Aside from the obvious, bikes, tents, food, clothing… I’m doing a bit of research for a product (university design project) focused around the outdoors/camping markets. Hopefully everyone can get a bit of inspiration as to what to take too!

Is there anything you take to make the trip more bearable? Something that’s not really standard camping gear, for entertainment purposes or to help you out between laps.

Is there something you would like to take but can’t because of size restrictions?

Comedy suggestions welcome, Thanks in advance.
Ben

Fireworks and a megaphone. 😉

Hookers & Booze 😀

& if you want to win the event EPO helps quite a bit 😉

coke, dwarves, goldfish bowls, dancing girls

hmmm for winter 24hrs something to warm your body by at the same time as drying your clothes while waiting for team mates to come back :o) Maybe it could heat food up at the same time – and is completely not dangerous – ruling out fire.

would be cool to design a marquee specific to MTBing that has everything in it, or a trailer, or hand/feet warmers for gloves/boots, something to stop cramp, a longer lasting disc brake pad compound, a live-eye cctv link to your team mates whereabouts on the course yadda yadda yadda

Camp bed. Does make a surprising difference to sleeping on the floor/air bed.

Carpet (something dry to stand on). Heater. Although I’ve only started taking those two to “summer” events in 2007, and 2008

Acid & loose women.

pit bitch

no sleeping bag (when racing solo) – thereby making dropping out for a kip less appealing 😉

twinklydave – Member

no sleeping bag (when racing solo) – thereby making dropping out for a kip less appealing [:wink:]

that is hardcore.

Covered social space, eg Gazebo type thing, preferably with sides for extra shelter and sturdy enough not to be blown down in inclement weather. Things like that exist, but they are often too bulky to transport easily, or too expensive to purchase in the first place.

My ideal would be for a warm, two-space changing room type thing. One for you to strip off wet muddy gear in and wipe off the worst, then put on a bathrobe type thing and into another cubicle where your dry clothing awaits you. this is because my pet hate is takinig off cold wet kit and trying not to contaminate dry living space and clothing with mud and wet clothing.

Of course that would remove half the challenge, but it’s nice to have a dream.

Self heating socks would be a more modest aspiration.

Well…

Large beer tent, 3mx9m.

Patio heater (vital).

Hammock, inflatable sofa, chairs, tables, shelving.

A converted 4×4 with sink, water, cooker, roof-tent.

One or two large tents (6 man/family tents). Tarps, wind breaks.

Jet wash, 3 20L jerry cans (vital).

Generator, lights, perculator etc.

A catering team. Vast quantities of food.

I usually bring a random niece. I have lots. They serve no particular purpose and tend to get drunk. Usually someone brings some kids and/or dogs.

Err… fire. We bring fire.

Static caravan

Static caravan

I can see a flaw in your plan.

EVERYTHING but mainly beer and junk food to see you through the night!!

Leffe, chili, bong

Light weight helmet mounted hands free walkie talkie for talking to buddies in team while out on course.
Or a gps locator to see where your team mates are on the course ( bit like F1 cars!) so you know when they’ll be back at transition.

And a tent/marquee/gazebo that packs itself and all its contents away in SECONDS at the end of the weekend when you’re knackered and past caring.

quality windproof small marquee hire, ready erected on site for you, for the weekend!( ok , more of a service than a product but could prove popular for some teams – we’d certainly think about it at a reasonable price as packign away ours at the end is an arse of a job and breeds arguments like Peter and Jordan breed chav’s!)

A fear of it raining, after the balmy Friday night before!!

Fear? We pray for rain. In the dry we finish near the bottom. In the rain near the top. I’ve started praying already…

5thElefant –
Fear? We pray for rain. In the dry we finish near the bottom. In the rain near the top. I’ve started praying already…

Wimp. We want sleet and ice and deep mud and howling winds.

Mmm, sounds like a typical ‘Puffer….

Thanks for the replies everyone, feel free to keep them coming though.
Hopefully I’ll get a few insights from reading through em! =)