I am travelling with pretty minimal equipment and am someone who believes you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on something to make it worth while. I am not racing across the country and my equipment reflects that. Oddly, some people seem very skeptical of my ability to make it because I am not buying an expensive bike. I guess they see the problems I will face as physical hurdles and I see any challenges as mental.
Bike: Schwinn Men’s Hybrid Bike (28″)
I picked this bike for a few different reasons. First off, the price was reasonable, only $249.99 from Target and it received pretty good ratings from users. It also was a hybrid which will give me a little bit more diversity of travel options. So far it has handled pretty well on trails and roads. It has also proven to be easy to maintain and repair myself. Lastly, it has a little storage area on the back where I can strap down some of my sleep gear.
Tent: Alpine Hiker Biker
I originally didn’t plan on bringing a tent at all but after some thought (and a friendly conversation with a cab driver) I decided to bring one. There really is only one reason: snakes. I don’t want crazy desert stuff wriggling into my sleeping bag. I also acquired a free sleeping bag so that cut costs. This was only $27.99 as it is.
Camera: TBD
Books (saved on my iPhone):
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- On The Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
- Island by Aldous Huxley
- The War of the Worlds by HG Wells
- Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
- Thus Spoke Zarahustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
- Arthashastra translated by R. Shamasastry
- The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
- The Tao Te Ching by Laozi
- The Jefferson Bible by Thomas Jefferson
- The Constitution of No Authority by Lysander Spooner
- Fugitive Essays: Selected Writings of Frank Chodorov by Frank Chodorov
- My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglas
- A Lodging of Wayfaring Men by Paul Rosenberg
- Up From Slavery by Booker T Washington
- Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution by Peter Kropotkin
- On Writing by Stephen King
- A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zin
Other:
- Ax
- iPhone battery extenders
- First Aid Kit
- Basic Riding Gear
- Food
- Water (two camelbacks)
- Hot weather clothing
- Rave Gloves
Wandering Oak 