Panniers and Tent

[Muddyfox]

Right i've managed to save up a few more pennys and this week i'l be ordering my panniers and tent i wont be going around the world so i dont need top notch (expensive kit) just yet, but will these be ok to get me started on the road to touring ?

Tent = Coleman Bedrock

Panniers = Deuter Rack Pack Uni

Simon

 

[bigjim]

Tents a bit heavy. Those panniers are look BIG. Thought you weren't going around the world?
Jim.

 

[Muddyfox]

Tents a bit heavy. Those panniers are look BIG. Thought you weren't going around the world?
Jim.

The tent is 2.5 kilos and £39 ... to shave 1/2 a kilo off the weight im looking at spending £79 (which i dont really want to have to do) as i still need to buy other camping equipment

The panniers are only slightly bigger than your average front panniers .. i will be looking to do some 4/5 day tours around Devon to start with and will possibly have to have some of my sons kit on my bike as well but i did'nt think they were excessively large ?

Simon

 

[rich p]

I don't have any experience of the panniers but I wouldn't worry about the size or weight. The difference between them and slightly smaller ones will be negligible and it's not compulsory to fill them.
The tent doesn't seem over heavy for 2 people either.

 

[HelenD123]

The panniers aren't large. My rear Alturas are 20 litres each which I thought was pretty normal (and the same as Ortliebs I think).

 

[andrew_s]

Looks like perfectly reasonable starter kit to me.

Don't expect the panniers to be properly waterproof, so keep stuff in plastic bags inside.
Glassfibre poles are a fair bit weaker than alloy ones, so avoid exposed pitches if the weather forecast is dodgy.

 

[Crankarm]

As starters they both look fine. Enjoy your touring. As said you don't have to fill them.

 

[sadjack]

Panniers look good and have good reviews. I prefer just to use rear panniers and no front ones so the size looks good.

My only comment on the tent is that it goes up inner first. Again a personal preference is for outer first pitching so that if it rains you can keep the inner dry.

Apart from that looks good. Enjoy.

 

[elduderino]

A friend of mine has those panniers. He used them for a 10 week tour around Europe and they performed fine in anything other than a heavy downpour, then things got a bit wet. Something to bear in mind.

 

[Dayvo]

You don't need to get the latest, most expensive gear, but the quality of tents, sleeping bags and inflatable mattresses shouldn't be compromised!

You only need one cold, wet night to be put off self-sufficient touring for a long time.

 

[jay clock]

Those panniers look excellent for the money and ideal for what you are looking for. The tent is £5 cheaper at Argos.

Having bought lots of tents the one I went for is a fair bit bigger than yours and weighs 1.8kg. Also packs down really small. But it is £80 and maybe is the one you were looking at http://www.quechua.com/EN/t2-ultralight-pro-4225812/

 

[bigjim]

Didn't realise the tent was to be used for 2. Will you both fit comfortably?

Jim

 

[Muddyfox]

Those panniers look excellent for the money and ideal for what you are looking for. The tent is £5 cheaper at Argos.

Having bought lots of tents the one I went for is a fair bit bigger than yours and weighs 1.8kg. Also packs down really small. But it is £80 and maybe is the one you were looking at http://www.quechua.com/EN/t2-ultralight-pro-4225812/

i ordered the panniers last night so they should be here this week sometime

The other tent i was looking at was the Vango Banshee 200 but it is £79 but after reading the advice here im starting to think that maybe i should just hang on a bit longer and get the better quality tent ?

Simon

 

[battered]

You are going to have a decent tent for a good 10 years if you look after it. Buy the best you can afford, £80 spread over 10 years, maybe 100 nights or more, isn't a lot.

Cheap tents are OK if all you do is drag them out of the car and throw them up. If you intend to carry them or use them in anything other than ideal conditions it's worth spending a bit mre.

 

[P.H]

I started cycle touring with a Coleman tent at around that price. To keep the weight down the inner used a fair bit of mesh so it could get colder than a tent with a better fabric. The groundsheet would let a bit of damp through when the ground was really soaked and after a couple of years the zips were knackered.
It was still a good buy! I had around 30 nights use and it was good enough to inform my opinion when I came to choose something better. My present tent cost six times as much, of course it's better, but in all honesty, not by that much (Though it has already lasted longer) Don't worry too much about the weight, a couple of generations ago people would have dreamed about having a tent that light and that good!!
Go do it and have fun!