RE: Rocky Mountains

From: MH [hoagy-OlwQ/[email protected]]
> For a change I'd like to try staying clean.  Wash every
> two or three days.  After two or three weeks I get pretty
> rank.

Staying clean doesn't require a lot of clothing or gear, it just requires the right clothing and gear.  With two pairs of bike shorts, two jerseys, and one of everything else you can do laundry every day.  If it is raining one day (so stuff won't dry, or would cake with mud) you can clean up the important bits on you and in your bike shorts with baby wipes.  Baby wipes are a very useful item to have along for backwoods touring.

My week long backroads bike touring list looks something like this:
* two pairs bike shorts
* two wool cycling shirts
* one wool sleep/camp shirt
* one pair of long pants, quick dry
* one pair of wool long johns
* one wool long sleeve shirt
* one pair quick dry underwear (Patagonia or Ex Officio make good ones, and they are comfortable enough to ride in too) for camp/sleeping
* one lightweight/packable rain jacket
* one down vest (makes a nice pillow at night)
* short gloves
* long gloves
* hat

All of that fits into less than one Ortlieb small pannier or into a medium saddlebag (remember that at a minimum two of those items will be on you).  It all washes and dries quickly.  I can ride in temps from the lower 40s up to the 90s and in rain or sun comfortably.

alex