Red Ribbon Ride Packing Guild
BICYCLE
BIKE - MANDATORY
Your bike, in good working order
Helmet
Water bottles (1-2) and/or Hydration Pack
Emergency Contact Info and licence/ID
Medical Insurance Card
Mini bike tools (inc wrench if needed)
Spare tubes, Patch kit, tire levers
Pump or CO2 system
Sunglasses
BIKE - Recommended
Bike shoes (with cleat covers if you need them)
Bike shorts (minimum 1-2, ideally 4)
Bike jerseys (minimum 1-2, ideally 4)
Cycling socks (minimum 1-2, ideally 4)
Cycling gloves (short and long)
Base layers (short and long)
Women: sports bras (2-4)
Knee warmers and arm warmers
Sweat band or bandanas (2-3)
Rain Jacket & Rain Pants
Cycling vest
Windbreaker/Cycling jacket
Gu gels for emergencies (1 or more per day)
If not using Gatorade, 4 days of electrolyte drink
Recovery drink packets
Spare tubes (4-5)
Red Dress Day Outfit!
Credit Card/Cash
Seat bag for bike tools
Helmet decorations
Shower cap or plastic bag (cover bike seat at night)
BIKE - Optional
Bike computer
HRM (with chest strap)
Small blinking light, ie Frogs - to be seen in fog
Shoe covers
Extra spokes
Spare sunglasses
Spare Bike tires
Spare cleats and cleat covers
Minimalist chain cleaning kit
CAMP
CAMP - MANDATORY
Sleeping Bag
Thermarest pad or air mattress
Tent
CAMP - Recommended
Small bag/backpack
Camping pillow
Alarm clock (non electric)
Headlamp, or flashlight
Ear plugs
Jeans and/or sweatpants (1 pair)
Sweater and/or sweatshirt
Comfortable shoes or sandals
Rain Jacket/pants
Long-sleeve fleece or hoodie
Warm hat
T-shirts (1-2)
Underwear
Sleepwear/long underwear
Tent Decoration
Small flashing light (to mark tent)
Clothesline/pins, or binder clips
CAMP - Optional
Insect repellent
Cold-water detergent (Woolite)
Plastic tarp
Large trash bag
Insulated mug with lid
Dryer sheets (dirty clothes bags)
Cell phone with extra battery
Camera, film/memory cards
Extra batteries for all devices
Solar charger (and leads)
Journal/pen
Sponsor postcards and stamps
Large ziploc bags
Efferdent (to clean bottles)
McGuyver: duct tape, zip ties
Swimsuit (for hot springs)
HEALTH
HEALTH - MANDATORY
Prescription medications
Lip balm with SPF
Sunscreen
Aspirin/Ibuprofen
HEALTH - Recommended
First Aid Medical Bracelets
Sunblock (zinc oxide)
Hand sanitiser
Band-aids
Aloe gel with lidocaine for sunburn
Biofreeze or similar
Antihistamine (Claritin/Benadryl)
Eye drops (saline)
Moleskin
Antibiotic ointment (Brave Soldier)
HEALTH - Optional
Antacid
Supplemental food for special diet
Tweezers
Butt Balm, if you use it
Anti-blister cream
Decongestant
Vaseline
Sleeping aids and pills
Vitamin supply for 4 days
The Stick, or small foam roller
TOILETRIES
TOILETRIES - Recommended
Camp Towel
Washcloth
Favorite soap or cleanser
Shampoo/Conditioner
Moisturizer
Deodorant
Brush or comb
Hair products/ties/clips
Razor (non electric)
Shaving cream
Small bag (carry stuff to shower)
Toothbrush, toothpaste
Dental floss
Contacts/Glasses & supplies
Small eyeglass repair kit
Women: Sanitary products
TOILETRIES - Optional
Mouthwash
Condoms/Dental dams
Shower shoes
Second camp towel
Makeup
Nail clippers/small scissors
Small mirror
DO NOT PACK
!!! Tent stakes of any kind !!!
Candles
Anything with an open flame
Alcohol
Illegal drugs
For questions please contact the Ride office at 612.822.2110 or [email protected]
PACKING SECRETS!
CAMPING GEAR
Pack all your tent items together in one section of your bag, towards the bottom (or lower compartment on big duffel bags).
Include colourful piece of fabric or other decorative item to mark your tent, and make it easier to find. Larger decorations such as pink flamingos or garden gnomes should be carefully positioned where nobody
will trip over them at night.
Put headlight or flashlight, a small blinking light or gadget and alarmclock in one ziploc, so they're easy to find every evening. Attach the blinky light to tent zipper during bathroom trips at night to make sure you
can find your tent easily!
Bring 1-2 trashbags that are large enough to hold your entire bag; wrap your bag in them if you have to leave it outside the tent overnight for any reason.
Pack the earplugs with your alarm clock, so you can easily find them when you need them.
GETTING INTO CAMP
Regular shoes should be easily accessible at the top or side of your gear bag, so you can change into them when you pick up the bag at the gear truck. The long walk across camp is much easier in "real"
shoes, and you won't have to spend as much time cleaning mud out of the cleats of your bike shoes.
Keep a rain jacket in easy reach. It can rain at any moment… it's Minnesota!
Keep a warm hat and scarf in easy reach, too. The evenings can get fairly chilly and damp, with a cold wind.
In case of cold weather... Put warm pants and a jacket or sweatshirt at the top of the bag. Put them on over your bike clothes when you pick up your bag - it will keep you warm while you set up your tent or bed
and wait in line for food, and you're less likely to get chilled walking around camp in the day's sweaty cycling clothes.
Pack toiletries and towel in the other outside pocket of your gear bag, so you can grab them quickly without digging through your whole bag.
Bring a light bag to carry toiletries and fresh clothes TO the shower, and sweaty clothes FROM the shower. Much easier than chasing stray socks across camp, or trying to figure out what happened to the
jersey you were wearing just earlier! (Check Lost and Found if that does happen).
CYCLING GEAR
Get 4 large ziploc bags (1-gallon or 2-gallon size), one for each day, plus one small ziploc with 4 dryer sheets.
Put the entire outfit for each day into a separate bag: jersey, shorts, underlayer, socks. If you're particular about what you want to wear on specific days, label the bags and put them in order, with the first days
on top of the pile. Remember to add your red dress and all accessories to the "Day 4" bag!!
Bring one small ziploc with 4 dryer sheets.
Each evening, put the dirty sweaty clothes from that day into the empty ziploc bag from that morning, and throw in one of the dryer sheets - then put bag at the bottom of your cycling clothes pile.
Each night, put the ziploc with the next day's clothes into your sleeping bag - either at your feet, or use it as a pillow. They will be nice and warm in the morning and much more pleasant to put on.
Keep your cycling shoes inside your tent at night (or in a separate, closed bag), otherwise they will also be wet with dew in the morning.
MORNINGS
Put one day's supply of any vitamins or medications you take, a couple of gels and a recovery mix into snack-size ziplocs, and throw one of those packets in with your clothes for each day. That way you won't
have to worry about counting out pills or finding supplement bottles when you're sleepy and grouchy at 6am.
When you put on your clothes in the morning, put the gels and recovery mix in your pocket for later in the day, and take the vitamins/meds to breakfast.
Bring an insulated mug with a lid - coffee, tea or hot chocolate taste much better when they stay hot, and you don't have to worry about the small styrofoam cups being blown over by the wind. You can also fit
a LOT more coffee (or chocolate) into the mug. Store your spork in the mug, so you can find it easily.
All you java fiends, consider yourselves warned: camp coffee is not strong. Consider bringing grounds and an unbreakable press if you must have REAL coffee.
GETTING THERE - For Out of State
Do NOT pack CO2 cartridges in your luggage if you are flying - they are forbidden on planes. Give them to a buddy who is travelling by car, bus or train; or buy them when you get there. Don't even try to
smuggle them on board, either in hand luggage or checked baggage!
Check airlines luggage rules before you leave, and budget for extra charges - many airlines have started charging for a second piece of luggage, for any single piece above 50lbs, or even for "oversize" pieces
(some of the larger duffle bags out there qualify!)
Leave some room in your bag - this will make it easier to repack every night when the contents will have mysteriously expanded, and you'll have space for the extra jersey, tshirt or souvenirs you may want to
acquire on the road or at the camp store