Gear List for Enigma’s Odyssey: An Eight Month Bike Ride Across the US

In late January 2023, I left on an eight-and-a-half month cycling odyssey across the US on my bicycle, Enigma.

I pedaled south out of San Francisco, rode down the Pacific Coast, and cut across the mountains into the deserts of southeastern California. In the desert I spent two months doing short trips and camping in and around Anza Borrego State Park.

In late spring I continued east toward Tucson, Arizona, where I took the Chihuahuan Connector to the southern terminus of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in Antelope Wells, New Mexico.

Then I pedaled north on the Great Divide to Calgary, Canada. I took a few detours along the way, including one to Denver and another to Missoula.

Route Planning and Navigation

These are the three official routes I used:

The Pacific Coast Bike Route

The Chihuahuan Connector

The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

I connected the one major gap between The Pacific Coast Route and the Chihuahuan Connector by navigating with Ride with GPS. Other useful navigational apps included: The Adventure Cycling Navigator, Gaia, Maps.me, and Google Maps.

You can read more about my wayward route planning philosophy and download a free planning tool through my Adventure Cycling article, “This Winter, Plan Your Dream Bike Trip”. (I wrote the article shortly before leaving on this trip, so…it worked!)

Landscapes and Climate

Engima’s Odyssey took me through forests, grasslands, deserts, and mountains on some of America’s most beautiful and remote backroads. I had to be ready for rain, snow, wind, blistering heat, and extreme temperature changes. Road surfaces ranged from paved roads to rocky trails. About 2/3 of the total route was unpaved.

My style of riding was slow and fun, with an emphasis on extended off-grid camping on public lands. I camped more than 95% of the time. My gear choices reflected my need for long term off-grid living in diverse climates.

I also worked remotely along the way, so my gear list includes all the items I used for remote work. To read more about how I work from the road, please see my essay, Will Work From Bike.

As the seasons and landscapes changed, so did my gear. When it got colder, I added warmer clothes. Other items were lost, broke, or had to be mended or replaced. The following gear list represents the gear that I used for most of the journey and/or that I found to be most useful.

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments!

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Enigma’s Odyssey Gear List

Bike and Accessories

Kona Sutra ULTD (Now rebranded as the Kona Sutra LTD. This bike is great for off-road travel. The limited gearing is ideal for a lighter, more aggressive riding style. I go heavy and slow and it worked fine, but I would have preferred more gearing options. That said, I genuinely loved my time on this bike.)

Blackburn Outpost Cargo Water Bottle Cages (These were super useful but the metal did wear down over time where it rubbed against the bottles.)

Generic Rear Rack (This rack did break in several places. I “fixed it” with zip ties.)

Race Face Chester Pedals

Selle Anatomica X2 Saddle

Bike Bags

Revelate Designs Ranger Frame Bag (Great bag, burly zipper, loved it! I used a size large frame bag with my 54 cm Kona Sutra ULTD)

Sea to Summit Lightweight Dry Sack (I used this inside the frame bag for waterproofing.)

Revelate Designs Gas Tank (The Gas Tank was eaten by a squirrel, so I eventually replaced it with a Revelate Designs Mag Tank. Both worked great!)

Revelate Designs Harness (I loved using this harness with the Bear Vault canister! Very sturdy and versatile. I wrote this review for Gear Junkie.)

Revelate Designs Egress (A useful addition to the harness. I used this at the very end of my trip.)

San Util Covert Hip Pack (Loved this hip pack!! Very comfy.)

San Util Stem Bag (Worked great.)

Ortlieb Panniers (These are still kicking after 15 years of rugged use!)

Camping/Sleeping

ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 tent (An economical, rugged tent. This one lasted eight years of extreme use until the zipper broke at the end of this trip. RIP my beloved ALPS Lynx!)

Thermarest Prolite size small (Still kicking after many years of use.)

Foam Thermarest cut to core size (Incredibly useful in the desert. I use this under my inflatable pad. It provides extra warmth and *some* protection against punctures.)

Kelty -15 Degree Down Sleeping Bag (This bag is ancient but still works great.)

Biolite 750 Headlamp (Doubled as front and rear bike lights for occasional night riding.)

Bear Spray

Cooking, Food, Water

MSR 10 Liter Dromedary Bag (Extremely useful for desert camping!)

2 1.5 Liter Nalgene Water Bottles

Solo Stove Lite (My absolute favorite stove. I wrote a review for Adventure Cycling.)

Solo Stove 900 Pot

1 Lighter

Montbell Alpine .5 Liter Thermos (I never leave on a trip without this thermos for morning coffee. Read how I do that in this article.)

Titanium Long Handled Spoon

Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter (Still my favorite filter. Unfortunately the bags are prone to ripping, so I do carry an extra.)

BV500 Bearvault Bear Canister (This canister gave me so much freedom and security while wild camping in bear country! Also doubled as a desk, a chair, a food cache, a drum, and a bucket.)

Clothing (I get a lot of my clothes from thrift stores.)

Bedrock Sandals (Great for walking, riding, and around camp.)

Lightweight Hiking Boots (for both riding and hiking)

Merino Riding Socks

Alpaca Socks for sleeping

1 Showers Pass Merino T-shirt

1 Spandex Leggings

1 Long Fleece Pants

VOORMI Long Sleeve Baselayer (My favorite baselayer!)

1 Mid-weight Fleece

1 Down Jacket

1 light, Insulated Jacket