I’ve a place for this. I have no kit.

The money I was going to spend has gone on a ridiculous fine.

What is the bare minimum I need to do it?

Thanks.

On top of your normal long day riding kit .. I guess a bivi bag and sleeping bag and means to carry them.

Plot a route that takes you to pubs in the evening for food/beer – then you don’t need much in the way of cooking equipment.
Dry bags x 2, straps x 2/4 to carry kit – one under the handlebars, one under the saddle (this is what I used to do before I got my bags). Straps are maybe a couple of quid each, dry bags less than a tenner I guess.

Here’s what I’d take as a minimum, taking into account that it’s Wales so might rain.

Sleeping bag … I spent a night out last week in a cheap, +10 synthetic bag and didn’t die.

Bivvy bag … Something like an AlpKit Hunka will be fine.

Sleeping mat … Cheap foam mat from somewhere like Field and Trek will cost under a fiver and won’t weigh much.

Polythene dust sheet … as a tarp it’ll last a couple of nights without any trouble. You’ll obviously need a set of cheap pegs and some cord. There’s some stuff on the WRT blog about attaching guys to the poly.

Sleeping bag, wrapped in bivvy bag, all tucked up inside a dry bag and strapped to the bars.

Add in a warmish top to kip in, a bit of food and some spare socks and you’ll not die.

What are you doing over here?

Kit for this kind of thing can be very cheap. What it usually isn’t is very cheap and very light 🙂

Molgrips speaks the truth … however a heavy bike might just win you the ‘heavy bike’ pork pie prize, so carrying loads of weight might be an advantage 😉

Tesco do down sleeping bags for £40, think one of our party will be sporting one, 800g so not too heavy.

Tesco Bag

MOlly, might as well get stuff that could be used for the Tour Divide eh?

So a decent bivi, sleeping bag, dry bags. I can always eat cold food 🙂

Good job you could pay the fine, else you could have ended up in prison so some nasty types could conduct experiments on you 😉

😆 … they’re making me go on the WRT with minimal equipment.

David.

If its any use, I have 2 or 3 spare meths pop-can stoves you are welcome to.

For a donation to the WRT charity I can also sort you out with a clean 700g +10’c sythetic sleeping bag that fits in a 3L drybag.

Cheers Anthony… one of those stoves would be amazing 🙂

I might have a really cheap lightweight sleeping bag at home… I figure that with a morino top I could be ok.

I’ll keep this thread bookmarked, so keep in touch via here.

I’ll put a red-bull side-burner to one side for you. You’ll need a pot to cook in though, and about 25mls of meths per 500ml boil. Kitchen foil works great as a windsheild if you fold it over a few times.

Poly-lina Pour&Store bags make great cheap light eating vessels. Sainsburys sell them 8 for £1. You don’t even need to wash them you just seal them until your next meal, one sweet one savory. Cous Cous and chorizo is a quick easy cheap camping meal.

WRT?

Thanks Anthony. Some good tips 🙂

I suppose I’ll need to sit and read through the main thread tonight.

Welsh Ride Thing, grum. Getting cold and miserable for fun 🙂

World Rally Tchampionship? Whoremone Replacement Therapy?

Neither of those, I reckon, sounds like some sort of wridiculous riding tchallenge?

Ahh! posts crossed.

“It doesn’t have to fun to be fun!”

Good luck!

my local TK Maxx has bivvy bags for much cheapness might be worth a look if you have one local.

If they’re Trekmate ones, they’re alright. Some bigger folk do say they’re a little cramped though.

I have a Trekmates one and as a big lad 😉 I was ok in it the other weekend and I had my sleeping mat inside it too.

good value for the money imho

Interesting… I’m not big…

Does everyone use a rollmat with their bag?

well it helps with the comfort, if you want to be totally hardcore you could go without – up to you ultimately.

old chinky take-away foil containers make super light, use once/twice cooking pots for boiling water/cooking water stuff….but being thin they are not surable so careul on packing or they will have a hole in them when you need them

Roll mats stop you losing all your body heat into the ground, as well as making things slightly less uncomfortable. You could always go for comedy bubble wrap or clown balloons 🙂

Welsh Ride Thing, grum. Getting cold and miserable for fun

Ah – thanks.

old chinky take-away foil containers

Is it terribly ‘PC-gone-mad’ of me to suggest that’s not really considered an acceptable word these days?

check the polaris and mountain marathon event forums for tips and comedy goodness with balloons

Go ‘core…take a foil survival blanket instad of a sleeping bag..and a hip flask p’raps

really, oh. sorry if anyone is offended. I’ve never heard it used in an offencive way before, is it not descrptive like aussie etc?

Got a light-ish, small-ish mat spare you can borrow. It worked perfectly well on previous bivis.

Awesome, I may well take you up on the Tiger. Cheers.

One step up from a foil blanket… I think I can get hold of one of those emergency mountain survival shelters? How does that rate on the WRT gnarr scale?

Yeti.. bivi is not necessarily the best option for the TD. Bivi or light tent is a matter of preference I think.

Oh and don’t sleep in a foil survival bag. They are sweatier than a night with Jamie.

Condensation might be the problem with an emergency shelter. If money’s tight them I’ll sort you out with a poly tarp … just let me know and I’ll knock one up.

EDIT: I should just say that obviously condensation could also be a problem with a poly tarp 😀

Awesome, I may well take you up on the Tiger. Cheers.

If you do let me know, I’ll post it too you. I think I’m cycling to the start and will be loaded up with extra Bara Brith so no room for extra gumpf…

Cool, what’s the highest temp rating sleeping bag people would try and get away with?

+12 jsut stupid?

^ that’ll be fine.
Disclaimer – I’m not responsible if you freeze…

I reckon you’ll be fine in a +12 so long as you kip in your clothes and use some kind of mat.

I’ll be using a +2, naked, and i’ll be cooking.
Think nice thoughts please.

What you’ve just said is making me not want to have any thoughts 😉