Okay, it’s getting much closer to being official. I ended up buying a bunch of gear I didn’t have in preparation for RAGBRAI. Let’s see….
- Therm-a-Rest Trail Pro Sleeping Pad
- Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow
- Therm-a-Rest Trekker Lounge Chair
- Therm-a-Rest Fast And Light Repair Kit
- Marmot Mavericks 50 Semi Rec Sleeping Bag
You’ll note there’s sort of a theme going on there. The reason is that Therm-A-Rest comes recommended. Not by me of course, I have no clue. But here’s what the Porkers say:
Thermarest Pads
Rather than an air mattress, we strongly recommend that you bring a Thermarest pad. You’ve been there. First you’re in heaven, stretched out on your air mattress, and then your butt slowly eases onto the ground. Then your shoulder blades touch, then your whole back, and pretty soon the dang thing is flat. Not so with the Thermarest pad. It’s more compact than an air mattress, more durable, and it puts three cushy inches between you and the ground. By Tuesday of RAGBRAI, we start finding air mattresses stuffed into trash barrels. Save them to use on plush carpet for your houseguests. For the rigors of RAGBRAI, you need a Thermarest pad.
In truth it’s all sort of a gamble. I’m not a big camping guy, though I have enjoyed my time out at Malaekahana with my Hennessey Hammock, as when I rode the JBK Haleiwa Metric Century last year. It’s coming up again in April but sadly (or not depending on your perspective, I’ll be on Kauai).
I don’t have to worry about the tent or the towel as Pork Belly Ventures is taking care of that end of things. I’ll bring a towel anyway because…well you know why.
What’s left is to buy a duffel to put this all in along with some clothes. Clothing will be fairly minimal as well as it is, after all, July in Iowa. There shouldn’t be more than one or two snowstorms, though hail and tornadoes are always possible. Basically a couple of pairs of shorts, a few things for under that, a long sleeve shirt, a couple of short sleeve shirts, a pair of sandals, and a sweat shirt of the odd cool evening. All in all, not much. Actually the bulkiest stuff will probably be whatever I wear on the plane.
I’m thinking of getting a few things from RailRiders. I’ve already got a couple of their Eco-Mesh shirts, bought on sale I might add, not at their regularly scheduled price. The things a really are great. Their clothes aren’t natural fiber, but they do have the advantage of being quite indestructible, drying very quickly, being comfortable, and folding up into tiny little bundles. Perfect for this I should think.
Anyway, that’s where I am on the RAGBRAI planning.
Oh yeah, I guess I could add that Amazon wouldn’t ship a Therm-A-Rest bed pad to me here in Hawaii. They didn’t really give a reason save to say it could either be a security risk to ship “overseas” or it was just too big. I’m sort of hoping they really think I’ll use a bed bad to compromise security, but I suspect they measured it all laid out and decided it was too big. Of course if you fold it up, as one would carry it, it’s quite a bit smaller. Go figure.
Aloha!