Monthly Archives: March 2010

whisperlite internationale = 9 languages?

2 Replies

One of the things I’m most looking forward to on this trip is the food (of course). I can’t even begin to express how a hearty hot meal tastes and feels after hours of biking, carrying the weight of your kitchen and food, and then cooking outside in a single pot and fresh air.

The Coleman 1 burner stove that I usually use being on the heavy side, I picked up the MSR Whisperlite Internationale cause, umm…that’s what everyone in the forums use. But really, I’ve seen them in action and know they work well.

When I unpacked the stove I was surprised to find a very thick instruction manual. On closer inspection, I found 9 thin instruction manuals in different languages *hrm* Is this why it’s “internationale”?

Wasteful or not, the instructions were useful and I had the stove connected to a gas bottle, primed and burning in no time. I also managed to not have all the things I spilled white gas on catch fire. It all works!

Now I can spend the next 2 weeks dreaming about what I’ll cook. Mmm KD and couscous. Re-hydrated dehydrated soups and instant noodles! Anna has not had ramen before and I’m excited to be there when she first tries it. And creamy grits.

I’ll have to work on the recipetoire a bit. If you’ve any tasty touring/backpacking meals please share!

PS. The “internationale” actually refers to the stove’s ability to burn multiple types of fuel (white gas, kerosene, and unleaded auto fuel). White gas is supposed to be the “cleaner” fuel to burn – it does not leave the residue and smell that kerosene or unleaded fuel will – but it’s not always available.

the great gear list (draft)

5 Replies

This weekend being the last I have to get personal things done before the bike trip, I spent it working on this site, giving my bike some lurve, baking bread, and staring at GEAR. Yes, one of the most satisfying pre-adventure activities because it involves lists.

I started going through my list and made a big pile of gear. I hoped to pack it all up and play with weight distribution but didn’t get that far. Actually got a little overwhelmed. I have almost everything but one or two things missing made it seem like many things were missing and that I was completely unprepared and never would become prepared (felt like the dream where you’re trying to catch a bus but you’ll never find your pants).

To soothe my anxiety, I decided to post my gear list because 1. it helps me feel like I’m “preparing” and 2. you might read it and give me advice. Am I missing anything? What will I be specifically angry at when biking uphill? Do you know of any cheap, light and solar-powered speakers? Etc.

Bike Fashion
- 1 pair cycling shorts
- 2 pairs cycling tights: 1 warm weather, 1 colder
- 2 long sleeve shirt
- 1 short sleeve shirt
- 2 pairs cycling socks
- gloves
- clipless shoes
- shoe covers for rain
- rain jacket
- rain gloves
- helmet
- sunglasses
- reflective sash (bicycle beauty pageant)

Guess I Won’t Always be Cycling Clothing
- 1 pair leggings
- 1 pair convertible shorts/pants
- jeans
- 1 shirt
- 1 light dress
- a mid-layer shirt
- 1 tank top
- a wool sweater
- 2 pairs wool socks
- 4 pair underwear, 2 bras
- 1 pair long underwear
- running shoes
- flip flops or green flats (super light and squish down to nothing…maybe cause they’re almost worn to nothing)
- cap, bandana, toque
- bikini
- glasses

Things to Keep Me (Feeling) Healthy
- toothbrush + paste + floss
- dr. bronner’s soap
- hair conditioner
- a razor
- chapstick
- emergency TP
- divacup
- sunscreen
- mascara (could be a few nights in town)
- nail file
- tweezers
- brush
- quick-dry towel
- scissors
- first-aid kit: ibuprofen, bandaids, gauze, adhesive bandage, antiseptic ointment or wipes, tincture of benzoin, Qtips, safety pins
- knee brace (grrr tall person’s curse)

Bedzzzzzzzzzz
- tent
- light tarp
- cord/laundry cord
- sleeping pad
- sleeping bag & liner

Cooking for Two
(some of this will be split between me and Anna)
- big pot & little pot
- frying pan
- whisperlite international stove
- fuel bottle
- thermos
- coffee cone + paper filters (or screen filter)
- fork, spoon, chopsticks
- knife
- lighter, matches
- flexible cutting board
- bowl
- pot sponge
- small kitchen cloth
- a few ziploc bags
- 1 L water bottle
- camelbak water bag
- food staple: olive oil, salt, pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, powdered milk, brown sugar, and possibly a few other nominated spices and herbs
- coffee (or course)

Fix-it
- patches for tent, panniers, etc.
- few spare grommets
- folding spare tire
- 2 (3?) spare tubes
- spare brake pads
- spare spokes, spoke wrench(?)
- spare cables(?)
- few screws, bolts
- tire levers & pump
- simple multi-tool with phillips, torx, and 4 allen
- slotted screwdriver(?)
- lube / small rag
- duct tape round a pencil

Electronics
- bike lights: 2 front, 2 back
- headlamp + spare batteries
- camera, USB cable, power cable
- USB thumb drive
- phone + charger cable (…will I get an iPhone?? music!!)
- external speakers(?)
- walkie-talkies(?)
- bike computer(?)

Paper
- maps
- notebook
- 2 pens, mechanical pencil, eraser, a few colored pencils
- a book

Oh Yeah, Civilization
- money devices
- health insurance info
- driver’s license
- passport
- phone numbers / contacts
- emergency contact information
- keys
- U-lock (I wasn’t sure about this but we decided to carry one lock between the two of us, half a lock each, and when venturing into shady areas we can lock our bikes together.)

To carry it all:
- front and rear panniers
- small under-the-seat tool pouch
- camelback backpack
- and maybe a basket that I can put the camelback and a few other things inside for easy reach.
- my bike : ) Devinci Amsterdam

If you made it all the way down here, I have a treat for you:

Screw Heads

Came across it while googling what the not-a-phillips-or-allen head was (the torx). I like the images. They’d make for some interesting tattoos and thousands of years from now could be interpreted as an ancient symbolic language.

spring cleaning

1 Reply

I’m soon entering a new phase of life, this one kicking off with a great adventure, and it calls for a new blog / journal / book / sharing space. I had not been writing for a long time; since last summer, and even then posts became sparse. My reasons were that I didn’t have a thesis to do other things instead of and I was trying to find my place in the world with a full-time “real adult” job. Oh, and I was having a lot of fun : )

But my thesis is long over and yesterday I gave notice at work. What’s next? On April 17th I will leave Vancouver to bike down the Pacific coast. Destination: San Francisco and maybe a bit beyond. This definitely calls for writing.

Why am I going?

* I love my bike and I love the connection to places you get traveling on a bike. The sounds, the smells, and how easy it is to stop and explore.

* To challenge comforts and what I think I need in life. It’ll be six weeks being intimate with the weather and only having what I can carry on a bike.

* To really observe nature (and the roads, cities, etc. we have built around it) and have time to think about how I can help preserve it.

* I came home one day and Anna said: “I’m going to bike to San Francisco” and why would I not say “Okay I’m coming with you”?

So I go and I go as such a different person than who I was when I wrote my last post that I decided to close that box and start something new. It feels appropriate that it’s spring and for my inaugural photo, last week’s reminder of why I love where I live: