Too heavy!! - what can I leave behind?

[willem]

These are good target weights, even if the stuff I quote is expensive (it will give you an idea):

mat: 450 (Thermarest Neoair for summer)-900 grams (exped down matress for cold weather).

Sleeping bag: PHD Minim some 650 grams for summer, up to about 1 kg for three season

Hilleberg Akto tent 1.5 kg, or Terra Nova Laser (1 kg) if you don't mind a more fragile tent that is not quite up to the worst weather.

Stove and pans: 400 grams for a top of the cannister gas stove and some small pan, up to 700 grams for a Trangia 27 meths stove with pans for reall cooking.

All this lighter stuff is also very compact. Unless you go to the third world or expect very bad weather, two rear panniers should be all you need.

The same applies to all the small stuff like torches etc.
Willem

 

[willem]

Did I see it correctly in the picture that you are using only one rear pannier? That would certainly destabilize your bike.
Willem

 

[peanut]

Don't take a sleeping bag !.....

slightly different way of looking at the sleeping bag thing. Why not ditch the sleeping bag altogether and take a really warm hooded fleece top and warm trackie bottoms with one piece longjohns instead !

It will be just as warm and much lighter and take up lot less space. The bottoms and fleece you will already be carrying anyway .!

You could add some thick thermal socks and your beanie hat or balaclava and you are going to be as warm as toast.All of your night clothes have a second day-time use so you will need them anyway.

I would also carry an airbed and use a convenient car tyre to pump it up

 

[chris667]

If I'm just off for one or two days, everything I take fits in one smallish Carradice saddlebag.
For two days, you don't need to change into fresh clothes.
I would suggest:
Tent
Mat
Bag
Waterproofs
Jumper
Tracksuit bottoms (you're wearing shorts, right?)
Spare tube
Multi tool
In weather like this, when you're in the UK, I'd be happy going without a stove. Pubs and coffee shops weigh nothing!
I've had many pleasant weekends away with nothing more.
And FWIW I think Willem is right. One pannier is a poor choice for weight distribution. I can see it has advantages when you're mounting/dismounting/pushing as offroad touring can make you do, but compared to a saddlebag, I think it's a very inelegant solution.
Incidentally, I'd also think about ditching the camelbak, and using water bottles on the cage. The weight on your shoulders will tell after a day's riding.

 

[peanut]

why take a heavy bulky mat that offers little comfort when you could take an airbed that is infinitely more comfortable ,lighter and takes up far less room ? don't see the sense in that I agree with everything else but I would take the stove even with the weight penalty. Theres something about 'brewing up' that is at the heart of touring and camping to my mind

If I'm just off for one or two days, everything I take fits in one smallish Carradice saddlebag.
For two days, you don't need to change into fresh clothes.
I would suggest:
Tent
Mat
Bag
Waterproofs
Jumper
Tracksuit bottoms (you're wearing shorts, right?)
Spare tube
Multi tool
In weather like this, when you're in the UK, I'd be happy going without a stove. Pubs and coffee shops weigh nothing!
I've had many pleasant weekends away with nothing more.
And FWIW I think Willem is right. One pannier is a poor choice for weight distribution. I can see it has advantages when you're mounting/dismounting/pushing as offroad touring can make you do, but compared to a saddlebag, I think it's a very inelegant solution.
Incidentally, I'd also think about ditching the camelbak, and using water bottles on the cage. The weight on your shoulders will tell after a day's riding.

 

[chris667]

A mat is OK, and cheap, and it doesn't weigh much. Plus you can't puncture it, ever.
Airbeds are great, but IMO much too expensive for a first foray into camping. It's a bit like someone saying "Don't buy the Millets tent, when you can get a Saunders for only £200 more!".
My gear list is only a suggestion, of course, you're welcome to take what you want. But from my experience, a stove and cooking utensils makes everything more complicated, even if it is nice to make a cup of tea. A thermos is a concession that I sometimes make, that's nice too.

 

[RedBike]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Sadly there's no chance of changing any of the kit before I set off next Tuesday so i'm stuck with it. Some time next year I might invest in some quality camping gear IF i like wild camping. This is all cheap stuff to get me started.

The two big bags on the trailer are a yellow one containing just the tent and my sleeping mat and the blue one which contains just the sleeping bag. You can see why I doubt it's going to fit ontop of the panniers!

I have changed my jeans over to tracky bottoms and packed another pair of thermal socks. It's given out rain for the few days i'm riding so I will want several changes of clothing.

The kit is both bulky and heavy. I can't even begin to fit in all in a rucksack and two pannier bags. I'm off to B&Q after work to see if I can find some rope/ bungee straps to start strapping everything to the bike / the pannier racks and myself.

The pannier rack is a bit of a fudge and it isn't that strong. I'm not sure it's going to withstand being heavily laiden and ridden off-road.

It looks like i'm leaving either the sleeping mat or the bag behind!

 

[andrew_s]

Better still get the gelert solo for £22
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=gelert+solo&oe=utf-8&scoring=p

1.5kg

I thought about suggesting that, but at a max height of 70cm you can't really do anything other than lie down in it. Even getting dressed could be a challenge.

 

[RedBike]

I would rather stick with a two man tent. I'm not that keen on leaving all my stuff out side over night.

 

[RedBike]

I've mangaed to get the largest of items (namely the tent, sleeping mat and sleeping bag) on the bike. Everything else (clothes) are still being dryed out from the soaking they got when I tested the trailer the other day.


Once dry I will fully load the bike and re-test it again.
My initial thoughts are still OMG it's heavy!
Although i'm used to heavy panniers i'm not used to having so much weight so high up. Hopefully it wont ride too badly though.

I don't like having the sleeping bag up ontop of the panniers like that. I can't really get my weight back now. But as I can't think of anywhere else to put it it's staying there!

Assuming the bike rides alright i've got to re-postion that rear light. No point having it behind the sleeping bag and fit as wide a rear tyre as I can get on to try and compensate for the weight.

 

[HelenD123]

Will the sleeping bag compress any more? I've perfected a technique of sitting on mine to squash it whilst pulling the straps.

 

[RedBike]

It took me nearly 30mins to get the sleeping bag in that bag. Then I tightened the straps by standing on the bag while pulling them.

As for the tent. I'm never going to get that back in the bag again. I had to jump up and down on it.

 

[peanut]

can you not fix the paniers any lower ?
I saw a tourer today that had his panniers dragging on the floor I kid you not they were fully loaded and every part of them was below the axle height
Must help a lot with balance

 

[Joe24]

30mins to get the sleeping bag in the bag? Why?
You werent rolling it up were you? If you are dont bother, just stuff it in the bag. Many people seem to roll them up for some reason

 

[RedBike]

30mins to get the sleeping bag in the bag? Why?
You werent rolling it up were you? If you are dont bother, just stuff it in the bag. Many people seem to roll them up for some reason

It's because I began by lazily just stuffing it in the bag that it took so long. It took me a while to realise that it was never going to fit like that.

In order to get it in I had to put it flat and then carefully roll it squeezing all the air out as I went along. Once rolled up I had to sit on it to keep it flat. Given half a chance the bag just puffs it's self back up and then there's no chance of getting it back in the bag.

.