Critique my kit list please?

[Achilles]

I have a PHD down bag - rated to 0C and a claimed 600g. Fantastic. Expensive but will last ages if looked after

I agree with Tony on the cooking kit. I have a titanium pan and a titanium mug - I can boil water in the mug if required and the great thing about titanium I have discovered is that it cools quickly - the food/drink still stays hot but you do not burn your lips on the mug.

One method I use are lakeland soup'n sauce bags - add boiling water to quick cook pasta/porage etc and then insulate in a fleece ( be careful I have had one disaster!). Leave for a bit longer than you would have cooked it on the stove but you end up with a hot meal and zero washing up. Use pubs every couple of days if available to break the monotony!

How heavy is the tent?

 

[Magna]

New to the forum and enjoying the arguments. Much better than the kiss-ass American chat rooms. Bonj is clearly some character to have on here. I think it can be constructive to have someone with a completely alternative view to one's own.

Keep up the good work guys, I'm learning a lot and some of the banter from both sides of the debating is top notch.

 

[Tony]

Bonj's view is also alternative to reality.

 

[djmc]

My tendency is to agree with Bonj. I have cycletoured alone, while I was staying in hotels, as a point of principle I did not take any tools I could not use. I, wouldn't know what to do with a spoke thus I didn't carry one. Even just riding around the countryside I normally carry a link extractor. There is no need to carry a pedal spanner, a cone spanner is much smaller and lighter. It won't cope with enormous loads do make sure when you go that you can unscrew your pedals, a few weeks touring won't make them impossible to unscrew at the end.
On the washing front there is very little diference between shampoo, shower gel and washing up liquid, so only take one of whichever you fancy, you can also use it for washing clothes. You don't need soap, use the previous since soap is pretty useless for washing hair.

While my cycletouring experience is of touring from hotels, I have also camped and bivouacked while mountaineering, my attitude towards camping is camp if you have to, not otherwise. You need a good sleeping bag, down is much better than synthetic. I didn't take a pillow, I used clothes. I didn't bother with an airbed, I used a short length of karrimat. However camping on the icecap of iceland in winter I used a short length thermarest. Paraffin or petrol stoves are quicker than butane if more dangerous. If carrying food I would normally carry stuf like rice, tomato paste, dried apricots, salami sausage. Don't carry any food that is already wet eg tins of beans etc. A few herbs and spices are useful. You probably can't take these into NZ however. Freeze dried food is totally disgusting, we did use it for one night in Iceland. In general I've always tried to carry as little as possible, since speed is safety and if I carried less camping stuff I could carry more climbing or ski touring equipment without collapsing into a big heap.

I therefore take a fairly minimalist approach to camping and cycletouring, If I go by car then I will take my extra kitchen sink, however if I have to carry it myself then I will take the absolute minimum.

 

[vernon]

My tendency is to agree with Bonj. I have cycletoured alone, while I was staying in hotels, as a point of principle I did not take any tools I could not use. I, wouldn't know what to do with a spoke thus I didn't carry one. Even just riding around the countryside I normally carry a link extractor. There is no need to carry a pedal spanner, a cone spanner is much smaller and lighter. It won't cope with enormous loads do make sure when you go that you can unscrew your pedals, a few weeks touring won't make them impossible to unscrew at the end.
On the washing front there is very little diference between shampoo, shower gel and washing up liquid, so only take one of whichever you fancy, you can also use it for washing clothes. You don't need soap, use the previous since soap is pretty useless for washing hair.

While my cycletouring experience is of touring from hotels, I have also camped and bivouacked while mountaineering, my attitude towards camping is camp if you have to, not otherwise. You need a good sleeping bag, down is much better than synthetic. I didn't take a pillow, I used clothes. I didn't bother with an airbed, I used a short length of karrimat. However camping on the icecap of iceland in winter I used a short length thermarest. Paraffin or petrol stoves are quicker than butane if more dangerous. If carrying food I would normally carry stuf like rice, tomato paste, dried apricots, salami sausage. Don't carry any food that is already wet eg tins of beans etc. A few herbs and spices are useful. You probably can't take these into NZ however. Freeze dried food is totally disgusting, we did use it for one night in Iceland. In general I've always tried to carry as little as possible, since speed is safety and if I carried less camping stuff I could carry more climbing or ski touring equipment without collapsing into a big heap.

I therefore take a fairly minimalist approach to camping and cycletouring, If I go by car then I will take my extra kitchen sink, however if I have to carry it myself then I will take the absolute minimum.

No problems with your views coinciding with Bonj's. You views however are informed by cycle touring experience albeit without a tent. Bonj's views are uninformed by the ownership of an aluminium framed bike and not a lot more.

The original poster wanted his list critiquing and, to be fair, that placed his list in the sights of all and sundry. However he has subsequently explained his reasoning for his wish to have seperate cleansing agents, the pedal spanner, pillow and thermarest.

He's not heading for an ice cap nor is speed the essence. As his bike is carrying the load the weight of his kit is not as critical as it would be if he was on a walking holiday. I wouldn't take half the stuff that I take on a cycling holiday when I go fell walking. There again I don't go fell walking that often because I enjoy the comforts and luxuries that cycle camping allows me to have too much.

 

[jay clock]

I have already said

Once and for all, the pedal spanner will be left with the bike box in Auckland!

so as a reminder I AM NOT TAKING A PEDAL SPANNER ON TOUR. It will be in my bag on the plane, and left in Auckland. Hopefully that is now clear.

DJMC's replies are somewhat based upon not liking to camp, and if he does camp being happy to do it at the uncomfortable end of the spectrum. It would be hell on earth for me to sleep straight on the ground, and the foam mats are no good. One of the problems here is that I cannot seem to sleep flat on my back - I am on my side, and if I was on my back I could manage easier with less of a pillow

On the comment of "my attitude towards camping is camp if you have to, not otherwise" this sounds very much like "why cycle when you could drive". Except for those who camp to save money, most camping cycle tourists I know do it for the pleasure, and even though they could afford a hotel or hostel choose not to.

I will let you know how often I bottle out and end up indoors! Hopefully I will be so knackered i will sleep like a log

 

[vernon]

I will let you know how often I bottle out and end up indoors! Hopefully I will be so knackered i will sleep like a log

I'm sure that you will sleep soundly. The only time my sleep was broken on tour was when the temperatures dipped unexpectedly. 2006 was unseasonably cold in the SW of England during August and on a couple of nights in 2007 I resorted to wearing gloves and a hat to help keep warm. One invaluable tip that I picked up from a fellow tourer was to take a lightweight poncho.

• It's multi funtional - a basha which I never explored
• A picnic rug - tried once or twice on dampish ground it worked.
• Adding a season's warmth rating to a light weight sleeping bag - worked beautifully though i suspect your silk liner will do a similar job
• A belt and braces job as an extra flysheet in really heavy rain - never needed to try it.
• Poncho - it worked well.

Have a great time. Look forwars to reports in due course.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

You asked for a cheap tent recommendation...well this is my tent. You can pick one up at Decathlon for under £70 ish

http://www.quechua.com/EN/t2-ultralight-pro-4225812/

I'm a big bloke and it works for me. Easy to put up/take down, packs down very small...2kg including all pegs, stuff sac etc It has a double skin, pitches all at once, two vents, and reasonable 'porch' (big enough to cook in if necessary). The ground sheet is thin but adequate..althoughI do also carry a footprint cut from cheap B&Q blue tarp (about £3 for enough to cover a car!)...it's also black and inconspicuos for any wild camps. It survived 40mph gusting winds last summer on the coast when other tents around me were falling apart. I would say however that this is a summer/spring tent..if I were touring in the winter I would use something else probably.

 

[vernon]

I would say however that this is a summer/spring tent..if I were touring in the winter I would use something else probably.

A hotel?

 

[bonj2]

Bonj, what makes you think you'll be able to contact someone in case of mechanical failure? No mobile reception, no public phones, no traffic, no PEOPLE. I've ridden in places where it is 100 miles between spots that had a phone signal, and if there was more than one vehicle in any direction in twenty minutes it was rush hour. Bodging in those circumstances is essential.

Well why is it necessary to go so far away from civilisation you're 100 miles from a mobile signal let alone any other people or a village? Why do you need to trek to the unexplored reaches of the forest of outer borneo to have a good time?
People forget that 'wilderness' and 'beautiful countryside' aren't necessarily synonymous. It isn't necessary to get away from all traces of human civilisation to enjoy a new and interesting part of the world. In fact often it's more interesting if there IS civilisation. A tree's a tree, we've all seen forests and rocks and beaches before. Whether they're 100 miles from the nearest mobile phone signal or just on the outskirts of a picturesque little village is immaterial really.

No problems with your views coinciding with Bonj's. You views however are informed by cycle touring experience albeit without a tent. Bonj's views are uninformed by the ownership of an aluminium framed bike and not a lot more.

Ah, right. So that's what all this boils down to isn't it, that's the root of all this incessant attempt to discredit anything I say. It's because i've "only" got an aluminium framed bike, I'm not down a member of this little nostalgic insider's gang the 'steel club' so therefore I obviously don't know anything about cycling do I. If you keep saying "eeeh, thi daawnt mek 'em laaahk thi yooused teh" enough times, eventually you might be able to convince someone it's true. Although in all fairness,probably only yourself and your steel-loving cronies.

 

[Chuffy]

Ah, right. So that's what all this boils down to isn't it, that's the root of all this incessant attempt to discredit anything I say. It's because i've "only" got an aluminium framed bike, I'm not down a member of this little nostalgic insider's gang the 'steel club' so therefore I obviously don't know anything about cycling do I.

I think it's more to do with you offering a quids worth of advice backed up by a ha'pennys worth of experience.

 

[rich p]

I think Jay C is off today or tomorrow so any further advice is probably superfluous but something tells me that Bonj will still be offering the benefits of his (in)experience!

 

[jay clock]

Thanks User....

I reproduce your list below, with the stuff you can buy there and therefore don't need to take

not sure if I follow your logic. I have had 2-3 weeks to prepare, my shower gel is a small hotel size sample, my washing up liquid a similar size bottle taken from the main bottle. Ditto for most other of the toiletries, coffee etc. As for nail clippers, why on earth would I buy them there when I own them already? Inner tubes ditto?

Your plan of buying the toiletries etc there would involve buying a full size of each then either carrying it or binning the excess. Similar for a pack of razors when I have loose ones here. Also would need to head straight to the shops to find all that stuff. the total weight of all that stuff is about 1.5kg. So all I save is carying that amount on the flight...

Anyway I am off tomorrow. Will update you when I can!

 

[Cathryn]

JC are you regretting posting your list????

 

[Danny]

I have already said

Once and for all, the pedal spanner will be left with the bike box in Auckland!

so as a reminder I AM NOT TAKING A PEDAL SPANNER ON TOUR. It will be in my bag on the plane, and left in Auckland. Hopefully that is now clear.

Now before you go could you just explain once more about why your taking a pedal spanner in case anyone's still confused

And have a good time. You can tell us which bits of kit you actually used when you get back.