bicycle camping

C.J.Patten said:

I bought a tent last year with car-camping in mind so it's a bit on the
large side... Mountain Hardwear HammerHead 3. (the HammerHead 2 would have
been better for a bike but I wanted something comfortable - I probably won't
outgrow this one...)

Frankly it's a bit huge for solo cycle camping. It weighs more than
twice as much as the Spacepacker 1 we use two up and will eat up huge
reserves of space. And though you've got plenty of space in the inner,
there's bugger all porch space for storing wet stuff, a bit of a Bad
Idea in a tent for UK conditions IMHO.

Quoted message said:

I think I'll definately have to replace my "BaseCamp XL" Thermarest with one
of the Pro-Lite variety... it's just way too bulky to carry when rolled up.

Not necessarily. If your gear is mainly in panniers that leaves you a
rack with pannier lid outriggers which you can bungee tent and mat to.
The problem with overloading the back is weight, not bulk, so it should
be okay there. Though if you're carrying a portable mansion for 3 then
that will offset things a bit, but I'd say a rethink of your tent
options will be a better way to save weight and bulk.

Quoted message said:

1) what's the MINIMUM camping gear you'd bring with you to go bike camping?

It depends how minimalistic I want to be. Having "camped" (okay, slept
rough...) on a hitch hiking trip with an umbrella and, errrr, that's it,
that gives one an idea of how little one /can/ take.

Quoted message said:

2) as above but with the added requirement: "to be reasonably comfortable"

Tent, as small and light as can be comfortable for you
Sleeping bags up to (or rather down to) the temperatures (this summer
that'll possibly be a 5 season polar bag...).
Decent mats
Change of clothes
lightweight stove and accompanying pot(s)
roll up water bag

Quoted message said:

3) what would be considered a "luxury" bike-camping kit selection without
getting stupid about it? (eg: a porta-potty is ridiculous)

To the previous, add

some more cooking and eating kit to allow for more cooking options
thermarest chair kit, especially if like me you suffer a bit sitting
unsupported on the ground for any length of time
bigger tent
selection of toiletries to aid freshening up
bigger choice of spare clothes

--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Tilly said:

When I did the Raid Pyrenees my kit list was: tent, sleeping bag,
sleeping mat, stove, saucepan, mug, bowl, spoon, penknife, 1st aid
kit, wash bag, cycle shorts, normal shorts, 2*cycle shirts, t-shirt,
sweater, fleece, cycle shoes, sandals, underwear, wash bag, towel,
tool kit, maps, guide book, camera, cash, credit card, passport, lock,
head torch, water bottles, GPS.

I'd add bog paper if camping overseas, foreign campsites don't normally provide it.

Alan

C.J.Patten said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Let's split this into two issues: weight and bulk. Cycle touring, weight
is always an issue and it's a good thing to minimise it. If you use
panniers, etc. on the bike then bulk is also an issue. But I'm a
long-time confirmed believer in bicycle trailers, which greatly reduce
the bulk issue. I've done many thousands of miles with a trailer,
carrying stuff you just wouldn't fit in a set of panniers. Of course,
the weight of the trailer chassis itself needs to be factored in.

If you go trailer you can take thicker, more comfortable, more insulant
bed mat. You can also take bulkier clothing (fleece, quilted, etc)
which in cool places can be very welcome.

I would take
* tent (mine is a little tiny Vaude thing which weighs 2.2lbs)
* sleeping bag
* bedmat
* gas stove and at least one spare cartridge
* change of cycling clothing
* warm clothing for evenings
* camera
* phone

Mind you it's some years since I've been cycle camping.

Hadn't even considered a trailer until you suggested it. The two you
recommended look slick.

NO NO NO.

If you use a trailer you will take *far* too much.
If you have the space you will *always* fill it, however good your
intentions not to.

Use one set of small panniers at the very most.

John B

On 06/12/2005 23:20:36 'Maggie said:

C.J.Patten wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1) what's the MINIMUM camping gear you'd bring with you to go bike
camping?

Quoted message said:

I'd bring a gun to shoot myself in the head. I hate camping, I hate
camping with a passion.

ROFL

--

Buck

I would rather be out on my Catrike

http://www.catrike.co.uk

C.J.Patten said:

BTW: I read another thread where you mentioned the area you cycle. I spent a
summer in Belleville NJ and did some work in Nutley and Hoboken. 😉 I loved
the area - though taking a wrong turn and ending up in Newark isn't my idea
of a fun ride.

Chris

Well Chris, you are the first person I know that "summered in
Belleville". Hopefully you were "not" on vacation. Nutley and
Belleville are nice town. Different from each other in alot of ways
but both nice. Hoboken is a great place to go out for a night. I go
there alot for dinner or to a club. My friend as an apt. in Hoboken.
With a view of the skyline. It's nice. BTW, Ending up in Newark is not
something you want to do. Especially if you do not know where you are
going.

Maggie.

"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

"Mike Causer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Self Propelled Sleeping Bag Warmer (If selected right can also be handy
for navigation, cooking, buying rounds, and encouragement on bad hills.
If selected wrong can lead to Bobbiting, but not with a KFS -- the knife
is too blunt.)

Quoted message said:

LMAO! HA!

Quoted message said:

My last SPSBW was <ahem> returned for a refund due to quality control
issues. <shudder>

Quoted message said:

Good ones seem few and far between these days. ;p

Also, the female kind often generate little effective heat for HOURS.

My camping luxury is a radio/walkman...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"vernon levy" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I LOVE that soda-can stove!!! What a great idea. At first glance on that
site, it says it uses denatured alcohol. Any idea if it'll use standard
automotive gasoline? (or aviation fuel - 100LL or JetA)

Quoted message said:

Don't even dream of using gasoline if you don't want a confalgration.

Quoted message said:

Simple burners tend to be fuel specific and the soda can stove will only
work well with denatured alcohol though high strength vodka, gin and the
like will work too :-)

I'm happy with gasoline/petrol/Coleman fuel but never cook near my tent.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyone here cycle camp?

Just done 2 weeks - first time.

Weigh everything, think how you can make it lighter. I used everything
I took, except for the first aid kit and the spare tube. Try to keep
the total weight down to about 10 kilos, otherwise you will curse
yourself.

Tent - if it's just you then that's one kilo - there are two options:
1. mountaineering tent, about 200 quid, strong, light, warm, packs
small; 2. Argos 1-man tent: 15 quid, small, light, tiny, single skin so
will get wet inside. I took option 2. The one you've got is way too
big.

Sleeping bag: pay about 40 quid for an ultralight - about 900 grams.
Make sure it packs really really small. Army cadet shops a good source
as well as hiking shops.

Sleeping mat: no - too big.

Cooking stuff: no. Why bother? For hot tea or coffee, stop at a cafe.
Buy bread, cheese/ham/sardines and fruit. When you want a hot meal buy
one at a pub or cafe. Take a knife - I managed with a tiny victrinox
(forgot to pack the bigger knife).

Towel: get a sports towel or hiking towel, they wring dry so you don't
carry the weight of the water. Also good for drying the tent before
packing it up!!

Travel sized toothpaste, combined shower gel/shampoo, toilet paper.

Plasters and antiseptic cream. Possibly ibuprofen gel. Suncream in a
tube.

Spare tube, puncture kit, mini pump, allen keys (only the ones your
bike needs), 8/10mm spanner, little screwdriver. Make sure you know how
to mend a puncture.

Mini solar-powered led torch.

Plastic cup and Corkscrew.

Flip flops rather than spare shoes/trainers.

Clothes.

The luxury kit would be exactly the same but lighter.

A Rixen and Kaul fitting barbag with map holder is the best luxury
item. Put every valuable item in it - anytime you stop you just click
off the barbag and leave everything else on the bike.

"A.C.P. Crawshaw" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Tilly wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When I did the Raid Pyrenees my kit list was: tent, sleeping bag,
sleeping mat, stove, saucepan, mug, bowl, spoon, penknife, 1st aid
kit, wash bag, cycle shorts, normal shorts, 2*cycle shirts, t-shirt,
sweater, fleece, cycle shoes, sandals, underwear, wash bag, towel,
tool kit, maps, guide book, camera, cash, credit card, passport, lock,
head torch, water bottles, GPS.

Quoted message said:

I'd add bog paper if camping overseas, foreign campsites don't
normally provide it.

Quoted message said:

Alan

I prefer tissues as both bog paper and multipurpose wipes.

Buy multiple 'pocket packs' from your local 'Pound Shop'.

I always have tissues in my waist pack. English public loos are also
sometimes paperless...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

JohnB <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hadn't even considered a trailer until you suggested it. The two you
recommended look slick.

Quoted message said:

NO NO NO.

Quoted message said:

If you use a trailer you will take *far* too much.
If you have the space you will *always* fill it, however good your
intentions not to.

Quoted message said:

Use one set of small panniers at the very most.

I've never used a trailer. I have camped wild, alone and up to a hundred
miles from the next shop. I would not like to ride without 24 hours'
food and water on board. I went for front and rear panniers. Food can be
bulky. Extra space in a pannier weighs nothing.

You must be well-disciplined when you first pack, but should have space
for provisions and for clothes you remove when it gets warm. If cycling
relatively unclothed, you may need sunscreen and insect repellent.
Unfortunately sunscreen leaves the skin sticky, which can be horrid when
camping...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

On 06/13/2005 11:20:28 Helen Deborah Vecht said:

"vernon levy" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> I LOVE that soda-can stove!!! What a great idea. At first glance on
> that site, it says it uses denatured alcohol. Any idea if it'll use
> standard automotive gasoline? (or aviation fuel - 100LL or JetA)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Don't even dream of using gasoline if you don't want a confalgration.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Simple burners tend to be fuel specific and the soda can stove will only
work well with denatured alcohol though high strength vodka, gin and the
like will work too :-)

Quoted message said:

I'm happy with gasoline/petrol/Coleman fuel but never cook near my tent.

My luxery is my Trangier stove.

--

Buck

I would rather be out on my Catrike

http://www.catrike.co.uk

iakobski said:

Tent - if it's just you then that's one kilo

In your dreams, I'd say, unless you're thinking of bivvi sacks. (Yours
weighs over 2, btw).

Quoted message said:

Sleeping bag: pay about 40 quid for an ultralight - about 900 grams.

If you want /really/ light that means a minimalistic down one, and
that'll be nearer £120 than 40. It will, OTOH, last more than 3 times
as long as down lasts for yonks with care while synthetics all lose a
lot of life after a few years. Unless you're allergic to down or have
vegan principles down is a smaller packer lower weight alternative.
Lots of people drone on about having to keep them completely dry as if a
single drop of water will render them useless, but that is Bollox (TM).
Unless you're congenitally clumsy and stupid and take to camping in
monsoons in [censored] tents it really isn't hard keeping a down bag
comfortably dry.

Quoted message said:

Sleeping mat: no - too big.

It doesn't matter how big it is if it's bungeed to the back rack. And
it improved comfort a lot, and weight for weight is more effective than
a warmer sleeping bag. Sleeping bag insulations lose a lot of value
under compression (i.e., your weight on top of them) with the result
that you need a lot extra to provide the same thermal efficiency as a mat.

Quoted message said:

Cooking stuff: no. Why bother? For hot tea or coffee, stop at a cafe.

And if you're nowhere near a cafe that's open at 8:00 on a Sunday
morning and you fancy a brew to get your spirits up?

Quoted message said:

Mini solar-powered led torch.

A headtorch is much better as you can do stuff like work on the bike in
the dark with your hands full and /still/ see what you're at. Things
like a Petzl Tikka are very small and light.

Quoted message said:

Flip flops rather than spare shoes/trainers.

Cycle in SPuD sandals and save taking spares at all...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

iakobski said:

Sleeping bag: pay about 40 quid for an ultralight - about 900 grams.

Ultralight? 900g? That's not ultralight. 400 grams is ultralight if you
really want to save weight. Rab Top, probably cost you £120

Quoted message said:

Sleeping mat: no - too big.

So take a roll of bubble-wrap bungeed to the rack. The standard length
sold by the Post Office is ideal.

Colin

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

n your dreams, I'd say, unless you're thinking of bivvi sacks. (Yours

weighs over 2, btw).

I don't think it does but I may be mistaken - I'll weigh it again
tonight and post back.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you want /really/ light that means a minimalistic down one, and that'llbe nearer £120 than 40.

Yes, very true. I meant to say 40 pounds upwards.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

And if you're nowhere near a cafe that's open at 8:00 on a Sunday

morning and you fancy a brew to get your spirits up?

Personally, I'd rather wait for the brew rather than cursing the climbs
and blaming the tendonitis on the weight of the trangier, fuel, pots,
milk, etc. For some the addiction may be too much.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A headtorch is much better

Yes it can be. I took a mini-maglight, but someone showed me one of
these little led torches on the way. I never needed to work on the bike
in the dark, most of the use of the torch is for locating stuff in the
tent or checking the time so the led light would have been enough.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Cycle in SPuD sandals and save taking spares at all...

It's nice to take off your cycling shoes at the end of a long ride ...
but not enough to warrant carrying anything as heavy as trainers.

"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Anyone here cycle camp?

I can't afford to credit-card camp so I'm looking at taking it all with
me.

I bought a tent last year with car-camping in mind so it's a bit on the
large side... Mountain Hardwear HammerHead 3. (the HammerHead 2 would have
been better for a bike but I wanted something comfortable - I probably
won't outgrow this one...)

Check out the following. It contains a wealth of information. Unfortunately
its creator was killed by a drunk driver in 2003

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/

Good luck,

Roy

iakobski said:

I don't think it does but I may be mistaken - I'll weigh it again
tonight and post back.

2.1 Kg was the headline weight for the Argos Pro Action according to the
gang at u.r.walking. Although certainly amazing value I wasn't tempted
because it was already heavier than my Spacepacker with less usable
space (but at £15 that's not really anything that shouldn't be the case)

Quoted message said:

Personally, I'd rather wait for the brew rather than cursing the climbs
and blaming the tendonitis on the weight of the trangier, fuel, pots,
milk, etc. For some the addiction may be too much.

I drink tea black as I can't be arsed with milk going off when camping.
A Trangier is hardly lightweight, while something like a Pocket Rocket
and small can of gas weighs and bulks very little. A pan doubles as a
plate and breadboard, which you'll need anyway.

I've certainly done camping without a stove, so you don't /need/ one,
but for multi-day trips in the UK when the weather can really be against
you then some means of having a hot drink and snack without needing a
cafe or shop really can make a very tangible difference to spirits.

Quoted message said:

Yes it can be. I took a mini-maglight, but someone showed me one of
these little led torches on the way. I never needed to work on the bike
in the dark, most of the use of the torch is for locating stuff in the
tent or checking the time so the led light would have been enough.

The Tikka I mentioned is LED, and very light and small. It means you
can do things in light with hands free, and that includes reading,
preparing snacks, walking back to your tent with carry-outs, etc. etc.
Having the light on your head means you get light cast where you look,
it's a *huge* improvement.

Quoted message said:

It's nice to take off your cycling shoes at the end of a long ride ...
but not enough to warrant carrying anything as heavy as trainers.

If it's a grassy campsite, why do you need anything?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"araby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Check out the following. It contains a wealth of information.
Unfortunately its creator was killed by a drunk driver in 2003

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/

Great pages. That's a stinkin' shame about him being killed.
🙁
🙁
🙁

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It's nice to take off your cycling shoes at the end of a long ride ...
but not enough to warrant carrying anything as heavy as trainers.

Quoted message said:

If it's a grassy campsite, why do you need anything?

To keep dog poo off your toes?

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

On 06/13/2005 15:01:29 Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It's nice to take off your cycling shoes at the end of a long ride ...
but not enough to warrant carrying anything as heavy as trainers.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If it's a grassy campsite, why do you need anything?

Quoted message said:

To keep dog poo off your toes?

Dog poo balm can be very soothing after a long ride don't you think?

--

Buck

I would rather be out on my Catrike

http://www.catrike.co.uk

Colin Blackburn said:

iakobski said:

Sleeping bag: pay about 40 quid for an ultralight - about 900 grams.

Ultralight? 900g? That's not ultralight. 400 grams is ultralight if you
really want to save weight. Rab Top, probably cost you £120

Quoted message said:

Sleeping mat: no - too big.

So take a roll of bubble-wrap bungeed to the rack. The standard length
sold by the Post Office is ideal.

I'd never be able to resist poping the stuff :-) - even if I could it
would end up squished flat after a couple of nights unless you are
very careful with it. Bubble wrap is going to be as bulky as a closed
cell mat. As Clinchy says bulk isn't an issue when it's rolled up and
fastened to the top of the rack and panniers.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"