Tis indeed
[url=https://flic.kr/p/qNqPs2]11039844_10153217461171474_8108566200838869172_n-2[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

Certainly is! My preference is a Coleman Craz x1 tent and a 2 season vango bag. Always got the thermarest as well, lose a lot of heat into the floor otherwise.

Harking back to the debate about Lairig Ghru routes further up the page. Here’s a link a to write up of a trip I tool a while back. You can make your own minds up if you fancy it.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anyone-remember-my-asking-for-route-advice-re-aviemore-to-blair-atholl-last-week

Finally got my set up complete after taking tips and tricks from this forum for a while. Bar ends on the handlebars support the front dry bag. The rear is supported by a stem mounted rack, bought off ebay for about ten quid. A shakedown is scheduled in for a couple of weeks time, just for a safe overnighter.

SO when I say stem I mean seatpost mounted rack!
Front bag is an Alpkit Airlok Dual 20l, rear is an Alpkit Airlok Extra 20l, tent is a Force Ten Helium 100.
Strapped on with some basic webbing straps from the army surplus store. Thought it might be strange to ride but even with the weight on the handlebars it seems ok. ASk me what I think of it after 80 miles though and I might change my mind.

Tracksterman, well worth a read

No suspension. No GPS, digital mapping or SPOT. No backup, support or resupply. No posting food ahead. No hotels, hostels or B&Bs. No sponsorship, no freebies. No padded shorts. No bullshit.

Good Morning!

I bet you didn’t think I’d be over here did you 😆

Well, simply I’ve been looking for a seat bag and bar bag for overnight stop rides, whilst not bivi’ing just staying in poncy hotels and such. I know you’ll pour scourn on that but hey 😀
So I started a thread about alpkit seat bags and got some great feed back, I know I should have looked here first but it was late last night and y’know I was falling asleep. Now I’m going to scan this thread for tips/hints and anything CX touring/offroad touring related.

Intend using my Giant TCX Adv1 which has no rack mounts (carbon race frame) and am seeking out offroad/gravel/lanes type rides over weekends or 2/3days kinda thing then heading out to do the Santiago de Compastella in early Oct.

Kit, well alpkit koala and a bar bag I think will do for what I want/need. Just enough carry space for spare jerseys/tools/food/phone & charger, GPX charger/gloves and that kinda thing.

So my rides will be more adventure CX than up in the Caingorns kinda thing, but then you’ve got some great forest tracks and gravel access roads so why not. Hopefully a nice hotel or two to.

8)

Well its arrived, order placed to deliver in 2 day ain’t all that bad is it now.

I went for Apidura Saddle pack (compact) and their Handlebar bag in the end simply because both were in stock. As for liners I’ll sort something out soon, if it rains.

Looking to try these out on DrP’s Gnarmac B-L-B early Aug, will fill them with cake and stuff just to try them out.

Cool eh.

Ok so I’ve fitted the Apidura compact to the saddle/seat post and that looks excellent, filled it with 4 jerseys to get an idea of shape and capacity and kinda think I’ve not packed enough stuff in it to get it to fit properly 😆
I will continue experimenting 8)
As for the front bar bag I’ve filled that too, but one question if anyone’s got experiance of these..
I have filled the bag, rolled the ends and clipped them, attached the bag to the bars but on the bag there are 3 spare “female” clips, clips I can’t seem the fathom what goes in them. Assume they are there for additional big that can be fitted on top of this one, not sure… Anyone any thoughts ?

Ta.

Looking good so far, will post pics 😀

Gonna guess this http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/p/19644/apidura-accessory-pack

Yeah, as I thought, cheers 😀

bedmaker

– Member
Tracksterman, well worth a read

No suspension. No GPS, digital mapping or SPOT. No backup, support or resupply. No posting food ahead. No hotels, hostels or B&Bs. No sponsorship, no freebies. No padded shorts. No bullshit.

POSTED 2 WEEKS AGO # REPORT-POST

Yep its a good read and I like his no nosence non navel gazing approach. I’m impressed by his navigating all that way. Not because it is hard but because in England (Wales and Scotland I have no problems, less dense less to check all the time) I find navigating so time consuming. I’ve only just bought a GPS after years of using maps and s I’ll will carry maps with me on rides but I I have just got sick of checking the map so often down here in the south.

Well and truly inspired, just spent the last couple of days working my through this thread, checking a few links and reading a couple of blogs. I proceeded to spend half my day looking at bivi bags online and looking at maps for potential locations for test runs. Thanks guys.

All ready for c2c this weekend.

I really must get round to writing up this trip

Wow, that looks beautiful, to camp right by the beach like that…

Are most for you using down of synthetic for your biving? I have a alpkit down bag that I love but I’m nervous of using it biving so only use it when tenting. Used my old light weigh synthetic last nigh and was cold as its so old, thin and broken down. Trying to decide if I should by a 2 season synthetic for late spring -> early autumn biving or just use my down bag.

@TheBrick

I’ve two down bags and one synthetic. The synthetic is a Snugpack 2 season. One down bag is a Rab 1200, it’s at least a 4 season bag which I use in winter – I originally got it for Alpine winter climbing, the other is a PHD Minimus 300, which is probably best rated as a 1 or 2 season bag. However with a silk liner (always worth using with a down bag to stop sweat/dirt fouling the down) and a Goretex bivvy bag it’s quite a bit better than that. I was out last night and was fine with that set up.

It was – until I woke up about 3am and noticed that the tide had come right in and was just a few feet from the tent!

TheBrick – I have both synthetic and down bags and had been using the synthetics all the time until recently. My previous thoughts were that down, being difficult to clean and then subject to drop-off in performance, was best saved for when I wasn’t likely to be climbing into it covered in mud. The additional “wet” performance of synthetic is also a consideration.

However, I’ve been using down more often recently as I don’t see the point of having something I’m “saving for good” if it never gets used 🙂 The silk liner is a good extra to consider.

If still considering synthetic, I can recommend the Mountain Hardware Lamina series. You’ll often see them on sale and you’ll pick up a (zero-rated) Lamina 35 for less than £80.

@TheBrick

If you’re nervous about down bags for bivi use then have a look at one with a Pertex Microlight outer shell. Or a Pertex Quantum shell.
Much better in likelihood of dampness.

As whitestone, use a liner to prolong the bags life before needing a clean.

“saving for good” if it never gets used

That was me!
Not any more and I’ve not had any bivi/down bag problems to date (I wildcamp a lot).
I’m still careful about entering the bag in bad weather though.

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

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.

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!

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…

[/url]DSC_0557 by oxym0r0n, on Flickr[/img]

[/url]DSC_0561 by oxym0r0n, on Flickr[/img]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/z45uF6]DSC_0562[/url] by oxym0r0n, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/zkAfHM]2015-10-02_08-55-19[/url] by oxym0r0n, 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://flic.kr/p/yAaJns]Untitled[/url] by Richard Munro, 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

In the heart of Llandegla…..ssh!

Northumberland Coastal Bivi ride

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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