JESS'S BIKE TOURING ESSENTIALS
We use almost everything we have with us, every day,
but there are a few things that I'm extra obsessed with....
CARGO NET
I PUT THIS OVER MY BACK RACK PACK. I CAN JUST REACH BEHIND ME AND TUCK THINGS INTO IT, LIKE MY SWEATY GLOVES, OR MY JACKET OR MY BANDANA. I ALWAYS HANG BANANAS FROM IT. AND SPROUTS. ITS JUST ALL STRETCHY AND HANDY AND I LOVE IT. DON'T TRAVEL WITHOUT ONE OF THESE!
BANDANA
My bandana is gray from my days carving coal for Zivic. Its all worn in. I use it to sit on when the ground is prickly. I drench it in water and put it on my neck when I get hot. I use it to dry the dishes. I blow my nose in it. Use it to make cheese. I wear it on my head. Its my favorite bit of cloth. Like an adult blankie.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE
Well now, what would my Swiss Half say if I didn't have one of these babies? Someone in Louisiana gave me one and I promptly gave away my pretty wood-handled (French) Opinel's... Here we've got tweezers, stabbers, cutters, pokers, diggers all in one little efficient Swiss package.
BLACK EYE-LINER...
I think I would be lost without it. It makes me feel like a lady on even the worst of days. And, NO, I would not be on this tour without it.
NANO PUFF!
Well--this thing is worth it's (very light) weight in Gold. It's as minimal looking as you can get in sporty gear (which I like) and it is AMAZING. You can wear it from 30 degrees to 75 and its always the right thing, how is that? Is it magic? I've had to sleep in this thing MANY nights, I love it. If I have to wear a puffy thing, this is it. Now, where's the coverall version?
COCOON SILK TRAVEL SHEET
Basically, singlehandedly responsible for any sleep I get in the tent. This silk sheet keeps all the synthetic camping/sleeping stuff from being in direct contact with my skin which seems to make all the difference in the world.
THE MISSION:
WHO: Zach Whitney + Jessamee Sanders
WHAT: A year-long (?) bicycle tour...
WHEN: Beginning March 2013
WHERE: Around the USA, route undetermined, 5-10K miles
WHY: Because life is too short to be settling down just yet...
HOW: By pedaling our butts off and selling lovely jewelry along the way
Zach builds things and loves to ride his bike. Jessamee designs things and loves to travel (jessamee.com, tamlinandthefall.com)
Just for the record, things we've seen that scare me:
4 Copperhead Snakes (3 live, 1 pickled-in-a-jar)
1 Rattlesnake
4 Tarantulas
1 Horny Toad
1 Black Widow Spider
1 Wolf Spider
1.5 million Bats
many lizards +
a few small alligators
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