Forum menu
[b]Willard[/b]. I have a largish hammock and find that I have to put my 3mx3m tarp on the diagonal if I really want to be sure of coverage.
Best bet it to take out your hammock and measure it to be sure.
That would make the Rig 7 ok on the diagonal I think, but it might be tight. I haven't looked into the tenth wonder ones.
I use the cheap DD hammocks one when weight is an issue, or a tatonka polycotton one the rest of the time (because it feels and sounds nicer).
Just had my first w/e bike camp out for years and really enjoyed it
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Follow the link for report and lots of pics
http://northwalesmtb.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ridedays&action=display&thread=7542&page=1
Alex,
Thanks for the info. I think I might need to just give it a try...
Have you had any experience of the LifeVenture hammocks? They seem to fit just about all the requirements (apart from mossie net), but I was wondering about using a dirtbag mat in one as a base layer.
Anthony - is that the montane spektr jacket by an chance? I went for the Omm event as I like the fabric.
I've got very similar kit to you. Quality kit is def worth the money.
What's the TN moonlite bivy like in heavy rain? It's more of a snowcave bivy I thought when I talked to TN.
I use a lightened Golite Lair 1 with Easton carbon poles and a homemade sub 100g bath tub groundsheet which negates the need for a bivy bag in 98% off weather.
Cycled London to Wales last week. Here are some photos
[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6129/5985171935_9de5b22df6.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantasticmrmatt/5985171935/ ]Chalk Horse[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/fantasticmrmatt/ ]fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr
All the gear was on the bike.
[b]willard[/b] I haven't used a lifeventure one, but I think I remember seeing that they were very similar to mine in construction and materials.
I sometimes use a thermarest in there as insulation as it's light and doubles as a back pack reinforcer/backpad, but I do find it squirms around under me in the night leaving cold spots. Maybe the double-skinned hammocks avoid this a bit.
I also have an underblanket, which is great in use, but pretty damn heavy in comparison. A hammock with tarp, underblanket and overblanket is just about the best wild camping experience I've had.
summittoppler looks like you had a blast, just read the NWMTB thread too, great pics.
Now what camera to get for biking???
Rik- I always use the Moonlight in conjunction with my tarp, treating it more as a sleeping bag cover than a shelter as such. It protects the delicate PHD sleeping bag from wet ground, any possible weather that gets past the tarp and keeps it away from rough ground. I don't rate any bivvy bag for use in heavy rain, it's just not a nice place to be. Once truly soaked they never breathe sufficiently either. The tarp and bivvy bag is still significantly smaller/lighter than my laser comp, which is saved for winter or longer trips.
Looks like 2 great trips added to the thread, making the most of the sunshine. Matt- what are those fork bottles like?
Fork bottles are great; Travel Tap in one 1l bottle in the other; I find it works out spot on. For that trip I had no backpack on me, all the gear was on the bike and it was brilliant.
[b]Tiger6791[/b] How are you finding the Travel Tap? I've only used it on one bivvy and I found it pretty frustrating to drink from. I couldn't suck you have to squeeze, and it took a lot of energy to get through a bottle.
I cooked with it, so had to decant half a litre into my pot at one point and it got pretty annoying. Have I just got a duff one?
On the Travel Tap video, there's a bit where he squirts it into his mouth from a few inches away. I couldn't make it do that.
Mines good, it's slow but okay to drink from. I mainly use it to fill up the 1l bottle though and drink from that though.
The only problem I have with it really is you can't filter a whole bottle as when it's upside down the water has to cover the filter so the last 1/4 of water has to be topped up.
I think my ideal solution will be to find a bigger bottle with the same thread.
I have no major issues filling my 3l bladder with my traveltap.
Tiger6791 - yes, that useless last bit of water is pretty frustrating, especially for us weight weenie bivviers 🙂
Anthony - that would take me all day! looks like it's time to contact Travel Tap.
2 of us shared 1 travel tap for this years WRT and it worked fine, we probably filtered 4-6L each per day. It does sound like you maybe have a duff filter, although I have heard a few reports of people saying similar.
I went through my kit again last night and beeing ruthless I shaved off about 400g, its amazing how 10g here 20g there soon adds up.
What about kit lists for those on tight budget?
http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk/php/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=154
.
fair enough unsponsored but kit is so addictive 😕
fair enough unsponsored but kit is so addictive
Very true, my bank balance knows this all to well.
Oh well, if it all goes tits up we can live in the forest in our bivvy gear 😉
new handlebar harness arrived here in NL from sunny Wales..a sale as a direct result of this forum string... I hope it works as im off to do the CRAFT Transalp bike race route in 11 days time. 22k up and down and circa 650km in 8 days I think it is....plus the blxody ride to the airport and train stations and back. Given Im old enough to know better I should have been training this weekend, but spending all the time wandering around house deciding on what gear to take and transfering a decent groupset to my old stumpjumper hardtai, or snooping around the bike shop. Not quite sure how 9 days bike gear (rolling 2 days food) will fit in a 25 litre rucsac, a handlebar harness and a small dry bag but there we are. what dosnt fit doesnt go. Todays purchase was a 34 tooth cassette (3mph here I come), some pinhead wheel and headset locks, a new chain, a 1 man tent and the lightest functional Abus d-lock I could find. Would have been cheaper to stay in hotels.... but where is the fun in that. Fortunately i have light camping gear from climbing trips but somehow you always end up buying more. Will post a photo in time.
The MK1 Shinythings frame bag is go...
The old Singer has been fair flying I tell you
[img] 
[/img]
Grabbed a representative sample of food and had room left over. Zip opening is a tad tight for bulky items though.
Fella's I need your advice.
I've got a £200 budget for a new sleeping bag. Its boiled down to a rab neutino 200, phd minimus, ME xero 250 or maybe cumulus quantum. The rab's swinging it at present (purely because I'll get £30 change..)
Which???
Ta
PHD Minim Ultra (the EU 900 fill version). I spent hour after hour researching exactly the same question and found the PHD to be the clear winner if weight vs warmth is your priority.
Western Mountaineering worth a look too.
PHD everytime for me.
Just looked at the Yeti Passion One. Its got an incredible weight of sub 350g like the PHD but its £300 and only suitable for +15'c. It makes the PHD seem good value!
Be aware that Rab quote in US fill power, so the neutrino is more like 200g of 700 EU down. I do think the 2'C comfort rating is pushing its limit.
The MK1 Shinythings frame bag is go...
It looks good Jim but I think you should've taken my advice and made one that filled all corners of your P7 frame. You'll be doing that with MK2 I presume.
BTW, I'll soon need that big cordura holdall back that I lent you last week 😉
How do you attach water bottle cages to your forks please?
Abus make some interesting bags for carrying there rather weighty bike security chains. i stubbled upon them on Wiggle. Not a bad price.
Do Rab quote US fill power now! Damn statistics.
I have a couple of Rab bags. A trip to the factory shop is always worth while. This one cost me less than 1/2 price some time early last year.
[img] 
[/img]
From http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk/php/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16
ollie - MemberHow do you attach water bottle cages to your forks please?
I was trying to find the picture on his blog to link to, but I've seen [url= http://coastkid.blogspot.com/ ][b]coastkid / coastrider[/b][/url] has used reflector brackets in the past I think.
try these for fixing waterbottles on your forks:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/apb-300-bottle-cage-bracket-17250470/
can't take credit for the idea - rcommended to me by a few others who have probably already posted somewhere on this thread
As Steve said the decathlon ones are pretty good and what I've always used. A couple of extra sturdy cable ties around them makes double sure.
[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/6008461990_cbb956d1a4_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantasticmrmatt/6008461990/ ]Scandal on the Roman Road[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/fantasticmrmatt/ ]fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr
@ Anthony
Just looked at the PHD minim ultra, possibly a little extreme for what I need, incredibly light though. How does it perform in a bivvy bag? The super lightwieght shell to aid lofting seems pointless if you're stuffing it into a relatively heavy bivvy bag?
Would the water resistant shell option be worth the extra weight/dosh?
Got any pics of your ultra compressed?
Has anyone got any thoughts on using a chalk bag in place of a mountain feed bag
[img] http://cdn.gooutdoors.co.uk/Products/15080-230211092409891847858.jp g" target="_blank">
http://cdn.gooutdoors.co.uk/Products/15080-230211092409891847858.jp g"/> [/img]
so much cheaper would just need to attach something to secure it to the stem.
Yep, it's been done
Pets at Home do a doggy treat bag that would work as a feed bag. Bought one the other week, but haven't got around to playing with it yet.
My Western Mountaineering Summer-lite bag at ~11,300 feet and Terra Nova photon tent worked well on recent trip:
[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/6021733765_f2e885485f.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/12617230@N03/6021733765/ ]101_0144[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/12617230@N03/ ]blackhound59[/url], on Flickr
Earlier in the trip at 11,500 feet on Boreas Pass showing a wildcat gear frame bag and Revelate Design harness and seat bag.
[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6145/6021708889_1d75e826a4.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/12617230@N03/6021708889/ ]101_0121[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/12617230@N03/ ]blackhound59[/url], on Flickr
Erm ... wonder where those pictures were taken 😉
BTW ... very nice work there Kevin!
You probably guessed Stuart. Looking for something shorter and nearer next year. Perhaps Wales...
@Twang, I use the PHD bag inside a 176g Terra Nova bivvy bag (under a tarp) so the weight of the waterproof fabric isn't an issue, the strength of the 900 down is it's party-piece. Personally I didn't bother with the dryshell fabric, it seems to cope with condensation ok and I'm quite particular about keeping it sheltered from the weather.
This is it in it's stuffsac, sat on top of a 3L dry bag. If stuffed directly into the drybag, there is still plenty of room to fit in my minimus vest with ease-
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
I'll admit that it is a sleeping bag with a very specific purpose and is cut quite slim. The Minimus is slightly more versatile and I doubt very much if you could notice the 100g difference once fully loaded. Having siad that if boosted with a down vest or down jacket it has coped to just above freezing and if conditions colder than that I'm in my winter bag anyway.
PHD do 2 sales a year, more often than not they do a special run of Minim 300's for about £150. These make for a great all-round 3 season bag and IIRC are about 500g.
Blackhound the trip must have been amazing, any pros/cons of the kit you took?
Kevin, if you fancy something a little nearer home this year, there's always the Bear Bones 200 in Oct.
http://www.bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/
What frame bags are people using?? Are there any cheap (and I mean <£50) alternatives to custom ones and/or expensively branded ones?
Buggybags seem to be the cheapest I know of for bespoke bags.
Ebay sometimes throws up generic frame bags, but they don't make full use of the main frame triangle so storage space isn't as good and I suspect aren't quite as stable.
I'm still lusting after a Wildcat bag, but I just made one out of whatever fabric I could lay my hands on as a short term solution whilst I gather the funds. It seems to holding up well enough and although fiddly to get right, it really wasn't that difficult other than a bit of forward planning before stitching together.
Stuart, thanks for link - had missed that one. If I am not away II owe the other half a holiday!) then I will look into it.
Anthony - Kit worked well. Bag was just warm enough in Canada / Montana with a Craft base layer and Patagonia capilene leggings. I do sleep cold though. The TN photon elite tent was excellent. One day while touring it rained for all but 30 mins between 7.30 and 17.30 and was enough room to shelter and kept water out.
A tarp and bivvy bag would have weighed similar, packed up a bit better and might have been more practical for the Tour Divide. As I was touring for a few weeks afterwards (in Oregon) I wanted the extra privacy of a tent. Thought the tent would be warmer and I have limited experience of tarps so did not want to risk something I was unfamiliar with.
I took a few bits I didn't need and I got lucky with the weather so could have made a few different clothing choices in retrospect. However if I was to do it again would have taken same clothing and a bit less other stuff.
[img] http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6030033932_59b3cfc4d2_m.jp g" target="_blank">
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6030033932_59b3cfc4d2_m.jp g"/>
Some photos from last nights (cold) bivvy on dartmoor. Last time i did a bike bivvy it was on a Muddy Fox Explorer so this was a chance to lighten the kit and upgrade. I used a 20 year old sleeping bag that is knackered and paid the price of a cold night, wind probably had a chill factor of around 2 degrees. Still cracking night out and the need to purchase more lightweight kit is now very pressing.
Pics are tiny!!! Get them bigger!!