Everything but the kitchen sink! I often feel like that\’s what I\’m taking along for a long ride.

To begin with, I fill the Camel-Bak\’s reservoir with water. In addition to that, I cram a cable lock; tube of Chamois Butt\’r; and a roll of bathroom tissue into the Camel-Bak\’s largest pocket.

Why the lock? I never know when I might have to make a stop where I need to secure the bicycle; so I put up with the extra weight on my back.

I take my cell phone, too. In case of an emergency, I\’ll need it! I put the phone in the Camel-Bak, too, because I need room on my bike\’s top tube for my \”feed bag\”.

More and more stuff; and I\’m not even ready to get on the bike yet! For long rides, of course I need to take on-bike food with me; and usually that means more than will fit in the top-tube pouch. My second bag of cut-up bars goes into the Camel-Bak\’s smallest pocket; and thanks to all the other stuff already packed, that can be a tight fit.

For rides longer than 30 miles, especially in hot weather, I\’ll take along a spare tablet for electrolyte drink. I don\’t always use it; but if I need it, I\’ll have it. Which brings me to another point. I take a spare bottle of water in the cage on the seat tube. When the temperature is 80 degrees at 5:00 am, I need that extra water; and I can refill the bottle at my pit stop.

This is starting to feel like everything but the kitchen sink!

More Stuff

I haven\’t even gotten to clothing yet. When the weather turns cold enough for layering, what can I do if I start to feel too warm? The obvious answer seems be: take off a layer and stuff it into the Camel-Bak. But the \”obvious\” isn\’t always practical.

I\’ve already mentioned how crammed my Camel-Bak gets. It does have a large pocket for holding a helmet; but unfortunately this pocket doesn\’t zip closed. I don\’t need to have a rolled-up jacket work its way out of there as I\’m riding!

Then there\’s the under-saddle pack. It, too, is quite crammed. I keep a tube of sunblock in there; along with a spare tube for the bike; CO2 cartridges; a small tool kit; and some GU-Gels.

It\’s no wonder I feel like I\’m dragging along everything but the kitchen sink. Getting ready for that weekly long ride feels like preparing to go on safari.