[Closed] Sick as a dog so, show me you Bivi / Bikepacking / Adventure racing gear.....

"saving for good" if it never gets used

Thanks guys. I have a skil liner and am religious about using it. I was considering the snugpack 2 season as a second sleeping bag. I tend to use the tent more tbh but want to start giving more as one nighters are easier to fit in, plus saves me about a kg of bivi offer tent, which in good weather is worth it!

My setup for last night was:

Alpkit Rig 3.5 tarp (270g)
Poles and guy lines (200g)
Klymit Inertia x-frame sleeping mat (227g)
PHD minimus 300 sleeping bag (500g)
silk bag liner (100g?)
Bivvy bag (400g)

That's 1700g all in though the weight of the tarp & poles etc was obviously shared between the two of us. Perhaps just as importantly the whole lot is very compact. That's something that synthetic bags struggle with.

Got a wildcat bar bag holster at the weekend. Winter bag hits the front wheel of the cross type bike. Nuts.

Buts, just found this. Fingers crossed.

http://www.aboveandbeyond.co.uk/products/7640120118235/exped-waterproof-compression-bag-medium-19-ltr-charcoal

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Inspired by this thread and the Alasdair Humphreys microadventure book, there are three of us biking up to the Pentlands on Thursday for a bivvy. Can't wait. Training for next year's Capital Trail starts now!
Anyone got a good Pentlands spot - I was thinking Green Cleugh or south side of Harlaw reservoir?

Try the Borestane (on the track over to Carlops) or the wee bit of woods at the foot of that track (and the end of the Yellow Brick Road) at NT143614.

I had a good bivvy on Allermuir overlooking the city a couple of years back. fascinating watching the haar rolling in over the city and then the sun rising through it in the morning.

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http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2013/08/protracted-farewells.html

Fatmax - some nice spots up near Bonaly reservoir, round the edge of that hill with the pole nr Allermuir, green haugh and beyond up the Kips - good spots up there.
I had a moment of Internet madness and bought a mega lightweight tent, been damp once too often this summer !

Thanks guys, much appreciated. Great photos and blog Colin.

Had a great weekend in Repovesi National Park last weekend - wildcat ocelot, mountain lion and tiger and Exped Ergo Hammock which got some envious glances in the post-ride, post-swim, beers-in-the-sunshine session. Bear Bones 22g stove won lightness points compared to the others' Jetboils, but certainly not speed points!

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write up here: https://erikplankton.exposure.co/full-moon

Great blog (not mine), with great photo's. Previous post was bike-packing round Slovenia.

Well worth a look round.

Those pics have started my day off right, nedrapier!

I've done lots of long 1 day rides but this was my first multi-day bike pack at the end of the 'summer'.

Taunton --> Plymouth via that section of the EWE route (thanks Aidan). It took me 2 1/2 days on my SS...

[img][url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5645/20819110405_226d59d880_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5645/20819110405_226d59d880_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/xHHocp ]DSC_0557[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/8133348@N03/ ]oxym0r0n[/url], on Flickr[/img]

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[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5800/21881470095_9dd369b8e7_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5800/21881470095_9dd369b8e7_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/zkAfHM ]2015-10-02_08-55-19[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/8133348@N03/ ]oxym0r0n[/url], on Flickr

I got sunshine in the mornings but by the end of the day the weather closed in on both full days. The worst bits were hours of moorland dragging across Dartmoor and getting lost/having to take a slight diversion at Watersmeet as the stepping stones were under water. Great challenge though!

Custom front harness using a Steve Peat fender (needs cutting down, as it bounced on the front tyre) and a Wildcat rear (needs a smaller or tapered stuff sack). I'd like to ditch the pack next time if possible and reduce my kit a bit further e.g. ditch the lock!

Haven't looked in here for a couple of months - some amazing pics.
Nice to see a fellow hammocker 🙂

Bivvy out a couple of weeks ago
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5800/21390075980_9aa15ed7f3_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5800/21390075980_9aa15ed7f3_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/yAaJns ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

Where's that, Rich? Cumbria, I'm guessing.

just took me an age to find this Awesome thread again, SAVED! 🙂

A recent couple of bivi's

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In the heart of Llandegla.....ssh!

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Northumberland Coastal Bivi ride

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The Sandstone Trail

^^^^^^^^^^^^

What frame is that John?

psycorp - Member

^^^^^^^^^^^^
What frame is that John?

Top - Jones Ti 3d space frame
Bottom 2 - Travers Bat Fastard & Lauf Carbonara forks

Liking that Bat Fastard.

psycorp - Member

Liking that Bat Fastard.

Me too
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couple of pictures of my last bikepacking trips and equipment in Scotland

Trip up Glen Tilt on 26" Cove hartail. Worked well for strapping most kit onto.
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5815/22894865585_c60dcb9482_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5815/22894865585_c60dcb9482_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/AT9aTP ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matth3w_k/ ]matt kelly[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/14801229341_39700c9892_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/14801229341_39700c9892_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/oxWaPk ]RIMG0002[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matth3w_k/ ]matt kelly[/url], on Flickr

Latest trip was on 26" orange five, far harder to attach everything too so ended up with rucksack too which I had hoped to avoid.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/618/22273657763_f1b3c77c31_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/618/22273657763_f1b3c77c31_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/zWfjs8 ]Dalwhinnie[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matth3w_k/ ]matt kelly[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/771/22502672109_6fe223820e_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/771/22502672109_6fe223820e_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Ahu5rk ]Dalwhinnie[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matth3w_k/ ]matt kelly[/url], on Flickr

both trips have used a tent, I have recently bought a bivy bag and tarp to try, my biggest concern is midges though...

Planning more trips for next year, have purchased a 29" On-one inbred to build into a rigid off road bikepacking machine. And also the Genesis Croix de fer below, for more road/canal path focused trip. N+1 right 🙄

[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5828/22868907426_c02daaa45b_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5828/22868907426_c02daaa45b_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/AQR8rm ] [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matth3w_k/ ]matt kelly[/url], on Flickr

Hi there. Bit of a lurker on here but going to do some bike packing. Got all the gear I need. Just a few questions about actually packing. Onto he bars what do you carry? Just tried rolling my therma rest, sleeping bag and bivvy in one into a dry bag but it was huge. All your set ups look a lot smaller. Should I keep the mat out or keep everything separate and small as possible? Cheers.

I usually put sleeping bag, bivi, liner and down jacket in the bar bag.

Sleeping mat goes in either the frame bag or saddle bag.

Alternatively a tent in the frame bag, in which case a sleeping bag and mat will just about roll up on the bars.

This is all using quite a thin self inflating 3/4 mat

The usual setup is:

Sleeping kit in a bag mounted to the bars.
Spare clothing in the seat pack
Heavier stuff in the frame bag.

The trick is to take just enough to be comfortable and no more. As you've discovered, it's not just about weight but also bulk. As an example I've got (thinks for a moment) four sleeping mats 😯 A closed cell Karrimat style mat; a full on Thermarest (I suspect that this is what you have); a Klymit Inertia X-frame and an Exped Synmat Winterlite. The first two are very bulky and they aren't something I'd take bikepacking. The X-frame is a summer only mat, it packs down very small, less than a litre, but the gaps in it mean that it doesn't have an R-value. The Exped is an insulated mat with an R-value of 6 which is more than the full Thermarest which is at least three times the packed volume of the Exped. Apart from the Karrimat the other three cost about the same amount - £80.

If you've a synthethic sleeping bag then that will be bulkier than its down equivalent. However the down bag will cost a lot more. Unless you go really lightweight, almost racing weight, then there is an associated bulk. My bivvy bag (can't remember the make/model) weighs 450g but you can get a bivvy bag that weighs just 130g but it costs nearly $300!! It probably isn't useful for heavy use.

You need to consider everything together as a system so a good sleeping mat can mean that you need a lighter bag than if you'd a poorer mat as you aren't losing as much heat through the mat through conduction.

There's no one right answer, you need to try different setups to find what works for you.

After a cheeky weekday one-nighter:

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Liking this thread a lot.

[Columbo]But there's still one thing I don't understand...[/Columbo]

Why use a seatpost mounted rack, or strap-on contraptions on a hardtail? I can understand FS (where a conventional rack won't work), and I can understand carbon frames (no bosses, etc.), but on a hardtail, surely the easiest/cheapest/most secure way of carrying something over the rear wheel is to bung a rack on?

Rack and panniers are wide and probably weigh as much as all the kit you'll stick in a rear bag

Weight saving - though minimal
Frame choice - how many frames have rack mounts these days?
Reliability - rack breakages happen when loaded/off-road
Maneuverability - taking a be-panniered bike along some trails can be a nightmare. Think heather, bracken etc.

I use both approaches and reckon the soft bags are more useful off-road. Panniers can work well on wider, flatter, easier terrain though

Not panniers, just a flat-topped rack loaded similarly to Busta's photo above. I can't believe that it would be more prone to breakage than something cantilevered off the seat post. Weight is absolutely minimal compared to a loaded bike, surely?

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im not drilling my frame for a rack (at the bottom - i know it has mounts at the top) nor spending loads of money on an AXLE mount rack to fit round 4 inch tires.......

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nor am i drilling that frame - has no mounts at all- its a ti race frame that just so happens to be as comfy as hell !
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on the left is my most recent purchase.... off here(wouldnt normally buy TNF kit as i feel mostly its over priced for the name) but for 125 quid im happy..... both those bags are near as damnit rated the same at comfort - the survival temp of the down bag is much lower in perfect conditions obviously the usual wet caveat applies ..... just got the mrs a hunka bivvy for her birthday - isnt she lucky so i guess ill get to use my snugpak synthetic alot more as im sure she will claim the lighter bag 🙁

@tillydog, I use the seatpost rack because it's what I have, it works with the trunk bag and clips on in a couple of seconds. It's an Arkel Randonneur rack, not one of these clamp on the post jobbies. There's only a couple of kilos in the bag (stove, food, sleeping bag, tools) so it's nice and stable.

I do understand where you are coming from though, some of the big seatpacks look more cumbersome than strapping your kit on-top of a normal rack. Horses for courses! The important bit is the adventure, not the kit.

Nice ride out on clear and cold Friday night to Claerddu (see pic - not mine, really great bothy) then a wild a wet cycle back on Saturday. Singular Peregrine on its fist bikepacking outing (rubbish phone pic) :-).

[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/732/23729252105_b41cf90b6d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/732/23729252105_b41cf90b6d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/C9SBWi ]20151212_123349[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/82598458@N05/ ]jamesanderson2010[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3947/15590512482_a62006d95d_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3947/15590512482_a62006d95d_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pKFscm ]Claerddu Bothy (5)[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/42762366@N07/ ]Alan[/url], on Flickr

Has anyone else got out yet this year?

We had an overnight doing part of the Southern Upland Way, to say it was cold and wet is a bit of an understatement!

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Nice, good effort getting out. What section did you do? Was the riding any good?

Just about to ask the same as Tom, looks like the area around the Selkirk end?

overnighter in the Berwyns. Not been back too long, it's taken all day to ride 70miles back home. I'm freezing!

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Very impressive getting out in the middle of winter. Respect!

More impressive and a lot more scary is the fact this thread is 5 years old.! I looked at this this morning and though it was 2 years tops. Getting old.

AlexSimon - Member
Very impressive getting out in the middle of winter. Respect!

won't be doing another in a hurry until it gets warmer 😆

Quite a few folk out last weekend on the Bear Bones 'Bach to Bach' ... horrible conditions but plenty of tea, cake and toast to counter the effects of the weather.

We rode from St Mary's Loch towards Moffat. Riding wise it was nothing special, the Yair to St Mary's Loch section is much better.

If anyone is interested I have written a short post about it here:

[url= http://bit.ly/SUW2016 ]http://bit.ly/SUW2016[/url]

(The website is very much in progress so pointing out any bugs/typos/general constructive criticism is welcome)

(The website is very much in progress so pointing out any bugs/typos/general constructive criticism is welcome)

Land Rover, bike and sail boat, whats not to like......... 😀

Hi

I'm want to start bikepacking this year and I'm looking for a bit of route advice/opinions. Are the Sustrans routes any good for someone looking to stay as off-road as possible or should I be planning my own routes from OS maps instead?

Cheers

Both - though in my experience Sustrans routes have a tendency to wander on and off road. Plus they tend to focus on going through habitations. My bikepacking tends to head away from these places.

@Scotroutes

Heading away from habitations is exactly what I'm looking for. Any tips for route resources?

Cheers