Packing for the party

One of my favorite people in the world - who I will actually be staying with as I pass through LA has been asking me some really good questions about my trip. One of my favorites: What will you bring? I love this question because many times when I start to plan a trip the way that I start is by pulling out a blank piece of notebook paper and starting a packing list. To me, that just makes the trip much more tangible. Once I see that I've got everything I need to go, what more is there keeping me from going? Plus, I love to organize and plan things. And a list is the best way to start.

So here is what I have come up with so far. Please leave me a comment or send an email if you think that I've left something important off my list, or have a question. I'd really appreciate a second opinion.

Erin's Bike Trip Packing List:

Camping Stuff
LED headlamp
Tent (aiming for 2 lbs)
Sleeping bag (summer down, 40 degrees)
Camelback hydration bag
Knife
Thermarest

Clothing
Two jerseys
One pair of biking shoes
Two pairs of socks
Two pairs of bike shorts (or maybe just one)
Touring gloves
Sunglasses
Visible vest
H20 proof jacket
Lightweight fleece
Flip flops (ahhh…so necessary)
Sun dress – I won’t always be on my bike!

Other stuff
Two water bottles
Journal
Camera
Sunblock
Bike repair kit (two extra tubes, pump, tire lever)
Cell phone - so that I can tell my parents that I'm safe.

At the moment, I am planning to carry all of this stuff in a trailer that I am borrowing from a generous friend. My goal is to keep the total weight of all of this stuff at 15 lbs or less. That might be totally reasonable, or totally unrealistic. I'm hoping that it's leaning more towards realistic though. I don't want to have to cut out that second pair of bike shorts. PU!

Update

Well, it's pretty cold here in Boulder and it's hard to believe that in just a little over four months I'll be starting my trip. But I'd better believe it! It's time to start training. My New Year's resolution this year is pretty obvious - eat healthy and ride my bike a lot! That said, we're supposed to get another huge snow passing through here tomorrow so that means adding snowboarding to my list of things to do...LOTS of snowboarding! Because it's fun, that's why.