Tarptents are the perfect shelter for lightweight travel. Weighing about 2 pounds, these shelters are also excellently ventilated,and provide great storm and bug protection. David used a Tarptent Rainbow (shown above) for the entire 22 months of his journey, surviving storms from California to Patagonia. There is no better lightweight shelter.

 
  Mike's Bikes of Palo Alto provided David with discounts and built him a rear wheel for his bike, which, over the course of 17 months to Patagonia, never once broke a spoke or went out of true.

The South American Explorers Club provides an excellent resource for travelers in South America. David visited the SAE's clubhouses in Lima, Cusco, and, Buenos Aires. The clubhouses, with many books, travel reports, and knowledgeble staff, are an excelent place to get information about the trail ahead. (They also let members store items at the clubhouse, which can be very useful.)

While biking in the tropics, David used chaco sandals as his only pair of footwear. Sturdy enough to bike in and hike in, but comfotable and well ventilated, allowing David to travel light.

 
  Clif Bar, the only privately owned organic energy bar company, supplied David with Clif Bars for the first leg of his travels. Clif Bar has excellent policies on climate change, including investing in renewable energies as well as their start global cooling campaign.