Selecting the appropriate gear for the trip has been a much more complicated and taxing ordeal than I originally anticipated. I thought mapping out my route was hard, but this is crazy! There are so many big companies offering up the best of the best mountaineering and extreme weather technical clothing, it's making it difficult to decide what will work best for my applications. All the cycling equipment was a relatively straightforward hunt, since my cycling background lends me a lot of insight as to what I need, like the BOB Yak trailer, Surly LHT frame, and the rest of the hardware I already had from previous bike builds. Though, it would seem that there are currently no companies who produce a visor-equipped, full-face road cycling helmet that isn't designed in the moto-X style. I would have thought there would be other motorcyclists-turned-bicyclists who longed for the security and protection afforded to them by a standard full faced moto helmet, but simply without all that excess weight.
Even simply selecting a good waterproof hardshell jacket has been tough. Naturally, one is drawn to proven names like Marmot, The North Face, Arc'Teryx, and Columbia, but even then, their ranges are so expansive that it's been confusing to not be able to touch and physically interact with the products. Looks like I might be needing to make a trip to the nearest REI when I get further north, AFTER the trip has already begun...Eek...
