Cycling UK Forum

I don't usually take a pillow. The last couple of times, I've used a large merino buff, with clothes in it.

A head torch is a good idea, though not strictly necessary.

The OP suggested that they wouldn't be doing any cooking. Though I have to admit, I'd take my stove just to have coffee first thing in the morning. the one time I didn't take it, I regretted it for that reason.

Tigerbiten wrote:An extra 10 Kg in weight will slow you down by roughly 1 mph on gently rolling terrain.
So I recon a full camping load will slow you down by around 2 mph on average, 1 mph if very flat and 4 mph if very hilly.
Using that you should be able to roughly work out how long you'll be on the bike each day.

I don't think that works for me. In relatively flat bits of the UK, I am about 3 mph slower loaded (15ish kg) than not. On hilly terrain, I am about 5 mph slower loaded, than not.

Vorpal wrote:

Tigerbiten wrote:An extra 10 Kg in weight will slow you down by roughly 1 mph on gently rolling terrain.
So I recon a full camping load will slow you down by around 2 mph on average, 1 mph if very flat and 4 mph if very hilly.
Using that you should be able to roughly work out how long you'll be on the bike each day.

I don't think that works for me. In relatively flat bits of the UK, I am about 3 mph slower loaded (15ish kg) than not. On hilly terrain, I am about 5 mph slower loaded, than not.

Not sure it works for me either, I'd rather think in terms of miles per day and camping reduces that by around 20% from what I'm comfortable with on an unloaded day ride. I can do more if it's just for a day or two, but that isn't sustainable.

The advantage of camping is not only in day to day flexibility, but also in that you don't have to plan in detail and book several months in advance

This is the whole crux of the issue for me. Being able to change plans on a whim or on hearing a dodgy weather forecast, exploring that trail you`d never heard of before you set out, having a rest day when it`s p`ing down and not having to press on to a pre booked b&b, having an epic long day in the saddle when the sun`s out and the wind is in the rear. Just freedom.

PH wrote:Not sure it works for me either, I'd rather think in terms of miles per day and camping reduces that by around 20% from what I'm comfortable with on an unloaded day ride. I can do more if it's just for a day or two, but that isn't sustainable.

I actually think of it first in terms of hours cycling. TBH, I can still manage similar distances with camping gear as without, but the length of time it takes me becomes a problem.

Nice bike btw!

On the list for when I have more time!

How about keeping same panniers etc.

But putting tent outer, inner and sleeping bag in a dry sack on the handlebars?

Then the tent poles could be lashed to the top tube using a bungee cord?

Saves having front panniers which would slow you down more I think?

Just a thought.

Cheers James

Some people find it easy to sleep with just a camping mat between them and the (not totally flat) ground, and some don't. Regrettably, I don't. I buy the best mat I can (and the version with a bit more depth) and a really good down sleeping bag, and put myself in a very expensive tent with a bit more elbow room than many people opt for, and lie awake most of the night. Then I feel a bit rubbish the next day through lack of sleep. I think I just need a mattress. If you can sleep on the ground under a couple of layers of fabric, the tent is the way to go. If you can't, B&B is better choice. It really is a personal thing.

Jamesh wrote:How about keeping same panniers etc.
But putting tent outer, inner and sleeping bag in a dry sack on the handlebars?

Tent and sleeping bag in the same dry sack is a bad idea.
The tent will often be wet when you pack it away.

Jamesh wrote:How about keeping same panniers etc.
But putting tent outer, inner and sleeping bag in a dry sack on the handlebars?

for what its worth, i could get my full camp gear (including cook stuff, wash gear etc) and my clothing in a pair of Back Rollers - i don't because i prefer the extra flexibilty 4 bags give me and when i did do a trial load the bike handled like a pig on apples!

just as pertinent - where the F do i put my bar bag and contents if i've lashed a whopping great stuff sack on the front?

andrew_s wrote:

Jamesh wrote:How about keeping same panniers etc.
But putting tent outer, inner and sleeping bag in a dry sack on the handlebars?

Tent and sleeping bag in the same dry sack is a bad idea.
The tent will often be wet when you pack it away.

Good point!

Cheers James

mikeymo wrote: I can think of tent, mat, sleeping bag. Wondered if I'd forgotten anything. Some people are suggesting stove. Anything else?

Towel and whatever wash kit you'd expect to be provided at a B&B. I also take an extra set of clothes - If I'm B&B'ing I'm happy to wear one wash one as everything i take will dry overnight in a room, but can't be sure it will on a campsite. I also tend to tour in clothes that are wearable on and off the bike which keeps the weight down.
+1 for the water boiler type cooker, I wouldn't be without one and it's only a few hundred grams. There's something magical about sitting in a tent listening to the rain with a cup of instant soup warming your hands...
I also started out with the intention of mixing B&B's with camping, but apart from bailing out a couple of times, it's usually one or the other. Partly because I'd resent carrying the kit and not using it, but mostly because I've refined that kit to be able to sleep at least as well as in a strange bed.

PH wrote:

mikeymo wrote: I can think of tent, mat, sleeping bag. Wondered if I'd forgotten anything. Some people are suggesting stove. Anything else?

Towel and whatever wash kit you'd expect to be provided at a B&B. I also take an extra set of clothes - If I'm B&B'ing I'm happy to wear one wash one as everything i take will dry overnight in a room, but can't be sure it will on a campsite. I also tend to tour in clothes that are wearable on and off the bike which keeps the weight down.
+1 for the water boiler type cooker, I wouldn't be without one and it's only a few hundred grams. There's something magical about sitting in a tent listening to the rain with a cup of instant soup warming your hands...
I also started out with the intention of mixing B&B's with camping, but apart from bailing out a couple of times, it's usually one or the other. Partly because I'd resent carrying the kit and not using it, but mostly because I've refined that kit to be able to sleep at least as well as in a strange bed.

Thanks. Where I'll be going (Outer Hebrides) doesn't really have such a thing as "camp sites" I don't think. Even if it did I'd be tied to getting to one, which is sort of what I'm trying to avoid. So it would be wild camping. That's why I'm thinking of hybrid camping. 2 nights camping/1 night B&B. Or night on, night off. That way my camping kit could be as basic (light) as possible as I would know I'd be getting to a proper bed and shower the next night.

Yes, the coffee making kit sounds like a good idea. I don't really function without morning coffee. I'm probably focussing a bit too much on weight.

I need to do a bit more weighted riding, perhaps over a few days, to find out what my range is. I know the terrain up there very well, so that won't hold any surprises.

Last time I did that Hebrides trip with a pal we credit card toured. We booked the first b&b, then after arriving and a shower we rang the next destinations b&bs to book for the following day and so on. No problems whatsoever but it may be different in school holidays or busier times. Watch the midges I wouldn't fancy camping in midge season...absolute hell!

Have a nice trip

Al

mikeymo wrote:Thanks. Where I'll be going (Outer Hebrides) doesn't really have such a thing as "camp sites" I don't think. Even if it did I'd be tied to getting to one, which is sort of what I'm trying to avoid. So it would be wild camping.

I missed that it was the Outer Hebrides. Do you know about the Gatliff Hostels? You can camp in the grounds and use the facilities, though the prices have gone doubled since I was last there (Too long ago)
http://www.gatliff.org.uk/
I also stayed on a couple of sites which were good and some nights off site. None of it was planned, but at the end of a ride if there was somewhere to stay that that looked interesting and had a shower we'd use it.
I'm also planning a Scottish trip for next year and also can't decide how much to carry or how to carry it...

al_yrpal wrote:Last time I did that Hebrides trip with a pal we credit card toured. We booked the first b&b, then after arriving and a shower we rang the next destinations b&bs to book for the following day and so on. No problems whatsoever but it may be different in school holidays or busier times. Watch the midges I wouldn't fancy camping in midge season...absolute hell!

Have a nice trip

Al

Sounds like that worked then. I know the southern part (Eriskay, South Uist) very well. Dad was from South Uist, and we've holidayed there every year for the past eight years. I love it. I'm going back there to die. But not on this trip, hopefully.

It would be school holidays, I'm a teacher. Though if it was late it might not be Scottish school holidays.

The midges are character building. If your character is running around at dusk, screaming like a maniac and scratching your head wildly.

Reading these posts, particularly the OP's, 2 comments.

Firstly, you don't seem to have (cycle) camped before. I'd give it a try for s few nights somewhere local before deciding for your big trip.

Secondly, do you want to camp, do you really want to camp? Might sound daft, but you'll be buying loads of gear, and could have some challenging weather. I think you need to be sure it's what you want to do.