First mini cycle camp tour

[patpalloon]

I went on a short tour of the Cotswolds (3 nights) to test out the camping gear for my upcoming Spain/France trip and it was a success. Very pleased with my tent, sleeping bag, mat etc. And the new Ortlieb front panniers were very good. It was my first time with a fully loaded bike (31kg altogether - bike 13.5, gear 17.5). Can't wait for the trip!

[foxyrider]

Now you can start losing the 7kg of kit you don't need!

[jamesgilbert]

Looks good! I'm not going to say anything about the weight as I've recently invested in a pannier-weighing device and will be packing for my France/Belgium/Netherlands tour this weekend (we don't have a 'worried' smiley so this one will have to do

[al_yrpal]

Hmm.. I am suffering from "weight creep" at the moment, nearly up to 17kg of panniers and bar bag. I could spend my way out of the problem by purchasing a 'coffin' tent and a down bag for a few hundred quid. But I think I'll have to just be satisfied with my recent loss of 21lbs of fat.

That looks to be a tidy setup Pat.

Al

[Sweep]

What's the tent patpalloon?

Are those Altura Dryline's on the back? How do you find them? Been thinking of getting some as an alternative to my Ortleib Backpacker Plus's (think that's what they are called) which are smaller and have a "perfect"closing top but sometimes I can do with more room. I took a fair bit more than you on my last 3/4 day trip

If off for a longer trip by the way I'd take a spare bit of pole for the tent, a hacksaw blade and some duck/tape - apologies if I'm telling you stuff you know.

Have a great trip.

And congrats to al on the weight loss - I await a separate thread on diet tips

[foxyrider]

Are those Altura Dryline's on the back? How do you find them? Been thinking of getting some as an alternative to my Ortleib Backpacker Plus's (think that's what they are called) which are smaller and have a "perfect"closing top but sometimes I can do with more room. I took a fair bit more than you on my last 3/4 day trip

I'd forget the Drylines - they weigh a ton and make access for bulkier items difficult. Your Bike Packers are 20L with no expansion, get some Back Rollers that are expandable to 25l each and still watertight - @ 1kg lighter than the Drylines. If you want outside pockets add what you need - Ortlieb do a range of sizes/types which can be removed when you don't need the extra capacity. (http://www.ortlieb.com/p-liste.php?ptyp ... he&lang=en)

[fluffkitten]

Nice looking campsite.

Tent looks like a Vango Blade 100, seen some good reviews of them. What's it like for pannier/gear storage?

[al_yrpal]

I have Altura Arrans, the 46 litre ones. They are not waterproof. I have the yellow rain covers to go over them. My advice is go into Cotswold, chat them up and tell them you are CTC and ask for a couple of their plastic bags. They are superbly strong and waterproof if you fold the tops over. I always use other bags within them to organise my stuff.

I agree with the comments on the Drylines which a mate has, rather stiff and heavy.

Al

[Sweep]

I'd forget the Drylines - they weigh a ton and make access for bulkier items difficult. Your Bike Packers are 20L with no expansion, get some Back Rollers that are expandable to 25l each and still watertight - @ 1kg lighter than the Drylines. If you want outside pockets add what you need - Ortlieb do a range of sizes/types which can be removed when you don't need the extra capacity. (http://www.ortlieb.com/p-liste.php?ptyp ... he&lang=en)

A well argued case foxyrider and you have convinced me, The Backpackers are considered posh I think and are more expensive - should have gone gone for the Back rollers first time round as the Backpackers proved extremely expensive - lack of room on a trip meant I shoved a much valued Pertex top (that I can't get replaced and even if I could would be £50) and a reflective top (£25) that due to lack of space I shoved in the Backpacker's odd external sleeve and then lost within sight of home! (have a dim memory of a car hooting at me - in retrospect it was probably to tell me that the stuff had dropped out).

If I may I may be back with a PM for a bit of extra advice - would that be OK? - would avoid sending the OPs thread of course.

Thanks for the straightforward advice/opinion.

[patpalloon]

What's the tent patpalloon?

Are those Altura Dryline's on the back? How do you find them? Been thinking of getting some as an alternative to my Ortleib Backpacker Plus's (think that's what they are called) which are smaller and have a "perfect"closing top but sometimes I can do with more room. I took a fair bit more than you on my last 3/4 day trip

If off for a longer trip by the way I'd take a spare bit of pole for the tent, a hacksaw blade and some duck/tape - apologies if I'm telling you stuff you know.

Have a great trip.

And congrats to al on the weight loss - I await a separate thread on diet tips

It is indeed a Vango Blade 100. Great little tent. ONly 1.75kg but much roomier than other one man tents like the Gelert Solo or Hi Gear Soloista. Very easy to pitch. There's some youtube videos on it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmeCOesHfbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9ZrMaHF0aE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV8PWO_2r_o

I got it reduced at £63 but I think it's gone up again now.

They are Altura Dryline 32l (the pair) on the back. They aren't completely waterproof. I've used them on two End to Ends and on the first one I had some torrential rain and the inside got a bit wet so you need plastic/rubble bags etc. Other than that I really like them, they've got useful storage pockets, and I prefer the click fit over the Ortlieb design, they seem much sturdier fit on the rack. Also it's easier to get at stuff when you are on the bike than the Ortlieb roll-top design. The front one s are Ortlieb City Rollers - 25l the pair. I might use a handlebar bag on the trip too. BTW thanks for the tips

[patpalloon]

Nice looking campsite.

Tent looks like a Vango Blade 100, seen some good reviews of them. What's it like for pannier/gear storage?

That was a very nice campsite in Moreton in Marsh - Fosse Way camping. The Vango 100 is pretty good over most 1 man tents for storage. The front pole creates a porch area with the flysheet attached, which gives you ample room for panniers. I had all 4 of my panniers in that area while I slept. The pole runs lengthways giving you a good headroom in the middle of the tent and there's enough space at the sides for smaller items like shoes, etc plus 4 storage pockets for valuables etc.