Reply to Helpful tips for my famuly

Hi there my boyfriend and I and our 11 year old son are looking to do the whole trail with an average of 40-50 miles per day and we need your help. We want to pack as minimal as possible while still having the things we need and don't want to spend a fortune just to sleep at night. Any help is appreciated while we plan our trip.

1) Thinking of May or June...what is the better month?

2) What are your must haves for food/drink etc?

3? Favorite brand of saddle and/or bike shorts?

4) What food travels best? We are thinking of once we leave each morning of just having snack food along the way and our dinner when we stop to rest.

5) Tools/accessories that are a must?

6) Best places to rest for the night in/near Marthasville, Rochport, Sedalia, Clinton that are not crazy high priced?

7) Any other tips/advice you have...

We appreciate it very much!

We will be riding the trail in four weeks. But we have ridden multiple long trails and here are some of my answers:

If you want to save money, buy bike liners/cycling underwear to wear under normal athletic shorts. Maybe not as nice as bike shorts but at $20/pair a lot cheaper.

We take a Mio Sport additive for water. There are a bunch of other ones but a little flavor is nice and electrolites are nice. We normally carry two bike bottles on the frames and 1-2 liter bottles in the panniers to get us from point to point on hot days.

Carry a good first aid kit. I carry a backwoods version which is a little more complete for if you are in the middle of nowhere. At my age I supplement it with lots of Advil.

Tire levers and several spare tubes. We also carry a patch kit but changing out the tube is easier. Have a pump. Folding bike tool. We debate carrying a folding tire. We do not carry an extra spoke but some do.

Backpacking hint: Clothes in plastic ziplocks keep them dry

Snacks are an assortment of powerbars. Trail mix is good also. I like a long stop for lunch to recover from the morning where we usually ride 60-70 of the day's miles.

Battery packs to recharge phones, headphones, lights, etc. on long days.

I used AirBnB for reservations along with this site's recommendations. Use "bunk houses" to save money and it can be fun. Sometimes the rougher places are the more memorable. I didn't find the prices along the trail all that bad. Just make sure they are easy to get to, I remember staying at the top of the hill in Harper's Ferry... I will post my review of housing after our ride.

40-50 miles a day on the Katy might be like doing 55-70 on a flat, smooth surface. Is your son up to that level for multiple days? May and June are about the same, but you are likely to run into more people on the trail in June (one of the big annual rides is in June). Dry, room-temp foods travel best. My philosophy is to "rough it" during the day with protein bars and jerky, and then to have a nice dinner.

Thank you Jack. All of your tips are very much appreciated!!!


BikerBoy we ride a lot but are def working him up to that point. We plan to do a few shorter trips...1 and 2 days then work up to that point but are wanting to. I meant to say April or June...didn't know if April would be too much of a risk for rain. Also thinking maybe October. I was thinking the same concept as far as roughing it during the day with protein, jerky etc and a good dinner at night. We fish a lot as well so we do the same thing in that aspect. Appreciate the tips.

All of this is just my opinion, so take it all however you like.

Make sure to do some 2 day trips to see if you're even having fun. Enjoying a 20 mile ride, and riding 50 miles on gravel with 30 pounds of gear on back-to-back days are very very different concepts, no matter how similar they may seem.

The only bunkhouse/hostel I know of is in Tebbetts. You'll need to either camp or get a BnB everywhere else. We got BnBs , because if you camp and get bad sleep, the next day will be really bad. But, the BnBs are pretty pricey, in my opinion.

Riding 50 miles a day on gravel will require real food, and plenty of it. It's not the same as fishing. Some people love PowerBars and trail mix and can eat huge amounts of it every day, but I'm a big fan of getting off the bike, having real food, and recharging myself. Bagels, tortillas, peanut butter, salami, cheese, boiled eggs, dried fruit, can seem enough like real food to keep you from burning out. If one of you gets tired of the food and stops eating enough, you are on the fast train to Bonkville, and that's a bad place for a riding family to be.

Drink lots of calories. Kool-aid travels well.

Having three of you, and one being smaller, you might think about pulling a trailer for your stuff. Making the strongest rider pull the trailer helps prevent him/her from giving the others a beatdown.

The best saddle is the one that fits your rear. Very individual. My wife uses a saddle that most "real cyclists" say is terrible, but she outrides most of them, so we don't care too much what they say.

April is nice weather, unless it rains. And the plants are all blooming, and it's really pretty.

Bring a really good multitool, a patch kit, a pump, and three spare tubes. But have a plan for what to do if something more major happens, like a broken chain or derailleur.

If you can all stay fed and rested and don't try too many miles, you are going to have a really really great time, and make amazing memories.

October is the best month for the trail. No bugs, minimal tourist, easier to find a camp ground.