Bike Commute Checklist

It's seems like every time I take a break from bike commuting--even if it's just for a few days--I get "out" of the habit of packing the things I need for my commute. D suggested that I make a packing checklist to help avoid yet another potentially embarrassing day (like the time I forgot an undershirt for my cutout blouse and had to go around in a cardigan and hope nobody noticed).

At the bottom of the page (after the cut), my checklist in categories. The main category is for things that go in my bag, broken up into subcategories such as clothes and toiletries. I also included the "on my person" and "on my bike" categories because I have actually managed to leave these things at home. In fact, I've forgotten most of the things on this list at one point or another since I started bike commuting (going back to Cleveland). Anyway, I started this list a couple of weeks ago, and I've used it several times since to good effect--no wardrobe or bike mishaps in that time. One thing my list is currently missing: a small bike pump, which I hope to acquire soon. (Got a bike pump last fall! It's pretty cool, but I hope never to have to use it.)

Amazingly, everything fits into my Brompton O bag, even when I bring extra items like a bag of coffee beans (though I did put extenders on the front straps to enable carrying more bulk).

Bike and O bag tucked into a corner in the locker room
(ignore the black backpack on the right, that's not mine)

Of course, making this bike commute checklist didn't do much to help me in my car commute today. I got all the way to lunchtime until I realized that I had forgotten my wallet. At least I've never forgotten that while riding my bike!

commutercharli's categorized commuting checklist

In My Bag
Work clothes and shoes	Underwear (bra, pants)
	Top (plus undershirt if necessary)
	Bottoms (plus tights in winter, shapewear if necessary)
	Informal shoes (for extended walking while at the office)
	Formal shoes (if no matching shoes left at office)
Toiletries and health	Shampoo (make sure bottle is filled)
	Conditioner (make sure bottle is filled)
	Face soap
	Face lotion
	Deodorant
	Hairbrush and hair ties
	Razor and shaving cream (if necessary)
	Feminine hygiene products (if necessary)
	Pill bottle (with Tylenol, allergy meds)
Everyday necessary items	Wallet
	Work ID and Metro pass
	Phone
	Keys
Other	Book
	Earbuds
	Armband for phone (for workout)
Rain-related gear	Raincoat
	Contacts
On My Bike
Front lights	Flashlight (on handlebars)
	Headlamp (on helmet, if necessary)
Rear lights	PDW light (on seat post)
	Halo belt (if necessary)
Bike protection and repair	Seat cover
	Toolkit (with bike pump, tire levers, hex wrenches, patch kit, extra batteries for lights)
	Spare inner tube
On My Person
Ankle band
Helmet (normal or hot weather)

Observation (not bike-related): Blogging is sometimes an exercise in reminding myself how to manually code HTML.

Edited to add: Spare inner tube! @MacBike pointed out the spare tube oversight, and has some great tips on how to keep tools literally in your Brompton. Plus I decided to add actual checkboxes, to make this list functional (for me, anyway).