Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by igz on June 30, 2010 at 6:28am

i think there are many schools of thought on this... and i think it all depends on how much you want to bring/how fancy you want your gear to be.

first and foremost...consider how you will carry your gear. and i will add, that this is directly related to how heavy your gear is.

on our inaugural ride, we have seen many interesting 'racks', 'panniers', 'packs'. But whatever works. i strapped everything to a seat post mounted rack with a crate on it. We have seen front baskets loaded the hell up, and my favorite...trash cans mounted as panniers. now, i was able to get away with almost all my gear (tent, sleeping bag, insulated inflatable pad, water, tablewear, hammock, tarp, rope) on the rack and basket because if have very small, packable gear. other things like clothing, lights, toiletries, were all in a back pack. if wearing a backpack, keep it light, you will regret it otherwise after about 10 miles.

if you have larger gear, and are not image conscious, makeshift carriers are perfect as long as they are properly secured to the bike. another option, of course, is a trailer. because we could get cought in rain at any time, make sure you have your gear covered or able to be covered easily while riding.

gear itself does not need to be fancy or expensive. there are plenty of economical options, but dont go so 'economic' that your gear wont hold up, and you have a miserable night. but we are not camping in extreme temperatures, elevations, weather conditions.

i highly highly recommend a decent sleeping pad. after a day of riding with a loaded bike, your body will want to comfortably rest. remember, you will probably be at it again the next day.

cooking gear...unless you want to boil something right up on a stove, most of the campsites we will use have fire rings with grills on them. fire wood get picked up locally, and often can be purchased right at the site.

food...we often will try to get it locally, so things dont spoil en route and so we dont have to deal with the weight.

Dont forget basic bike repair tools and inner tubes. a flat is bound to happen on the trails, and there is a good chance we will be nowhere near a bike shop.

Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on June 30, 2010 at 6:50am

I tend to pack way too much whenever I go camping, but I like to be prepared.

Here are the bare minimums:

In addition to your tent and sleeping bag, you'll probably also want to get a sleeping mat to cushion the ground and also insulate you at night.

Other things that are nice to have:
-Something to cook in. The campsites usually have a firepit, so you can use that.
-Aluminum foil is great.
-Bring something to use to start your fire
-Lots of times you'll have to buy wood at the site as well as lots of places don't want pests to spread, so plan on buying that there.
-Utensils. disposible works...you can even use the same utensils for the whole trip. A pocket knife or tool is also good to have.
-A towel always comes in handy.
-Change of clothes, give in
-Something to hold water.
-Bike lights will work as camp lights.
-Bungie Cords and ropes always come in handy


Other non essential, but nice things to have:

-I enjoy bringing a little backpacking stove, it really comes in handy for heating up water or other things that you don't want to taste like smoke
-Camp stool. Sites usually have picnic tables, but it's nice to have something more portable.
-extendable fork-handy for cooking over the fire


Camping gets expensive you you get everything you need. most things only cost a little bit, but it all ends up adding up. When you go in a group it's nice to share some stuff and accumulate your own supply over time.

Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on June 30, 2010 at 10:20am

Iggi made some really important points. Carrying the stuff on your bike is often the biggest challenge. Backpacking type equipment is generallly the easiest stuff to carry, but it is also more expensive.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ is a great resource. Just about every journal page on there will have an entry on their packing list.

Speaking of that, I just found my packing list from my first camping trip:

Rear Pannier 1
Tent (without poles)
Swim suit
Towel
Rain Gear (jacket and pants)
Misc. Clothes

Rear Pannier 2
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Majority of clothes

Rear Rack:
Tent Poles

Front Pannier 1
Cooking pan
portable stove
Fuel canister
Wash Clothes (around fuel)
Food (Lentils, oatmeal, couscous, peanut butter, pita bread)

Front Pannier 2
Insect Spray
Sunscreen
Toiletry bag
In Dry sack:
crank radio/flashlight
Book
Reading light
Cell phone charger,

In top of bag:
cell phone
Camera
Maps

Seat bag:
Tools, pump, CO2, tube, patch kit.

On bike:
Two water bottles
Front light

Helmet with rear light

Permalink Reply by Holly on June 30, 2010 at 11:47am

You guys are so kind. I knew that there'd be a lot of sage advice.

That trip I took w/my friend's gear (and her husband's bike) was about 6 years ago. I don't remember much about the packing part. Just that we had two rear panniers (each) and they were absurdly heavy for an inexperienced hill climber. (Er...let's just say inexperienced cyclist, in general.) Now, I ride long distance rides nearly every summer weekend so I don't think I'll have difficulty with the distance, but I don't want to carry anything on my body even if a backpack seems to be an easy thing to do at the outset.

I'm making a list and figuring out what's absolutely essential. And I'll be checking in often to find out when the next trip is planned. (I'd say mid to end of August seems good...) I really wish I could make the July trip for Bong Hits. Sounds like fun.

Thanks again everyone.
Holly

P.S. So, where do you keep the beer? Is that where the trash can panniers come in handy?

Permalink Reply by Holly on July 21, 2010 at 12:40pm

Cheap panniers--never a bargain?

Okay, I'm on the hunt for a set of panniers that I can afford with the idea that an upgrade would happen, but not soon.

Here's a set my friend claims are worth what you're paying for them. And she says the reviews are accurate and they need to be zip tied onto a rack. They're Nash Bar bags at $50 a piece.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_172282_-1_201497_1...

What would you do--put a lot of $ into a set that's gonna last for years or buy this set knowing you might get a bunch of trips out of them, but not as many as something at least 2x the price? (I am usually a budget shopper, but this may be a case where going on the cheap is stupid.)

What brand of pannier do you love? And why?

Since I'm mostly planning two day trips, I only need one pair for now. And probably a handlebar bag which I might NOT cheap out on as I'd probably use it a lot more for other things.

P.s. I might drive you nuts with my posts. I'm really frugal and love to get "reviews" on things before I buy them.

Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on July 21, 2010 at 3:25pm

I have those panniers and they aren't great, but they aren't horrible. However, I paid $30 for mine and think that is all that they are worth...maybe not even that. I wish I would have shopped around more. Nashbar is kind of skeazy with how they run their business. They say that things are 50 or 70 percent off, but I doubt anyone buys stuff from them when it isn't on sale. Just about everything that I have purchased from Nashbar has failed in some way.

I'm going to continue to use these panniers, but I'll be looking for something that is a little more durable. Ortleib seems to be the thing people like a lot, but I've also heard okay things about Axiom as being a cheaper alternative.

If you are going to buy online, maybe try these ones: http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222342382/395/Axiom-Seymour...

Note, i don't know anything about those panniers, that was just what i came up with after doing a google search.




Holly said:

Cheap panniers--never a bargain?

Okay, I'm on the hunt for a set of panniers that I can afford with the idea that an upgrade would happen, but not soon.

Here's a set my friend claims are worth what you're paying for them. And she says the reviews are accurate and they need to be zip tied onto a rack. They're Nash Bar bags at $50 a piece.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_172282_-1_201497_1...

What would you do--put a lot of $ into a set that's gonna last for years or buy this set knowing you might get a bunch of trips out of them, but not as many as something at least 2x the price? (I am usually a budget shopper, but this may be a case where going on the cheap is stupid.)

What brand of pannier do you love? And why?

Since I'm mostly planning two day trips, I only need one pair for now. And probably a handlebar bag which I might NOT cheap out on as I'd probably use it a lot more for other things.

P.s. I might drive you nuts with my posts. I'm really frugal and love to get "reviews" on things before I buy them.

Permalink Reply by Holly on July 21, 2010 at 3:34pm

J--
My friend who has them also got the free rain jacket with each one. Note: there's no free rain jacket now. I'm looking at Ortleib. They've also gotten mixed review for not having any zippered compartments.

Natch, my champagne taste wants Jandd Mountaineering bags, but my beer bottle wallet isn't ready for them. Yet. I don't know. At what point do you just cough up for the right thing and skip the Tar-jay version that you know you'll be unhappy with at a later date? (That's kind of a rhetorical question.)

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 13, 2010 at 10:06am

Oh, Yeah, don't forget a good set of maps geared for bicyclists and a good cue sheet. To get to Bong this weekend, because I have to come from Milwaukee, I use a cue sheet drawn up from Google Maps, my Milwaukee by Bike map, a Racine County map I downloaded from the State of Wisconsin/ Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin Bike Map, and my Kenosha County map. Until GPS becomes less expensive and more reliable with respect to bicyclists, I'll stick with my maps and compass.

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 21, 2010 at 10:46am

I had a good trip to Bong this past weekend where I met with Adam. Unfortunately, our water supply had a distinct taste of sulfur. Other than that, I suffered no other ill effects. Does anybody know how to get rid of the sulfurous taste?

Permalink Reply by Holly on September 21, 2010 at 12:19pm

Add booze? Just kidding. I think you'd have to get an air filter/purifier thingie. The good ones seem to run in the $75 range and up. I also believe there are tablets, but I don't know how well that works.

I'm glad you guys had fun. I had a mishap w/my computer and found that I needed to spend $ on that rather than use the money I'd saved (and it was a goodly amount) for gear. DANG.

Barry Niel Stuart said:

I had a good trip to Bong this past weekend where I met with Adam. Unfortunately, our water supply had a distinct taste of sulfur. Other than that, I suffered no other ill effects. Does anybody know how to get rid of the sulfurous taste?