I like shared knowledge threads.

Here is one of my favorite ones.

microfiber towels can be used for:

a poor mans toothbrush. wrap a piece of it around your finger and brush your teeth!

a shampoo substitute. if you have fine and oily hair like mine, just scrub your head with the towel and it is like you just took a shower and shampooed...

on bike sweat rag. I usually keep it in my handlebar bag side pocket or in my shorts. I sweat a lot and I think this saved my life during the Almanzo race.

lots of other things!

also, you need not buy the expensive ones at REI. the ones in the automotive care section at target are just as good. washcloth size 12 packs are available for 8 bucks or so. share with friends!

I like to bring individually packaged wetnaps that takeout places sometimes throw into your order - they're good for washing your face before sleep or in the morning if you're too lazy to go to the water source for an actual wash.

+1 on the wetnaps. I usually pack unscented baby wipes in the resealable packet. Most gas stations/truck stops carry small packs of them.

Baby wipe baths on a muggy day...aah.

Electrical tape is the duct tape for cyclists. Don't leave for a tour without a small roll. The bright colored rolls are best, as they are more easily spotted when digging through your bags.

Keep a couple small plastic bags from when you visit the grocery store/gas station. Good for nightly trash bags at camp. They also make good seat covers at night or in the rain. If you have a leather saddle, this is a must, even if you use the official seat cover.

When riding in the rain, cover the seat w/ the plastic bag and pull it taught. Wrap the nose of the saddle w/ electrical tape, then do a couple of loops w/ the tape to prevent the bag from shifting/stretching. A single bag lasts about a full day's ride, and saves your saddle from getting wet and sagging/stretching.

I also like to throw in a few zipties at the bottom of my pannier bags. They take up zero space and can be lifesavers.

Bring a pillow case

Stuff any dry clothes in the pillow case. Voila, you have a camping pillow. Sure it's a bit lumpy. But you have a pillow.

It also works well for laundromat stops.

Cemeteries and township halls are good opportunities to find water when in the middle of nowhere. They often have a hose for watering the flowers.

I haven't camped in one though. One of the things on my must do list. Must...find...the...courage...What was that!? Who's there!? Oh no, I have to pee and it's only 11PM. I'm gonna have to go out there. AAAHHH!

On the plastic bag note, I like to put my clothes/supplies/items in plastic bags to help keep the stank off stuff when I switch up what I'm wearing, and as has been said, cover the saddle, throw garbage, etc.

Looking forward to some weekend camping/touring soon! It's been MANY years!!!

+100

This is something I would consider for free electrical power almost anywhere on a bike tour.

http://gizmodo.com/5576373/military+des ... ower-lines




Military-Designed "Bat Hook" Lets You Charge Your Phone from Overhead Power Lines
It's ridiculous all the half-baked solutions we depend on to resuscitate a dead phone. Especially when there's a potent supply of free power just waiting to be tapped, right above our heads. No, not the sun—overhead power lines.

The Bat Hook is as simple as any plug-in charger, but it's great for on-the-go. It's just a weighted hook with a razor blade in it, strung on the end of a cord: you toss it over the nearest power line. Its blade pierces the live wire, neatly and safely conducting electric current down to you, for convenient charging of gadgets, jumpstarting cars, or powering your roadside business. It even works in the rain!

The explanatory video from the Department of Defense says something about how it's only for trained Special Operations soldiers, and "you should never throw something over power lines," but that is clearly just marketing hype, calculated to give the Bat Hook an air of exclusivity. The video says it's for use in jungles too, and everyone knows there aren't power lines overhead in jungles.

looks incredibly illegal! and appears to cut into the housing of the power line? much easier ways to charge your cell phone or whatever on a tour...

wonder if this will ever be released?

http://www.dahon.com/news/releases/2009 ... every-bike

I've been thinking about getting one of those solar to USB chargers.

I got an Etón Microlink Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power and Cell Phone Charger recently. The cell phone charger port is just a regular USB port, so I tried plugging it in - my phone did indicate that it was charging while I cranked the hand crank. I haven't tried charging for any extended period of time or using the solar panels, yet.

This is available: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/ewerk.asp

+1 to the electrical tape. Great for when you lose those rubber spacers for things like light kits and cyclocomputers - just keep wrapping it around where you need it and you have a nice piece of rubber that wont move.

I recently bought a Duracell lithium ion USB battery. It's nice being able to charge my GPS, cell, iPod, etc from something much smaller than a cellphone, and great for when you are way out and need to make a call but your cell battery is dead.

Another good one - carry around a big ziplock bag. It is great when it starts pouring out and you don't want your camera or cell phone to get ruined. Freezer bag size for group rides!