Boy, that’s a lotta gear

It’s now less than one year before my bicycle trip across Canada. Training is in full swing. Thursday Paul and I did some hills in Gatineau Park, more than we anticipated due to some construction. It was a great workout, capped off with a delicious lunch in Old Chelsea. We saw two woodpeckers, a couple of deer and we think the same wild turkey twice. One thing I am looking forward to about my trip across Canada is seeing the variety of wildlife. We are planning our first grand fondo before the end of May.

Any trip requires the proper equipment, whether you are cycling across Canada or car camping in Algonquin Park. Different trips require different equipment, but one thing is common, the equipment needs to be of good quality. My neighbour across the street, Mr. Belle was the executive chef at the Chateau Laurier for many years before he retired. He once told me that he couldn’t afford to buy cheap things; I couldn’t agree more. Given that I will be in remote parts of Canada, potentially with a couple of days between bike shops or outdoor gear stores, quality and reliability is especially important.

Something I need to be cognisant of is that the total weight of my gear cannot exceed 50 lbs, as per my bike specifications…and I need to be lighter and fitter for the trip, as per my wife’s specifications. The following gives you a brief synopsis of what I am bringing with me. I also have a page on my website with specific details of my equipment. Sue asked me why, I said “I don’t know, apparently it’s what touring cyclists do”. I half expected her to say “If other cyclists rode off a cliff would you do that too”, thankfully she didn’t.

The bike

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’m riding a 2016 Kona Sutra. This is a very comfortable and reliable bike which is built for touring. I did have to replace the rear wheel because the rim was showing signs of failure, but I suspect it was due to my size. Other than that, I have just had to put in the normal maintenance, which thanks to Paul, I am learning to do on my own.

‘Baggs’ on the bike

In addition to a good bike to get me from coast to coast, I need good quality bags to get my gear from coast to coast. All of my bike bags are from Arkel, a Canadian company based in Montreal. Paul introduced me to this brand a couple of years ago and I’m very happy with them. Given the duration of the trip and the fact that I will be self-contained, I will be travelling with six bags on my bike: front and rear panniers, a handlbar bag and trunk bag.

Camping gear

Most of my gear I have had for years, however there have been some items which I have needed to replace, like my single-burner stove because my son Jon had my other stove confiscated while he was hiking in Peru. Some things have just grown old, like my sleeping mat, while other items are not practical for travelling with on a bicycle, such as my heavy minus 15 degree sleeping bag.

Electronics

Anyone who knows me knows I will be bringing electronics…I mean, my wedding speech was a PowerPoint presentation on my iPad. When I was a Scout leader I always told my youth “no electronics on this camping trip”, however I won’t be practicing what I preach, sorry Scouts, but I have good reasons:

• First and foremost is safety. I will have my iPhone for quick emails, chatting, Google Maps, pictures, address book, and oh yeah, it’s also a phone. I will also be carrying a GPS, a Garmin Edge 1030. This particular GPS has a couple of features specific to safety: (1) incident detection which notifies certain contacts if I have had a crash and where I am, and (2) notifying me of sharp turns ahead if I am on a descent, a feature which has already come in handy on the paths here in Ottawa.
• Also, since I will be documenting my journey and blogging about it, I will be bringing my Microsoft Surface Pro tablet, a camera and a GoPro.

Grover

Tom Hanks had ‘Wilson’ in Cast Away, Bill Baggs has Grover. I have had my Grover since my 16th birthday. My girlfriend in high school gave it to me and I have had it since. When I was a Cub-Scout leader I brought him with me on our hiking and camping trips, stressing to the youth the importance  of bringing a sleeping buddy to help deal with loneliness and home sickness. So Grover’s coming across Canada with me for the same reason. Look at me practicing what I preach.

Bushtukah

Finally I would like to say a few words about Bushtukah, which is where I shop for the majority of my outdoor gear needs. Bushtukah has been my favourite outdoor gear store for years. When I was a leader with the 104^th Ottawa Scouting Group I would always send my Scouts’ parents to Bushtukah to purchase gear; for their knowledge but mostly because of the friendly service. I remember speaking with the owner, Bob, years ago and I told him how pleased I was with the service one of his salespeople had given a scout parent. His theory is, which he tells all of his new staff, “that people don’t have to come in to their store, they want to come in here. There are no staples here, nothing people need, just what people want, so we have to appreciate them being here, and treat them like we do.” I am still impressed with their service, whether it be sales advice, or work being done on my bike.

I met one salesperson about 2 months ago there that biked across Newfoundland last year and is currently on a tour of Ireland, and another person who hiked the El Camino in Spain. I spoke to her about active underwear and socks, who knew there was such a thing. Clearly these are not just people who know there stuff, they live it.

I’m not sponsored by Bushtukah nor am I endorsing them, well I guess I kind of am, but really I am just telling you how great they are and that I appreciate the great service I receive from them, hence the “A big think you to… Bushtukah” on my banner.

Safe ride.

Bill