to bring or not to bring...

here is the original list of things i took with and a short review of each piece of gear.

1. marmot never summer sleeping bag
best sleeping bag ever. hot in the summer weather but so thankful i had it when it got cold. packed well.

2. dragonfly stove (from my friend Matt who took it twice across the US) and fuel can
this stove is a bomber. loved the simmering action and how field repairable it was. it was, however, LOUD!

3. folding knobby mountain tires (continental explorer)
wish they had more tread at times but they were a nice light tread...packed great.

4. six spare tubes
didn't need all of them!!

5. ti spork
!!! loved it.

6. canon rebel xti camera and a small pocket one (i travel light!)
i debated on the camera for a long time. it's bulky and when it rained i got a little worried...but now that i'm home and see the difference in the pictures from the 35mm camera to the pocket camera, i'm glad i took both.

7. first aid kit
thankfully didn't need it. but this kit didn't have alchohol wipes which we needed to clean rims and leah's rotor.

8. frisbee
have frisbee, will travel

9. chain
switched half way through trip. maybe not necessary but if we hadn't brought it, we would have needed it.

10. topeak road morph pump
BRING EXTRA PARTS!!! i had mine on the out side of the bike and the pieces vibrated apart and then, my road morph was rendered useless. but, we used leah's and to be honest, it's a great pump.

10a. nightstand*
couldn't live without it.

11. balloons (to make animals for when i meet kids)
they melted together so i gave the remaining balloons to a bored little girl.

12. clown nose (for days when we need laughter)
the best thing i could have brought.

13. harmonica
wish i knew how to play better but, it came in handy when we met people who knew how to play.

14. penny whistle
didn't work well. gave it to a little girl on a rainy day outside a bakery.

15. 3 pair bike shorts (2 pearl izumi ultra sensor and one bright purple pair)
i loved the chamois but, if i could have fit more into my bag i would have. they got kinda ripe.

16. long underwear
only needed once. i'm glad they were silk and didn't take up much room.

17. skirt
was fun to have in buenos aires but not so necessary on the open road...

16. two shirts
perfect.

17. two collared shirts
woulda only brought one.

18. pants
mine tore so badly i had to throw them out. i did a horrible patch job on them that brought people to tears with laughter.

19. shorts
yup, loved it.

20. two pair socks, underwear, etc.
glad i had them. i am so thankful for the wool socks. on those cold wet days, puttingo on a dry pair of socks was a treat.

21. sunglasses (which with no hair i look like a rock star!)
booya! too bad i lost them.

22. my lucky shirt
it's so happy to have come on this trip.

22a. typewriter*
ran out of ink.

23. sleeping pad (insulmat thermo 6)
most comfortable pad next to a bed!

24. tools--spare chain, SOG multi knife, patch kit, spare bolts, pink zip ties, spoke wrench, super glue, band clamps (to make a cup holder), duct tape, pro link, crank puller, cassette remover (fits in the dropout so i don't need my whip), allen wrenches, tire levers, chain tool, adjustable wrench
my SOG knife is the best but i wish i had just a knife...the philips on the SOG came in handy, however.

25. tent (rei cirque 3 tent)...i'm carrying the poles and foot print, and stakes and the rest is being carried by the rest of the crew
great tent in the wind. difficult to set up because it's a wonky pole design. the poles are now bent due to the wind. but, all being said, it did a great job.

26. water bottle (2)
can't believe i didn't lose them

27. 10L water reservoir
we didn't think we'd need this...we thought it was a "reserve" but we used it almost every day. i would have taken three smaller ones because whoever had to carry "baby" was carrying 20 lbs. more until the co riders got thirsty.

27a. gumball machine*
ran out of gumballs. replaced with peanuts.

28. aqua mira
came in handy when the water filter leah was carrying pooped out...also in super questionable areas it came in handy.

29. a frying pan (we have a pot that someone is carrying)
it seemed capricious but we had some of the best meals. we became outdoor chefs.

30. an extra pop can stove
didn't need. wish i would not have brought it.

31. compass--suunto ranger
didn't need it...thank goodness!

32. orikaso folding bowl
genius! also worked as a cutting board.

33. crocs
best shoes! great for all weather.

34. shimano cycling shoes
worked good on the bike, in rain, and in cold weather. they didn't dry fast, however.

35. toothbrush
hmmm...

36. tikka plus headlamp
loved the dimming feature for reading...saved battery.

37. pack towel
perfect.

38. novara stratos rain pants
also worked for pants in the cold. incredibly durable.

39. OR enigma rain coat
great jacket. i mean, really great jacket.

40. tent repair kit, stove repair kit, two extra stakes and some parachute cord
glad i had all of these things. we fixed a leaky seam, a hole in the tent, and had to guy out the tent in the wind.

41. glasses
42. contact solution
43. cookies
thank goodness for these.

44. spare bungee cords
definitely glad i had some spares, really.

45. buff
surprsingly, a great piece of gear. it kept me toasty on cold days and nights.

46. OR rain mitts
i only needed them twice. i'm glad i had them because i would have been miserable. they became a gauge for how cold it was...if i didn't need them, it wasn't cold yet. if the inside gets wet, however, they take forever to dry.

47. BD jet stream gloves
great great great gloves. they work well even when wet.

47a. easel for drawing like they do on pbs with 47 different colored paints*
wish i would have brought 48 paints with.

48. wool arm warmers
they were funky but not necessary.

49. peace cranes
they were great gifts.

50. space pen
!!! i loved this pen...and my only goal on this trip was not to lose it and, i didn't.

51. journal
just another sort of camera.

52. books (2)
trading them was fabulous! we read about 10 books on this trip!!

53. magnifying glass
this was to start fires in desperate situations...i thankfully didn't need it.

54. wool shirt
yup...a great idea. it never got smelly.

55. a hat
whew.

56. a thermos mug
this became a life saver. when it was cold we heated water and made hot chocolate to increase our core temperature. also in a country that drinks mate and everyone walks around with a thermos, we did well to have our own.

57. spare BOB skewer (one between the two of us)
we didn't need it but we found two spanish boys who needed it.

58. spare BOB tire (one between the two of us)
unnecessary. we gave it away midway through the trip.

59. spare spokes (8)
didn't need em!

60. spare batteries
good for the head lamp.

61. plug adapter
thankful i had it.

62. Patagonia R3pursuit fleece
the perfect fleece. it was warm, lightweight, and durable.

i would have to say that the most surprisingly useful pieces of gear were the thermos, the buff and the space pen. well, someone suggested i do a little review. in many ways i think i packed alright with minamal "o i wish i hadn't of brought this" or "i wish i had"...there were probably only a few things i would have trimmed down on but i never really wished for anything.