New to cycle touring need help

[crazydave789]

Hi everyone thanks for all the replies I live in the north east of England in Stockton on Tees.
I have a budget of around 300 to 400 pounds so I am not on that tight a budget. I already have the bike and rear panniers rack.
I intend to do short trips of 3 days several times a year with one 2 week trip in a year.
I reckon I have around 7 to 10 years left in me to do the camping.
I plan a long 4 week trip when I reach 66 to mark becoming a pensioner. I would like to try France to as far as I can go on that one.
I want the solitude of being alone camping that's when I feel my best. At-home i have a supportive family but just nice to get away for some time alone.
The reason for the trailer is I am ok on the bike and have done trips up to 30 miles in a day a few times. But I have to lean the bike over to 45 degrees to get leg over the saddle with panniers on this might get a bit hard to do.
Al

Ah stocko, i grew up in york but was based up there a fair bit with the green howards. I'm up near thirsk for three weeks this month.

you can kit out easy with that from ebay no worries. I did that including the bike for around 500.

when loaded I step through in front of the saddle but I ride a converted MTB so have the clearance. leaning a loaded bike over is not that bad.

as we discussed with old blue - the solution might be a second hand kiddie trailer modified to suit.

how about ferry to rotterdam, down then back up.

[willem jongman]

I think a trailer is a bad idea for solo touring, unless you want to use a road bike or hardcore mountainbike. We still have a trailer, from the family camping days, and it was great for carrying heavy loads. I am of the same age, and my strategy to continue cycling into older age is to reduce weight (and volume). Two rear panniers and a total luggage weight of some 12 kg is perfectly possible, and very comfortable. Panniers will be cheaper and lighter than a trailer.
Keeping volume down is what allows for such a minimalist outfit. It saves the expense of front panniers and a front rack, but it almost certainly requires a down bag. Since you also plan to tour in northern England, you will have to make sure the bag is warm enough, and the same applies to the mattress. For the latter I would recommend somethng like the Thermarest Neoair Trekker that is warm enough, light and compact, and comfortable for people of our age. Alpkit and Decathlon have affordable down bags. For panniers, I suggest looking into the Ortlieb City Line panniers, their light and no frills budget offering. For stoves, I like a Trangia 27. For tents there are the light solo tents from Decathlon and Wildcountry, or if you want to save some money, the heavier Decathlon Quickhiker 2 (I bought one for my son for festival use and it is remarkably good - I am about to head off for a weekend, and will use it). Altogether, you may find yourself going slightly over budget, but not much. The expensive part will be the mattress and the sleeping bag. For France, you could make do with something cheaper like an uninsulated mattress and a light synthetic bag, but I fear not in your part of the world.
Enjoy.

[nirakaro]

Spot on Willem.

[yutkoxpo]

Hi everyone thanks for all the replies I live in the north east of England in Stockton on Tees.
I have a budget of around 300 to 400 pounds so I am not on that tight a budget. I already have the bike and rear panniers rack.
I intend to do short trips of 3 days several times a year with one 2 week trip in a year.
I reckon I have around 7 to 10 years left in me to do the camping.
I plan a long 4 week trip when I reach 66 to mark becoming a pensioner. I would like to try France to as far as I can go on that one.
I want the solitude of being alone camping that's when I feel my best. At-home i have a supportive family but just nice to get away for some time alone.
The reason for the trailer is I am ok on the bike and have done trips up to 30 miles in a day a few times. But I have to lean the bike over to 45 degrees to get leg over the saddle with panniers on this might get a bit hard to do.
Al

Right so! Now we have an idea of what you want to do and where.
If it was me, I'd be drawing up a list of what I think I need, and then trying to work my way through that list.
So for example, I assume you're on the lookout for a tent and what is now called a sleeping system.
No shortage of discussion here (and elsewhere) on tents and sleeping bags/pads.
Then a stove and cooking gear.
Then there's clothing, hygiene, first aid, tools & spares, laundry?, navigation etc.

If I understand correctly, you're looking to carry the bulk of the weight on the trailer, not on the bike?
There's a bit of chicken and egg here. You should have an idea of what you want to bring in terms of volume and weight to make sure your trailer can carry it. But then, there's not too much point in figuring out what trailer you want until you have your gear together.
I live in NL and see all kinds of trailers for all kinds of uses.
Myself, I've started using an ExtraWheel monowheel trailer, but that's for more off road use. It's a very nifty trailer but does need to be well balanced. It'll carry 2 (large) panniers and a tent if needed.

An alternative to explore is maybe to investigate Yoga or Pilates or something like that to increase your flexibility? I'll often walk my bike to a bench/rock/something higher to help me hop on - more because I'm lazy than anything else.

In any case, my advice stays the same - get out on the bike as much as you can, using whatever you have to hand. Even for just 1 night. 20 quid on a second hand tent will get you out there figuring out what works for you in terms of weight, distance, navigation, comfort etc. Then you can upgrade with confidence.

Best of luck!

[Vorpal]

The reason for the trailer is I am ok on the bike and have done trips up to 30 miles in a day a few times. But I have to lean the bike over to 45 degrees to get leg over the saddle with panniers on this might get a bit hard to do.

I suggest that you try it. It might go better than you expect. If you can't manage it, or you are worried about falling when there aren't other people around, I would reccomend using only a small trailer, and not trailer + panniers. If you are going to haul a trailer, let it take as much of the weight as you can. If you use both, you are likely to end up carrying too much. I only use both when family camping, and I have to haul stuff for the kids, as well as me.

Most of us have to work out to some extent for ourselves what we prefer. Maybe see if you can borrow some things to try before you buy something?