LMCT-What I carried

Fully loaded after our first night on the road!

One of the challenges with bike tours is similar to that of backpacking-How much stuff do I take?  As I considered what to take and what to leave behind I was influenced by this guy.  In some cases, for example leaving the main tent with mosquito netting at home, I may have over done it although we really only had two nights where mosquitoes were a problem (plus another night where they certainly would have been a problem had we camped).  In other cases, leaving multiple sets of clothing at home and washing the one set of bicycling clothes each night for example, I'm sure I saved weight.  This was weight I didn't have to lug around for two weeks.   Here's what you see (right to left):

1. On the handlebars-homemade sleeping quilt; fleece liner; and bivy sack good to break the wind and keep things cleaner.  These items are packed in an eVent compression sack from Sea to Summit.  This dry bag performed flawlessly.
2. Top tube wedge pack from Topeak..  I kept lip balm, sunscreen, reading glasses,  hand cleaner, and a Leatherman Micro in it.  It wasn't quite large enough to get my I-phone in there.  I kept the phone in one of the back pockets of my cycling jersey in a LokSac.
3. Only one water bottle
4. On top of the rear rack (in the red bag).  Big Agnes 3-person tent, footprint and rain fly only, plus stakes and line.  Steve is carrying the poles.
5. Pannier #1 (panniers are Ortleib Back Roller Plus)-Cooking stuff (one 1.5L titanium pot with lid; homemade pot cozy; MSR Pocket Rocket with fuel canister; spoon; cup; pot scrubber; lighter); Food (usually no more than two days worth); flip flops (my only other shoes); Raincoat; bike tool kit; First aid; and extra tire tube.
6. Pannier #2-Clothes (1-pr. underwear brief; 1-pr. long underwear for sleep; nylon pants; fleece vest; long sleeve synthetic shirt also for sleep; 1-pair cycling socks; fleece gloves; 2-stocking caps-one for sleep and one for cooler weather); Big Agnes Air Core Mattress-mummy style; Nylon stuff sack with toiletries; head lamp; bug spray; chamois butter (don't' ask!); PackTowel;  and charging cord for phone.
7. On body-Helmet; short sleeve nylon shirt; Buck's Bicycle Shop jersey; arm warmers; Headsweats skullcap; Pearl Izumi cycling shorts; wool/synthetic blend socks;  Shimano mountain bike shoes with SPD cleats.  In my jersey pockets-Pearl Izumi lightweight shell( my most valuable article of clothing!); cell phone; money; credit card; and health insurance cards in the Loksac.  Sunglasses.  Ironman spenco cycling gloves.  
8. Blinkie!

That's about it.  This was good for the range of temperatures and conditions we encountered during our trip.  I was prepared to add my sleep attire to my riding dress if it was colder than about 45-50 degrees during the day.  I used every piece of clothing except my gloves and could have put them on during a cold rain on the road to Green Bay.  All of our cooking was basically boil water; add ingredients; let sit in the pot cozy cooking.  Our meals were fairly bland but calorie rich.

A couple of things I didn't have that I'd take next time: A be-seen headlight; and a better rain coat (mine is a Bellweather rain coat I got on sale at REI, it didn't stand up to the constant rains we experienced although it was windproof so it provided warmth); a big baggie to use to do laundry; and a can opener!

From: Stephen Arndt
How about a P38 can opener? Light weight, but need to test before taking on trip.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=can+opener+p38