exactly practical for a bike trip but I got stuck buying them from a store in the middle of nowhere because that is all they had. That being said; because of all the rain I rode through and things getting wet all the time they became very handy. At least they didn’t weigh anything.
Hope this helps.

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