sabrutat wrote:+1 for the folding chair. I carry an Alite Mayfly, and consider it essential comfort on long tours. I don't bother on short tours, but by the end of that week or two i'm usually wishing for it. ....
I went for the Thermarest "chair" that uses the their sleeping mat. I appreciate you are increasing the risk of a puncture though the bit of the chair that rests on the ground does have a complete nylon layer.
I only used it on one day so can't really recommend it but seemed to work fine (quite a lot cheaper and a bit lighter than Helinox).
Besides having more predictable weather conditions, and therefore fewer clothes, on a short tour, I carry less of lots of things, and leave behind shampoo & conditioner, a sitting mat, some stuff for eating & preparing food (I can live with one-pot meals for a few days), and various other items. I may also take less in the way of electronics, which also means fewer chargers and things.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
Vorpal wrote:Besides having more predictable weather conditions, and therefore fewer clothes, on a short tour, I carry less of lots of things, and leave behind shampoo & conditioner, a sitting mat, some stuff for eating & preparing food (I can live with one-pot meals for a few days), and various other items. I may also take less in the way of electronics, which also means fewer chargers and things.
Fair point but I would still argue that, for example, you might want to cook in the same way as you would on a longer tour. I did a three day short tour of south Cornwall earlier in June and was very happy with what I took: I used it all apart from an extra layer of clothing. But this brings me onto another point: I don't really want to decide on every trip what to take. It's either going to be enough stuff and not too much or it isn't. If it's too much for a short tour then I certainly don't want it on a long tour.
However, as I often like to point out, we discuss the finer points of 1 kg worth of cooking pots while a motorist happily turns up with a half ton vehicle and a mountain of stuff - weight never being an issue. And they are still the first to pack up when the weather gets rough.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Vorpal wrote:I guess that doesn't mean anything except that we all have a different threshold for weight / comfort.
I think it's also a reflection of differing priorities. Most tourists are going to be vacationing from a 9 to 5 job, so they need to keep to a schedule and certain mileages. I don't usually have these concerns.
Weight does depend on the type of touring you do, and what you like to eat. We work on about 25kg each touring as a couple, and while this may seem a lot, we are touring for 3 months or so at a time. As well as tent, mats, sleeping bags, towels, clothes, toilet stuff, it has to include water (3 x 75cl bottles), camera, phones, solar charger, powerpack, chairs, stoves, gas canisters (and reserve gas - it can sometimes be a week or more between places you can buy it), adaptors so you can use different types of canisters, pots and pans, washing up liquid (and despite starting with a 100ml bottle, when it runs out you can only buy 500ml bottles - same for shower gel and shampoo), toilet roll - and when your single roll runs out you often can only buy packs of 4 rolls! Also need to carry at least a couple of days of food, as shops are not opened on Sundays in some countries, or there simply may not be a shop. MrsS even insists on taking a dress to wear out in the evening (which has caused some jealousy amongst other female tourers!) Going for a longer tour you need everything to live for months, not just survive a holiday. That said, with disciplined packing it all easily fits in a set of four Ortlieb Classics each plus one Rackpack for bulky but lighter stuff (bogrolls, a fresh baguette for lunch etc.
Vorpal wrote:Besides having more predictable weather conditions, and therefore fewer clothes, on a short tour, I carry less of lots of things, and leave behind shampoo & conditioner, a sitting mat, some stuff for eating & preparing food (I can live with one-pot meals for a few days), and various other items. I may also take less in the way of electronics, which also means fewer chargers and things.
Indeed, whilst my 'optimum' packing list remains the same for a tour of any length I do take stuff out on shorter trips. Less clothing certainly (I might take a different jacket for example) and depending on the trip, less food and toiletries - there is certainly no point lugging around stuff 'just in case'. The only items that I want to get back from any trip having not used are the first aid kit and wet weather gear.
I took almost exactly the same gear to York last weekend as I would for three weeks in Europe - bit more in fact as I took more food than I generally carry!
Convention? what's that then? Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
I'm off on tour tomorrow, for about 3 weeks, so can weigh my baggage instead of my previous estimates.
Bag 1 - camping kit - 12.1 lbs (5.5 kg) Bag 2 - clothing, tools, waterproofs, lock - 16.6lbs (7.5 kg) so I am carrying only 8 lbs extra over my normal day ride load. Bar bag - paperwork etc - 4.1 lbs (1.9 kg)
Total is 32.8 lbs (14.9 kg) - call it 15 kg. Add to that the weight of chosen machine plus 2 water bottles.
I just did the Pennine Cycleway and estimated my kit weight at 15kg before I left. Two rear panniers and a front bar bag, plus some stuff strapped on to the rear rack with bungee cords. To be honest I was lucky with the weather being so hot so I took a tiny 1-season sleeping bag. Someone lent me a 1-person tent as well. And I only took a flimsy waterproof top because I figured it wasn't going to rain (it did, once and only briefly). I used a trangia stove mostly because I've had it for years and didn't want to buy a lot of new kit, which included front panniers: these I found hard to find, and those that I could find online were too pricey for me. The tent and some other bits went in the front drybag on the bar.
Quite frequently on longer tours my food, fuel, water and BEER makes up way more than half of my luggage weight. Especially when I am riding through a holiday period like Easter. This year I was caught between buying 5L of meths or having nothing over the Easter weekend. I am not the sort of person to ever throw anything away. At least with having a figure of eight route I could leave 2.5L to pick up on the way home. My addiction to PG tips (unavailable in France) means starting off with 500g of tea bags alone!
I agree - its the extras that you pick up on the way that you can't factor into the weight. On top of my bags I filled up with bananas, nuts, pasta, flapjacks and so on. And a loaf of bread from a superb bakery in Ingleton which lasted me for several days. There are some sections where there is nothing for miles, so you feel like you can't risk having nothing on board. I was very conscious that I was adding loads of weight, but unable to do anything else.
Does anyone take a water filter or treatment tablets for an emergency? I considered it this time, but I guess I was lucky - lots of nice people topped me up with water in most places I went, so there was no need.
meic wrote:My addiction to PG tips (unavailable in France) means starting off with 500g of tea bags alone!
They aren't unavailable in Norway, but they aren't available in every shop, and in most they are pricey. This results in me buying them in catering quantities and Mr. V and I carrying little plastic bags of PG tips around with us.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
Lithium wrote:I agree - its the extras that you pick up on the way that you can't factor into the weight. On top of my bags I filled up with bananas, nuts, pasta, flapjacks and so on. And a loaf of bread from a superb bakery in Ingleton which lasted me for several days. There are some sections where there is nothing for miles, so you feel like you can't risk having nothing on board. I was very conscious that I was adding loads of weight, but unable to do anything else.
Does anyone take a water filter or treatment tablets for an emergency? I considered it this time, but I guess I was lucky - lots of nice people topped me up with water in most places I went, so there was no need.
Thinking about it quite seriously for the transam next year but mostly because I'm planning on doing areas in the south west without water and some wild camping. Never occurred to me to use one in Western Europe (but I mostly cycle bakery to bakery in France).
meic wrote:Quite frequently on longer tours my food, fuel, water and BEER makes up way more than half of my luggage weight. Especially when I am riding through a holiday period like Easter. This year I was caught between buying 5L of meths or having nothing over the Easter weekend. I am not the sort of person to ever throw anything away. At least with having a figure of eight route I could leave 2.5L to pick up on the way home. My addiction to PG tips (unavailable in France) means starting off with 500g of tea bags alone!
well done, like a true englishmman. coffee doesn't do it for me either.
the aldi gold tea bags are quite acceptable, the red ones are too weak for our tastes. no idea if they will stock them on the continent though.
Lithium wrote:I just did the Pennine Cycleway and estimated my kit weight at 15kg before I left. Two rear panniers and a front bar bag, plus some stuff strapped on to the rear rack with bungee cords. To be honest I was lucky with the weather being so hot so I took a tiny 1-season sleeping bag. Someone lent me a 1-person tent as well. And I only took a flimsy waterproof top because I figured it wasn't going to rain (it did, once and only briefly). I used a trangia stove mostly because I've had it for years and didn't want to buy a lot of new kit, which included front panniers: these I found hard to find, and those that I could find online were too pricey for me. The tent and some other bits went in the front drybag on the bar.
front panniers are tricky to find second hand.
the boardman panniers are cheap and on clearance at a tenner each 18l or so.
