Cycling / Camping advice

[steve451]

Anyone see any glaring errors in my thinking here?

Would not bother with the Kettle, for flexibility take a small aluminium(light) pan with lid , on the off chance you do want to heat up a tin of beans as well as boil water, easy to pack stuff in the empty pan with big elastic band to keep lid on.
A few medium freezer bags are good to keep feet/hands warm and keep odd and sods dry if it rains a lot.
I use a dual sun/insect repellent cream saves a tiny bit of space/clutter.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I do take a little camping coffee percolator, made by Mirro. Very small and weighs next to nothing. Strong and efficient, almost all aluminum, excepting the plastic perk bulb at the top.

 

[MichaelW2]

For-cook-free camping I like to take some cutlery for picnics, eg spork, and a small cup in case someone offers me a "campfire" drink (2 stacked coffee machine cups work well). A swiss army knife covers a lot of food uses but I don't like to mix food and repair tools.
General fixing stuff is useful, 1-2m of duck-tape wrapped around pump, zip ties (found on lamp-posts in France/Spain), (para)chord for lashing stuff on bike

The One Big Problem with using your bike as a tent support is, of course, now you can no longer ride it. Trips into town are almost obligatory for cooking-free camping.

 

[raleighnut]

For-cook-free camping I like to take some cutlery for picnics, eg spork, and a small cup in case someone offers me a "campfire" drink (2 stacked coffee machine cups work well). A swiss army knife covers a lot of food uses but I don't like to mix food and repair tools.
General fixing stuff is useful, 1-2m of duck-tape wrapped around pump, zip ties (found on lamp-posts in France/Spain), (para)chord for lashing stuff on bike

The One Big Problem with using your bike as a tent support is, of course, now you can no longer ride it. Trips into town are almost obligatory for cooking-free camping.

You just make sure the campsite is near a pub that does food.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I just use one of the Boy Scout type utensil sets, which all fit together on rivets standing proud of the spoon, and are quite compact. You can get these in any good outdoors store, if you weren't in scouts . Good and compact solution, I still use mine everyday.

 

[Ootini]

Good thinking re: a pan instead of kettle and the boy scout utensil set!

 

[Profpointy]

if you're making tea then I'd take a kettle - especially if it's a trangia or similar. Doesn't weigh much, although it all adds up , but at least it reduces the mankiness of camping tea - which is never the best. It shouldn't taste of last night's soup at least

 

[andrew_s]

Wow I've never seen the Bikamper tent before...

Pointless things. Not cheap, not light, and stop you from riding down to the shop after you've put your tent up.
Lighter, cheaper, more weatherproof

 

[raleighnut]

Pointless things. Not cheap, not light, and stop you from riding down to the shop after you've put your tent up.
Lighter, cheaper, more weatherproof

My Bikamper has been fantastic and has always had positive comments both from cyclists and other campers when it's on a campsite, fits lovely on the handlebars too.

 

[tournut]

if you're making tea then I'd take a kettle - especially if it's a trangia or similar. Doesn't weigh much, although it all adds up , but at least it reduces the mankiness of camping tea - which is never the best. It shouldn't taste of last night's soup at least

Dump the kettle you carnt beat a coffee in the morning with a slight hint of the night before dinner.

 

[andrew_s]

has always had positive comments both from cyclists and other campers

I don't doubt it. People look, think "really neat idea", assume that no poles means lighter, and don't take time to consider practicalities.That's why you can still buy them.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Dump the kettle you carnt beat a coffee in the morning with a slight hint of the night before dinner.

No manky stew-tasting tea for me, thank you. Of course, I use the kettle for all boiling water situations, now that I have one. But I also carry a percolator for coffee. I save weight elsewhere.

 

[Ootini]

i'm fortunate in that in my opinion Coffee technology peaked with the introduction of freeze dried Nescafe. Proper coffee isn't my cuppa tea.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Been known to use freeze dried Folgers, if I don't want to carry percolator, but it's small. I know of some fellows carry little espresso makers as well.

 

[tomshooter]

I don't own one yet (I usually carry a small espresso maker), but these are apparently superb and very lighweight:
http://goo.gl/SEzwnG