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

I can lend you some kit (today’s random act of kindness)

Might take you up on that, China. What a nice man!

Gonna have to have a read of mbuk just for the laugh, if they really did that they may as well start out from a “regular” campsite and just enjoy a “regular” ride 😯

So airbeds are the way forward then????

bigOface what type did you get??

@Mark … ‘dirtbag’ can stove should be on the blog sometime next week. I’ve been instructing all week so haven’t had time yet.

I’m calmer today so can better explain my MBUK rage. What got me was the fact they’d ‘missed the point’. Bikepacking should be a journey, afterall that’s the point of having kit which is light and small … it enables you to travel and be self sufficient. Leaving a pile of gear somewhere obviusly ties you to that spot. As Valley Daddy says, you might as well go for a ride then camp, it’s as though there was no tie between riding and staying out, they were 2 seperate events.

Well put.

Your still not a happy bunny though 😉

So I did a bit of kit testing last night. Supposed to be 5 degrees here. Black’s 3 season down bag and Alp Kit bivi. It seems I”m a seriously warm sleeper! Within 10 minute I was down to my boxers and within the hour I’d given up and gone in as I was so hot. Which the raises the issue of being too hot and not having a tarp to shelter under whilst you lie on the bivi rather than in it. Bring back the cold weather I say!

Good idea on the 2 inverted bikes and tarp though.

So I did a bit of kit testing last night. Supposed to be 5 degrees here. Black’s 3 season down bag and Alp Kit bivi. It seems I”m a seriously warm sleeper! Within 10 minute I was down to my boxers and within the hour I’d given up and gone in as I was so hot. Which the raises the issue of being too hot and not having a tarp to shelter under whilst you lie on the bivi rather than in it. Bring back the cold weather I say!

This is always the way though, then your freezing at 3:30am

]

bigOface what type did you get??

I went for the Mark2 with the bigger balloons, Its a bit of a fag blowing them up with the ‘puffer’ but really doesn’t take long. I gave it to the kids for a good testing and they dived, rolled, and did everything the could to try and burst the balloons but nothing so as far as I’m concerned its good to go…! Its packs down small couple of pics if your bored..

My mate had a Mark 1 Balloon Bed on Polaris many years ago. I recall it was all dark and quiet on the campsite when he rolled over. To the amusement of other the people in tents in the immediate vacinity, there was a load bang and in Eric Cartman style voice: “Son of a bitch”. Priceless. In the morning he had only 2 out of 7 balloons inflated.

The Mark 2 is much better choice, especially for the larger gentleman 😉

LOL, Thats well funny…

Think you maybe right there Ian, perhaps a mat is safer 😯

Just getting my gear ready for the bivi tomorrow night with flatfish. Kit looking a bit minimalist… Only food to add to that lot 🙂

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/15512491@N08/5436781277/

stick a proper link up!
Does that include party food, tubes, pump, alcohol and entertainment?

Sticking a proper link up meant coming down stairs to use a proper computer instead of my phone…

Anyway, while I’m down here, I’ll get the alcohol I’d forgotten to pack 😳

But still, in the pic left to right:

12litre dry bag with fleece top, spare socks and smalls and hat and sleeping bag
Pan, windshield and hunka
Mug, stove, pot warmer and fuel
Sleeping mat (Neoair)
Tarp, pegs and guys all in
Lhoon
Tools and spares

Tube strapped to the bike with one of them awesome straps.
I do need to add pump now you mention it.
Party food will have to wait until the morning – supermarket was shut when I went down earlier.

[/url]
Minimalist bivi gear[/url] by ianbarrington[/url], on Flickr

I’ll jettison my pump then to make me a bit more comparible. 😉

Weather looks good for you – jealous.

sunday looks a bit wetter though

You’ll be in the cafe by then 😉

Has Brecon got travelodge?????

No but I’m sure you can get into Christ college if your desperate 😉

MrSparkle – Member

I can lend you some kit (today’s random act of kindness)

Might take you up on that, China. What a nice man!

not really, you will have to do the ride then!

looks like something I’ll do in 2012, a few months before I’ll be on the bike again

Enjoy fellas … I’m jelous even though I’ll be spending the next 2 days riding, jumping and rolling around in the mud as the outer limits of cornering grip are explained and explored 😉

Have you got any kind of tarp/shelter in that lot Ian?

Yes, it’s in the orange stuff sack in the picture

As Stu have fun, it won’t be the same without the sheet ice, snow and sub sub zero temperatures though.

Post some pics when you get back.

On the menu tonight we have saga aloo followed by mulligatawny soup and egg noodles.
Followed by some fine dark chocolate and a wee dram of Ardbeg 🙂

Love it, posh bivvy grub – legends 😀

[/url]
P7096220[/url] by adski71[/url], on Flickr

That looks good grizzer 😀

That gives me the idea to use my post mount rack for a drybag and solves my packing quandry as my Jandd frame bag is a tad too small.

Plus will assist when taking bigger sleeping bags for artic trips 😉

its a bontrager rack its pretty light but the bigger the load you get a bit of a tail wag sensation so i put light stuff like spare clothes on the back and heavier stuff on front to balance the weight…

Thanks to this thread I have just made my first brew on a coke can stove I made earlier 😀

awesome singlecrack I stunk out the house the other day perfecting the use of one Stu made for me.

Grizzer I agree about the tail wag when I had my ortlieb panniers on filled to the max it lead to loads of comedy tail spins on the ice before Christmas.

Yes, I would do the same just put on something light.

couple of pics of 456 bagged up

Valley, pics are a bit too big to tell 😛 but is that a carradice sqr on the back? I’ve been looking at these, what do you reckon to it?

Mark pics from my fruit phone hence the size.

the bag on the back is one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Altura-Fusion-Saddle-Light-Grey/dp/B000P1OBSG

the bracket bolts on easily enough and seems secure in use if I was putting heavy stuff in it I would probably use and additional strap to secure it.

I think it will be big enough but I picked this up of here I was after a Ortlieb one like Stu originally.

Pete,

if you can’t carry it all in that kit then you are carrying too much!

just sorted mine out – I think I’ll probably still have some stuff in a small OMM sac but I’m just about there – just wondering if I “need” to swap my alloy G2 for an Inbred or 456!

Steve

your probably right I need to be realistic on what I “need” and what I want to take.

I will need to lay out all my kit and then have a go packing it.

As regards to if you need to change your frame – you know your going to 😉

I think I already would have had not some jammy bugger bagged a 456 frame on here before I saw it!

😆 I’ll keep a look out for you, will you need a 18″ too?