What I've learnt from my first tour

[nickpaton]

A few random thoughts on my first 3 day 2 night camping mini-spedition which I used as a shakedown for a longer sponsored ride up to Scotland in a week's time.

The start Part One. I assumed it wouldn't take that long to pack 4 panniers – 3 chaotic hours later and I managed to leave after midday.
What I've learnt: Pack the day before to get an early start.

The Start Part Two. Second day and first night at a campsite (at Demesne Farm Bellingham Northumberland – recommended) I got up at 7.30am and then packed up the panniers. Again chaos ruled as the sun rose, and I ended up leaving at 10:45am! A bad start to what turned out to be a bad day – far too hot and long for my arrival at Brampton Northumberland.
What I've learnt:
1. On the final morning I was up just after 5am and on the road by 6:20am – hottest day yet and longest mileage (53 miles), but the best by far and very enjoyable too.

2. Packing the panniers. At the second campsite, before turning in for the night I packed all the panniers as far as I could, so the minimum amount was needed on the day of departure. This includes filling water bottles, putting my muesli in the bowl ready to go in the morning (muesli pack is then packed) and so on. This actually worked very well with a minimum amount of re-opening panniers needed. In fact the thing that took the longest was having a “Number 2” before leaving!

Gear. No real issues but I met a couple on a length of dirt track the Pennine Cycle Way between Bellingham and Hadrian's Wall with tyre valve / tyre pump problem. The tyres used Presta valves and the pump was an expensive looking mini folding track pump (make unknown) who's head screwed onto the valve (or something similar). On undoing the head it also unscrewed the valve parts and they were unable to keep air in the tube. My push-on Zefal pump did the trick.
What I've learnt: Kinda obvious but test every piece of equipment before leaving to make sure there's no issues like this. It's the smallest things that can seriously sideline you in remote places.

Stuff Sacks: Until day two, I'd laboriously folded my sleeping bag up and then took something like 10 sweat inducing minutes getting it into the stuff sack. A couple of walkers camping next door said to just stuff it into the sack and amazingly it took a short painless minute or so to do.
What I've learnt: Not all Outdoor Shops know what they're on about!

Cooking Pasta, Rice etc: Got this tip somewhere on these forums but it really works! Pasta takes around 10 minutes to cook which uses a lot of fuel and hogs the single burner stove.
I bought a roll of that thin metal coated insulated sheeting from a DIY store and made up a sleeve to fit around each pan, and some circular bits for top and bottom of the pans.
Once the water has boiled, add the pasta, rice etc, take off the heat, put a sleeve round the pan and stand on a circular bit. Cover with a second circular bit. This keeps the water very hot and the pasta was perfectly cooked every time. It also freed up the stove to cook the main course and saved fuel too! They pack up flat and weigh nothing.
What I've learnt: Read CTC forum posts for good advise!

Finally: I like Coleslaw and bought some for next day's lunch. I carefully packed it amongst the clothes to keep it cool and protected. Unfortunately the packaging leaked with Coleslaw everywhere!
What I've learnt: If I must eat such stuff put it into a sealed plastic tub / placcy bag. Maybe better still just don't buy it!

If anyone has any similar "random" suggestions feel free to share.

[Tigger]

Hi Nick

You made me laugh about packing the panniers as I'm the same ie takes me ages! I was hostelling this year, with 4 panniers, cos I like to have the kitchen sink with me Every night I seemed to manage to unpack everything! That's despite keeping specific items in each bag so they were easy to find.

Good luck with the Scottish trip, do report back!

[DaleFTW]

A pot cosy is probably my favourite addition to my kitlist in recent times.

Saves so much fuel.

You've reminded me, I meant to post a few pot cosy 'recipes' on my blog.

[nmnm]

Great insights there, Nick! Because we repeat it over and over, any improvements in the up-and-away routine are v enjoyable.

I try to end the evening with everything packed in one pannier and the other one empty, ready for the mat, sleeping bag, toiletry poly bag. Then it's tent on the rack and away I go. Always takes 30 mins plus though, even now.

Re stuff sacks, the one the sleeping bag came with is normally small, to impress in the shop. I bought a bigger rolltop one, much easier to use. If the pannier's not got much food in it, I leave the sleeping bag bulky. If I need more pannier space, I sit on the stuff sack to expel some air. Leaving it more bulky is better for loft come evening (with down bags particularly) and, I imagine it makes the load look more impressive on mountain ascents!

[nickpaton]

A pot cosy is probably my favourite addition to my kitlist in recent times.

Saves so much fuel.

You've reminded me, I meant to post a few pot cosy 'recipes' on my blog.

Ah, so someone has made kits out of this stuff commercially available - maybe I should do the same for the remainder of the roll!!

I'd be interested in some recipes - is there any chance you could either PM some or (perhaps better) a quick post of some before I leave on Thursday (25th) morning?
I know they aren't difficult to make up but I've got so much to do between now and then that I can't even think of anything.....

Re stuff sacks, the one the sleeping bag came with is normally small, to impress in the shop. I bought a bigger rolltop one, much easier to use. If the pannier's not got much food in it, I leave the sleeping bag bulky. If I need more pannier space, I sit on the stuff sack to expel some air. Leaving it more bulky is better for loft come evening (with down bags particularly) and, I imagine it makes the load look more impressive on mountain ascents!

Interesting comments there nmmm as it raises more questions than answers for me!

First, should I get a bigger stuff sack? Having discovered the "Stuffing Technique" I do wonder if I could go to an even smaller one? This ties up with my second question - the number of panniers I'm using - 4 - which are 2, 58 ltr Carradrys on the rear, and 2, 40ltr Ortlieb Back Roller Citys on the front (the fronts that came with the bike had holes in). That's a huge amount of bag capacity in anyone's book, and I found it quite difficult to keep the bike running in a straight line when going very slowly uphill.
So to be able to shed the front panniers would be great, but as one pannier will be mostly filled with the stuffed sleeping bag and a smaller sleeping mat (in it's sack), it's not leaving a lot of room for much else, hence an even smaller stuff sack. And so on, and so on......
I imagine this is the eternal debate of every touring cyclist, so I guess I've just joined the club!

[al_yrpal]

Nick, what a laugh! I need you to give one of my touring companions lessons. He has a horrid little tent which is dark and spends hours faffing every morning. He loses things and forgets he has already packed them. Great tip on the pasta
Thanks for sharing that, happy touring!

Al

[DaleFTW]

A pot cosy is probably my favourite addition to my kitlist in recent times.

Saves so much fuel.

You've reminded me, I meant to post a few pot cosy 'recipes' on my blog.

Ah, so someone has made kits out of this stuff commercially available - maybe I should do the same for the remainder of the roll!!

I'd be interested in some recipes - is there any chance you could either PM some or (perhaps better) a quick post of some before I leave on Thursday (25th) morning?
I know they aren't difficult to make up but I've got so much to do between now and then that I can't even think of anything.....

Most of the ones I've done are derived from BBC 'One pot recipes'. - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/one-pot

This is a good one - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9527 ... ice-onepot - But I used the Swedish meatballs you get from Aldi/Lidl.

If you're packing longer term, this is a good one from Tracksterman - http://tracksterman.tumblr.com/post/457 ... stocked-by

Recently, I've just boiled some water, added in one of those, some rice and whatever meat I have at hand(pepperami/chorizo/meatballs), put it into the pot cosy for 20 minutes et voila.

[eileithyia]

No2... toooo much information thank you.
Curry powder is also interesting when it spills all over the contents of your pannier I understand, I was not on that tour when some friends discovered that little gem!

[nmnm]

should I get a bigger stuff sack? ...number of panniers... ..difficult to keep the bike running in a straight line

I prefer 2 panniers mostly though there's a romance about the big load of 4, like being an hgv driver for a day! Sounds like you have too much stuff for a 2 pannier set-up but you can try moving the weight around. Maybe less weight on the front end will help with that uphill handling.

Stuffsacks: If your sleeping bag is synthetic then I'd sooner have a bigger pannier than a smaller stuff sack, for the ease of packing. But with down (feather) sleeping bags, big airtight stuffsacks are the thing, I reckon. Mine is a £5 Karrimor dry bag, 15 litres, and the airtightness means it doesn't spring back once I've squashed it a bit prior to rolling the top shut. It makes the sleeping bag pack-up a 10-15 second easy chore. It's great!

[Weekender]

Bestthing I have found for stashing my sleeping bag in is Ortlieb 24ltr rack bag, lofts easily and is light on top of pannier bags. Nothing is left hanging off the bike, unlike my mates whose bikes can resemble christmas trees.
A short video of a recent few days on Uist and Harris will let you see my set up. The bike balances perfectly even with the kitchen sink.
http://youtu.be/nRH5SZDCi5w
Gerry

[andymiller]

Take less stuff. Less time to pack.

It's a good idea to have a 'system' so things go into the same pannier so you don't waste time wondering where things are or which pannier to pack them in. (This is where having fewer panniers can help). I say 'system' but mine is really just how it fits into the pannier: I couldn't get my clothes and sleeping bag and mat into one pannier so they obviously have to go into different panniers - and everything else flow from there.

I know the ultralight brigade disapprove of them, but bags-within-bags also helps stay organized - eg I have a Muji luggage cube (although it isn't actually a cube) for my clothes so they all stay together.

The other part of the system is also stating the proverbially obvious: first out - last in. The stuff I need every night goes on top, while spares, and bits and pieces go to the bottom.

[nickpaton]

A lot of really useful information - much appreciated.

Sounds like you have too much stuff for a 2 pannier set-up but you can try moving the weight around. Maybe less weight on the front end will help with that uphill handling.

Yeah obvious good advise. The first thing I did when I arrived back home (after catching up on the latest stage of the Tour de France of course!) was to weigh each pannier and the tent, with the following interesting results:
Front Left (Ortleib City Rear): 6kg
Front Right (ditto): 5kg
Rear Left (Carradry): 4kg
Rear Right (ditto): 5kg
Tent (Vango Spectra 200): 3.5kg (includes a three legged Gelert stool)
Bike Spa Cycles TiTourer): 18kg (to complete the weight set)

Conclusions - more weight in the front than back; uneven loading between left and right panniers - need to address both issues.

I prefer 2 panniers mostly though there's a romance about the big load of 4, like being an hgv driver for a day!

Bestthing I have found for stashing my sleeping bag in is Ortlieb 24ltr rack bag, lofts easily and is light on top of pannier bags. Nothing is left hanging off the bike, unlike my mates whose bikes can resemble christmas trees.
A short video of a recent few days on Uist and Harris will let you see my set up. The bike balances perfectly even with the kitchen sink.
http://youtu.be/nRH5SZDCi5w
Gerry

Gerry, great video and love the music too! Interesting and useful to see the various different loading "styles", which seem to work for each of you in their own ways.
Also once I've done the sponsored ride (to Kirkton of Glenisla around 30 miles above Perth, I'm wondering where then to go. Yeah could return back home, but I fancy the idea of heading up to the north coast (NOT JOG which I went to once in a car and looks the most boring place on earth!!) and then heading west. Maybe a Isle or two......

Take less stuff. Less time to pack.

Andy, it's a no brainer! But can I do it?!

bags-within-bags also helps stay organized

The two walkers, who showed me how to pack my sleeping bag in its stuff sack, used this idea. They were three weeks into walking the Pennine Way and weight was the priority issue for them. But organisation came a close second, so they were prepared to sacrifice a few grams of weight for convenience too and had groups of things in their own individual sacks - could be way to go, and ultimately down to a two pannier load.

Nick, what a laugh! I need you to give one of my touring companions lessons. He has a horrid little tent which is dark and spends hours faffing every morning. He loses things and forgets he has already packed them.Al

Al, that made me laugh, and brings me onto another tip:

When you're packing after a night in the tent, the first thing to do is to clip your cycling computer onto the bike.
This avoids accidentally leaving it on the floor of your dark tent whilst packing, then wasting time emptying all the panniers, searching the ground around where the tent was pitched, and then deciding a kid from the tent next door must have nicked it!! (Sorry kids )

[PH]

Your packing will evolve to suit you and the kit you have, it can be interesting to hear how other do it, but it won't necessarily work for you.
Mine, for what it's worth
Anything I might need in between camps is either in the saddlebag or bar bag, I don't expect to open my panniers between camps. This includes my minimal cooking kit for a brew on route.
One pannier has all my bedding, my non cycling clothes* and maybe some clean cycling clothes. The sleeping bag (Actually a quilt, but that's another story) goes in last without a separate bag, it fills up whatever space is left, there are advantages to not compressing it any more than is needed.
The other pannier has everything else except the tent, I use several stuff sacks to keep things organised, wash kit, laundry...
Tent goes in two stuff sacks on top of the panniers and poles on top of the rack.
My camping kit weighs around 14kg, not including what I'd normally carry, tools, pump, bottles...

* I have been working towards doing away with different clothes for on and off the bike, I'm hoping to get to the point where everything can serve both purposes without compromises.

[nirakaro]

Bags-within-bags certainly help with staying organised. They weigh - and cost - next to nothing if you use supermarket carrier bags, and if you shop in several supermarkets you've got a ready-made colour-coding system.

[takeonafrica]

The packing panniers time rings many bells!
I remember the first time I ever camped (with bike gear) at start of my Africa trip, it took 2.5 hours to get packed (and repacked) in the morning. Now I can be on the road in 20 mins from first waking up when I want.... although I rarely want. Now I spend an hour beforehand drinking coffee and reading or eating breakfast or taking photos or writing my diary or listening to music and then pack up in 20 mins.
It helps that I now travel with only 2 panniers - food and cooking stuff in one, clothes and electronics in the other. tent goes on top of rack with waterproofs and bike repair stuff; thermarest and sleeping bag roll up together and go in bar bag. It has only taken 40,000km to master it!
Winter biking is another matter... then it still takes me almost 2 hours to get packed up in the morning. Simply finding the will to extract myself from the cozy sleeping bag takes 20mins then.