April 25, 2023
The Kitchen Sink Revisited
The Ins and Outs of Packing
Having had almost 4 weeks to reconsider things since I described my packing list, a few things have changed.
The Outs
X-Dragon USB detector. If the PedalCell fails, I'll know it, and there won't be anything I can do about it.
The folding solar panels on the 25,000 mAh power bank. I cut them off and wrapped the naked ends of the wires with tape.
Second stash of emergency TP.
2 packets of Idahoan mashed potatoes.
5 packets of Better Oats oatmeal
Nestle's Zero hot chocolate
Pearl Izumi AmFIB gloves.
Neck gaiter.
Arm warmers.
1 short sleeve jersey
1 of the Goretex Windstopper wind short briefs
Hot Chilly's thermal zip-neck top
One-gallon plastic water bottle.
The Ins
A foot or so of black electrical tape, wrapped around the seat tube below the duct tape. Makes a nice sporty striped pattern.
2 more tubes. I had a flat a couple weeks ago that I attempted to repair on the road. No luck. I don't relish the thought of being caught short of inflationary pressures on a piece of crappy road in the middle of nowhere. Granted it was only the second flat I've ever had on the Plow Horse, and on a tire with 5,000 miles of wear, but still....
Pencil. I've had bad luck with pens leaking at altitude.
Spare lenses for current eyeglasses. Had brand new ones made under warranty and put in the frames.
2 2L Platypus collapsible water bottles.
Nike ClimaFit windbreaker
3' vinyl-coated 1/16" wire rope with loops at each end, plus a micro carabiner. Perhaps that pesky raccoon won't be able to chew through the RatSack to get to my food, but he could sure drag it off into the woods where I'd never find it. With this cable I can secure the RatSack to a tree or picnic table.
Weighty Matters (or, A Visit From the Pannier Fairy)
'Tis the week before touring, the panniers are packed.
The load's parceled out to the front and the back.
It's pretty well settled what goes into where,
Just hope when the time comes I'll find it all there.
Though I wish it were less, the fifty-one pounds,
Is still not quite everything, as bad as that sounds.
Still need to find space for a cannister of gas,
That TSA checkpoints won't allow to get past.
More food for the larder I'll buy in D.C.
More pounds will add up; just wait and see.
So that's about it. It seems quite a load.
You're sure to hear more of it once I hit the road.
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
11 months ago
Now, don't get me wrong. The Pedalcell still provides more power at lower speeds than any of the hub generators. but for an old geezer (66) like myself, this wasn't enough. I'm still keeping it on the bike, mind you. I'll be doing a week in Denmark in July. Their terrain is flatter than Sweden. We'll see if it's flat enough for the Pedalcell to do me any good.
11 months ago
I must say the company was extremely helpful with sorting out my issues. The president was always very quick to answer my email and text queries, even when I sent them at night or on a weekend.
I used it last year on my northern Lake Michigan tour. I tested it out just recently to make sure it was still good to go for this year's big ride. It charged my iPhone from 30% to 95% in a bit over an hour riding at about 13 mph. I see on PedalCell's website that their published power curve doesn't go below 6 mph, so I can see why you would have had a problem.
11 months ago