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

Any one tried one of these ??.

http://www.firebox.com/product/5462/JakPak

Been reading this thread for a while now, some great set ups and great trips!

Though i’d chip in and mention that Alpkit have a Hunka for £5 (with a faulty coating) that may be of use under a tarp or could even be re-waterproofed.

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16869&category_id=282

Worth a look for a £5, order placed..)))

be aware in the classifieds in the coming months for an abundance of these with folk trying to cash in, but definitely tempting

NE Scotland coast camping

Mr Shinythings in the pics you put on a couple of weeks ago what is that shiny thing you are using to make coffee and where would I find one?

motorman those pics are the same as a few weeks back!

End of Summer road trip. Forests, camping municipals and a Formula 1 hotel….

Flickr – Brittany by Bike[/url]

I’ve been looking at the Salsa Minimalist Rack but for the limited use it might get and the fact that it costs over £60, I thought I’d do a bit of a botch job using the £9.99 one that’s on offer this week in Aldi, which I’ve used successfully on the rear for several years.

It looks like this

Salsa Minimlist rack 526 grams £66
Aldi £9.99 rack original weight 1100 grams

Aldi £9.99 rack now weights 650 grams

It even goes around a Big Fat Larry Fat tyre on a 100mm wide rim

I drilled another hole in the silver bottom fixing strip (above shot) to rasie the rack a touch higher

Excess weight trimmed and it’s weight is straight over the bottom bolts

So, as long as I don’t overload it cable ties should be perfect for fixings and weight saving

I cut a tiny square of inner tube and raped it in duct tape to stop rubbing the fork.

Bike packing potato masher… Very versatile

^ : ) always go for dual-use kit… drink then mash. or mash then pass drink to mate, open a different one yourself.

Jon climber… Chap, I don’t think you should secure a front rack with a zip tie.
If it fails the rack will fall forward, and it, plus whatever is on it will go under your front wheel,
You may well walk away from this, but you may well also roll in the traffic.
Salsa’s own rack has been recalled because this fork mounting has failed.
Singlespeedpunk Alex had one of these brackets fail (not a salsa) on the ride to ssec.
I would get a strip of metal or two and run it from the fork hole, to the rack.
An old reflector bracket might do it.
You could easily drill the plate where the bikemate logo is.
Leave the safety label on there for its ironic qualities 🙂

Cheers Charlie, CoastKid just said the same elsewhere and I’m going to order one of these tomorrow

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/P-Clips-x-2-Pack-304-A2-Stainless-Steel-EPDM-Rubber-Lined-/120848690071?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item1c2324ab97

+1 on the rack.

Had a rear rack slip onto the wheel which was scary – front would be worse.

John, that will do the trick.

Does this count as a bivvi? 😉
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Canoe river Spey[/url] by matt_outandabout[/url], on Flickr

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Canoe river Spey[/url] by matt_outandabout[/url], on Flickr

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P1010039[/url] by portchspics[/url], on [/url]
P1010042[/url] by portchspics[/url], on [/url]
P1010043[/url] by portchspics[/url], on Flickr
Dartmoor Sat night, a bit wild and wet, but better than having to sit through x Factor.

You had the weather for it Instant hit 🙂 What part of the moor did you head for then?

Rode up the track from top of Lydford village then up to Great Links Tor, bit off a hike a bike for last 500m and very wet underfoot. Had a reasonable night though.

Been thinking about bivvying food, and I reckon I could rustle up a decent eggs Benedict for brekkie, by using the Whitebox stove. Only caveat would be having to use a wee tub of shop bought hollandaise, but by Christ, how luxurious would eggs benedict be whilst out in the hills!.

2300 WOOHOO. I love this thread.

I did note: No “Nuit de bivvy Internationale” was not on the STW Calendar 🙁

Flash in the pan amateurs. 🙄

This post hasn’t seen any action recently… I was enjoying the pics! Good inspiration and tips.

Anyone been braving the rain and cold and got any photos from recent trips?

Great to see the thread ongoing, I was meant to be going on an annual walk / bivy tonight but have ditched – its been raining for days, and will be character building in the extreme – need colder weather!

I was enjoying the pics! Good inspiration and tips.

Some really nice pics on this thread … might produce some inspiration.

Bear Bones

Sleeping bag recommendations please. Thinking 4 season, but not sure weather to go to the expense of a down bag over synthetic? Surely there must be some good deals around at the moment?

My tent and various other goodies have turned up over the past two days….hoping to get out soon!

Got a Hunka XL for Christmas. Need a couple of other little bits and planning an Ullswater.skyline bivi with my brother in the summer inspired by this thread. May do something a bit more tame first to check the bivi set up and riding with the kit when the weather gets better.

Anyone with Alpkit Skyehigh600 or Pipedream 400/600 bags out there?
Please can you share your experiences of using these year round in the UK? Pack size and weight seem to be the differentiating factors.

One of my thoughts for getting a 4 season bag is so that I have a bag ready to go for any trips to altitude or colder climates – my Wife and I are planning a trip to Iceland this year.

Pipedream 400 is all you need for the UK.

Used it down to -10c with extra clothes on and had a decent nights sleep.

Depends how warm/cold you sleep and what mat you’re sleeping on, but the pd400 is cutting it fine for 4 season UK use.

I certainly couldn’t cope with -10′ with only 400g of 700fp down.

The pd600 boosted with a down jacket is a better bet. Or better still a pd400 for 3 season and a pd800 for winter use!

Thanks for advice chaps. Have settled for a SkyeHigh 600 as it weighs the same and appears to pack down to the same dimensions as a Snugpack synthetic 2 season I’ve had for 16 years! So should be fine for what I require.

Will see how it fairs next weekend as Mrs Julioflo has set a New Years resolution to Bivvy at least once a month for the whole year. I’ll be helping here keep this, so will update with progress on here!

Who has an MLD Trailstar?

Opinions would be great – got a normal tarp but thinking of selling my Vaude Power Lizard and getting a Trailstar and Oookworks inner.

Should I ??

Got a Trailstar with a BPWD inner.
Love it after initial concerns.

Here’s my Trailstar on the slopes of a Welsh mountain … it was August although it looks like March 😉

Also, here’s my BPWD Lair with Pyra inner net … superb set up. Not as roomy as a TS but the smaller footprint comes in handy at times.

Will see how it fairs next weekend as Mrs Julioflo has set a New Years resolution to Bivvy at least once a month for the whole year. I’ll be helping here keep this, so will update with progress on here!

Good luck with that.

Bear Bones Bivvy A Month

Looking good…

I would like versatility for two people if needed without adding huge amount of weight.

The power lizard is huge compared to a laser and can sleep 2 comfortably for a couple of nights unlike a laser.

What’s the complete weight with inners? What poles are you using due to needing two?

Does MLD mark the parcel down for customs?

What’s the complete weight with inners? What poles are you using due to needing two?

Don’t use an inner with mine Rik so can’t help there, sorry. I’ve been using an MSR adjustable pole (shortened), not the lightest but it’s going nowhere. You can usually find a stick for the front pole or use your bike.

Does MLD mark the parcel down for customs?

Bought mine S/H from the States but I believe you do tend to get stung when buying direct from MLD. I’ve seen that MLD have made a prototype ‘mini’ Trailstar which looks interesting.

If it’s a bombproof 2 person shelter you’re after then I don’t think you can do better given the weight, pack size and cost.

Think I’d love a MLD Bigstar that they produced as a proto. But very uncertain if they will be ever produced as stock item.
The I could keep the power lizard and replace my ageing hilleberg touring tent with a bigstar. Doubt it’s going to happen though – hence looking at the trailstar again