Top Touring Tips

[mjr]

I've never heard of them before - a quick "duckduckgo" and from what I can see, they are similar to tea towels - is this the case?

In size maybe but supposedly much more absorbent. Often linen, as I understand it. Adding "ultralight" or "onebag" to a search may find more discussion.

 

[freiston]

In size maybe but supposedly much more absorbent. Often linen, as I understand it. Adding "ultralight" or "onebag" to a search may find more discussion.

Cheers, I'll have to look into this. I use microfibre towels at home as well as on the road because they do not exacerbate my eczema like traditional towels do and so I am particularly interested in alternatives to the traditional towel.

 

[mudsticks]

More expensive and less versatile. My power bank is a so-so torch and emergency bike light too.

Plus the battery doesn't come out of my phone.
I feel happier leaving my power pack plugged into the campsite washroom to charge overnight than my phone.

Turkish towels seem to be overtaking microplastics amongst greener ultralight tourists. Anyone here tried one?

Not heard of them (under that name) please do enlighten. (ha de ha)

In proper hot weather I just take a thin cotton sarong that does as bedsheet, towel, picnic cloth and err... sarong too.

 

[Blue Hills]

I often wonder what folks have got in those massive ortlieb cargo holds they lug everywhere.

Plus all the additional stuff strapped to the top

biggish tent, electronic stuff, food including wine gum stores, home made cycling snack, coffee making gear, reading material, generally lots of gubbins.

 

[8mph]

Emergency food ration - I don't see the point in taking food that needs cooking with water and gas. You end up looking for shelter, a lighter, and need to save extra water. It takes valuable time that you could be using to make it to a shop before closing time. I like the idea of oatcakes, nothing fancy or too tempting, something you can eat in five minutes or on the bike. Oatcakes and wine gums would be an ideal combo if you could resist eating the wine gums!

 

[Blue Hills]

Emergency food ration - I don't see the point in taking food that needs cooking with water and gas. You end up looking for shelter, a lighter, and need to save extra water. It takes valuable time that you could be using to make it to a shop before closing time. I like the idea of oatcakes, nothing fancy or too tempting, something you can eat in five minutes or on the bike. Oatcakes and wine gums would be an ideal combo if you could resist eating the wine gums!

You don't cook?

 

[8mph]

You don't cook?

Yes, I do, but when I get near the end of my food, I don't want to be cooking up porridge or macaroni cheese by the side of the road, in a gale. I want food that I can get down me quick, in order to get to the nearest shop or bar sooner.
Edit: I mention it because I ended up cooking porridge in a gale by the side of the road. The wind made cooking slow and took up a fair bit of gas too. From that point on I started travelling with oatcakes instead of oats as an emergency ration. I wanted to supplement them with wine gums but the damn things were too tasty to resist.

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, I do, but when I get near the end of my food, I don't want to be cooking up porridge or macaroni cheese by the side of the road, in a gale. I want food that I can get down me quick, in order to get to the nearest shop or bar.
Edit: I mention it because I ended up cooking porridge in a gale by the side of the road. The wind made cooking slow and took up a fair bit of gas too. From that point on I started travelling with oatcakes instead of oats as an emergency ration. I wanted to supplement them with wine gums but the damn things were too tasty to resist.

You can have tasty oats without cooking - just add milk and stir to make a nice paste - adding stuff like dried fruit, nuts etc. I have a weakness for stirring in neat Aldi cocoa powder - better than most chocolate - definitely Cadburys - it is a mild laxative though. I can vouch for Lidl wine gums - buy them before long rides but need to be careful I don't do too many or do the ride - otherwise they just get scoffed in front of the telly.

 

[8mph]

You can have tasty oats without cooking - just add milk and stir to make a nice paste - adding stuff like dried fruit, nuts etc. I have a weakness for stirring in neat Aldi cocoa powder - better than most chocolate - definitely Cadburys - it is a mild laxative though. I can vouch for Lidl wine gums - buy them before long rides but need to be careful I don't do too many or do the ride - otherwise they just get scoffed in front of the telly.

Generally, if I'm running low on food, I'm running low on water/milk and it's getting late in the day. I tend to buy chocolate milk, which works cold with oats too, I might even use it for coffee.

 

[mudsticks]

biggish tent, electronic stuff, food including wine gum stores, home made cycling snack, coffee making gear, reading material, generally lots of gubbins.

Aha..

It'll be the mysterious 'gubbins' then.

Cos I've got all the other stuff too.

(perhaps my tent is lighter)

And I do take two evenings meals (dehydrated) and at least three breakfast portions - muesli with the milk powder already added.

Although on this last Spanish trip I didn't much resist the temptation to eat out.

Such good quality, for so little money, it would be churlish not to indulge..

You can have tasty oats without cooking - just add milk and stir to make a nice paste - adding stuff like dried fruit, nuts etc. I have a weakness for stirring in neat Aldi cocoa powder - better than most chocolate - definitely Cadburys - it is a mild laxative though. I can vouch for Lidl wine gums - buy them before long rides but need to be careful I don't do too many or do the ride - otherwise they just get scoffed in front of the telly.

'MOMA' do a nice, just add hot water, not too sweet porridge in sachets, which already has milk and fruit and seeds added.

Also perfectly acceptable cold soaked.

 

[mudsticks]

Emergency food ration - I don't see the point in taking food that needs cooking with water and gas. You end up looking for shelter, a lighter, and need to save extra water. It takes valuable time that you could be using to make it to a shop before closing time. I like the idea of oatcakes, nothing fancy or too tempting, something you can eat in five minutes or on the bike. Oatcakes and wine gums would be an ideal combo if you could resist eating the wine gums!

A (dear) friend gave me some chocolate sticks as a birthday present, just before I left.
Turned out to be an ideal emergency snack.. As they weren't really very nice (ungrateful ) so I wasn't tempted to scoff the lot in one go.

My go to touring snack is big juicy raisins and Brazil nuts combined..
I think the oil in the nuts helps somehow.

I like the 'naked' chocolate and orange bars too.

 

[Baldy]

Emergency food ration - I don't see the point in taking food that needs cooking with water and gas. You end up looking for shelter, a lighter, and need to save extra water. It takes valuable time that you could be using to make it to a shop before closing time. I like the idea of oatcakes, nothing fancy or too tempting, something you can eat in five minutes or on the bike. Oatcakes and wine gums would be an ideal combo if you could resist eating the wine gums!

Oatcakes are awfully dry on their own or even with squeegee cheese. Not sure I could eat them when I was really chinstraped.

 

[8mph]

I like the 'naked' chocolate and orange bars too.

Oatcakes are awfully dry on their own or even with squeegee cheese. Not sure I could eat them when I was really chinstraped.

Hence the wine gums. (which I can't resist). It's just my take on emergency rations, something that will keep happily at the bottom of a pannier and get you 20 miles down the road. Who wants to be cooking while the shops are about to close?

 

[IaninSheffield]

Turkish towels seem to be overtaking microplastics amongst greener ultralight tourists. Anyone here tried one?

Addendum: And how small do they pack down?

 

[Blue Hills]

Aha..

It'll be the mysterious 'gubbins' then.


>>>>


'MOMA' do a nice, just add hot water, not too sweet porridge in sachets, which already has milk and fruit and seeds added.

Also perfectly acceptable cold soaked.

Yes, gubbins covers a multitude of stuff - may dare to post a pic sometimes of all the junk I carry.

Surprised at you using anything in a sachet - and stuff with bits already added - prefer to add my own bits - less "added value", more value for me.