Favourite bits of stuff

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rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
User76 said:
I also have a Roberts Radio which I would say is my favourite thing. It's the R9962, and has never failed me in getting a signal. The 2 AA batteries seem to last about a millenia!! I take it whenever I am away from home, oi lurves it:biggrin:


Ahem, my schoolboy Latin tells me it should be 1 millenium, 2 millenia. Sorry, (hangs head in pedantic shame):blush:
 

yello

Guest
Agree with vernon, thermarest. My ageing body likes a decent nights kip and doesn't like a hard ground. I wouldn't cycle tour without it.
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
I put off getting a Thermarest for years, until I found a place in the Netherlands that sold them at sensible prices (compared with UK prices, that is). Then I succumbed.

'Course, nowadays they're a bit cheaper anyway (or have I got wealthier?), and there are copies said to be just as good.

Now I wonder how I ever coped with a nasty, bulky, uncomfortable roll mat.
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
The one thing I miss most on tour is a chair. Sitting on the ground with no backrest just isn't the same.

Anyone got one of those Thermarest chair kits? Would you recommend it?
 
Bigtallfatbloke said:
Cathryn where can I get such a lifesaving gizmo? I am fed up with those Presta valves ripping my tubes.

A trick a car mechanic friend of mine showed me was to use the tube from one of those foam spray can thingies for pu*ctures; you can easily inflate a Presta valve by putting the tube over it and blast it with air from the pump. Admittedly, though, it only helps if you're at a garage where they have 'air' available.
 
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Magna

New Member
Seating on tour

Uncle Phil said:
Anyone got one of those Thermarest chair kits? Would you recommend it?

Yes please advise. My 2nd-hand prolite 3 reg came today and I'm eager to accessorize! Otherwise I'm looking to just use a foldable stool thing with canvas canvas seat- no backrest though!
 
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Magna

New Member
Probably won't field test it for a while but just bought the thermarest lounge (20) version. It received great reviews on various forums. I think I'm going manic buying up all this stuff!
 

tomb1960

New Member
Location
Birmingham
The Therm-A-Rest chair kits are brilliant, I have the one that can stay on the mat all the time, can't remember which one that is, sorry. It looks flimsy and as though it will never works, but in reality forms a very comfortable chair indeed. Wouldn't camp without it now.
 

Tim Bennet.

Entirely Average Member
Location
S of Kendal
Yes the thermarest chairs are brilliant cycle touring. At the end of a day in the saddle, you can actually flop down and relax in them, just like the sofa at home.

Problems with Presta valves are not a problem with the valves. If the inner is seated properly so the valve (without the little nut) sticks through the rim at exactly 90 degrees, it's very, very rare to have problems with them shearing off. If in doubt, whip the tyre off and reposition the inner. (Unless of course you bought those stupid tyres that are a bastard to get on and off.)

Puncture resistance in tyres is an over rated quality when touring. When you're commuting it's different: you often have a schedule, the roads are covered in crud and stopping in some areas is ill advised, especially if you're just given some 'feed back' to another road user. But punctures when touring are pretty rare. I think I've only had a couple of punctures while touring in over 30 years. It's certainly not an abiding memory of our time away. I certainly wouldn't buy a tyre that was either uncomfortable, or sluggish, or difficult to fit, just because it was 'puncture' proof.

Trangias were a great revelation in the 70's. After the frustrations with paraffin Primus stoves, the simplicity and cleanliness of the Trangia was a revelation. Everyone bought one. But the love affair didn't last and for almost every cooking need there is a better alternative. The only exception is if you are baffled by the complexity of using an on/off knob or can't be trusted with anything that gets really hot. Gas stoves are way better for touring. It's easy to get the fuel, they're far more controllable and can be matched to proper cookware. A decent non stick, Teflon, 8 inch, deep frying pan isn't too heavy, (especially between two) and when mated with a two litre pan and lid (for boiling pasta, etc) allows you to cook almost anything. (pancakes, steaks, moules mariniere, etc).

Proper wine glasses are essential. It's easy to find ones that fit snugly inside the original shaped thermo mugs. Drinking wine from plastic is beyond the pale.

A large sheet of that blue poly tarp is really useful. You can use it underneath the tent as a groundsheet protector, but also for lunch time picnics, on the beach, improvised cooking shelter when its pissing down, etc.

A few proper clothes pegs and a long, long length of thin twine really makes a difference to getting stuff dry.

A couple of strong bungy cords.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Tim Bennet. said:
Proper wine glasses are essential. It's easy to find ones that fit snugly inside the original shaped thermo mugs. Drinking wine from plastic is beyond the pale.
So it's not just me, then.

I have a pewter wine goblet I was given as a child, which is a tad heavier, but unbreakable. I also take a small wooden pepper mill. I make room by not taking a radio, phone, laptop, iPod, camera or any of the other electronic gadgets some people have to have even on holiday.
 

yello

Guest
Agreed, plastic and wine don't go together but I must admit to enduring it when camping! I always take my mobile phone and radio though.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
yello said:
Agreed, plastic and wine don't go together but I must admit to enduring it when camping! I always take my mobile phone and radio though.

Pewter and wine doesn't seem too clever though!
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
vernon said:
Cut out the middle man and swig straight from the bottle :smile:

My feelings exactly. Wine is great straight from the bottle. Give it a quick snort with one nostril for the nose then a bloody good swig. As good a way to drink wine as any.
 
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