Thanks for the replies. Very helpful

I’m true recommend what you wear style, La Sportiva Akasha … on my 4th pair now in as many years.
Theyre everything I want in a trail shoe. Grip, comfort, fit, durable ..great laces that never come undone!
Makes it an easy choice when they’re due for renewal!

Frog 43?

My lad got off his Pukey and pretty much rode straight off on it. Been a great bike – just moved him up at almost 6 yr old to a Frog 52

I have an MSR Elixir 1 that I got for cycle touring. I’ve only used it a couple of times so far but I think it’s fantastic.

Plenty of room for a 1 man tent so I doubt you’d have any complaints with the Elixr 2 for size.

We bought our first Outwell tent in the Spring (having been using an Vango Tigris 800) for the past ten years.

We splashed out on a Knoxville 7sa air tent. Cost us £1500 (gulp) with the footprint and carpet.

We’ve only used it for 1 week so far but absolutely loved it. Magnet doors are the best thing. Every tent should have them!

It Goes Up really easily given the size of it. Plenty of pegs! Loads of room for the 2 kids and 2 dogs. We Can all easily fit in the bedroom.
Takes up a fair bit of room in the car mind.

@alibongo001 which model – beta 450XL?

I do have a one man backpacking tent but i should have mentioned that id like a tent that’d also cover us even if it was just me and the wife on our own plus able to take to camping weekends with friends etc so I would prefer more sleeping space plus porch area

I use a 2010 Carrera hybrid thing.. full guards, panniers on the back … can’t see that you’d need much more for the money tbh!

Bit of a long shot but i just wondered if anybody else’s was taking part in this years Thunder Run?

Third time for me. Tough but a really enjoyable weekend…

https://www.tr24.org/

I wouldn’t quite go that far @b230ftw given I had a new MSR tent, new sleeping bag, mat, brukit etc ! but in bike terms yes – just a 2010 carrera subway albeit with a few adjustments to make it more touring friendly.

Good luck with your plans.

The gear I have bought is all useful stuff for off the bike camping anyway so money well spent

I’ve come this far with my posts asking for touring gear advice so I thought I’d write a post about my first overnighter!
Tuesday evening I was packed and ready to set off Wednesday morning.
Kids were offloaded to my parents and I was away by 10am.

I’d booked a campsite (Ushagap Farm) in a place called Muker int’ Yorkshire Dales. The weather was perfect. This was the first time I was really using my Edge Explore and I’d downloaded the course from Komoot using the ‘road touring’ course option. This was also my first time using a Komoot course.
53 miles it said. Might be a but much since I’m more of a runner these days but I wasn’t in a rush.

Had a lovely time bimbling along making my way through Middlesbrough, Stockton and skirting around Darlington before arriving in Richmond.
20 minute stop for a sandwich, top up the water bottles and on my way again.

I was placing my trust in Komoot and so far so good .. it kept me on the NCN routes where it could and the quieter back lanes. I was really just enjoying the ride. The owld Carrera was doing sterling service.

The campsite is around 20 miles further west from Richmond.
Around mile 40 Komoot took me down a back lane marked ‘Swale trail’ which I expect some of you will know about. By the time I reached the gate where the Swale trail commenced I’d gone a mile or two down that back lane. I made a decision to carry on along the trail which the sign on the gate indicated was a mtb trail. I could see the road to my right over a few fields and it clicked that Komoot was basically just keeping me off that road – even though it had been pretty quiet anyway so I’d have much preferred to have been on that. not that Komoot was to know. It wasn’t an ideal track on a loaded bike.
So, lesson learned – pay attention to road signs too and use some common sense!

After a couple of miles of rough ground I got back to the road, grabbed an ice cream in Gunnerside and finally reached the campsite at 4.30. It’d been a lovely ride but the last 15 miles had dragged on.

Checked in, tent up, shower, food. Pleased to say I had a great night sleep in my Alpkit skyhigh 500 bag – First time I’d used that.
The firepot chilli wasn’t even too bad!

I had a slightly different route home planned and I stayed on the main roads for quite a lot of it, ignoring the Garmin constant requests to do a U turn and made it home 90 minutes quicker.

I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy another 50 miles home the next day but I really did.
Clearly the weather played its part.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice to not be racing about. Looks like I packed everything I needed and nothing I didn’t. Next time I’m going to try to do a 3 night trip if I can wangle it.

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Thanks @p7eaven … yeah just the one night. If all goes to plan i’ll be trying to get a 3 night trip planned next.
I think I’m covered with most of that list … plan to eat on the way .. grab some food for the campsite and I have a brukit for a a cuppa / pasta etc.

Well I’m Pretty excited that after over 12 months of starting on this plan and collecting gear I’m going to do my first overnight trip next week!

I’ve not been cycling a huge amount (more of a runner these days) but I’ve booked a campsite 55 miles away so hopefully I’m not biting off more than I can chew!
In my favour, I have pretty much all day to get there …prob a lunch stop on the way. Plenty of photos and I should have the weather.

I’m trusting in Komoot and using its ‘cycle tour’ search option on my edge explore which looks to make use of 2x NCN routes where it can.

Heck! It’s only one night .. What’s the worst that can happen 😁

I’ve digested a million packing lists. Pretty much got what I need.
Any last minute tips or essential packing items that I may not have considered?

If you’re going to the effort of polishing and sealing it, I’d clay it first. With a clay bar if you have plenty of time otherwise a clay mitt.

I just flick through them on Readly and I’m always pleased I didn’t waste a fiver on each of them.
I do subscribe to STW as I like a hard copy of it and I do like to contribute. Can’t say it gets a good read though

I’ll be taking a look at those @steezysix they look like something I had in mind 👍🏻

Thanks all. Some good advice and a few recommendations. Cheers for those.
I won’t be in a rush .. I plan to stop .. rest .. eat .. see the sights.
Isn’t that the point?!
Hence why I’d prefer a more casual looking pair of shorts over the padded shorts. Personal preference I guess but clearly I’m not alone with that.

Thanks @thisisnotaspoon 😂 Crystal!

I’ll guess I’ll just keep logging in! I’ve just had to to post this .. 4 mins after the last time 🙄

Not that being a subscriber helps when you never stay logged in!

Is there a cure for that?!

@asbrooks

I’ve finally took the plunge on one of these at the weekend. After starting this thread 10 months ago, then not jumping on the really good deal in autumn, I chucked my birthday money at it on Friday night.
It was £180 on Amazon m, tho they did offer me it on 5 payments of £36 so if that’s open to everyone it might help you out if you don’t want to part with a wedge of cash in one go.
I’ve only used it on a brief ride with the kids to try it and so far so good.
I’ve got some routes on it from garmin and komoot easy enough.
Seems like it’ll be really useful .
Battery life is my concern – seems hit and miss- but I’ve a decent size power bank if I need it.

Cheers. Looks like I’ll have to get the laptop out then

This might be thread you were looking for (that I started)

Just cancelled Sky TV..

Mine was switched off on Monday. They called me twice with deals but they weren’t that good tbh and nearer cancellation time they Sent me a couple of texts asking me to call them for some great offers. I didn’t bother.
I didn’t watch a lot on Sky. It was either BBC1, 2 or Ch4 and i still get them on HD through the box so no regrets.
The function i miss is the option to record. I know you can download everything blah blah blah but i like to just record it and have it to watch at a later time. For that reason i may end up getting a free sat box.

@jkomo the link I posted is for the trek 100. I think the link you posted is an older version hence the price but I don’t know for sure.

@jodafett sorry, I wasn’t being arsey when I said I posted on another thread. I merely meant people might get fed up of me recommending this jacket twice in two days! FYI I posted it on the ‘what jacket for a pub garden’ thread so it wouldn’t have been easy to find 👍🏻

Clearly I’m not alone 😁

I posted it yesterday on another thread but how about this?
I think mine is great and I bought it for a similar reason (tho yet to try it under those circumstances).
£50. Warm. Packs down into its own pocket. I think it’s really good.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/trek500-men-s-mountain-trekking-down-jacket/_/R-p-167571

Trek 100 down jacket from decathlon about £50?

What @lunge said – joining a running club 3 years ago at the age of 41 is hands down one of the Best things I’ve ever done.
If you’re thinking about it, just do it. Go along and give it a try.

Well I think you’ve all confirmed my concern around battery life so I’ll be holding off buying one.

Funnily enough I went to the doctors two weeks ago to show them a mole I’m
A little worried about. Seems to have grown in the past few years , it’s quite large in the upper centre of my back .
The nurse said it’s symmetrical which is good but it’s dry and has patchy dark areas so she has referred me. I’m waiting for an appointment.
Based on what I’ve read on this thread, Are they likely to just want to remove it to be sure?

Can I ask how people are getting on with these?
I know there was a PSA late last year and a few people snapped these up for a good price. I dillydallied around and didn’t take the plunge but I’m still mulling one over.
Battery life keeps cropping up as an issue…
The other concern is can I expect garmin to release a new model soon given this came out in 2018?

La Sportiva Akasha … I’m on my third pair and think they’re fabulous. Run all over the NY Moors in them and wear them for all my trail runs .. short runs, marathons/ ultra …never given me any bother at all.

It’s Been a while since I needed anything in a bottle for cycling (haven’t cycled far enough) but for long runs I’m a huge fan of Mountain Fuel

Everyone who is hoping to get a better deal from retentions should login to their Sky Account BEFORE TERMINATION and tick the boxes that allow them to contact you via email/phone etc. It is no good waiting for them to contact you with a better deal if you have forbidden them from contacting you for “sales” reasons.

I can’t speak for others but I started the thread and I cancelled Sky because I don’t want to pay for a TV service we barely watch.
I’m happy to let them call me and make me an offer to stay but short of them giving me the TV for a fiver a month i’be no desire To sign back up.

Well I expected a call from Sky now I’m in the cancellation period but I didn’t expect it so soon!
They basically offered to recontract my broadband for 18 months (no thanks!), and give me a Sky Q box for the sum of £50 a month.
Thats twice I’ve had to tell them I’ve zero interest in a Sky Q box.

£50 a month is pretty much what my bill is now that I’m trying to reduce.

Is that it or will they try again?

@OP if you had skyQ you won’t be plugging the feeds into your Freesat. Well you can but it won’t work wrong LNB.

I’ve got a sky+ box so should swap straight over i believe.
They did offer me a Q box for free as an incentive to stay but not interested.

Now we have Netflix which is vastly better value for money. Literally more good stuff on there than we can actually watch, and for what, nine quid?

I find the opposite with Netflix. Spend 15 mins flicking through it, rarely find anything, and turn it off

No I already checked and there’s no freesat support within the tv

Somehow I’ve ended up with two frenchies … Peugeot 5008 and a Citroen C4 picasso … and they’re both really quite nice!
I’d have a berlingo instead of the picasso tbh but the wife wont entertain it

I know a few lads at work who use this

Nilfisk Refurb store

https://www.nilfiskoutlet.co.uk/products/subcat.asp?mID=Pressure-Washers&sID=Compact