DownTheRoad.org
The continuous bicycle touring story since 2002
no plans to stop

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The story of how we saved money, quit our jobs, sold our possessions, and set off to bicycle tour and travel around the world

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Continue our Travels

Alaska / Canada / USA
5-3-08 to present
Index to all pages

New Zealand
9-16-07 to 5-2-08
Index to all pages

Australia
9-15-06 to 9 -16 - 07
Index to all pages

SE Asia / China
11-22-04 to 9-15-06
Index to all pages

South America
6-3-03 to 6-17-04
Index to all pages

North & Central America
3-30-02 to 4-17-03
Index to all Pages


*Help Support this Web Site and Continue Our Travels.


Sign up for our RoadNews Newslette.r Written on the road as we travel around the world on our bicycles including free downloadable video links  MORE INFO HERE


Equipment Pages Index

Introduction
How Much to Bring and Weight
Some Advice About Advice
A Note to Perspective Sponsors and Gear Suppliers

START HERE for Touring Bikes and Commuting Bicycles
Bicycle Touring Frames 
The Steel Repair Myth.
Steel and Aluminum Derailleur Hanger Repair.
Bicycle Touring Wheels
Phil Wood: The Best Bicycle Hubs

Panniers / Bike Bags
Cargo Trailers Vs Panniers
Tires for Bike Tours..
Bicycle Touring Saddles.
Cindie's Women's Specific Bike Touring Saddles
Brooks Leather Touring Bicycle Saddle Care and Conditioning
Bike Computer
Touring Handlebars, Bar Ends, Adjustable Stems, and Padded Grips.
Sealed Cartridge Headsets

Camping
Buying Camping Equipment
Tent and Ground Cloth
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad
Camp Stove
Pots and Pans
Water Filter

Clothing
Bike Touring Shorts

Health and First Aide

Electrical
Short-wave Radio
Computer
Internet
mp3

Books
Packing list
Pictures of Equipment Failures
Shopping

We have bicycle toured in Central/South America, Asia, Australia, and Canada

1:39 Min. VIDEO


Bicycle Touring Laos in South East Asia

5:15 min. VIDEO


Where do you work and write as you bicycle tour abroad or travel overseas?

1:17 Min. VIDEO


Australian Radio (ABC) Interview with Cindie Travis
DSC00009.JPG (597482 bytes)
5:01 min. VIDEO


See All Videos Here

Lightweight Bicycle Touring Tent, Trekking, Backpacking, and Camping, Footprints, and Ultra Light Shelters.

Check out REI Outlet Store for Reduced Price Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Camping Mattress

We have owned several tents over the years.  Our tents are always very high quality and designed for hard use.  We do more than camp in a tent; we live in it and call it home.  Our tent takes a real beating and will usually last about two years before needing to be replaced.  The sun fades and deteriorates the fly and eventually you have leaks that can not fix.  The continuous use of the zippers cause them to eventually break.  When we are shopping for a tent there a few things that we like.

Things that we look for when buying a tent

- Two doors or at least we both have access to a door at the same time.  This feature is nice so your partner is not crawling over you in the middle of the night when nature calls.

- Three man tent for two people.  Even though we are just two people we like the extra space inside a three man tent.  This still seems very tight when we have our gear inside.  We sleep with most of our gear inside the tent in order to prevent things from being stolen at night.  When I traveled solo, before I got married, I preferred a two person tent for the extra room.

- Quick pitch. We set up and take down our tent hundreds of times a year.  A tent that is easy and fast is essential.  Even a few seconds will really add up over time.

- Free standing.  There is not always suitable earth to drive stakes into.  Sometimes we even are setting up on someone's driveway, the deck of a ferry boat, or a concrete slab in a campground.  A tent that can not be set up in these types of places is not versatile enough for us.  Versatility is very important in all of our gear on long trips.

- Green, brown, or at least some dark color.  This helps us hide from the road, property owners, curious kids, police, or bandits.  When we are free camping we are basically hiding from the world.  We want a color that does not stick out.  This can be very hard to find in a high quality tent.  It seems like the best tents are meant for serious mountaineering (mountain climbers).  Mountaineers like bright colors, especially yellow, so they can be found in case of an emergency.

- Optional rain fly.  In hot climates we like a tent that can be set up without the rain fly.  This serves to keep out mosquitoes and other bugs while still letting a breeze through.

- Tent repair kit.  Everything falls apart eventually and having all the necessary materials to perform field repairs is important.  Our tents always seem to have problems when we are the furthest from civilization.

Accessories that we like

- Gear loft.  This is a cloth shelf that hangs from the ceiling of the tent.  We put anything that we want to easily find or need in the middle of the night in our gear loft.  We also hang our flashlight from it.

- Battery fan.  This is a little fan that runs on the same rechargeable batteries as our flashlight and shortwave radio.  In hot climates we hang it from the ceiling of our tent and the breeze that it creates keeps us cool and helps us sleep at night.

- Hanging flashlight (torch) lantern  This is a simple idea that we find very useful.  We make sure that one of our flashlights can be hung from the ceiling (gear loft) of our tent.  When this feature is combined with rechargeable batteries we have a good source of light in our tent that we can leave on for hours.  This make the use of a candle or oil lantern unnecessary for us.

- pockets  Most tents nowadays have pockets inside that help organize gear.

Our Favorites Shelters

3 Person Tents (see more)

Our pick for 3 person (Cindie and me) bicycle touring tent
Big Agnes Gore Pass 3 Person Tent

Store pick for best 3 person backpacking tents.
See More 3 Person Tents Ideal for Backpacking and Bicycle Touring


2 Person Tents (see more)

Our pick for the only 2 person bicycle touring tent that actually has enough room for the 2 of us
Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 Person Lightweight Tent

Store pick for best 2 person backpacking tents.
See More 2 Person Tents Ideal for Backpacking and Bicycle Touring


1 Person solo tents (see more)

If I was traveling alone this is the best 1 person tent I have seen from the hundreds I have checked out in campgrounds we have stayed in.
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 Ultralight Person Tent

Store pick for best 1 person solo backpacking tents.
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 1 Person Ultralight Person Tent


Big Agnes Gore Pass 3 Footprint

Click to Purchase Big Agnes Gore Pass 3 Footprint

Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 Footprint

Click to Purchase Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 Footprint

Big Agnes Seedhouse SuperLight 1 Person Footprint

Click to Purchase Big Agnes Seedhouse SuperLight 1Person Footprint


Check out REI Outlet Store for Reduced Price Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Camping Mattress

 

 

 

 

 

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Book, Video, and Software Store


Bicycling !
- World Bicycle Travel Books and Videos
- Famous Bike Movies
- Bike Racing
- Cycling History and Bike Culture
- Bicycle Mechanics

Around the World Budget Travel
-Backpacking
-Dangerous Places
-Work Your Way Around the World

Arizona
- General Information for Arizona
-
Apache Indians
-
Ghost Towns in Arizona
-
The Lost Dutchman Mine
-
Hiking, Backpacking, and Trekking in Arizona
- Biking in Arizona
- Prescott Arizona

Mexico
- General Information About Mexico
- Mexico City Information
- Mexican Archaeological Sites and Ruins
-
Maps of Mexico and Mexican States
-
Movies
-
Chiapas
-
Copper Canyon and the Tarahumara Indians
- Learning Spanish
- Miscellaneous

Central America
- Guatemala
- El Salvador
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Costa Rica
- Panama

South America
- General Information
- Inca Archeological Sites, Ruins, and Culture
- Ecuador
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Argentina

Southeast Asia / China
- General Information
- Thailand
- Cambodia and Angkor Wat
- Vietnam
- China

- Hong Kong
- Silk Road
- Malaysia
- Singapore
- Indonesia

Languages
- Learning Spanish
-
Learning English

Equipment
-
Computer and Software
-
Shortwave Radio

- Mp3
-
Miscellaneous

Finances
-
How to Save Money
-
How to Invest
-
Newspapers and Magazines

Future Destinations
-
-
Other

Book and Photo Picture Publishing / Selling
- Book Publishing / Selling
- Photo and Picture Publishing and Selling

Miscellaneous
- Birding
-
Books We Read For Pleasure
-
DVDs that We Carry
-
How to Make Movies

- Herbs, Massage and the Natural Healing Arts
-
RV Repair and Service

 


Amazon USA


Amazon UK


Amazon Canada

More Shopping Here

 


Our 3rd Book
Down The Road in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam

A Bicycle Tour Through War, Genocide and Forgiveness

Our 2nd book
Down The Road in South America

A bicycle tour through poverty, paradise, and the places in between.

Our 1st book
The Road That Has No End

How we traded our ordinary lives for a global bicycle touring adventure.

Printed Soft Cover
(Ships Internationally)

mp3 Audio Book
 Download
Hear First Chapter NOW

PDF eBook
 Download


Cycle Touring Racks: Why chromoly steel is best.



Heavy Duty Travel Tested
Sealed Cartridge Hubs.

Take a look at the strongest hubs built specifically for touring


What years on the road have taught us about bikes.

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