Things coming together

My new Surly 2012 Long Haul Trucker

My bike has arrived! I took her out for what was to be a short 25km ride but ended up going over 40km because it was such a treat to use. The frame is as solid as a tank and feels incredibly sturdy; I don't think hanging all my things off her will be a problem. Its also pretty amazing how well she cruises along with minimal effort on my part. This is also the first time I've used bar end shifters and they are quite nice. Overall, this bike is definitely designed to go, keep going, and then go some more.

The panniers I ordered also came in this week. Really looking forward to getting them attached to the bike onto some good racks. I initially purchased a set of Blackburn racks but they felt flimsy and did not fit on the bike as well as I'd like. I've since returned them and ordered a set from Surly (which unfortunately cost me 3 times as much), that I'm sure will kick 10 times as much ass.

Blackburn Fenders were also purchased but they were the wrong size (700cc fenders will need to be adjusted to fit). Those will be done on Friday hopefully. I'll be sure to put together a list of the cost of all my gear before I leave. Up until now I haven't had any touring gear at all!

Pocket Rocket (giggle)

Eating cold food or takeout for my whole trip was out of the question so I picked up a Pocket Rocket canister stove from MSR. Its incredibly easy to use and very small and light. I had water boiled and some Kraft Dinner cooking in no time with it. Apparently the 113g fuel container is good for 60min of burn time so I'll be keeping track of that and giving you all an update from the road.

I still need to pick up some simple travel cookware. I've also been eyeballing a travel mug from David's Tea so I can enjoy a nice hot drink in the mornings.

I love the idea that I can have a warm meal anywhere I like, as long as I can keep a steady supply of fuel canisters on hand. I plan to eat mostly pasta, sandwiches, and other boiled  meals. Maybe burgers too.

Lance works in product testing

Another key piece of gear I just grabbed today was a tent. Specifically the Flint 2 from The North Face. Its a two person tent weighing 4lbs with decent space for sleeping and gear. I was able to set it up for the first time in a couple of minutes with no problems.

On nice nights I'll have a great view of the stars through the mesh, otherwise I'll be hiding under the rain tarp that came with it. I'm thinking I can pack it in one of my panniers to keep it as dry as possible and just strap the poles to the back rack.

Voltaic Fuse

The last piece of gear that has arrived this past week was my Voltaic Fuse 4W Solar Charger. This neat little device will be charging my Kobo reader, Nikkon D3100 camera, Garmin Edge200 gps, and Samsung Galaxy S phone (which I'll be using a lot for route planning, music, and internet)

It comes with a 3,000mAh battery that is said to fully charge in 7 hours of direct sun (You can charge devices directly from the solar panels too). I haven't been able to test this due the amount of fog and overcast we get here in Newfoundland. I've had it in the window slowly sapping whatever light gets through and its been enough so far to charge my phone up twice.

Hopefully I'll get a good day out in the sun soon to test its abilities. I'm still very dependent on electronics, especially out in the wild.

Well folks that's all for now. I'll post again when my bike has all her touring bits attached and I can get a fully loaded test ride. Maybe even in some nice weather like we had a few weeks ago, where you could feel the sky.

Things coming together