We Won't Be Glamping...

This past weekend, I took my teardrop trailer down to Champoeg State Park and camped with about 40 other women.  It was National Glamping Weekend.  Glorified Camping.  There were chandeliers, and martini glasses, potlucks with themes like "Death by Chocolate" and trailers decorated in themes of Americana and Tropical Paradise.  Women take trailers...oftentimes vintage trailers like Silver Streaks, Aljos, Shastas, Trilliums, and Aristocrats, and transform them into cozy little woman caves.    As I was driving home on Sunday, I realized that I had been part of a wonderful experiment in freedom.  Freedom to stay up late and party, or go to bed early, freedom to attend all of the potlucks or stay in your campsite and read a book, freedom to have a man tow you to the campground, back you in, and set you up or do it all yourself.  I don't think I ever heard any of these women say, "you should..."  It was refreshing.  Glamping lends itself to all of the accoutrements one could want while being away from home.

Of course, that doesn't work when you are touring by bike.  There will be no glamour camping for us and we will likely be weary of our 3 or 4 cycling outfits by the time we get home.  When I cycled across the U.S. in 2005, I carried 40 pounds of gear.  On this trip, I will have less than 30 pounds.  I have managed to shed 10 pounds...perhaps in 2025, I'll be able to do a tour with 20 pounds...ha!  I'm going to add my gear list and the weight of everything to the end of this post...I know there are a few people who are always wondering.

I will have some company on this adventure.  Patty Holt, who biked throughout Italy last summer 

with me, will be riding for the first couple of weeks.  She plans to drive and meet me in Glacier 

National Park.  She will be bumping her car ahead each morning and then riding back to meet 

us...where we will retrace her pedal strokes to the campground.  The other friendly face will be

Steve O'Rourke's.  Steve lives in Wisconsin and has toured extensively in the Midwest and also 

Ireland, Italy, and India.  We have been exchanging emails for years but this is the first time we have done any touring together.  I consider him a friend and a gentleman of the first order, so when he sent

me this pic, I knew Patty and I could count on him to run (ride?) interference.

He plans to go as far as Banff, and maybe as far as Golden.  West of Golden, I will probably be riding solo, and I'm fine with that.

Gear list:

Handlebar bag-

Money, Credit Card, I.D., Nat'l Park Pass, Passport-1 oz.

Cell phone/charger-11 oz.

iPod-2 oz.

Power pack/extra phone battery-4 oz.

Maps-3 oz.

Bandana-1 oz.

Power bar-3 oz.

Lip balm-1 oz.

Sunscreen-2 oz.

Headlight-3 oz.

Rear blinkie-2 oz.

Baseball hat-2 oz.

Total including handlebar bag--3 pounds 1 oz.

Left Pannier:

Biker Chick jersey-5 oz.

Sheebeast shorts-6 oz.

Under Armor sports bra-2 oz.

Italian jersey-5 oz.

Craft shorts-5 oz

Moving Comfort sports bra-3 oz.

Primal Sun sleeveless jersey-4 oz.

Nike shorts-5 oz.

Under Armor sports bra-2 oz.

Swimsuit-5 oz.

1pr. Darn Tough hiking socks-1 oz.

1pr. Heavy Smartwool socks-3 oz.

Outdoor Research wool blend base layer-4 oz.

Showers Pass raincoat-15 oz.

Pearl Izumi beanie-2 oz.

Smartwool Lime shirt-4 oz.

Fox long-fingered gloves-1 oz

Hincape fingerless gloves-1 oz

Pearl Izumi thermal tights-7 oz.

Royal Robbins hiking shorts-9 oz.

Black v-neck-5 oz.

Patagonia underwear-1 oz.

First Aid kit-various band aids, Neosporin, Ibuprofen, eye drops, emery board, Benadryl-3 oz.

MSR towel-4 oz.

Toiletries-toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soap, shampoo, conditioner, brush, lip balm, Vaseline, lotion-24 oz.

Total weight including pannier--10 pounds 1 oz.

Right Pannier--

Sleeping bag (Mt. Hardware Speed) in compression sack-1 pound 3 oz.

Sleeping pad-Thermarest Neoair 3/4-8 oz.

Vargas titanium stove/fuel canister mug/pot/matches-1 pound 4 oz.

Bike tools-tri-Allen wrench, crescent wrench, Leatherman, spare cables, lube, grease, fixaspoke, duct 

tape, extra bolts-1 pound 2 oz.

Food:  coffee, pour-over w/filters, power bars (3), nuts, instant soup (2)-24 oz.

Down jacket/Montbell-5 oz.

2 tubes-13 oz.

Pump-8 oz.

Cable and lock-12 oz

Total weight including pannier--10 pounds 4 oz.

Rear rack--

Montrail trail shoes-1 pound 7 oz.

Tarptent/footprint-2 pounds 4 oz.

3 bungees-1 oz.

Hiking pole-12 oz.

Total weight--4 pounds 8 oz.

Total weight of everything--27 pounds 14 oz.