What to take on tour = Cut That Kit!

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andymiller
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by andymiller »

I think not carrying a torch/light is really bad advice. OK maybe if you always travel in the last two weeks in June, you're always in bed before dark, never want to walk or ride on an unlit road to the local pub, never want to read after dark, or pee in a campsite toilet where the lights don't work ...
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eileithyia
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by eileithyia »

andymiller wrote:I think not carrying a torch/light is really bad advice. OK maybe if you always travel in the last two weeks in June, you're always in bed before dark, never want to walk or ride on an unlit road to the local pub, never want to read after dark, or pee in a campsite toilet where the lights don't work ...



There's always round the back of the tent at night rather than the trek to the toilet only to find the light does not work! :lol:
But I agree a torch/bike light doubling as torch is required for camping, but then I always read for a bit before settling down to sleep.
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Ron
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by Ron »

In the 'washing' section I would drop the shower gel and take a bar of soap, facecloth and shaving brush.
ishi0000
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by ishi0000 »

Maps and an ipod?

For me also it's a bar of soap, facecloth and toothbrush, couple of disposable razors.

Sunglasses? I think a cloth cap would be better...

enhance your food and drink, like salt, oil, spices, tea bags, dried milk which want either little containers or bags.


Yes these sort of things I can see, I was thinking don't be afraid to add a little more of things that may help and not be real extra weight, socks and underwear springs to mind, i'm sure there are more.

*Flip flops/crocks x2 Shoes x2, - Aren't those crocks quite heavy, I would take foam ones.

Just some thoughts. I guess it's what you would be happy with, ultimately ...
ishi0000
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by ishi0000 »

Ahh, almost missed it, insect repellent.

I would take or buy some garlic along the way. I don't know how good it is but then i don't know how good insect repellent is. I know I can't cook with it though... :)
andymiller
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by andymiller »

ishi0000 wrote:Ahh, almost missed it, insect repellent.

I would take or buy some garlic along the way. I don't know how good it is but then i don't know how good insect repellent is. I know I can't cook with it though... :)


I've read that vitamin B may help. But personally I'd take something DEET-based. OK DEET is not very nice stuff (you definetly don't want it anywhere near the cooking) but it works - at least with mosquitos maybe Scottish midges are tougher cookies.
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matt2matt2002
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by matt2matt2002 »

andymiller wrote:
ishi0000 wrote:Ahh, almost missed it, insect repellent.

I would take or buy some garlic along the way. I don't know how good it is but then i don't know how good insect repellent is. I know I can't cook with it though... :)


I've read that vitamin B may help. But personally I'd take something DEET-based. OK DEET is not very nice stuff (you definetly don't want it anywhere near the cooking) but it works - at least with mosquitos maybe Scottish midges are tougher cookies.


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Hypocacculus
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by Hypocacculus »

There is a lot of debate about camping stoves and many people are prejudiced against a trangia, not realising that the weight includes all the pots. They also seem to think that they are somehow inferior because they are a bit slower. astonishing? They are a joy to use, silent and efficient even if they don't boil water in a picosecond. I made a beef stew from scratch and it cooked for the required two hours on one filling of alcohol on a minimal simmer setting, but then we find cooking part of the fun of camping. But I agree, they are heavy. BUT you can make yourself a Pepsi Can Stove (Google for designs) which weighs the same as an empty coke can (i.e. a few grammes, lighter than anything commercial out there) and is basically the same as the trangia burner. The joined walls of two beer cans makes a wind break which can be rolled up and secured with a paperclip, and a piece of bent wire makes a three legged pot holder. I've been using one for some years now and I recommend it without hesitation, although ultimately the full trangia is nicer to use. The weight and space saving is substantial.

My home made stove packs easily inside the two nested pots from my trangia (which are as light as any other cooking pot, I checked!) which we eat out of, not needing extra plates; I made a lid out of a piece of thick foil from a disposable platter and use a thick elastic band to bundle it all up. I'm not a fan of all the whisperlite stoves etc because they are over complicated and way way too expensive and in the weight debate, their owners always neglect to mention that they too have to drag around fuel, windbreak and pots. Petrol is downright dangerous. Meths is also easy to find.
Cachao
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by Cachao »

Hello everyone and thank you for the help and comments. After much argument and a 178-mile tour through the Brecons this is our revised kit list. Everything has been re-weighed, but there may still be some antimatter.

Item is first on the left, then OVERALL quantity BETWEEN US is to the right of that, then farthest to the right is the OVERALL weight in grams of the item, for that number of items:

18 7330
Tent 1 2782
Tent poles 1 946
Metal pegs 1 363
Trangia 1 736
Fuel 1 500
Cloths 2 11
"Sporks inc. spatula
" 2 30
Swiss army knife 1 60
Mugs 2 110
Sleeping bags 2 1400
Roll mats 2 230
Head-torches 2 162
32 1683
Cycle tops 4 298
Sunglasses 2 42
Longs* 2 666
Waterproof tops 2 677
Cycle shorts 2 NA
" Helmets
" 2 NA
" Gloves (pairs)
" 2 NA
Shoes (pairs) 2 NA
1031
Socks (pairs) 6 172
Underwear 6 290
Fleece 2 569
4 2662
Water bottles 4 332
" Pump*
" 2 291
Bike Lights 4 NA
Cyclometer 2 NA
Kryptolock 1 1682
Kryptoflex 1 357
78 724
multi tool 1 290
Brake cable 1 30
Gear cable 1 18
Inner tubes* 2 246
Spokes and nipples 3 45
Finish line wet lube 1 30
Puncture repair kit 1 28
Tyre levers 3
Flat spanner 1
Electrical tape 1 17
Velcro ties 2 20
9 957
iPod 1 137
Phones 2 210
BB charger 1 104
Emergency charger 1 37
Spare batteries 2 50
Camera and mount* 1 334
Speakers + charger 1 85
9 362
Toothbrushes 2 30
Toothpaste 1 50
Toilet paper* (ziplock) 1 40
Sun cream 1 25
Shower Gel (ziplock)* 1 100
Razor 1 8
Insect repellent 1 50
First aid pack 1 59
15 629
Maps and Case 2 373
Compass 1 38
Money* 2 60
Notepad 1 75
Pen 1 5
Pencil 1 5
Straps 2 58
Rubble sacks 2
Slide ziplocks
Carrier bags 3 15
165 15378

As we've switched to a spreadsheet, pasting in here is a lot harder to look at, so the full list is here (including our mutterings): https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreads ... pJYL#gid=0

Thanks,

Cachao and crazyferret
pootler
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by pootler »

I've just returned from North West scotland on my first ever bike tour. One of the things that I was most happy with was a 9" square piece of sleeping mat that i used to wrap my tents poles in to stop them getting damaged on the bike rack. I could sit on it when resting / eating / doing nothing and I used it at the door of my tent to get in and out without getting my socks wet. for next to no weight a really useful piece of kit.
The Mechanic
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Location: Scotland

Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by The Mechanic »

Cachao, I can't see on your spreadsheet any mention of saddle bags, panniers or similar to carry your stuff in. What will you be using?
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Cachao
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by Cachao »

The Mechanic wrote:Cachao, I can't see on your spreadsheet any mention of saddle bags, panniers or similar to carry your stuff in. What will you be using?


Everything will be taken in waterproof rear panniers
ossie
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by ossie »

Are your straps for the tents ? Use a bunjee each mate. So much easier than straps. I agree about their limited longevity but you arent going around the world. Plus you can hang your wet washing from them, extra things slip under them. I took both on my recent Spain / UK tour and binned the straps in France, they are a pain. It was a 10 second job to bunjee the tent on but a a right pain to put straps on - plus straps dont stretch to stick stuff under...you can also bunjee your bike to the tent at night if you are worried...they stretch so hang washing on them or wet kit.

I took a compass but what a waste of time..even in remote mountain areas I didnt use it. Brake cable / Gear cable? - honestly what are the chances of them going? More chance of your chain snapping on a hill but you arent taking a chain tool. Longs? I took some but put the insect repellent on my legs and didnt need them.

Tape :duct tape dont take the electrical tape- where are your zip ties? - essential

Do you know what the reality will be? You will be super cautious about weight then hit a supermarket on the second day and load yourself down with cakes, biscuits, chocolate, etc etc. By day 3 your panniers will be a mess by day 5 you wont give a monkees about weight- all you will want is food, food and more food :D
bealer
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Joined: 1 Apr 2010, 1:16pm

Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by bealer »

Your kit list looks about right. An extra kilo or two won't be noticed after the first day.

Having said that I like a lighter bike, purely for the enjoyment of it not feeling like a loaded truck, stuff is less likely to break, you use less energy etc... etc... You could cut some of the individual smaller items, or switch to things like soap. Or drop the cables, but you'd save like 40g. To be honest, the best way to save weight would be to change some of the heavier items you already have. But that means additional expenditure.

If it were me...
- Lighter tent, close to 1.5kg all in for a two or three man
- Lighter down sleeping bags, 500g per bag
- Drop the D-Lock or whatever the heavier lock is. Go with a cable lock, the thicker type with metal casing. They usually weigh nearer 800g.

The above would save you nearly 4kg. Most of that is done via a different tent. That's quite a bit though, I'm carrying 5.5kg in each pannier for my london to oz trip, so 4kg would make a difference.
bealer
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Re: Cut That Kit!

Post by bealer »

Also forgot to mention. Think about the bike itself. I switched from Schwalbe Marathon 32C to Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 28C. So far they're working well for me, and I'm quite liking 28C. The bonus is the Supreme's saved me 600g for an additional £14. Instead of a rear rack bag which can be heavy-ish I opted for a more simple AlpKit xtra dry bag. The 35L one is around 250g or so, the 20L is probably around 200g. That's typically a saving of around 250-400g on some rack bags I've seen. Both of those changes saved me near a kilo I reckon.

The only thing I haven't been able to get down is the 1700g weight of my Ortlieb back roller plus's. I still find that quite heavy for what they are. Something nearer 1-1.2kg would be more acceptable for me.
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