AFTQ: YHA Membership, HRMs, To camp or not to camp..

Hey Hippy,

I gather from your post you are cycle touring in Europe. Are you dragging
your bike across or hiring/buying a bike in Europe? I am heading to Europe
later this month and am still trying to decide whether to bring my road
bike. Whilst the thought of pretending I am a European pro-cyclist is kind
of appealing, the reality of dragging an expensive bike across europe is not
so appealing. I am thinking of just buying a decent touring bike once I get
there. However I will also have accomodation near Brussels, and Belguim
supposedly being the cycle capital of the world, its hard to resist taking
my Orbea across.

I am almost a member of YHA- I only need one more stamp on my card to get a
free (not really free, but thats another story) membership. I think the YHA
membership covers the world over, so apart from price it shouldn't make a
difference where you buy it from. I haven't stayed in YHA's in Europe, but
have stayed in a few in Oz and NZ. If the quality of the YHA's in Europe is
the same as Oz/NZ, then you will be pretty happy. You are probably already
aware that campsites can be pricey in Europe, and I think pitching a tent on
the side of the road is frowned upon in lots of places. Like you, I plan to
do a combination of Hostels/Camping in areas of Europe where I cannot sponge
off relatives or friends or the local female population :-)

Can't really help with the HRM except to mention that I will be carrying a
HP Pocket PC throughout my trip. Maybe theres a way to dump data on to one
of those? Base level HP pocket pc's are pretty cheap and very handy. How
does your HRM interface with a PC? USB cable, Infra red etc? Pardon my
ignorance, but I have never used a HRM and know absolutely nothing about
them.

Would be interested in hearing more about your trip.

Sasha

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

Quoted message said:

It costs $52AUD to join YHA here in Australia.
Being a smarty pants I thought I'd join the UK one which is cheaper, at
~£15. No can do - must be a UK resident.. BUT.. "You can join on arrival
at any YHA Youth Hostel for £10.00 per year and your card will enable
you to stay at any Hostelling International Youth Hostel in the world."

So, does anyone have any experience with YHA? Is there any point paying
extra for the Aus membership? It doesn't seem so, given that I only want
to use it for European hostels.

-

Does anyone use a HRM whilst touring? I thought it was a silly idea and
didn't want to strap up all the time but it'd be kinda cool to have
altitude profiles and all the other [censored] that goes with it. Actually,
now that I've typed this I've realised that the HRM would be full within
a day or two and I'm not taking a laptop with me, so wouldn't be able to
empty the data. HRM stays here I guess.. unless someone wants to lend me
a laptop? 🙂

-

I'm still in turmoil over the "to camp or not to camp" issue (although
I'm now edging towards the ability to camp) and the "to tent or to bivy
bag" alternatives. Any suggestions? It'll add ~5kg for the ability to
sleep (almost) anywhere. I'm thinking of the situation: "if I don't make
the hostel I can sleep on the side of the road".

Armybro reckons a bivy bag ($400), a Merlin Softie 3 sleeping bag ($350)
and a cut down foam mat ($10) would be suitable. FD's suggested a 1-man
tent as an option. Personally, I'd prefer to hook up with a local chick
and stay at their place each night.. but even with a shave the chances
of that are less than slim 😉 Suggestions? (not for picking up.. for the
tent/bivy conundrum!)

Glenvale on the 'morrow..

hippy
"7 P's.. WTF?! Have beer, will sleep"

hippy said:

So, does anyone have any experience with YHA? Is there any point paying extra for the Aus membership? It doesn't seem so, given that I only want to use it for European hostels.

Total waste of money, no use at all. Most hostels aren't YHA affiliated in Europe/UK. I think I used my once in 4 months.

hippy said:

Does anyone use a HRM whilst touring? I thought it was a silly idea and
didn't want to strap up all the time but it'd be kinda cool to have
altitude profiles and all the other [censored] that goes with it. Actually,
now that I've typed this I've realised that the HRM would be full within
a day or two and I'm not taking a laptop with me, so wouldn't be able to
empty the data. HRM stays here I guess.. unless someone wants to lend me
a laptop? 🙂

I'm not even going to respond to that...... the idea of a lap top when you're minimising the pairs of jocks you take is ludicrous.

hippy said:

I'm still in turmoil over the "to camp or not to camp" issue (although
I'm now edging towards the ability to camp) and the "to tent or to bivy
bag" alternatives. Any suggestions? It'll add ~5kg for the ability to
sleep (almost) anywhere. I'm thinking of the situation: "if I don't make
the hostel I can sleep on the side of the road".

Armybro reckons a bivy bag ($400), a Merlin Softie 3 sleeping bag ($350)
and a cut down foam mat ($10) would be suitable. FD's suggested a 1-man
tent as an option. Personally, I'd prefer to hook up with a local chick
and stay at their place each night.. but even with a shave the chances
of that are less than slim 😉 Suggestions? (not for picking up.. for the
tent/bivy conundrum!)

Tent or hostel, you still won't get any sleep becuase some idiot will be coming home at 4am (ie. me, quite as a mouse..... well quiet as a 95kg drunken mouse anyway) and some other idiot will be catching a train at 5am and testing out every zip on their pack in the dark. Treat yourself to a 2 star hotel one day a week to get all the washing done and hung up and get a good nights sleep.

The chicks will sense your desparation. You've got more chance of scoring a local every night here than when you're one more stinking Aussie backpacker wearing the same t-shirt for four days, plus with no home.

hippy said:

Armybro reckons a bivy bag ($400), a Merlin Softie 3 sleeping bag ($350)
and a cut down foam mat ($10) would be suitable. FD's suggested a 1-man
tent as an option. Personally, I'd prefer to hook up with a local chick
and stay at their place each night.. but even with a shave the chances
of that are less than slim 😉 Suggestions? (not for picking up.. for the
tent/bivy conundrum!)

Make sure you have a liner/sleep sheet or you're bag will get stinky real quick.

And my other gem of wisdom: Every backpacker you meet will tell you they stayed at the coolest hotel, saw the best artwork, drank the best beer in the best pub, blah blah.. These are the same people who will tell you "We went on this tour and the locals had never seen white people before....."

Ignore them and just do your own thing.

Shabby said:

hippy said:

So, does anyone have any experience with YHA? Is there any point paying
extra for the Aus membership? It doesn't seem so, given that I only
want to use it for European hostels.

Total waste of money, no use at all. Most hostels aren't YHA affiliated
in Europe/UK. I think I used my once in 4 months.

Oh.. praps I'll wait until I arrive and see if it makes a difference
having a membership..

Quoted message said:

hippy said:

Does anyone use a HRM whilst touring? I thought it was a silly idea

I'm not even going to respond to that...... the idea of a lap top when
you're minimising the pairs of jocks you take is ludicrous.

I never said I was minimising jocks.. I might if it means I can get a
lappie onboard! :P

Quoted message said:

hippy said:

I'm still in turmoil over the "to camp or not to camp" issue (although

Tent or hostel, you still won't get any sleep becuase some idiot will
be coming home at 4am (ie. me, quite as a mouse..... well quiet as a
95kg drunken mouse anyway) and some other idiot will be catching a
train at 5am and testing out every zip on their pack in the dark. Treat
yourself to a 2 star hotel one day a week to get all the washing done
and hung up and get a good nights sleep.

Nothing much wakes me up once I'm out to it. Testing out all the local
brews is gonna help too - I'll probably sleep ON the tent. 😉

Quoted message said:

The chicks will sense your desparation. You've got more chance of
scoring a local every night here than when you're one more stinking
Aussie backpacker wearing the same t-shirt for four days, plus with no
home.

So you didn't have any luck then :P
I'll let you know how it all works out..

Quoted message said:

Make sure you have a liner/sleep sheet or you're bag will get stinky
real quick.

Righteo. I saw them at Kathmandu. I might actually make a decision
before I leave..

Quoted message said:

And my other gem of wisdom: Every backpacker you meet will tell you
they stayed at the coolest hotel, saw the best artwork, drank the best
beer in the best pub, blah blah.. These are the same people who will
tell you "We went on this tour and the locals had never seen white
people before....."

Ignore them and just do your own thing.

hehe okie dokie! "note to self: ignore other tourists"

thanks!
hippy

MrPumpy says a tent is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

till

Sasha said:

I gather from your post you are cycle touring in Europe.

Yep. That's the plan. The whole plan and nothing but the plan.

Quoted message said:

Are you dragging your bike across or hiring/buying a bike in Europe?

The GT SS is getting a new groupset (gears? huck too!) and I'll send
it across as unaccompanied luggage (using Jetta or Fast Air).

Quoted message said:

I am heading to Europe later this month and am still trying to decide whether to bring my road
bike. Whilst the thought of pretending I am a European pro-cyclist is kind
of appealing, the reality of dragging an expensive bike across europe is not
so appealing. I am thinking of just buying a decent touring bike once I get
there. However I will also have accomodation near Brussels, and Belguim
supposedly being the cycle capital of the world, its hard to resist taking
my Orbea across.

I was going to go really lightweight and take the roadie but my "plans"
have grown into something a bit more silly. I decided to take the GT
because it is old, cheap, steel and has rack mounts whereas the rest of
my bikes don't quite fit into those categories.
It costs about $6.50/kg, with a 15kg minimum, to air freight bikes over.
If my tour goes as long as I think it could - I didn't want to be doing
it on a bike I've never ridden. At least I know I can do a couple of
hundred kays in a weekend on the GT (that was SS too) without getting
too sore. If I race over there, it'll be when I have a job in which case
I'll pay for my folks to send the Pug or I'll buy a new machine.

Quoted message said:

I am almost a member of YHA- I only need one more stamp on my card to get a
free (not really free, but thats another story) membership. I think the YHA
membership covers the world over, so apart from price it shouldn't make a
difference where you buy it from. I haven't stayed in YHA's in Europe, but
have stayed in a few in Oz and NZ. If the quality of the YHA's in Europe is
the same as Oz/NZ, then you will be pretty happy. You are probably already
aware that campsites can be pricey in Europe, and I think pitching a tent on
the side of the road is frowned upon in lots of places. Like you, I plan to
do a combination of Hostels/Camping in areas of Europe where I cannot sponge
off relatives or friends or the local female population :-)

Don't know anything about hostels or camping in Europe. I was just gonna
go commando and pitch the tent in some deep dark woods (if possible) or
get up early to take it down so peak hour traffic doesn't see it 🙂
Hmm.. looks like I'm going to be making it up as I go again.. like
everything else! :S

I'm trying to find a useful list/map of hostels in Europe so I can work
out how far I'll need to ride per day, if I don't have a tent, etc. If
there are so many hostels that a tent wouldn't get used then I wont take
one. Going in summer means there could be trouble finding a room in
some places - the tent would be useful then..

Quoted message said:

Can't really help with the HRM except to mention that I will be carrying a
HP Pocket PC throughout my trip. Maybe theres a way to dump data on to one
of those? Base level HP pocket pc's are pretty cheap and very handy. How
does your HRM interface with a PC? USB cable, Infra red etc? Pardon my
ignorance, but I have never used a HRM and know absolutely nothing about
them.

It's a USB device. An infra red doovy talks to the watch. This doovy has
a USB cable coming out the back that goes to the PC. PocketPC's don't
have USB as far as I'm aware?
When I get back to London I'll be getting a computer (poor Shabby
thought he'd seen the last of me..:P).
Do you know anything about wireless access in Europe? Is it everywhere
or just certain places like here? Free/costly?
I'm a computer geek, I'm gonna get withdrawls anyway. If I could smuggle
along a pda though - that might make the transition from geek to amish
bike tourist a little easier! 🙂 :S

(Fark! That was loud thunder! Out of the blue it's just started pissing
down here! Mmm.. cool air.. brain was about to overheat and seep out my
ears.)

Quoted message said:

Would be interested in hearing more about your trip.

Oh you'll be hearing about it alright! :P
steve sorted out my cyclingforums access... mwuahahaha.. complete again!

<snippage>

hippy

till! said:

MrPumpy says a tent is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

For those of us who's brains are dehydrated.. what?! :S

hippy

hippy said:

For those of us who's brains are dehydrated.. what?! :S

For cycle touring in south east asia, mrpumpy is a bit of a legend. At a somewhat impromptu gathering of about a dozen cycle tourists, from about as many nations, at ankor, only one didnt know who he was.

Try the website; www.mrpumpy.net its a great read.

Anyway, at the said website, he says that a tent is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Longhand that would be "Carry a tent, and you'll move so slow you have to camp all the time."

Keep in mind that hammering in tent pegs isnt a very smart thing to do in cambodia, but that isnt necessarily a relevant problem in europe.

till

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Keep in mind that hammering in tent pegs isnt a very smart thing to do
in cambodia, but that isnt necessarily a relevant problem in europe.

till

--
till!

Unles you're in that bit of Europe that used to be Czechoslovakia.

How To Camp _Anywhere_:
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/humor/howtocam.htm

hippy

Resound said:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Keep in mind that hammering in tent pegs isnt a very smart thing to do
in cambodia, but that isnt necessarily a relevant problem in europe.

Unles you're in that bit of Europe that used to be Czechoslovakia.

Yugoslavia (Czechoslovakia was a peaceful separation)

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

Quoted message said:

Resound said:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Keep in mind that hammering in tent pegs isnt a very smart thing to

do

Quoted message said:

in cambodia, but that isnt necessarily a relevant problem in europe.

Unles you're in that bit of Europe that used to be Czechoslovakia.

Yugoslavia (Czechoslovakia was a peaceful separation)

--
aeek

Whups...Yugoslavia was my first thought,but then I stopped and managed to
double bluff myself. Not my strongest area of knowledge.

hippy said:

It costs $52AUD to join YHA here in Australia.
Being a smarty pants I thought I'd join the UK one which is cheaper, at
~£15. No can do - must be a UK resident.. BUT.. "You can join on arrival
at any YHA Youth Hostel for £10.00 per year and your card will enable
you to stay at any Hostelling International Youth Hostel in the world."

i baught my membership in AU before we flew out 😉
get info from them on YHA in the areas you are flying/cycling to.
'tis much easier getting the info here, than in say, London!

YHA also have web sites that you can book in advance with =)
http://www.yha.org.uk/
http://www.yha.com.au/

also ask about travel insurance;
http://www.yha.com.au/overseas/traveldeals/region.cfm?DestinationID=1

Quoted message said:

So, does anyone have any experience with YHA? Is there any point paying
extra for the Aus membership? It doesn't seem so, given that I only want
to use it for European hostels.

i would recommend staying in YHAs in the UK over any of the other
backpackers. they are a bit more pricey, 15 pounds per night as opposed
to 10 pounds, but i rarely slept in the cheapie backpackers (in london)
as all the druken antipodeans bashed around the place ...

also the best backpackers around the UK seem to be YHA =)
the one in Oxford is great =D

many places i stayed did not have bicycle accomodation (in london).
you'll have to think about this one in advance and plan your stop overs
out a bit. plan on having your bike nicked several times in london.
even if you chain it a fence, as psycho fence owners have the dreaded
Bolt Cutters of DOOOOMMMMMmmmm ......
=/ still a bit sore about that one. anyhow..

Quoted message said:

Does anyone use a HRM whilst touring? I thought it was a silly idea and
didn't want to strap up all the time but it'd be kinda cool to have
altitude profiles and all the other [censored] that goes with it. Actually,
now that I've typed this I've realised that the HRM would be full within
a day or two and I'm not taking a laptop with me, so wouldn't be able to
empty the data. HRM stays here I guess.. unless someone wants to lend me
a laptop? 🙂

you might be best to ebay in the UK 😉
there are some great deals to be had on lapptops in comparison to buying
locally =) but you gotta have the cash.

Quoted message said:

I'm still in turmoil over the "to camp or not to camp" issue (although
I'm now edging towards the ability to camp) and the "to tent or to bivy
bag" alternatives. Any suggestions? It'll add ~5kg for the ability to
sleep (almost) anywhere. I'm thinking of the situation: "if I don't make
the hostel I can sleep on the side of the road".

Armybro reckons a bivy bag ($400), a Merlin Softie 3 sleeping bag ($350)
and a cut down foam mat ($10) would be suitable. FD's suggested a 1-man
tent as an option. Personally, I'd prefer to hook up with a local chick
and stay at their place each night.. but even with a shave the chances
of that are less than slim 😉 Suggestions? (not for picking up.. for the
tent/bivy conundrum!)

will 5kg blow your typical touring distance in a day that much?

its summer in july in the uk, for a month. and sumer on the mainland for
six to eight weeks (by comparison to what you'll be used to)

there are decent camping grounds near the river in amsterdam, not sure
about other area, prod the YHA mob 😉

also get the YHA to get you the details of the cycling associations in
the areas your going to. those guys oft have camping/accomodation info
for touring cyclists...

thats if you can be that bothered in advance. you'll end up carrying
more weight in paper than your 5kg camp kit.

regards,

kim

On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 14:09:34 +1000, hippy <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Make sure you have a liner/sleep sheet or you're bag will get stinky
real quick.

Righteo. I saw them at Kathmandu. I might actually make a decision
before I leave..

You can make a liner yourself with a sheet, a sewing machine, and 5
minutes.

Everyone's mum has a sewing machine, plus, if you're cunning, she
might make it for you *and* give you a free dinner!

Carl Brewer said:

On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 14:09:34 +1000, hippy <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Make sure you have a liner/sleep sheet or you're bag will get stinky
real quick.

Righteo. I saw them at Kathmandu. I might actually make a decision
before I leave..

You can make a liner yourself with a sheet, a sewing machine, and 5
minutes.

Everyone's mum has a sewing machine, plus, if you're cunning, she
might make it for you *and* give you a free dinner!

It doesn't really matter how the sleeping bag smells if the thing you
put in it reeks anyway. Hippy, you will reek if you sleep outdoors for a
few days with no shower. Invest in baby wipes, and make sure that your
sleeping bag dries quickly so you can wash it next time you're indoors.
And seriously, if you're camping out, get a bivvy bag, they're sooooo
good.

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 10:57:43 +1000, Tamyka Bell <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

And seriously, if you're camping out, get a bivvy bag, they're sooooo
good.

Unless it's raining or windy and you want to get changed or
in or out of it in bad weather, or you want to make a cuppa
in your vestubule - opps! no vestibule for cooking! Lightweight
1 person tents are only marginally bulkier and heavier than
bivvies, and so much more comfortable and practical for long
trips.

quote='Tamyka Bell'Carl Brewer said:

On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 14:09:34 +1000, hippy <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Make sure you have a liner/sleep sheet or you're bag will get stinky
real quick.

Righteo. I saw them at Kathmandu. I might actually make a decision
before I leave..

You can make a liner yourself with a sheet, a sewing machine, and 5
minutes.

Everyone's mum has a sewing machine, plus, if you're cunning, she
might make it for you *and* give you a free dinner!

It doesn't really matter how the sleeping bag smells if the thing you
put in it reeks anyway. Hippy, you will reek if you sleep outdoors for a
few days with no shower. Invest in baby wipes, and make sure that your
sleeping bag dries quickly so you can wash it next time you're indoors.
And seriously, if you're camping out, get a bivvy bag, they're sooooo
good.[/QUOTE]

If you get some sort of synthetic fabric to make your sleep sheet will be more useful as it will be easier to dry, plus lighter to carry. (an yes, I went with the dinner and liner from Mum option as well).

No showers, 100km riding through real hills and living out of a backpack! We'd smell him from here (plus it works against the "find a local chick" plan). I don't think Baby wipes will be enough in the Roman summer, just quietly.

hippy said:

I'm still in turmoil over the "to camp or not to camp" issue (although
I'm now edging towards the ability to camp) and the "to tent or to bivy
bag" alternatives. Any suggestions? It'll add ~5kg for the ability to
sleep (almost) anywhere. I'm thinking of the situation: "if I don't make
the hostel I can sleep on the side of the road".

I used my new Macpac Microlight 1-person tent for a week a couple of weeks ago, and was really impressed. It weighs 1820g complete, and is (almost) big enough to sit up in. I guess a bivvy bag would be okay as an emergency thing, but if it's at all warm at night you'll cook inside, and there's usually very little provision for venting them. Not to mention nowhare to get changed...

Cheers,

Suzy

Carl Brewer said:

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 10:57:43 +1000, Tamyka Bell <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

And seriously, if you're camping out, get a bivvy bag, they're sooooo
good.

Unless it's raining or windy and you want to get changed or
in or out of it in bad weather, or you want to make a cuppa
in your vestubule - opps! no vestibule for cooking! Lightweight
1 person tents are only marginally bulkier and heavier than
bivvies, and so much more comfortable and practical for long
trips.

Well... unless you want to be in your tent all day, in bad weather, it's
not really an issue as you have to get out sooner or later. I can't see
hippy laying low just because of a bit of rain/wind/snow.

You can push the sleeping bag down before you climb out so it won't get
wet. As for getting changed, I haven't seen a 1 man tent I could get
changed in without a lie-down and wriggle anyway, but maybe that's a
girl thing. And if it's sunny, well that's what the outdoors are for. Or
if you're really shy (pah!), a towel.

As for making a brew, I wouldn't really be lighting up in my tent
anyway. Plus a bivvy bag is quicker to set up at the end of a long day.
I guess it's all personal though. I hated camping with some of my
friends because everything had to be gourmet/luxury/supersized etc., and
it was just so much extra to carry. Like a big stove (by my standards)
and lots of pots and pans and cups that could only be used as cups/bowls
but you couldn't cook in them and ... aaarrgh <breathe> it's okay, I'm
fine. She brought a chopping board! She bought lots of fresh garlic -
who would want to chop fresh garlic up at the end of the day, when you
could buy it in a tube or (even better) just eat tuna/instant pasta etc
that came with garlic already in it?!<breathe>

I guess I'm a bit blessed because I love sleeping on the ground. My wimp
mat has been cut down to the width of my hips/shoulders and the length
from my hips to shoulders so that it packs down tiny and fits inside
even my smallest pack. I have my luxuries too though. For
superlightweight, it's my moccona variety pack of individual serve
coffee sachets - inducgence, mystique, classic and ... the other one,
whatever it's called. And some of those nestle instant cappuccinos with
chocolate sprinkle. For moderate weight, I take a plunger! On army
exercises, it's a dripolator or an espresso machine (yes, we take
vehicles). If I could kick my coffee addiction, holidays would be
easier.

Tam

Shabby said:

Quoted message said:

If you get some sort of synthetic fabric to make your sleep sheet will

be more useful as it will be easier to dry, plus lighter to carry. (an
yes, I went with the dinner and liner from Mum option as well).

Or you can go big budget(!) and buy a couple of meters of silk - it's
the best thing for bag liners, super-lightweight, trivially easy to
clean, and never needs cleaning! I spent 3 weeks in one
up on a glaccier in NZ after spending all day climbing and my
sleeping bag didn't pong afterwards. You can buy the silk at
spotlight etc and it's suprisingly cheap. I'd never use
cotton for anything, btw, except trying to kill someone
snowcamping, perhaps. "here, use my cotton stuff, it's
great when wet and dries really fast!" *cough*

And yes, you do sweat a lot when climbing ice and snow,
my thermals were ready to be burnt afterwards ... 🙂