Katie Spotz 9/12/21 Katie Spotz 9/12/21

Ride4Water: The Kit List

Whoever said that it’s “not about the gear” when doing adventures probably had really, really good gear. During my first adventures I learned this firsthand when relying on gear was either secondhand or…

1 minute read

Whoever said that it is “not about the gear” when doing adventures probably had really, really good gear. During my first adventures, I learned firsthand that gear matters after relying on items that were either secondhand or purchased with an on-a-shoestring budget.

Like say, my tent. Usually tents help your ability to get a night of good sleep. But mine? It would constantly collapse on me with every gust of the wind no matter how tightly I hammered those stakes in the ground. I’ve learned what works, mainly, by first learning what does not work.

Ride4Water across Maine was filled with new memories that I am grateful to have shared with you because of social media. Many people who followed along have reached out asking about a full description of most of my kit list for cycle touring. Now that I have had a moment to catch my breath after the Ride4Water journey, I am sharing those details with you in hopes that it helps you on your very own journey!

But, first. A shout out thank you to Backcountry for not only supplying most of my gear needs, but also having Gearheads available 24/7 to help with the making the decisions about what gear would be most suitable. These are most of the items that got me across the state with direct links to view more details.

Bicycle Gear

Brooks England C15 Carved All Weather Saddle

Ortlieb Back-Roller Free Panniers - Lagoon/Black

Reelight CPH Light | Battery Free Bike Lights

Ortlieb Rack-Pack Free 31L - Lagoon/Black

BELL_1765_2_Black_BLK_FrontThumb_1572eaeb-a267-41f0-ba29-78d658be1beb_grande.png — Spurcycle Original Bell

Ortlieb Sport-Roller Free Panniers - Lagoon/Black

f6f06eba-1e98-4aae-932d-1ebb67d1e0b3_1.c08f3cf03aaa9c80bfbccec4ffd5f428.jpeg — Self Defense Pepper Spray

614VNoPlQqL.__AC_SX300_SY300_QL70_FMwebp_.png — Bike tubes 26'' (3)

Park Tool AWS-11 Metric Folding Hex Wrench Set

CAMPING GEAR

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 Bikepack Tent: 1-Person 3-Season

Sea To Summit Traveller TrI Sleeping Bag: 50F Down

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 Bikepack Footprint

Petzl Bindi Ultralight Headlamp, Emerald

Sawyer Permethrin Insect Repellent (for gear)

Sawyer’s Picaridin Insect Repellent (for self)

COOKING

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Soloist II Cook Set

download (1).png — Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter

ELECTRONICS

download (1).jpeg — WIFORT Waterproof Case

Clothing

Backcountry Techleisure Short - Atlantic Deep

Women_s-Double-Century-RTX-Jacket-Front-Plum-2018_1200x.jpeg — Showers Pass Double Century RTX

OOFOS OOahh Luxe Recovery Slide Sandal - White

Goodr OG Polarized Sunglasses - Whiskey Shots with Satan

Copy of Images for Katie (1).png — ATHLETA Shanti Crop Tank Print

Copy of Images for Katie (1) copy.png — ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sport Mesh Bralette - Admiral Blue Monstera/Admiral Blue

ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sport 2.0 Bikini Brief Underwear - Admiral Blue Monstera/Admiral Blue

HYGIENE

Packtowl Ultralite Towel, Beach size, Bloom Noir

192_ClothesLine_02_2048x.progressive.jpg — Sea to Summit Lite Line Clothesline

NUTRITION

Spurcycle Water Bottle - Relish Your Ride

2020-07-09_TW-STARTER_faceout__16547.1600987995.png — Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel

So much for being a self-proclaimed minimalist!

Special thanks to these companies for joining as a supporters and partner for the Ride4Water and the mission behind the miles!

Katie Spotz 12/20/20 Katie Spotz 12/20/20

Hope Knows No Boundaries

Love and hope are powerful feelings. You can fall so in love with a person or place, that you’re no longer the same and…

3 Minute Read

Love and hope are powerful feelings. You can fall so in love with a person or place, that you’re no longer the same and a small piece of you is forever connected, no matter the time or distance apart. Africa had a way of getting into my heart and remaining there to this very day.

When I learned about the global water crisis, I knew I wanted to get involved. After raising $150,000 for clean water projects during my solo across the Atlantic, I was eager to help build and visit the water projects. Fast-forward a year later and I am in Kenya for a month-long trip to visit projects and help build them. It was exciting to see that change was possible and encoring to know that there were solutions with lasting impact.

It was also incredibly overwhelming.

I felt deflated thinking how every one person we helped, there were a hundred or maybe a thousand more we could never reach. I felt more overwhelmed than I felt running 100-miles or covering thousands of miles on the bike. I was running low on hope.

Loud bursts of laughter from a group of children got me out of my head and caught my attention. I was curious to find out the source of joy these children so deeply felt. I just had to find out.

I looked down at the ground to see rusty wire. Dusty bottle caps. Bits of string tied together. Essentially, I looking at what most would consider a pile of trash.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Charles and all his friends would scavenge through the trash, finding any useful bits, and make their very own toys. They weren’t waiting for someone to help them or show them the way. They weren’t wasting a moment to discover joy in what they had in front of them even if it didn’t come in a shiny package.

My heart was so touched by their spirit to take what most would consider to be useless and turn it into something beautiful.

Pain was real, but so was hope.
Hope was not gone but smiling right back at me.
Hope was possible in places & in ways that it didn’t seem to belong.

Remembering them — their laughter, pride, and smiles — always gives me that warm feeling deep within. They helped me see that that there is still light in dark spots, and that, in fact, light shines brightest in the darkest places.

If Charles and his friends can hold onto hope in dark spots, so can I. My hope is that you are encouraged to know, as Charles and his friends so beautifully reminded me, that even if we have nothing left in this world but hope, that is enough.

Thanks to everyone who ordered “Coasters for a Cause”. Most than $1,000 has been raised for a clean water project in Ethiopia thanks to your generous orders. Still holiday shopping? Considering placing an order for handmade up-cycled nautical coaste… — Just like Charles turned trash to treasure, Coasters for a Cause is all about turning up-cycled nautical charts into gifts to buy and share. All proceeds go to a clean water project in Ethiopia. More than $1,000 has been raised for the water project thanks to everyone who ordered Coasters for a Cause.

***Still holiday shopping?*** Consider placing an order for handmade up-cycled nautical coasters with all proceeds helping a project in Ethiopia!

Place order here

PROJECT UPDATE: Preparations are underway for the clean water project in Tanzania that was funded by Run4Water. Here are some things the field team has been working on:

Translating training and community engagement manuals into Swahili.
Introducing the model of “Vision of a Healthy Village” (VHV) to local villages.
Preliminary hardware designs for water points.
Connecting with local churches and religious institutions for support.
Recruiting and hiring more staff on the ground.

I hope you are just as excited as I am to see all the real, sustainable change God has planned for these families!