Cycling UK Forum

A few years ago I flew to la Rochelle and rode to Biarritz. Camping each night. The night before I left the UK my mat sprang an un-repairable leak. I dumped it and sallied forth with the bright pink airbed that my wife bought in Benidorm for a couple of Euros. It worked out fine. Even had the pillow built in and I slept well. Got a few funny looks though as I blew it up outside my tent. The plastic can be a bit sweaty though if your naked flesh comes into contact. I think I've still got it somewhere.

Hi,
A small pillow case and stuff your unused clothes in it.
You have got to be able to sit up in a tent.
2 kgs would be about right, a two man makes a good solo tent.
But makesure you can sit up!

West hiland way brings back memories of -10C.....trudging through thigh high snow..........long dark nights.........warnings of don't go........such is life.

I remember borrowing a Jetpacker back in1990(ish). Just for me it was small enough to be awkward, and I found it easier to dress and undress outside. When I started cycle camping my criteria were that I had to be able to sit upright in the tent, move around inside if rained in, and keep bags inside if I wanted to. My tents have all done this, and most have been sub 2kg. I think weight and bulk are more important when on foot, I keep to low bulk when cycling too but not at the cost of some comfort. An inflatable pillow is my item of luxury too.

mercalia wrote:dont like either as they are tapered too much at the feet. I dont know how big a person you are but ideally you should be able to put your mat inside awell as the sleeping bag and you. doubt you can do that with either?

mats inside can increase the damage to the bag and also restrict movement, military bags it can work and some bags are designed to hold a mat so you can roll it like a swag.

I've got a load of army bags and a couple of civvy ones which which are far lighter and thinner but also smaller. army bags being simple and longer means you can flip them over and use the bottom as a rain lid or clip it out like a cobra style bivvy. I once spent a very boring night rolled over that way from 7pm to 7am.

bags work better when dry so adding a basha or poncho to the kit helps it no end as even a dew wet out can give you a sweaty night. you can either string it as a tarp or make a ground envelope to protect your kit and act as a pillow. if it rains you pull the top flap over your head.

when dry they can add a season to your sleeping bag rating, when they wet out they can take a season away.

Psamathe wrote:

Sweep wrote:Must admit I don't weigh anything.

As long as the rack/bike doesn't collapse and nothing drops off I am fine.

Surely it doesn't matter much unless you are concerned about the bike or its fittings being particularly delicate?

Apologies if I'm missing something.

I've not yet got all gear together and want to take a test ride loaded so I'll be loading up with a "realistic" weight (based on others experiences) e.g. with water bottles, books and what gear I do have. So I was asking for info to get a realistic test together.

Ian

Just fill your panniers full of bricks and that will give you the sensation. Seriously though the main trick is to be minimalist.

Do not take lots of books, do not take spare changes of clothes (wear one and wash one and one lightweight set (no jeans) and sandals for off the bike in the evening. Use artificial fabrics that breathe and wick and are lightweight and pack down. No cotton (although my all girls crowd in our twenties strew M&S knickers the breadth of France-no dryers at campsites and we always arrived in the dark so our bikes were constant laundry racks the next day). No fashion shows-your bike jacket is now your jacket for all uses and if you're really cutting down your leggings for cold mornings on the bike are now your evening wear (B&B tourers actually have other changes of clothes-it looks very glamorous!).

Your towel should be one of those lightweight ones from millets, do not pack more tools than you are capable of using as they are heavy and be realistic- in Europe unless you are in the mountains there are bike shops closish to help with major catastrophes. Toiletries- NO spares, a small one of stuff you need only, take a kindle instead of books. Consider whether you need a camera or whether your phone will do that job. If you need to cook (and many don't or only make tea) then lightweight packpackers stove and pan, plastic plate and cup.

Consider the weather-for many countries in the summer you won't need serious rain kit (just a jacket) or a warm sleeping bag or lots of warm layers. Try to use stuff that packs small and preferably is light too e.g. A thermarest and high quality lightweight bag. I don't take a pillow, I just wrap my fleece around my mini backpack that I use for shopping and touristing (some people just use their barbag). Use your front light for the bike or your phone as your campsite torch.

It's ok to take a luxury-just don't take them all, for some people it's a camera or a corkscrew, I like my lightweight chair (helinox) as I'm too creaky to sit on the floor all the time. Some people take books. I quite like a little lantern torch to hang in the tent and spread a little evening light. Some people like to take a laptop to write journals or to work on their route. But think whether your phone will be enough (maybe with a lightweight Bluetooth keyboard). Think about whether you need all of that electronics (that's mostly what I say to my kids) and try to reduce the number of devices and charging time.

Cunobelin wrote:

pete75 wrote:

bovlomov wrote:I've lost count of the times I've been told about an elderly person who has gone into a hospice or hospital and "slipped away peacefully 48 hours later". That's mostly accompanied by "life had become unbearable", "...finally at peace!" or "It was a blessing!".

Watch out oldies! They are murdering you and then telling each other it was a blessing.

If it's not your money they're after, it's because they can't be bothered to look after you. Hospital acquired infections, starvation, lack of water, neglect, morphine, pillow over the head... whatever the manner of your demise, it's a blessing just the same. They'll never admit that it is they themselves who feel most blessed when you go.

There's some truth in what say. Not long ago hospitals were getting a bonus for using the Liverpool (no)care pathway to kill elderly patients.

This is a classic example.... there were some real positives in that pathway, however as with most NHS policy it was rushed in with very little training or understanding and not allowed time to settle in before being reformed again

Positives?? Get someone old in, bung em on the pathway and hey presto one less oldie to draw on NHS resources. Nowt positive about that. The LCP was a self fulfilling prophecy. Sedate the patient then deny them nutrition and fluids. Of course they die.

pete75 wrote:

bovlomov wrote:

Debs wrote:It's so refreshing to read the interesting views expressed in this thread about the state of the NHS and in particular the absence of any mention of NHS problems all caused by the older generation who have the audacity to keep living on without the decency of dying

I've lost count of the times I've been told about an elderly person who has gone into a hospice or hospital and "slipped away peacefully 48 hours later". That's mostly accompanied by "life had become unbearable", "...finally at peace!" or "It was a blessing!".

Watch out oldies! They are murdering you and then telling each other it was a blessing.

If it's not your money they're after, it's because they can't be bothered to look after you. Hospital acquired infections, starvation, lack of water, neglect, morphine, pillow over the head... whatever the manner of your demise, it's a blessing just the same. They'll never admit that it is they themselves who feel most blessed when you go.

There's some truth in what say. Not long ago hospitals were getting a bonus for using the Liverpool (no)care pathway to kill elderly patients.

This is a classic example.... there were some real positives in that pathway, however as with most NHS policy it was rushed in with very little training or understanding and not allowed time to settle in before being reformed again

bovlomov wrote:

Debs wrote:It's so refreshing to read the interesting views expressed in this thread about the state of the NHS and in particular the absence of any mention of NHS problems all caused by the older generation who have the audacity to keep living on without the decency of dying

I've lost count of the times I've been told about an elderly person who has gone into a hospice or hospital and "slipped away peacefully 48 hours later". That's mostly accompanied by "life had become unbearable", "...finally at peace!" or "It was a blessing!".

Watch out oldies! They are murdering you and then telling each other it was a blessing.

If it's not your money they're after, it's because they can't be bothered to look after you. Hospital acquired infections, starvation, lack of water, neglect, morphine, pillow over the head... whatever the manner of your demise, it's a blessing just the same. They'll never admit that it is they themselves who feel most blessed when you go.

There's some truth in what say. Not long ago hospitals were getting a bonus for using the Liverpool (no)care pathway to kill elderly patients.

Debs wrote:It's so refreshing to read the interesting views expressed in this thread about the state of the NHS and in particular the absence of any mention of NHS problems all caused by the older generation who have the audacity to keep living on without the decency of dying

I've lost count of the times I've been told about an elderly person who has gone into a hospice or hospital and "slipped away peacefully 48 hours later". That's mostly accompanied by "life had become unbearable", "...finally at peace!" or "It was a blessing!".

Watch out oldies! They are murdering you and then telling each other it was a blessing.

If it's not your money they're after, it's because they can't be bothered to look after you. Hospital acquired infections, starvation, lack of water, neglect, morphine, pillow over the head... whatever the manner of your demise, it's a blessing just the same. They'll never admit that it is they themselves who feel most blessed when you go.

Thanks a lot - Terra nova looks indeed the best for our needs! I am surprised that I did not looked at this company...

Wild Country Aspect 3 looks very practical, but after checking the measurements I am worried that the sleeping area may be a bit tight for us. Aspect is 3.30 KG and Hoolie 4 are almost the same weight. Hoolie 3 also looks OK size and is even more light then the aforementioned, but I am debating weather it would be better to buy Hoolie 4 (I found it for £130)??? I think that having space inside is more important to us. I can imagine that if it rains we will appreciate having more room for the 4 year old to bouncy around. I will have a 3.3 snugpak trap for covering bicycles and weehoo turbo, and empty panniers so storage space is not that important. I do not think that someone will come at night to take our panniers from under the tarp

Thanks for the recommendations for the sleeping mat and bag. Now I am thinking about cutting my foam multimat and using my old vango latitude 300 sleeping bag folded under the child. 4 year old does not need a pillow - she has been sleeping without one since she was born. Only problem is that the vango latitude 300 is bulky and heavy....

I have been thinking ! ... about zipping together my Rab Ascent 700 XL with wifes Ascent 500. Then the child could sleep in the middle. Both sleeping bags are quite warm and possibly an overkill for the time of the year, hence even if we get air entering from the top we may still be warm. If it is too hot we can always use the bags as a cover.

This will be the first bicycle camping experience for my wife and child. I want to make sure that they are warm and conformable...

DarkNewt wrote: I have also been on a quest to find a decent pillow that isn't too bulky heavy !

Roos and I use Exped inflatibles, can't remember the models but one is very light and compact packing and the other even more so. Very comfy when deployed, we're happy, errr, campers.

pjclinch wrote:A general point on kit is that a lot of it has the performance reliant upon fit, and this goes for sleeping bags too. Too big and you'll lose loads of heat from convection currents, too small and, well, it's too small. One size only means if you're in any way outsize you might do better elsewhere.

So have a test lie in a sleeping bag, a test crawl in a tent, try on shoes before spending money. In all of these cases you might save money by going online, but where size/fit is critical to function it may be worth spending more.

Totally agree although I do believe they should put max sizes in there, I am happy with my fit now I also use one of these with my bag:

https://www.seatosummit.co.uk/products/ ... e-reactor/

which allows me to go very light on my summer sleeping bag (incidentally a snugpak with a built in expanda panel) I can add or remove as I feel necessary.

In terms of quality I do like my Montane bag now that i have modded to suit me.

Might be worthwhile starting a discussion thread on good bags for cycle touring/camping midrange/budget options etc.. I have also been on a quest to find a decent pillow that isn't too bulky heavy - being slightly oversized I have gone through various ones with disatisfaction, I had tried several of the inflatable ones a few years ago - and until now the best was one I made myself out of foam, however I recently bought: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1 very happy with this though we shall see how tough it is long term (I always carry a puncture repair kit!

Always interested in seeing others solutions aproaches as they can take you in directions you have never previously thought of!

Congratuations.

We used a Winchester. Being American it came (like the Burley) with dire warnings of do not use under 18months, child should be able to sit upright etc.
Duly ignored and with a suspended seat that could alter positions, I figured out a way to suspend it flat, with a pillow underneath as padding and always had blankets in it for winter... It could be hitched to either bike.

Have seen one since that had a car seat secured in it with baby in.

Importantly remember they do move on quickly and at 7 months he was in a bike seat, going back into the trailer on cold / bad weather days and for the next 2 subsequent winters... before moving on to tandem stoker.

trevorcox wrote:Anyone tried sleeping with a 3/4 length mat? Is it annoying?

My first Thermarest mat was a 3/4 and I put up with it on my first camping tour. But I was quite thin at the time and I found my ankles and lower legs got uncomfortable and cold. I ended up buying a full length one and a Thermarest pillow (which doubles as something to sit on).

If your blood test was for something else then quite possibly it didn't include any factors that might affect sleep.

When I sleep badly I can usually put a finger on what's causing it: too much caffeine, worry, hyperactive brain, snoring from neighbouring pillow*, strange sensations in chest, etc. Any joy in that line?

I reckon you sleep well the following night because you didn't the previous night.

FWIW if you don't feel tired when you set out then I don't think you're riding too much. It's only too much when the effects of the previous ride haven't worn off before the next ride.

*wife says she doesn't so it must be the pillow, right?