Ultralight touring

[philso]

If you choose credit card touring with minimum weight, tour the Eastern half of the U.S.A. Towns are much closer. If you tour only states bordering the Atlantic Ocean (ie: South Carolina) any town is within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of another town (or closer). I tour with a now 12 year old modified mountain bike. No shocks, made of CroMolly (a steel alloy), with 1.5 inch (32? mm) width tires. If you are worried about being stuck in cold weather, heres a suggestion. I carry a tent, tarp, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and blanket, all in a compression style bag. All bought at giant discount malls which are every few miles apart in the US
it seems. Total cost was less than $120, total weight 12 lbs (5 kilos). YOU MUST HAVE A REALLY STRONG BIKE LOCK SYSTEM. Good Americans are very good, and, unfortunately, bad Americans are very bad. I carry a 4 foot log chain with a massive padlock, and never leave my bike unlocked even for a minute. I also spray painted my rather expensive bike badly with a ugly color. Looks at first glance like yard sale junk.

unfortunately, craigeckhoff is right about having a good lock system. one of my cable locks has 3 or 4 strands frayed where someone tried to chop it. on tours, i now use 2. 1 is a standard cable lock that i have hanging from one of the saddle rails. it's long enough to go through the frame, rear rims and around a street sign pole. the other is a long cable (5 ' or so?) with a pad lock that i only use when away from the bike for a long time.

i have to admit, i'm impressed with craigeckhoff's gear. my own tent, tarp, bag, and pad tip the scales at a bit over 6 lbs., but that doesn't include a blanket, and my bag alone cost about half again his total.

also, the bad-paint-job camouflage does seem to work. my brother, who spent about 15 or 20 years living in lower manhatten and brooklyn, managed to hang on to his bike. i think it was because he decoupaged it with shellac and pictures he cut out of magazines and newspapers. definitely a bike that both stood out boldly and looked like a piece of cr_p at the same time.

nun, if you go for that nice new frame, maybe you could rap the frame with police crime scene tape and the nice lug work with electrician's tape. LOL

it'd make for a hilarious set of vacation pics.

 

[captn willard]

What's the point in going ultralite?

If you are looking at doing the TransAm in less than a month, then I guess it makes sense to make all those sacrifices in comfort for a few pounds saving and POSSIBLY more daily miles (depends on the abilities of the cyclist).

But if you are making the trip to see America and you have the time to stop once in awhile and actually experience all the great nature and culture along the way, you might find some of that "excess" gear to actually make the trip more enjoyable. A decent comfortable night's sleep, good hot meal, rain gear and even a book can go a long way toward maintaining your strength and your optimism.

I guess it boils down to a difference in touring philosophy. Is it all about the biking or is it the bike that allows you to get to fabulous places?

Either way, enjoy!

 

[nun]

What's the point in going ultralite?

If you are looking at doing the TransAm in less than a month, then I guess it makes sense to make all those sacrifices in comfort for a few pounds saving and POSSIBLY more daily miles (depends on the abilities of the cyclist).

But if you are making the trip to see America and you have the time to stop once in awhile and actually experience all the great nature and culture along the way, you might find some of that "excess" gear to actually make the trip more enjoyable. A decent comfortable night's sleep, good hot meal, rain gear and even a book can go a long way toward maintaining your strength and your optimism.

I guess it boils down to a difference in touring philosophy. Is it all about the biking or is it the bike that allows you to get to fabulous places?

Either way, enjoy!

I think the goal of using ultralight stuff and applying the philosophy is to make the touring more enjoyable, but there is obviously a balance to be found. I'd never go on an unsupported tour without a tent, but I'd make sure it weighed under 1.5 lbs and I only every carry a single paperback book. You have to have all the stuff you need for safety and comfort, without packing the kitchen sink. I like comfort as much as the next person, but if I can get a lighter piece of gear that does the same I'll get it.

One way to limit what you carry is to only use 2 panniers. I apply this same philosophy whenever I travel and its made all my trips far more enjoyable - no matter how long I'll be away for I only ever pack an single
duffle bag that will fit under an aeroplane seat. Having one light bag makes everything else easier. The same goes for touring.

 

[philso]

I think the goal of using ultralight stuff and applying the philosophy is to make the touring more enjoyable, but there is obviously a balance to be found. I'd never go on an unsupported tour without a tent, but I'd make sure it weighed under 1.5 lbs and I only every carry a single paperback book. You have to have all the stuff you need for safety and comfort, without packing the kitchen sink. I like comfort as much as the next person, but if I can get a lighter piece of gear that does the same I'll get it.

One way to limit what you carry is to only use 2 panniers. I apply this same philosophy whenever I travel and its made all my trips far more enjoyable - no matter how long I'll be away for I only ever pack an single
duffle bag that will fit under an aeroplane seat. Having one light bag makes everything else easier. The same goes for touring.

wow. i've got bivy sacks and tarp shelters that light, but my lightest actual tent is a tad over a kilo. what make is it?

 

[nun]

wow. i've got bivy sacks and tarp shelters that light, but my lightest actual tent is a tad over a kilo. what make is it?

Tarptent - 24oz. Well I tell a lie you have to get a floor to keep out the
majority of the bugs which adds 5 oz. That's my love of comfort taking me
up to 1.8lbs.

Its not double walled so you could say its a tarp, but with the sewn in floor I think it qualifies as "tentish". I've used it on a few hikes in NH and it worked very well. I've never actually put it on my bike as all my touring over the last 18 months has been credit card around New England. Longest trip was a week around MA and I lived out of a Carradice saddlebag. I suppose it was a long randonnee. I hope to ride across the US someday and I'm approaching it as a very long randonnee with a "bit more kit" than normal.

 

[Nick H.]

Hello again everyone. Sorry to be hijacking this thread with my round the world stuff, but I'll try to keep things relevant to ordinary ultralight touring.

Regarding the strength of my carbon rims (and ignoring their stiffness) I don't have any numbers. I'm confident about them because I spent months at the weightweenies forum, where as you can imagine carbon rims are almost a condition of membership. I heard endless tales of woe from owners of Zipps, Reynolds and so on. The only people who were 100% happy were the Lightweight owners. Erik Zabel is a more typical owner than I am - he's won the Tour de France sprinters' jersey 3 times, and his Lightweights have needed nothing but bearing adjustment in 3 years. Carbon rims made by people other than Lightweight are well known for cracking when you ride over a pothole. Lightweights don't. Their design and manufacture is very innovative (the factory has about 20 closely guarded secrets up its sleeve) and in this case I think it's fair to say that you get what you pay for. My wheels cost about $4500. (In the US they're $1000 more - don't ask me why.) So what I'm trying to say is that if you want to go ultralight touring on carbon wheels, you can, I believe, do it with Lightweights. Of course I'm not saying you should....but you can. To my knowledge nobody has ever done it - I will be the first. And I'll enjoy it too - I love preaching ultralightness to my fellow tourists, because to me the highlight of any tour ought to be in the mountains. So I have an obsession with shedding every gram (ounce!) that I can. OK, it may seem wierd...but I love it.

My daily average has to be over 60 miles to beat the exisiting record- but other people are also after this record, and the quicker I do it, the longer I'll hold it. I have no idea what kind of average I'm capable of, or how much rest I'll need. That's all part of the reason for doing it - the whole project is a bunch of unknowns- it's an adventure. .

Of course this won't be like the RAAM - I know what the RAAM is all about, i.e. sleep deprivation - but somebody in my forum observed that this project is closer to RAAM than to a touring holiday. It all depends on my daily distance. 60 miles a day would definitely be a holiday. 200 a day would be more like an extended RAAM. I don't know if I've got the mental discipline to go for big mileages day after day - we shall see.

As for the not-thought-through quality of my planning - well you have to remember that I've got all winter to prepare, and I turn the British self-deprecation dial up to the maximum when I write my web pages. It's much more fun having everyone believe that it's impossible!

I'm not surprised that everyone thinks I've got the wrong bike. The received wisdom is - duh- to go touring on a touring bike, with 4 panniers, a bar bag and a tailpack. Well, because the only places I ever wanted to go on a tour were the Alps and the Pyrenees I always did it on a 753 road racer with Dura Ace, racing wheels, a skinny saddle, 23 mm tyres, no mudguards and either tiny front panniers or NO panniers at all. Nothing ever broke - not even a spoke - except luggage racks! Which I think illustrates the point that touring gear is all too often built down to a price, whereas the best racing gear is made of near aircraft-quality materials of amazing strength, and hang the expense. My bike would be the ideal choice for the Paris-Roubaix, which is surely one of the toughest tests of a bike in the world. My 18,000 mile cruise should be gentle by comparison.

 

[nun]

Hello again everyone. Sorry to be hijacking this thread with my round the world stuff, but I'll try to keep things relevant to ordinary ultralight touring.

Regarding the strength of my carbon rims (and ignoring their stiffness) I don't have any numbers. I'm confident about them because I spent months at the weightweenies forum, where as you can imagine carbon rims are almost a condition of membership. I heard endless tales of woe from owners of Zipps, Reynolds and so on. The only people who were 100% happy were the Lightweight owners. Erik Zabel is a more typical owner than I am - he's won the Tour de France sprinters' jersey 3 times, and his Lightweights have needed nothing but bearing adjustment in 3 years. Carbon rims made by people other than Lightweight are well known for cracking when you ride over a pothole. Lightweights don't. Their design and manufacture is very innovative (the factory has about 20 closely guarded secrets up its sleeve) and in this case I think it's fair to say that you get what you pay for. My wheels cost about $4500. (In the US they're $1000 more - don't ask me why.) So what I'm trying to say is that if you want to go ultralight touring on carbon wheels, you can, I believe, do it with Lightweights. Of course I'm not saying you should....but you can. To my knowledge nobody has ever done it - I will be the first. And I'll enjoy it too - I love preaching ultralightness to my fellow tourists, because to me the highlight of any tour ought to be in the mountains. So I have an obsession with shedding every gram (ounce!) that I can. OK, it may seem wierd...but I love it.

My daily average has to be over 60 miles to beat the exisiting record- but other people are also after this record, and the quicker I do it, the longer I'll hold it. I have no idea what kind of average I'm capable of, or how much rest I'll need. That's all part of the reason for doing it - the whole project is a bunch of unknowns- it's an adventure. .

Of course this won't be like the RAAM - I know what the RAAM is all about, i.e. sleep deprivation - but somebody in my forum observed that this project is closer to RAAM than to a touring holiday. It all depends on my daily distance. 60 miles a day would definitely be a holiday. 200 a day would be more like an extended RAAM. I don't know if I've got the mental discipline to go for big mileages day after day - we shall see.

As for the not-thought-through quality of my planning - well you have to remember that I've got all winter to prepare, and I turn the British self-deprecation dial up to the maximum when I write my web pages. It's much more fun having everyone believe that it's impossible!

I'm not surprised that everyone thinks I've got the wrong bike. The received wisdom is - duh- to go touring on a touring bike, with 4 panniers, a bar bag and a tailpack. Well, because the only places I ever wanted to go on a tour were the Alps and the Pyrenees I always did it on a 753 road racer with Dura Ace, racing wheels, a skinny saddle, 23 mm tyres, no mudguards and either tiny front panniers or NO panniers at all. Nothing ever broke - not even a spoke - except luggage racks! Which I think illustrates the point that touring gear is all too often built down to a price, whereas the best racing gear is made of near aircraft-quality materials of amazing strength, and hang the expense. My bike would be the ideal choice for the Paris-Roubaix, which is surely one of the toughest tests of a bike in the world. My 18,000 mile cruise should be gentle by comparison.

Well Nick, all I can say is "Best of British" to you. I thought I was pushing the envelope by planning to use a randonnee bike to go across the US
with a luggage goal of 30lbs, but my hat's off to you. You've got the ultralight bug BAD!!!!!!! and to me that seems to be the only reason to go so high tech, but what really matters is all the fun you can have planning and doing the ride your own way. I'm at the other end of the spectrum in that I like traditional bikes (mostly for comfort and aesthetics), but even so the lugged steel frame I'm getting is only 3.75lbs and the whole bike will cost less than one of your wheels. My kit is mostly Shimano 105 with bar end shifters, man it sounds boring now.........

Anyway we've covered the bike, but what equipment do you plan to carry?
I'm interested to see if there are any ideas I can steal for my tour.

PS here's an example of the megaloaded

 

[SteveFox]

I am not so worried about weight or air drag or things lke that. I like to have the things that i need when i need them and not have to worry about not having something. I dont care about the weight of a tent or sleeping bag as long as it is versitile and durable. weight isnt a big factor, but the less the better for me.

steve fox

 

[nun]

I am not so worried about weight or air drag or things lke that. I like to have the things that i need when i need them and not have to worry about not having something. I dont care about the weight of a tent or sleeping bag as long as it is versitile and durable. weight isnt a big factor, but the less the better for me.

steve fox

I tend to agree, which is why I'd never pack just a tarp as I hate bugs and getting wet. I'd go with one of the 2lb tents with sewn in groundsheets, but I see some rigs that are just ridiculous.

 

[Nick H.]

Hi guys. Let's talk about ultra-ultra-light camping gear. Some of you may think these choices a little extreme, but I'm not taking panniers.

Tent: I have a bivvy bag and a tarp, but I don't want to use them again - no good in the rain, no privacy, no feeling of security, no space for your gear. Plus I want a free standing shelter in case I have to camp on a hard surface. I like the look of the Puppy Pile Too. Pluses: free standing, only 30 oz/850 grams. Big mesh door and 2 vents in the roof. Big capacity - there might be room for my bike in there, as well as me. Waterproof. Minuses: the fabric doesn't breathe at all - will the vents and the door be enough to stop me getting soaked by condensation in hot countries? www.mandatorygear.com

Mat: In the past I've always used a Thermarest. A 3 season one is 20 oz/570g but how about a Balloonbed? Only 100g, packs much smaller and looks a lot more comfortable www.balloonbed.co.uk More pumping - but that's OK

Sleeping bag: can I manage without one? In warm weather - especially in a tent that doesn't breathe like the Puppy Pile - all you want is a sleeping bag liner. When it's colder, why not wear all that lovely warm cycling gear I'm carrying? A space blanket or two could also be kept in reserve for really cold nights - I could glue them together to make a sack.

Stove - For short trips I like the pocket British or German army ones which burn hexamine blocks. There's one which weighs only 20 grams excluding blocks. But replacement blocks are hard to find.. So for long trips maybe something like the MSR Superfly would be better? It's 4.6 oz/131 g, plus a 4 oz fuel canister. You'd need to pack 2 and keep looking for more en route. So total weight would be 12.6 oz.

 

[SteveFox]

Well, it all depends on how comfortable you want to be. If you dont mind sleeping horibbly or horrible sleeping conditions dont bother you, your methods will work fine, but if you dont sleep well under bad conditions, id suggest making yourself more comfortable. i dont, its your choice, but when i tour, eating and sleep ing are some of ,most important things that i can do, so im going to do them right.

steve

 

[Nick H.]

Of course I don't want horrible sleeping conditions - that's why I'm ditching my bivvy bag. Can you be more specific about what you think I should take?

 

[SteveFox]

Well, no I cant, because I am not you. I have no problem with weight. I just take every laden kilometer as it comes at me with no worries or problems. any problems that show up, i deal with them accordingly. thats how i do things. But, heres what I am taking on my trip around the world, partly becuase i have it now, and partly because im poor and cant afford to buy anything else thats ultra lightweight:
1. tent - Kelty Cyclone 2 http://store.yahoo.com/mbstores-store/kelcyc2man3s.html

2. sleeping bag - North Face tundra http://http://store.yahoo.com/mbstores-store/nofatum20dee.html

3. Bike - Trek 520 http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1432000&f=8

4. Clothes - almost all army surplus, and bermuda shorts(10$CND at walmart) and sports shirts(6$ for 3 at walmart) http://www.celsurplus.com

5. stove - army stove

6. Everything else i go with quality, durability and versatility for everything instead of weight. if its sometihing that is good for me and light weight thats a bonus.

tahts just what i do. anything you do is up to you. hope i gave some valuble input though.

steve fox

 

[Nick H.]

Well, we have very different approaches. I want to go fast and light. And I love mountains and hate climbing with heavy bags. The joy of cycling is going up and down a mountain road - but the more you load up the bike, the less joy you get. Plus, I get a buzz from living out of a tiny bag. My entire load probably fits in a glove compartment.. People assume from my load that I'm just out for the day - you should see their faces when I tell them I'm away from home for many months.

 

[SteveFox]

i also enjoy mountain riding, but i get used to the weight after some time and i dont really notice. as far as i am concerned, im on an unloaded bike after a while. i do get a bit of a thrill out of living off very little as well though, so i know what you mean. I just like to be prepared. good luck with your trip though. maybe well run into eachother somewhere on our bikes.

steve Fox

 

[nun]

i also enjoy mountain riding, but i get used to the weight after some time and i dont really notice. as far as i am concerned, im on an unloaded bike after a while. i do get a bit of a thrill out of living off very little as well though, so i know what you mean. I just like to be prepared. good luck with your trip though. maybe well run into eachother somewhere on our bikes.

steve Fox

There's a nice gear list at the follwoing website, click on the "Ultralight Gear List" tab on the lefthand side of the page at

http://ultralight-hiking.com/home.html

The total weight of equipment is about 15lbs with 10lbs of food/water.
On a bike I'd expect to carry a bit more equipment like tools and spares, but less food so a $30lb goal seems to be easily attainable without too much sacrifice of comfort

 

[Nick H.]

There's a nice gear list at the follwoing website, click on the "Ultralight Gear List" tab on the lefthand side of the page at

http://ultralight-hiking.com/home.html

The total weight of equipment is about 15lbs with 10lbs of food/water.
On a bike I'd expect to carry a bit more equipment like tools and spares, but less food so a $30lb goal seems to be easily attainable without too much sacrifice of comfort

I like the goals of that site but unfortunately it's 5 years out of date. 900g for a bivvy? There are plenty of lighter tents than that now.

 

[nun]

I like the goals of that site but unfortunately it's 5 years out of date. 900g for a bivvy? There are plenty of lighter tents than that now.

But its a good list of things to take and I think the graph of weights is very instructive. If a 5 year old gear list can come in at 15lbs think what today'w will be!

 

[waterford-camel]

For folks wanting to take a stove, yet still go ultralite, check out alcohol soda can stoves. Basicly they are knock offs of the Triangia, shaving weight and have less burn time. Most can boil a couple cups of water at a time and thats it.

Vargo outdoors even makes a titanium one, just rite for guinness round world attempters. Directions are pretty basic to make one yourself from small drink cans though. The small ones (including the Ti Vargo) will fit inside a small pot/large mug (which can also be easily found in titanium).

The downside:

Fuel might be hard to come by in some places, especially if you don't speak the language.

Wind is a major factor in how well/fast they'll boil. Wind screen is mandatory.

Most types do not simmer. Use with foods that need only boiling water, or minimal cooking. A properly insulated bowl will continue to "cook" food (rice/noodles etc) after adding boiling water.

The upside:

The fuel doesn't stink up your stuff when it leaks.
Can use isopropyl (but not well), methyl (poisonos to drink-but cheap) or ethyl alcohol (rather expensive).
You can use grain alcohol (ethyl) if you want to, as well as dilute it (quite a goodly bit) and drink it. Kind of expensive though I'd think (unless your a guiness RTW record attempter).

A couple world cycle tourists have a rather nice chart of what the various fuels are named in different countries: Mark and Ju's methylated spirits page