bicycle camping

"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.

Joe Canuck said:

You have that last part mixed up, it is the other way around.

Humans created four-start hotels, God created the woods... for us to
romp and play in. If God had wanted us to be in hotels, he would have
created them.

😉

Well maybe your god created the woods, but my Goddess created the
four-star hotel. She is a wonderful Goddess, who appreciates the
beauty of room service. ;-)

Have fun in the woods darlin'

Maggie

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

C.J.Patten said:

Anyone here cycle camp?

1) what's the MINIMUM camping gear you'd bring with you to go bike camping?
2) as above but with the added requirement: "to be reasonably comfortable"
3) what would be considered a "luxury" bike-camping kit selection without
getting stupid about it? (eg: a porta-potty is ridiculous)

Pretty much depends on trail difficulty and predictability of weather. The time we went to Greece we "knew" that we were going to push hard and that it wasn't going to rain, so we carried sleeping mats and bivvy bags. Ate most meals in restaurants, and only occasionally picked up supplies for the next meal along the road.

If the weather is more unpredictable we usually bring the outer section of a two layer tent. It can be strung up between trees and will provide decent protection, Bivvy bags are replaced with sleeping bags.

If we would stick to decent roads I still think we'd keep our gear to a minimum, maybe throw in a full set of "after-bike clothes" and a little more cooking equipment.

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"

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.)

C.J.Patten said:

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

Quoted message said:

Here are two bicycle touring newsgroups that you may want to peruse:

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=47

http://www.cyclingforums.com/f79-touring-and-recreational-cycling.html

. . . and an excellent site on what to bring . . .

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/touring/campgear.htm

Thanks Neil! Great resources!

Also:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com (search on packing lists if you wish)

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/

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?

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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.

HA! I never saw THAT shop!

My two favourite places in Hoboken: "Vito's Deli" and "Benny Tudino's" both
on Washington.
I loved the view from the loft apartment/offices - great view of Manhattan.

Didn't spend much time in Newark - just trips to/from the airport. Respect
to those who live there, I wasn't impressed. (the cabbie tried to rip me
off)

Maggie: it was a "working vacation." 😉 Loved it. Oh! I forgot - I stayed in
an apartment in Little Ferry (aka: the Teterborough Airport) and spent some
time in Montclair. Went back last fall to say hello to a friend. (but most
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.