The Gear
While some of my gear changed over the course of the trip, below is a list of what I started with. I mounted as much as I could to the unicycle itself and carried the rest in a backpack.
| Item | Weight | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHELTER | 1.6 lb | 0.73 kg total | ||
| Tarp | 8.0 oz | 227g | YAMA Mountain Gear 1P Cirriform DCF Tarp | |
| Inner | 10.2 oz | 289g | YAMA Mountain Gear 1P Bug Shelter | |
| Stakes | 2.7 oz | 77g | 8 x 6″ Easton Nano Aluminum Stakes | |
| Guyline | 1.1 oz | 31g | ||
| Tent poles | 3.2 oz | 91g | Easton Nanolite Aluminum Pole Set | |
| SLEEP SYSTEM | 1.9 lb | 0.86 kg | ||
| Sleeping Bag | 24.4 oz | | Western Mountaineering Ultralight – 20 degF | |
| Sleeping Pad | 6.1 oz | | Klymit Inertia X Frame 1/2 Length | |
| WATER | 1.2 lb | 0.5 kg | ||
| Water Filter | 3.3 oz | 94g | Platypus Gravity Works Filter Element (wet weight) | |
| Input Hose | 0.6 oz | 17g | Platypus Gravity Works Kit | |
| Output Hose | 2.3 oz | 65g | Platypus Gravity Works Kit | |
| 4L Dirty Bladder | 3.0 oz | 85g | Platypus Gravity Works Reservoir | |
| 4L Clean Bladder | 2.4 oz | 68g | ||
| 2L Clean Bladder w/hose | 2.4 oz | 68g | Platypus 2 Liter Bag with hose & bite valve | |
| 1L Plastic Bottle | 1.9 oz | 54g | Sports drink type bottle | |
| 1L Plastic Bottle | 1.9 oz | 54g | Sports drink type bottle | |
| PACKING (ON MY BACK) | 1.4 lb | 0.64 kg | ||
| Backpack | 21.5 oz | 610g | ULA CDT Backpack | |
| Dry bag for Sleeping Bag | 0.9 oz | YAMA DCF Dry bag | |
| Stuff sack for Tent (fly) | 0.1 oz | YAMA DCF Sack | |
| Stuff sack for Tent (inner) | 0.1 oz | YAMA Silnylon Sack | |
| Stuff sack for sleeping pad | 0.1 oz | Silnylon sack | |
| Stuff sack for clothing | 0.2 oz | YAMA DCF Sack | |
| Stuff sack for toiletries | 0.1 oz | YAMA DCF Sack | |
| Stuff sack for tent stakes | 0.1 oz | YAMA DCF Sack | |
| PACKING (ON THE UNICYCLE) | 0.7 lb | 0.32 kg | I tried various approaches throughout the trip. Added a Revelate seat pack in Salida, CO which worked well. | |
| Support pole | 2.0 oz | 57g | Extra tent pole | To provide support/structure for ‘seat pack.’ Didn’t last long. |
| Front frame bag | 2.7 oz | 77g | 4L bag | Usually had a 4L water bag in it. |
| Rear frame bag | 2.0 oz | 57g | 2L bag | |
| Rear frame bag | 4.1 oz | 116g | 6L Roll top bag | |
| Water bottle cage | 0.4 oz | 11g | ||
| CLOTHING WORN | 2.4 lb | 1.09 kg | This is clothing that I’d typically always be wearing rather than carrying. | |
| Socks | 1.3 oz | 37g | Asics Hydrology low cut | |
| Bib shorts | 6.2 oz | 176g | Castelli Body Paint Bib Short | |
| Bike jersey | 5.6 oz | 159g | Pearl Izumi Select Series | |
| Sunglasses | 0.7 oz | 20g | Suncloud | |
| Shoes | 14 oz | 397g | Pearl Izumi Streak II | |
| Helmet | 10.7 oz | 303g | Lazer | |
| CLOTHING CARRIED | 2.4 lb | 1.09 kg | This is supplemental or duplicate clothing that would be packed away when not needed. | |
| Insulative jacket | 9.2 oz | 261g | Patagonia Nano Puff Pull Over | |
| Hard shell jacket | 9 oz | 255g | Mountain Hardwear Quark | |
| Hard shell pant | 6.8 oz | 193g | Montane Atomic DT | |
| Socks | 1.3 oz | 37g | Asics Hydrology low cut | |
| Camp socks | 2.6 oz | 74g | Thorlos | |
| Leg warmers | 4.9 oz | 139g | Specialized | |
| Camp bottom | 3.1 oz | 88g | Silk long johns | |
| Camp top | 3.7 oz | 105g | Silk long sleeve turtleneck | |
| Long sleeve base layer | 5.4 oz | 153g | Craft | |
| Long sleeve top | REI Fleece | Added last minute while en route to Banff | |
| Glove liner | — | None | Used crash gear glove below |
| Courtesy shorts | 3.2 oz | 91g | Under Armour running shorts | |
| Camp shoes | 3 oz | 85g | TBD | |
| Hat | 1 oz | 28g | The Mouse Works fleece balaclava | |
| CRASH GEAR | 2.0 lb | 0.92 kg | I would start with these items and then ditch them as my unicycling confidence increased. | |
| Gloves w/wrist protection | 5.7 oz | 162g | Kris Holm glove | |
| Knee & Shin Armor | 19.4 oz | 550g | Six Six One | |
| Elbow Armor | 7.4 oz | 210g | Six Six One | |
| KITCHEN | 0.5 lb | 0.32 kg | ||
| Stove | 2.5 oz | 71g | SOTO Micro Regulator | I swapped this out for a DIY alcohol stove that I would end up making when I entered the US. |
| Cook pot | 4.4 oz | 125g | MSR Titan Titanium | |
| Spoon | 0.6 oz | 17g | REI Long handle titanium spoon | |
| Pot grabber | 0.5 oz | 14g | GSI | |
| OTHER | 1.7 lb | 0.76 kg | ||
| Whistle | 0.3 oz | 9g | AMC (courtesy of Madison Hut) | |
| Multitool | 2 oz | 57g | Leatherman Squirt PS4 | |
| Allen wrenches | 2.3 oz | 65g | Specialized | |
| Tire Lever | 1.5 oz | 43g | Pedros (2) | |
| Patch kit | 0.1 oz | 3g | Park Tool Super Patch | |
| Pump | 4.8 oz | 136g | Mini pump | |
| Spare tube | |||
| Map | 1.5 oz | 43g | ||
| Headlamp | 3.1 oz | 88g | Petzl Tikka XP | |
| Secondary light | — | Use iphone or rear blink | |
| First aid kit | 3 oz | 85g | TBD | |
| Emergency beacon | 4.1 oz | 116g | SPOT | |
| Toiletries | 4 oz | 113g | ||
| ELECTRONICS | 3.7 lb | 1.68 kg | ||
| Camera body | 8.6 oz | 244g | Nikon 1 J1 | |
| Camera battery | 1.5 oz | 43g | ||
| Lens | 3.2 oz | 91g | 10mm | |
| Lens | 4.6 oz | 130g | 10-30mm | |
| Lens | 6.8 oz | 193g | 30-110mm | |
| Camera charger | 2.9 oz | 82g | ||
| Camera strap | 0.1 oz | 3g | ||
| Camera bag (for camera) | 2.2 oz | 62g | ||
| Camera bag (for lenses) | 1.5 oz | 43g | ||
| Video camera | 6 oz | 170g | GoPro Hero 2 | |
| Handlebar mount | 2.5 oz | 71g | ||
| Tripod mount | 0.3 oz | 9g | ||
| USB adapter | 0.8 oz | 23g | ||
| USB cable | 1.9 oz | 54g | ||
| Phone | 4.9 oz | 139g | ||
| Phone charger | |||
| Solar charger | 8.6 oz | 244g | Suntactics | |
| Tripod | 2.7 oz | 77g | ||
| UNICYCLE | 17.2 lb | 7.80 kg | ||
| Unicycle | Nimbus Oregon Frame with 29” wheel | ||
| ‘Handlebar’ | Nimbus Shadow HandleBar | ||
| Brake | Bengal w/ 203mm rotor | Ended up swapping to Shimano pretty early on. | |