I looked up my gear list from 1976 when we rode from Washington Dc to Seattle. Here it is, in no particular order:

10 speed Caravelle bike with 2 saddle bag panniers and rat trap carrier on back and a small handle bar bag on front. Also had a 5 foot fiberglass pole and flag on back to make me more visible.

waterproof front bag cover, poncho, rain chaps, bug repellent, knife, flashlight, extra batteries & bulbs, whistle, food and vitamin pills, cup and spoon, toiletries and meds

Tools = brake and shift cables, tire irons, patch kit, freewheel tool, visegrips, 6" crescent wrench, scissors, bearings, misc nuts and bolts, 2 brake pads, cotter pins, brake springs, matches, pressure guage, toothbrush for cleaning, felt tip pen, grease, big and small screwdrivers, tire boot from tennis shoe, chain tool, spoke wrench, extra spokes, pump, lock and cable, spare key to lock, spare tire, bungi cords, nylon shopping bag

bear hang cord, can opener, coins, needle & thread, duct tape, first aid kit, sun screen, wallet, extra glasses, paper, pencil, travelers checks, rubber bands, cap

sleeping bag, 2 person tent, nylon/fiber fill coat, mittens, hat, blue foam pad, sweat band, visor,2 quart water bottle, socks, undershorts, T shirt, long sleeve shirt, shorts, polyester pants, shoes

Didn't have a credit card and I don't think cash machines had been invented so I carried a few hundred bucks with me. I spent about $10 per day and my wife spent about $7 per day.

We are used to hills here in Seattle and had a very low gear. That really helped with hills in the Ozarks and Rockies. A lot of people had trouble on hills because they did not have very low gears.

We averaged about 50 miles per day. My longest day was 170 miles. We hitchhiked now and then when we got tired of biking. We are not purists. The first two weeks (from Washington DC westward) were almost unbearable for me. I was not in good bicycling shape and had no experience with heat and humidity of that degree. I almost went home early and experienced full blown heat exhaustion on one day.

We had a number of close calls with cars and bike spills. My wife got medical attention after falling on her head. One of our companions had hemmorhoid (sp?) problems and had to hitchhike a lot. One young woman we knew got killed because she was in the middle of the road just over a hill crest. The driver didn't see her in time. We were all in our 30s at the time. We camped in KOAs, parks and people's yards (with permission).

My wife would like to do the trip again. I don't. Once was enough for me.