This is a detailed list of all items I'm bringing with me on tour:
SURLY LONG HAUL TRUCKER BICYCLE
The Surly Long Haul Trucker is a touring bicycle specifically made to be able to carry heavy weights very long distances with few problems. It is also a comfortable ride and it is designed to be easy to repair when on the road. It is able to be ridden off road, on road, in the city, and up large hills due partly to the gear ratios and design of the tires.
BROOKS FRONT AND REAR PANNIERS
Brooks is a high quality, well made brand name. You pay more for the look of the brooks panniers when less expensive ones can do, but they are still my preferance. They are easy to use, quick to open and close, waterproof, and I think they look great.
BROOKS IMPERIAL FLYER SADDLE
Though some of the brooks bags and panniers may be overpriced, the saddles are what this company is known for. They are the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden. I used a B17 prior to this trip, so I'll still have to break in the Imperial Flyer, but I read online that the B17 is the sport coupe while the Imperial Flyer is the Caddilac. We shall see. Notice the cutaway to keep your butt from falling asleep and the springs at the rear to ease shocks. It's the nicest seat I've ever seen.
BIG AGNES SEEDHOUSE SL3 (SUPERLIGHT AND CAN HOLD 3 PEOPLE)
I specifically wanted to find a tent that allowed me the most visibility when inside of it. The Big Agnes Seedhouse SL3 allows for 360 Degree views when the rain cover is not on. With the rain cover on, it is completely private. It also weighs under 4 pounds including the poles and is very easy to assemble and disassemble.
GRAYL TRADITIONAL WATER FILTER
This water filter works like a coffee press. It's very easy to use and filters quickly and conveniently. The filters last a long time, clean bacteria and virus', and you can drink right from the filter. Considering the countries I'm going to, the filter's weight may not be worth its benefit, however I'd prefer to be safe with my drinking water.
STERIPEN UV WATER FILTER
Stripen is the coolest filter on the market. It uses UV light to kill bacteria and virus'. It does not work in murky water though, so a pre-filter, or standard type filter is needed to be able to easily and quickly get a clean source of drinking water out of a dirty stream. I personally recommend always using two filters... a traditional sand or mesh type filter, and a stripen.
BIG AGNES Q-CORE SLEEPING PAD
I don't really have any preference for sleeping pads. This one is nice because you blow it up and that saves weight, however... you have to blow it up each night. I just grabbed this one because it looked comfortable and it was convenient at the time. It is comfortable, but it's already slowly losing air after 5-10 uses (it's flat after a full night sleep)... so I'll have to submerge it and look for bubbles to find where it is leaking from and try to repair it.
RAV POWER SOLAR CHARGER
This solar charger is awesome!!! This was the top pick...but now apparently there's a better one on the market. I used this link to find it: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-portable-solar-battery-pack/
It almost charges as fast as your wall outlet in full summer sunlight.
RAV POWER PORTABLE CHARGER
Another RavPower product. This one was really cheap on amazon and has a huge capacity. $29.99 and can fully charge my Iphone 6 times. It's also compact and easy to use.
UNIVERSAL PLUG ADAPTERS FOR EUROPE
I received these plug adapters for a present from my father for this trip. All of the plugs for all of the countries I will be traveling in are covered in this one unit. One thing that I and you need to watch out for though is the difference in voltages between USA and other countries. I want to make sure I don't fry anything, but I'm not sure how at this point so I need to do some research. Where's an electrical engineer when you need one!
TWO MINI COMBINATION LOCKS FOR THE PANNIERS AND TWO MINI COMBO LOCKS FOR ZIPPERS
These are just small combo locks so you don't need keys. I have one set to hold the front and rear panniers to the bike and one set to hold zippers together on my backpack and my tent like a door lock. I figure if I have an intruder A. he'll need a knife and B. the lock should scare him away or at least buy me time to wake up and ... i dunno... fend for myself.
MED KIT
This is one of those little lightweight sets that you have a hard time calling a medical kit. It has bandaids, tylenol, allergy medicine, etc. I figure it might come in handy and it's very very light...just a few ounces.
MACBOOK PRO AND CHARGER
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GARMIN BICYCLE GPS - TOUR MODEL
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NIKE FREE RUN 4.0 SNEAKERS
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PLATYPUS 2 LITER WATER BLADDERS X 4
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BICYCLE REPAIR TOOLS TO FIX TIRE TUBES, SPOKES, AND THE CHAIN
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The rest will be added soon...