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

indeed you are right I have seen a few swarms of the pesky nibblers already.

lets hope we win some in that competition

slackman99 - Member
TheBrick,

Point taken regards the tarp. Just wanted to see how small everything packed.

Sorry not trying to patronise but I've made the mistake of putting wet cloths in plastic in side my cloths bag resulting in slightly damp clean cloths so being as I am so brilliant and made that mistake everyone else must be capable of making the same mistake too.

The Welsh midges are the reason I bought my Bearpaw mesh inner tent http://welshridething.blogspot.com/2011/02/bear-spotted-in-wales.html#comments

Out for another scoutabout today (under the pretense of guiding) I'll try for some pics if I manage to figure out my new birthday camera. I shall also be riding a SS, rigid, 29er with drops for added niche effect

Start taking Vitamin B1 and build a resistance to the midges, and get on to your local Avon lady and order Skin So Soft spray moisturiser. Midges hate it and you'll have great looking fragrant skin whilst bikepacking.

Home made balloon bed

Brilliant! Have you got any pictures of it unwrapped, etc?

small pot of [b]instant[/b] coffee/sugar,

Oh dear Slackman, instant indeed! I was pretty damn impressed with your bivi kit collection posting until I read that.

Start taking Vitamin B1 and build a resistance to the midges

I've never heard this one before. I'm defiantly less less popular with midges than my girlfriend. I love Marmite and eat lots of Marmite, my girlfriend doesn't. Marmite has lots of B1, I wonder if this is related?

Anyone know of a cookpot that is also a coffee press? Found a nice light couple of pots, and a nice light caffetiere from GSI, but wondering if I can combine both?

slackman any chance of a report on the tesco sleeping bag they look good value.

Haven't had a chance to use it yet. It feels pretty thin, but then for £40 I couldn't really expect it to be rammed with down.

I've left it to loft for a few days and it's certainly increased in volume some.

I'll be taking a cotton liner to add some extra warmth (if it feels cold) and keep the inside clean.

It packs pretty small and weighs less than a kilo, so is a LOT smaller than my other bag which is a Snugpak car camping effort.

I might well give it a go between now and when I first use it in anger to check i'll not die of hypothemia so will pop a message up to let people know how it is.

was in poundland the other day getting a few vest meals etc and found these tarp type things. The one in my local store was green plastic sheet.
http://www.poundland.co.uk/product-range/a-z/outdoor-solutions-emergency-shelter/

Cheers, managed to get away last night for my first bike bivi / camp
( I used a 1 man tent so I cheated).
Made use of camping kit i already had. Most of it is to big & heavy sleeping bag is full 4 season but massive! Tent isnt much heavier than a tarp and bivvi bag together and a bit more comfortable. Great fun fantastic weather. Used a few good tips from this topic regarding food etc custard powder with raisens and nuts a great desert! A few pics.

[IMG] [/IMG]

[IMG] [/IMG]

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Looks like you had a great trip NorthCountryBoy. Sorry that you had to sleep inside a tent though

BTW, there's some Tesco down sleeping bag feedback around page 20/21 of this thread if that's any help.

i've not commented on this thread but i always read it/look at the shots. NorthCountryBoy - i wholeheartedly appreciated your approach, with the tent and the big bag and the panniers

slugwash,

Just some ripstop nylon I had for another 'project'. Poorly sown with a machine into 8 tubes wide. No got any pics of it inflated, but here's a catalogue picture draped over a chair!
[img] [/img]

Cheers MrK it was more just a case of useing what I had rather than trying to do it all differently! Panniers dont make for a greta handling moutain bike but then neither does a 30lb ruck sack! It was a good way to dip a toe in the water of bike camping.

is it like this airbed thing?

http://www.gelert.com/products/sleeping/beds_mattresses/airbeds/backpacker_airbed

NCBoy, looks like a great little trip, top weather for it...

ANyone else get out?

North,

It's like this:
[img] [/img]
Uses modelling balloons so like an inflatable air bed, but a lot lighter and smaller packing.

NCB - my first experience was very similar i loved singletrack with panniers, sketchy fun!

What is it with the obsession with lighting fires? That pic above by NCB looks lovely apart from the crap left by burning stuff... Tsssk. Take nothing but pics, leave nothing but boot prints/tyre tracks.

Take nothing but pics, leave nothing but boot prints/tyre tracks

Sorry, I don't want to be picky. I just don't want to come across random fire debris all over the countryside.

We all carry stoves and good sleeping bags. There is no need for fire when wild camping.

wild camping seems a bit pointless unless you can things that are not permited at a campsite . I was taught how to light a fire many years ago. Lift a large flat stone suround the indentation with smaller stones. Have a "small" fire using only dead wood. Let it burn away overnight. In the morning put small stones back lay large flat stone back in its place. No horrible charring to the country side.
i agree that people leaving disposable BBQ`s etc all over the place and leaving a mess of any sort is not acceptable. Just trying to do what I enjoy in a responsible manner.
Leave no trace.
Works for Ray Mears. He loves a fire!

[IMG] [/IMG]

Liking the home-made balloon bed well done. I have often thought it could do with being 8 rather than 7 wide, virtually no weight penalty for extra comfort.

3 cheers for Ray Mears

Hmmm, yeah Fatty Mears has a lot to answer for. Not sure what his adventures have to do with poddling about in the Lakes/Peaks/Mid Wales though? Those places can hardly be classed as wilderness can they?

Trouble is, stuff like this that you do leaves trace for others. Lots of piles of stones hiding burn marks is almost as bad as the burn marks themselves. The stones don't usually start from where you leave them so you also leave pock marks where they were. Hot pans on grass leave marks etc..

Just have a look at frequently used 'wild' sites and you'll see dead wood, burnt stuff, pock marks, piles of stones (some with turds underneath) and often, rubbish.

I'm not suggesting you're doing all these, just that you should consider more what you leave behind especially as it's not neccesary. Just cos Fatty Mears does it on the telly doesn't make it a good idea in our poxy little overstuffed island.

Sorry, sermon over

A couple of my favorite wild camping spots have a fire spot onthem - just reuse the same ring of stone.

TJ, 'wild' and 'firespot' don't got together. Ergo, the camping location is not wild though it may be on a non organised site.

Fire lighting on wilderness sights is little more than vandalism, to say 'there's already a fire circle' as justification is akin to saying 'there's already a braking bump/chicken line/puddle diversion'

There's a simple answer to all this stress about fires and pock marks

hammocks and flying cooking systems

[IMG] [/IMG]

Fire lighting on wilderness sights [sic] is little more than vandalism

It's not as clear cut as that though. IMO A driftwood fire on a beach or a slab of rock next to a river or lake is OK. What's problematic are situations like then following....

15 DoE/bushcraft students digging a little square of turf up for a fire and then putting the turf back afterwards. two weeks later there's lots of little turfless pits in the ground and clumps of unrooted turf all over the shop where some creature's dug them all up looking for tasty beetles or worms etc.

Big campfires in popular camping spots where there's not enough dead wood to meet demand. Then people start being stupid and hacking branches of trees, etc.

Fires in sensitive places and on dry moorland, etc.

If you use a bit of common sense and discretion then there's no reason why you can't, on occasion, have a campfire in this country.

For the purposes of illustration....

An intrepid backwoodsman enjoying a responsible campfire on a slab of rock using old wood collected from the banks of an uplands river....

[img] [/img]

And, when it all goes wrong. A wreckless moorland barbeque, probably caused by someone who saw an episode of Ray Mears on their TV and thought they'd give that bushcraft lark a go ......

[img] [/img]

boblo, i'm sure you are aware of the irony between your statements "there is no wilderness" and "'wild' and 'firespot' don't go together". aren't you?

There's a simple answer to all this stress about fires and pock marks

hammocks and flying cooking systems

Yeah, but have you ever tried spit roasting an otter or a pine marten on a tiny little gas stove?

MrK mkII - Member
boblo, i'm sure you are aware of the irony between your statements "there is no wilderness" and "'wild' and 'firespot' don't go together". aren't you

Indeed. In this context 'wild camping' to me means camping somewhere in the countryside other than on an organised site. 'Camping in the wilderness' is something entirely different and we haven't really got any so phrases like 'backwoodsmen' do make me smile. We can do 'Wild camping in fairly remote locations' but I'm probably splitting hairs now.

The Yanks call it guerrilla camping and whether practiced in farmed countryside or out in the hills, it should be low impact. Leaving any manner of crap behind is unforgiveable to me. The only thing you'll see after my overnighters is a patch of slightly flattened grass.

Spit roasting a Pine Martin? Dirty boy

ok I think we are getting a bit carried away on this "fire" situation.

The main posters are fully aware of environmental impact and consequences of our actions whilst partaking in bikepacking. As mentioned most of us use a stove of various forms and do not need to light fires.

We only carry what is needed as we are weight weenies and always remove any rubbish that is generated, it is often the case that extra rubbish is picked up and carried out of the wilderness too.

What does pinemartin taste like??

Yeah, sorry to hijack your lovely thread.

Just wondered why people feel the need...? Is it mainly townies/frustrated boy scouts or...? Don't understand it mesen as you always end up stinking, all your gear stinks and those little sparky things play havock with nylon based fabrics.

What does pinemartin taste like??

Kind of between red squirrel and weasel

Actually boblo has a good point, no way do I want the little sparky things anywhere near my hi-tech lightweight fabrics.....

Can we get a summery of everything so far..

Mainly,

What doss bag ( both down & Synthetic)
What Tarp?
What stoves?

That would be great..

As I'm trying to deicde what doss bag to purchase..

Jury is still out on doss bags.
Tarp is the Alpkit Rig[7]. Which is out of stock.
Coke can stove.

Just wondered why people feel the need...? Is it mainly townies/frustrated boy scouts or...? Don't understand it mesen as you always end up stinking, all your gear stinks and those little sparky things play havock with nylon based fabrics.

I guess it's a primeval need to create light and warmth and head off deadly predators from the campsite. Is it not a nice social thing to do is sit around a camp fire and sing songs of old??

You are so right, a lot of our gear is highly flammable so an open fire would be a risk.

So in all it's a personnal preference and each to their own, as long as folk are aware of the risks and take the relevant precautions how can it be stopped?

Teeto:

My (cheap) recommendations, although not the lightest:

Coleman Solo cookset - £9
Coleman F1 Lite stove (77g) - £15

I never seem to be able to get a coke can stove to boil water in any quantity, but that may well just be me (so i'm not knocking them at all)

for a budget 1.5kg tent at a uber cheap price take a look at this

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_19495.htm

a summery

Like this:
[img] [/img]

for a budget 1.5kg tent at a uber cheap price take a look at this

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_19495.htm

When do these go on sale?

Tarp is the Alpkit Rig[7]. Which is out of stock.

Stoves - Meths for peace and quiet and ligher weight, but slower to boil. You can make your own, or buy something like a Whitebox stove for <£20.
Gas is you're in a hurry and don't mind the weight and the noise.

Sleeping bags - everyone has something different to suit their intended uses. Synthetic is easier to care for, doesn't matter (so much) if it gets damp and can be washed easily, but they're usually heavier and more bulky, though cheaper. Snugpak are a good choice to start with. I'd suggest going for a lighter weight bag and layering with clothes or a liner to suit prevailing temps, rather than buying a very warm bag and boiling in it on a warm night. Pick a down bag if you want lighter, smaller and more expensive (for a good one).

Ian, now thats what I call a club badge!!!!

This is my set up:

[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5610335500_7974ea2f75.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5610335500_7974ea2f75.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/12617230@N03/5610335500/ ]P4060689[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/12617230@N03/ ]blackhound59[/url], on Flickr

It is a Voodoo Aizan 29'er with Epic Designs (now Revelate)harness and saddle bag with a wildcatgear (IanB) made frame bag. Also a wingnut bag as an overflow.

The Wildcatgear bag is very well constructed with 3l of water in the main compartment, but can probably get more in and a map pocket on the other side. I also have 1.5l in the wingnut (the bidon you can see is empty).

It all looks overkill for 3-4 hours on Cannock but it is my set-up for the Tour Divide this year so just getting some miles in to make sure it all works. Everything stayed secure and did not feel to heavy once I got it rolling.

Looks well Kevin ... training going according to whatever your plan was?

I don't think it's anymore overkill for a few hours around Cannock than a 6" travel bike, full face and armour

Hi Stuart, seemed to be struggling earlier in year but 2 weeks in Majorca has kick started my training.

Got a 10 week plan I started last week to get me into peak fitness - by my standards anyway. Saw one of my TD competitors ride 20% quicker than I ever have round a club TT course last Tuesday!

Just remember it's a long race, not a fast one

blackhound that looks great, I like the idea of the water in the frame bag with the tube coming up on the bars I guess to keep the weight off your back?

what do you put where on you bike?