Since December 31st, 2013, I feel like I’ve been everywhere but home. I have revisited some of my favorite places and experienced new cultures as well. In an eight week period, I was in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Basque Region (Spain), France, Japan, and the UK (London). That’s almost one country per week. With all the travel, I’ve become quite proficient at packing my bags for travel and racing.
When I pack for a triathlon, I carry on the essentials for the race: Trivent cycling shoes, Noosa Fast racing flats, ASICS training shoes, ROKA race suit, wetsuit, one pair of run clothes, swimming cap, goggles, training swimsuit, my computer and phones, ear buds, water bottle, book, and some chocolate. I also tend to pack food for the trip, as airport food is expensive and often it is hard to find what I like to eat. Lately, Patrick has made a rice dish and we carry it on in Tupperware to eat throughout our journey. I always wear compression socks, pants that are comfortable, a shirt, and a jacket with zip pockets (that will fit my passport and phone for easy access) for travel.
The rest of my packing list includes:
Swim Gear:
- 2-3 ROKA race suits
- Training swimsuit
- 2 ROKA wetsuits
- 2 ROKA swim caps and 2-3 goggles
- Swim bands
- Tempo trainer/aqua pacer
- Oil/Vaseline
- Amphibia sport ring protector
- Mobile Warming Gear jacket and batteries
Cycling Gear:
- 2 Specialized Amira bicycles
- Specialized Evade helmet, custom Red Bull
- Tools for the bikes: hex keys, cassette removal tool, tire pressure gauge, electrical tape, tubes, scissors, spare Specialized tubular tire, rags
- Motorex: dry lube, bike clean, and easy clean degreaser
- Specialized air tool compak bike pump
- Rubber bands
- 4 water bottles
- Race Wheels: tubular HED Stingers and tubular HED Ardennes
- Training wheels: HED Ardennes
- 2-4 Silver Edition Red Bull
- SportCrafters travel trainer in it’s carrying case
- 2 cycling socks
- USAT/Specialized cycling kit: 2 bib shorts, 1 short sleeve jersey, 1 long sleeve jersey, arm warmers, leg warmers, knee warmers, booties, rain coat, and vest
- Specialized S-Works Trivent shoe
- Specialized S-Works road shoe
- SRM head unit
- Oakley Radar Sunglasses
Run Gear:
- ASICS DS Trainer
- ASICS Noosa Fast
- 3-4 pairs of running shorts
- 3-4 running T-shirts
- 2 pairs of running tights
- 5-6 pairs of running socks
- 5-6 sports bras
- 2 long sleeve running tops
- Gloves and hat/headband
- Garmin 910 XT
Other Clothing:
- One pair of jeans
- One nice top
- USAT and Specialized polo shirt
- Underwear
- ASICS Tiger shoes
- Project Clothing compression wear (tights, ¾ tights, long sleeve top)
- Jacket with pockets to keep warm
- Oakley Holbrook sunglasses
- Red Bull hat
Toiletries:
- Iron pills
- Toothbrush/paste/floss
- Hair ties
- Nail clippers
- Razor
- Do Naturals travel pack (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and sunscreen)
Miscellaneous:
- A book to read
- My training journal
- Calendar/planner
- Itinerary and any other necessary information (hotel address, phone numbers, etc.)
- Computer, iPhone, iPad, foreign phone, external hard drive, ear buds, and chargers
- Passport and wallet (with money and credit cards)
- Travel rice cooker
- Travel pillow
This may seem like a lot of items, however we pack to be prepared for anything. We train for all conditions, so it is only logical to also pack for all conditions (just in case!) Let me know if you have any questions on why I may use/pack an item – I would love to hear from you.
HED Ardennes tubulars are for the rain. HED Stinger 4's are for other conditions.
My Amira with Di2 is my primary race bike. My Amira with DuraAce mechanical is my spare bike.
My favorite tool is my Specialized Compak floor pump, which comes with an awesome travel case (pictured above).
The SportCrafters travel trainer has made bringing a trainer easy and convenient. I also travel with a travel rice cooker, for Patrick to cook meals in the hotel room in necessary.
This is a picture of the stuff I pack. I always wonder how it will all fit in one bag.
I always use the bed to organize and pack.
Close up of my carry-on items.
Thankfully, it all fit into my bags!