A few weeks removed from the start of my big tour of the year, I’m beginning the ritual all bike tourists engage in: refining the packing list. Over the years I’ve learned what to pack on bike tour… there are a few things you absolutely want to bring, and a bunch of things that just take up space.

What to pack on bike tour: 3 things I take every time

Bandanas

I know, cotton – the dreaded fabric most experienced riders sneer at! Ordinarily, I agree, but when it comes to the versatile bandana, I make an exception. Whether a sweat rag, a pot holder, a dish towel, or a water filter, the humble bandana is the multitool that keeps giving back. Sure it’s cotton, but the bandana packs light, stays out of your way, and has so many uses you’ll want to bring a few.

Earplugs

This is a newer one for me because I never found a style that worked well. Now, I have a pair or two secreted in all of my bags just to be safe. How many campsites have you overnighted at that included 2am parties the locals forgot to invite you to or hourly freight trains? How about the less-than-quiet rain and wind rattling your tent in the middle of the night? Yeah, earplugs can mean the difference between a decent night’s sleep and a long groggy day in the saddle.

Large capacity rechargeable battery

A lot of people ride without technology. I don’t happen to be one of those types of riders. On this ride, I plan to bring several devices that will need to be replenished without benefit of a wall socket (they tend not to have those in the sides of mountains). As battery technology has improved, I’m finding 12,000 mAh batteries are dropping in price to the $50 range. How much juice is that? Depending on your device, a lot… I can recharge my iPhone 5 from single digits to 100% 5 times or more in one charge. That’s over a week of riding or more, depending on my use. Zero mile days let me recharge everything, and I don’t usually have to think about losing power at all.

Three things I leave behind on every bike tour

Sometimes the best way to answer, “what to pack on bike tour” is to list what you probably shouldn’t bring.

Camp shoes

I finally let go of the extra pair of shoes a few years ago. I try to wear “normal” clothes when I tour so I can hop off my bike and fit in somewhat in towns along the way. I used to haul a pair of sneakers specifically for walking around town until I found I tended to walk around in the same biking sandals most of the time anyways. I swapped those sneakers out for a pair of inexpensive flip flops and haven’t looked back.

Spare tire

I’ll change my mind on this one someday, but only on a long trip with poor access to replacements. Despite my experience with sidewall blowouts, I still don’t think carrying a spare tire is worth the weight or space on most tours. You can boot most issues and get yourself to a place where you can get a spare, plus if you invest in higher end tires, you can reduce the likelihood of needing a new one.

Physical books

Ok, ok hear me out… we already established I lean more towards technology, right? I tend to bring along audiobooks, podcasts and ebooks in my device. I used to bring along a physical book for reading at camp but found I rarely opened it. Usually it was stuffed deeply inside a pannier, and my phone was right next to me, so I reached for it every time. Maybe I should have brought a book I really wanted to read more than anything in my phone, but when all is said and done, I can bring dozens of books electronically in the same device I’m going to bring no matter what. These days, I leave the physical book at home and read it when I get back.

What’s on your list of haves and have nots?

As the season kicks into high gear, I’m constantly looking for new ways to improve my camping experience. This year, I’m focusing on going as ultrlight as possible, and that’s extending to my meals. After a bit of research, some experiments (including some failed ones) I’ve got a quick and easy solution to dehydrate meals without a dehydrator.

Dehydrating is a great way to make ultralight meals for bike tours

File this under “duh.” Take out the water weight, and your food transports in a smaller, flatter space. As I mentioned in a previous post on freezer bag cooking, that translates to better eating on tour. Not only are things lighter and easier to pack, but it also helps preserve things like meat… something you certainly wouldn’t be hauling around in a pannier for very long without spoiling. But wait… there’s more! If you’re conscious about the amount of junk (particularly sugars) that end up in a lot of processed foods, making your own ultralight meals by dehydrating fruits, veggies and meats can be a big plus. You know exactly what’s going into your preparations.

I’m not anti-dehydrator

I think they’re great tools and if I end up doing more dehydrating, I can absolutely see myself investing in a nice one. I know a few people who jumped right into the dehydrating thing, and ended up spending a fair amount of money on a device that got used once, maybe twice, and now collects dust in the basement someplace. That’s not for me, so I want to be sure I want to get into this before I invest in the gear. Dehydrating ultralight meals without a dehydrator is actually easy if you have (wait for it…) an oven!

The secret: low heat and air flow

Dehydrators work by streaming warm air over your food – it’s not really rocket science. Over time, that warm air pulls out the moisture without really cooking the food. If you’ve ever wondered how raw food folks eat, they live on dehydrators – it preserves food, gives it new textures, and most importantly stops short of cooking out the nutrients. Dehydrators work well, but so can your oven so long as you do a couple of things…

Step 1: Get a good rack

Wire racks are the best way to promote good air flow around your food. Remember, we want to maximize the movement of warm air so the food gives up its moisture. You don’t need to get fancy… I got a pair of wire racks for seven bucks. You might even have a few in your cupboard someplace.

Step 2: Cut thin

Whether it’s meat, vegetables or fruit, cut it up in slices or small pieces… you’ll be rewarded with a shorter dehydration time.

Step 3: Choose your oven wisely

The first few batches I tried were in my big convection oven. Convection ovens are fancy because they move air around with a fan… almost like a dehydrator. It worked well, but even at low temperatures (more on that in a second) it really felt like a lot of energy being wasted, particularly with it being on for hours. Instead, I moved to my favorite kitchen appliance, the humble toaster oven. Because it’s smaller, I have to do smaller batches, but because its more efficient, my turnover is about equal. I probably don’t have to convince you toaster ovens use half the energy of a range oven, right?

Step 4: Stick a wooden spoon in it and keep the heat low

It helps with the air flow. Remember, we like air flow. Temp setting should be as low as you can go and still be technically on. Usually it’s 150-200 degrees Farenheit. If you’re a Celsius person, that number will be much lower. <– metric system humor.

Step 5: Go do something. For a while.

I found making your own beef jerky takes a lot less time than drying out a strawberry. By a lot. Keep checking to see how things are going, maybe turn stuff over. This will take hours. Oh, and on behalf of your local fire department, it’s *not* ok to leave this unattended, so no leaving the house during this process, m’kay?

Successes and failures

Here’s a sample of what success looks like:

That’s a sugar free batch of beef jerky, plus dried tomatoes and dried strawberries. One other huge benefit is how this can save you from the dreaded spoiled fruits and veggie plague of spring and summer… the tomato I used was just about ready to be tossed. Ditto with the strawberries… not spoiled, but past the point of ideal freshness. Thanks to dehydrating without a dehydrator, they were rescued for a future snack.

I mentioned successes, so how about failures: eggs. I read someplace (and I won’t link-shame you my friend…) that you can dehydrate scrambled eggs and they rehydrate well. All I can say is, not in my experience! I’ll be sticking with fruits, veggies and meats.

If you’re interested in a jerky recipe, check out this one… it was my starting point. I went with sriracha and Worcestershire sauce as my marinade and put on a healthy dose of coarsely ground black pepper. A+ jerky, and the best part is you can use “lesser” cuts like flank steak.

I’ll be taking some of these ultralight meals with me this weekend on a short tour… more to come!