bicycle camping

Phil Cook said:

Colin Blackburn wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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.

That doesn't happen IME. Although I only use bubble-wrap for silly
things like mountain marathons, and therefore for just one night, I find
it is substantially okay in the morning. Of course I then get to pop the
whole thing to pack it down for the second day's run.

Quoted message said:

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.

Of course, I was taking the ultralight route to an extreme. It is
though, slightly less bulky than a foam mat.

Colin

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

"vernon levy" <[email hidden]>typed

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.

And presumably using a stove designed for petrol, not the Trangia-like
soda-can stove designed for use with meths.

(It's amazing just how fast a nylon tent can burn down. If you are lucky,
it will even burn too fast to leave blobs of burning molten nylon stuck
to your skin.)

Tent: I use a Black Diamond Megamid, which is a pyramid shaped fly sheet w/
one center pole, no floor, and stakes out w/ 4-8 pegs depending on how light
you want to travel and how much wind you expect. I know people who carry
just the fly to their tent when they want to keep weight to a minimum. Try
this at home to make sure you can pitch just the fly to your tent before you
do it on a tour. Bring a sheet of Visqueen to protect your ground
pad/sleeping bag.

Sleeping bag: I use a fairly light down bag, rated to 20 deg F (-7 deg C). I
also use a silk liner to keep from having to wash the bag too often. The
liner will add a little warmth, too, if you're using a marginal sleeping
bag. I also use a closed cell foam sleeping pad which is cheaper and lighter
than any Therma-Rest, although bulkier.

Stove: I've been backpacking with various white gas stoves (SVEA 123, MSR
X-GK, Whisperlite) for quite a few years, white gas is cheap and easy to
find in the US, and white gas seems to do better in subfreezing temps. Some
people run unleaded in white gas stoves, but I don't think it burns as
cleanly as white gas, and gas station owners have been reluctant in the past
to let me fill a fuel bottle out of their pumps, especially with the modern
vapor recovery filler nozzles. Since I can get white gas for US$5/gal at
Wal-Mart, I'm happy to let the gas station owners have their way.

MSR makes a gas cartridge stove called the Pocket Rocket, which is
unbelievably tiny and runs on MSR or Camping Gaz canisters in a couple
sizes. They also make a stove called the Wind Pro, which looks like it would
be more stable, less likely to tip over while cooking (I'm a little clumsy
that way). After trying to find white gas in Scotland last year, and after
paying 6.50 pounds for a 1/2 liter can of the stuff (which I work out to
about $90/US gallon!), I'm seriously considering a gas cartridge stove the
next time I leave the US, probably one of the two I named.

Carrying all that stuff: For my month long trip around Scotland I had front
& rear panniers, a handle bar bag, and a seat bag. All those bags add weight
and expense, but spreading the load around helps bike handling and makes
things easier to find. There are a couple of saddlebags/seatbags on the
market (Carradice Camper, Rivendell/Baggins Hoss) that are big enough to
carry camping gear if you don't want to use panniers. Check these websites
for info: www.rivendellbicycles.com , www.wallbike.com,
www.peterwhitecycles.com .

HTH,
--
mark

lowkey said:

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)

Quoted message said:

Small propane [or other fuel] stove, A bigger tent, Water filter/treatment,
air mattress [in place of sleeping pad]

You put water treatment third, but depending on where you plan on
cycling, it should be first.

Austin (nothing will spoil a trip of any type faster than dysentery)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyone here cycle camp?

How about car camping....Remember this song.

I smell a skunk.
There's beer in the trunk..
We'll howl tonight.
The fishing is good.
We'll [censored] in the woods.
We'll burn big fires.
Don't forget the TV and the canned goods.

Leave the city doors behind.
Open just a crack.
If it's raining, we'll turn back.
We're Car Camping it.
We're Car Camping it.
Yeah.

We're just a bunch of clumsy campers.
Raising a ruckus by the fire.
With all the creature comforts of home.
We'll retire...before the fire's...out.

Maggie

AustinMN said:

lowkey said:

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)

Quoted message said:

Small propane [or other fuel] stove, A bigger tent, Water filter/treatment,
air mattress [in place of sleeping pad]

You put water treatment third, but depending on where you plan on
cycling, it should be first.

Austin (nothing will spoil a trip of any type faster than dysentery)

Dysentery on a tandem is faster...

Peter Clinch said:

Quoted message 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=20
because it was already heavier than my Spacepacker with less usable=20
space (but at =A315 that's not really anything that shouldn't be the case=

You might be thinking of last year's PA tent, Pete. That one (a
double-skinned tent) had a declared weight of 2kg. This year's Argos
Pro Action tent is a single skin and has a declared weight of 1.5kg.

I've not seen one yet but I'd regard it as a low-comfort compromise.
I think I'd be happier with a bivvy than a single-skin tent. It's
possible that you'd be cycling in the rain all day - so I'd personally
want a tent that was big enough and dry enough to ensure a comfortable
night. Then again, 15 quid isn't bad if it does the job well enough.

Judith

Judith said:

Peter Clinch said:

Quoted message 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=20
because it was already heavier than my Spacepacker with less usable=20
space (but at =A315 that's not really anything that shouldn't be the case=

You might be thinking of last year's PA tent, Pete. That one (a
double-skinned tent) had a declared weight of 2kg. This year's Argos
Pro Action tent is a single skin and has a declared weight of 1.5kg.

I've not seen one yet but I'd regard it as a low-comfort compromise.
I think I'd be happier with a bivvy than a single-skin tent. It's
possible that you'd be cycling in the rain all day - so I'd personally
want a tent that was big enough and dry enough to ensure a comfortable
night. Then again, 15 quid isn't bad if it does the job well enough.

I bought one of last years pro-action tents. It will get a first
serious outing at the York Rally. The alternative would be the bivy bag
which is a bit extreme in a campsite full of other people.

The weight doesn't other me too much. I'm not bothering with any
cooking stuff, just planning to glean what I can from cafes and so on
en route. If I was cooking, the trangia with gas conversion (thats the
bottled gaseous stuff, not the liquid sloshy stuff for the benefit of
the leftpondians in the thread) is a bit weighty but very nice.

As for treating the water, I'm not anticipating any distances more than
about 40 miles between purified water sources (or pubs to the
uninitiated). Never drink anything that hasn't been puriifed with
alcohol or by boiling with herbs..

...d

In article <[email hidden]>,

Maggie said:

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.

My fondest memory of Hoboken was finding a shoe shop where nearly
everything was vegetarian. I bought as many pairs as I could fit into
my second (shopping) suitcase. Lovely, it was. Only went to Newark
for the airport.

--
Sara

So, what are you going to do? Sucker me to death?

Sara Kirk said:

My fondest memory of Hoboken was finding a shoe shop where nearly
everything was vegetarian.

What is the nutritional value of corfam?

C.J.Patten wrote:
.. Went back last fall to say hello to a friend. (but most

Quoted message said:

of that trip was in Flemington NJ, if that rings a bell...)

NJ ain't just the TurnPike, Sopranos and swamps folks... it's got some great
green space. 😉

C.

Of course I have heard of Flemington...THE OUTLETS...Jones New York,
Liz Clairborne...Ralph Lauren. You think I don't know Flemington? If
you ever read some of my Jersey posts, I make fun of Jersey, but I love
it here. We have everything. We have the Jersey shore, a Ferry ride to
NYC, the mountains, the pine barrens, suburbia, we have four beautiful
seasons, (I think) and of course the Jersey mentality. I could never
live anywhere else.

I make fun of Jersey, but it has everything. It is so diverse and
everything you want is here. The mountains, the ocean, woodlands,
cities, suburbs, you name it, we got it. The Sopranos takes you from
Newark to North Caldwell in the beginning of the show. They have
filmed at the shore, the pine barrens, north on the parkway, south on
the parkway, and all places in between. They film where I work in
Belleville.

Most of my Jersey posts are just kidding around. I am a Jersey Girl.
Born here, probably die here. Actually born in Newark when it was a
great place. Movies, shopping, restaurants, the works. Then after the
riots, it just disintegrated. A real shame for those who remember
Newark as one fabulous place. It was a great place.

I have such great memories of Newark from my childhood. When I go
there now, I can't believe what happened to it. I was born there. I
want to cry when I pass my grandfathers house. And the lot where we
played stickball is filled with drug dealers. Sad thing.

Maggie.

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote in message
<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

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?

Last time I pitched a tent after a long day's ride, it was a very hot day,
and I joyfully removed my bike shoes. There was broken glass embedded in the
grass where I was camping, and I cut myself. Nothing like facing 90 miles
the next day with a bloody gash in your foot.

People who drink beer and then smash the bottles, feh.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referr­al/Cpetersky

"C.J.Patten" (clip) I'm thinking along the lines of taking a few weeks and
cycling out of town, stopping at various campsites along the route.
Thoughts?
^^^^^^^^^^^^
After reading all the posts about tents, their bulk and weight, and the
discussion about trailers, I started visualizing a tent that uses the bike
for support (in place of poles, or a trailer that converts to a tent. Well,
i9t looks like someone is 3way ahead of me. Check this website:
www.topeak.com

BTW, I got the website off the blister pack of one of their products that is
really neat: A thing called "Bar'nMirror." It is a pair of clamp-on bar
ends like are usually used on mountain bars, for climbing, or for an
alternate hand position. What's unusual and clever is that each one
contains a slender rear view mirror that folds out when you need it, and
folds away for protection the rest of the time. (I have no connection with
the company.)

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

Quoted message said:

After reading all the posts about tents, their bulk and weight, and the
discussion about trailers, I started visualizing a tent that uses the bike
for support (in place of poles, or a trailer that converts to a tent.
Well, i9t looks like someone is 3way ahead of me. Check this website:
www.topeak.com

That IS a pretty cool tent... (too bad I only have 20" wheels... 😉
I've seen a couple of others that use the bike as a support mechanism - more
like an anchor - you attach several guy wires to the bike.

Biggest advantage as I see it: you'll be awakened if someone's messing with
your bike while you sleep.

My HammerHead 3, while being 8lbs and HUGE, has big enough alcoves that I
can put my bike "indoors" at night.

It may seem nuts to bring such a big tent while bike camping, but it's also
good for 2 people so I could divide gear between two bikers.

Quoted message said:

BTW, I got the website off the blister pack of one of their products that
is really neat: A thing called "Bar'nMirror." It is a pair of clamp-on
bar ends like are usually used on mountain bars, for climbing, or for an
alternate hand position. What's unusual and clever is that each one
contains a slender rear view mirror that folds out when you need it, and
folds away for protection the rest of the time. (I have no connection
with the company.)

That is cool. Thanks for the link! Hadn't seen it before. Lots of cool stuff
there.

Chris

"C.J.Patten" wrote: That IS a pretty cool tent... (too bad I only have 20"
wheels... 😉 (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I just reread the description on the website, and I can't find why you feel
that 20" wheels would be a problem. It looks to me like the tent is
supported by the handlebars. What am I missing?

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

Quoted message said:

"C.J.Patten" wrote: That IS a pretty cool tent... (too bad I only have
20" wheels... 😉 (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I just reread the description on the website, and I can't find why you
feel that 20" wheels would be a problem. It looks to me like the tent is
supported by the handlebars. What am I missing?

OH! I though the front wheel was being used structurally to create the
circular end of the tent - opposite the end where the bike is. Maybe that's
not the case...

"C.J.Patten" wrote: OH! I though the front wheel was being used
structurally to create the circular end of the tent - opposite the end
where the bike is. Maybe that's not the case...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's pretty hard to be sure about the size of things in the illustration,
but it looks to me like the tent is hooked on the seat at the far end. And
it looks like the top of the tent is fairly level, or sloping slightly
upward to the near end. So, that circular profile would have to be much
bigger than a wheel. Actually, it looks like the circle is a zipper--the
end of the tent is shaped like an arch. so I am guessing that there is a bow
holding that end in shape.

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

After reading all the posts about tents, their bulk and weight, and the
discussion about trailers, I started visualizing a tent that uses the

bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for support (in place of poles, or a trailer that converts to a tent.
Well, i9t looks like someone is 3way ahead of me. Check this website:
www.topeak.com

That IS a pretty cool tent... (too bad I only have 20" wheels... 😉
I've seen a couple of others that use the bike as a support mechanism -

more

Quoted message said:

like an anchor - you attach several guy wires to the bike.

Biggest advantage as I see it: you'll be awakened if someone's messing

with

Quoted message said:

your bike while you sleep.

Chris

Biggest disadvantage:

What do you do when you have pitched your tent, then find you want to cycle
to the shop/pub/whatever?
Jo

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

2.1 Kg was the headline weight for the Argos Pro Action according to the
gang at u.r.walking.

I weighed mine this morning. On the Argos site they advertise it as
1.5kg. I took out the spare poles and swapped the metal pegs for
plastic ones, so mine weighs exactly 1210g.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Tikka I mentioned is LED, and very light and small.

Sounds good - I'll look at getting one for my next trip.

Leo Lichtman said:

After reading all the posts about tents, their bulk and weight, and the
discussion about trailers, I started visualizing a tent that uses the bike
for support (in place of poles, or a trailer that converts to a tent. Well,
i9t looks like someone is 3way ahead of me. Check this website:
www.topeak.com

There was a link to a more elaborate Dutch one I saw recently, though I
think that was a prototype. But both seem to suffer from going far
enough out of their way to use the bike or trailer that you're not
really any better off than you would be with a good lightweight tent
that isn't compromised by having to incorporate a bike.

How much weight do you save on poles? Look at the pole in a good single
hoop like a Spacepacker or an Akto and the answer is "not very much",
and you can use those without a bike. In fact, an Akto weighs a little
/less/ than the Topeak, and will be quite a bit more stormproof.

I am struck that this is a case of a solution for a non-problem that
ends up inferior to existing alternatives because it's too focused on
using a bike for a support rather than just Being A Good Tent.

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/