Author Topic: loaded touring.  (Read 21727 times)

julk

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 973
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2008, 03:58:01 pm »
jags,

Freddered's replies reminded me of a problem which I encountered when camping on wet or water logged ground - sadly not unusual in the British Summer.

What do you do to keep your inner tent completely dry when you are treading on and storing gear on wet ground under the flysheet. The answer for me has been to use a 'footprint', a lightweight groundsheet cut in the shape of the complete tent including flysheet and used as a bottom layer.

I find this gives me a dry storage area under the flysheet which increases the usability of the tent when camping on wet ground.

freddered

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 457
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2008, 04:47:40 pm »
Agreed.  I use a footprint (mainly for protection of ground sheet, I hadn't thought of cutting it bigger before).

My tent thought is very tiny and the panniers, even if they were on a footprint, touch the outer flysheet which can also get very wet with condensation in our lovely British weather.

Basically the (German) Ortleibs, like my (German) Rohloff and my (German) Dynahub are one less thing to worry about.  My (British) Brooks Saddle and my (British) Carradice Saddlebag always seem to require a life-time of care and/or modifications to make them work properly (I think this is referred to as 'character' by the marketing folks)
 

jags

  • Guest
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2008, 06:48:44 pm »
sound's like a great idea julk ,living here in ireland you certainly need all the protection you can get from the dreaded rain  but does it come with the tent ,i somehow doubt it.

julk

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 973
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #18 on: January 10, 2008, 08:37:54 pm »
Jags,
You can buy the footprints as an extra for Hillebergs, don't know for other brands.

Easy enough to make one out of polythene sheet or similar and replace it when it gets tatty.

John,
I must admit I am a Brooks and Carradice fan.


« Last Edit: January 10, 2008, 08:42:36 pm by julk »

freddered

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 457
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2008, 09:20:53 pm »
I'm a Brooks & Carradice fan as well as being an Ortleib fan  ;D

PS.  The best photo of a Carrdice Super C bike I have ever seen is at the end of the THORN EXP brochure online.  It looks stunning and nearly swung it.



« Last Edit: January 10, 2008, 09:24:23 pm by freddered »
 

jags

  • Guest
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2008, 09:25:48 pm »
julk that is one cool looking bike,and the pannier's are class. you know what turned me on to thorn bike's is when i seen john28 black nomad i knew then i had to have one.
yes it just keep's getting better.
fred had my eye on one of those bag's  and the brook's  im on a roll's duo saddle might change to brook's

john28july

  • Guest
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #21 on: January 11, 2008, 09:29:57 am »
Agreed.  I use a footprint (mainly for protection of ground sheet, I hadn't thought of cutting it bigger before).

My tent thought is very tiny and the panniers, even if they were on a footprint, touch the outer flysheet which can also get very wet with condensation in our lovely British weather.

Basically the (German) Ortleibs, like my (German) Rohloff and my (German) Dynahub are one less thing to worry about.  My (British) Brooks Saddle and my (British) Carradice Saddlebag always seem to require a life-time of care and/or modifications to make them work properly (I think this is referred to as 'character' by the marketing folks)

But-its the quality and the character that shine through and make tradition what it is.
John.

freddered

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 457
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #22 on: January 11, 2008, 10:49:59 am »
julk that is one cool looking bike,and the pannier's are class. you know what turned me on to thorn bike's is when i seen john28 black nomad i knew then i had to have one.
yes it just keep's getting better.
fred had my eye on one of those bag's  and the brook's  im on a roll's duo saddle might change to brook's

I think the Barley is a perfect 'day bag'.  I use it for Audaxing up to 300km and for small local rides  It holds enough to get you through the day but prevents you from taking the kitchen sink.

I now have a couple of leather toe-clip straps threaded through the external D-rings so I can carry wet gear on the outside
 

stutho

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 848
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #23 on: January 13, 2008, 11:17:29 am »
Hi Fred A-M,
Yes this was the load on the RST on a short 3-day tour last autumn.  I didn't weigh the kit but as it was split front & rear it didn't seam to pose any problems to the RST.  I should note that I carried a minimum of personal kit.  My wife and I are hopping to get away for a mini tour again this spring - dependent on getting the grandparents to baby sit!



PH

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2294
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #24 on: January 13, 2008, 12:48:40 pm »
I’m a relative newcomer to cycle camping, if it wasn’t for the demise of the hostel network I’d never have started. Before family and other commitments intervened, I used to do a fair bit of backpacking,so I'm not a complete novice to camping.  The most noticeable differences after a twenty year gap is how cheap, light and functional everything is.  I had a top of the range Saunders tent in my youth, took me months to save up for, this time round my £75 Coleman is better in every respect.
The last three years have been a learning curve, I started carrying too much kit, cut it back too far and now think I’ve found what’s right for me.  I’ve also discovered that although I like the idea of long extended tours, in practice frequent short breaks suite me better.  I also found that I’d rather be cycling than camping, so spend more time on the road and less time at the campsite.  For a few days I can’t be bothered to cook, I use a Jetboil to make hot drinks and occasionally soup.  After a bit of trial and error I think I’ve found my perfect sleeping arrangements – Big Agness insulated air pad and matching large rectangular summerweight sleeping bag (the pad fits into a sleeve in the bag so you can’t fall off) I then use a down camping quilt over the top.  It sounds a lot, but it packs really small, weighs well under 2 kg and has kept me warm and cozy on a frosty night.   I’m still looking for my perfect tent, the Coleman Epsilon has served me well, though I’d like something lighter.  I have a Golite Hex on loan, it’s got lots of advantages but I’m undecided.  A friend has a Big Agnes tent that I really likw, the weak dollar makes them even more attractive if bought from the USA.
Here’s my Raven on route to York Rally 2005


The small Carradice panniers were sold after this trip, in theory they were big enough, in practice the shape meant they were awkward to pack.  They were replaced with Vaude discover front, at 30L big for front panniers. My Ortlieb panniers started life as front rollers, they had a chunk cut off the top to fit a small wheeled folder. They carry about the same each as a bar bag.  I like a bar bag for valuables and map/route sheet.  The saddlebag carries everything I might need during the day, so I don’t have to open the panniers from site to site.  This also has the advantage that if someone offers to carry my kit home, as sometimes happens after a Rally or Audax, I don’t have to think about repacking.  With my present kit I could easily do without front panniers, except the Raven rides so well with four.  I’m undecided as to whether the handling advantage is worth the extra weight, I’ll have to experiment some more.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2008, 12:56:58 pm by PH »

PH

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2294
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #25 on: January 13, 2008, 01:09:39 pm »
What do you do to keep your inner tent completely dry when you are treading on and storing gear on wet ground under the flysheet. The answer for me has been to use a 'footprint', a lightweight groundsheet cut in the shape of the complete tent including flysheet and used as a bottom layer.


It's a good idea, but you have to check after the tent has settled that the footprint is well inside the fly.  If not, any rain runs off your fly and you end up with your tent in puddle, modern groundsheets will let water through in this circumstance.  Well, mine certainly did :-[

freddered

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 457
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #26 on: January 13, 2008, 08:49:28 pm »
My tent is a Coleman Viper and I'm really pleased with it.  I use a Mountain Equipment Sleepwalker sleeping bag and highly recommend them.  They allow you to sleep like you are in a larger, rectangular bag because of a clever elasticated knee section.  I just bought an Alpkit Airic to replace my old mat but haven't tried it yet.

No real porch on the tent means it could be difficult in prolonged rain, I will replace it with a Vango TBS Spirit 200+ when funds allow.  I really like the look of the large 'living space' for the weight.
 

Fred A-M

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 428
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #27 on: January 14, 2008, 04:22:02 pm »
Hi Stuart (Stutho)

Thanks for the feedback, v useful, as is virtually all the feedback on this thread, particularly with regard to the camping gear: a real goldmine ref equipment merits for the tourist.   I'm still undecided as to whether it's possible to do a ltrailerless long tour on the RST (17Kg luggage allowance!) with camping gear, bearing in mind I'll need safeguards ref provisions and weather, but I'll feedback a little more once I've done some research!
 

freddered

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 457
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #28 on: January 14, 2008, 05:29:55 pm »
check out the Vango TBS Spirit 200+.   I think it would be ideal if you got stuck in prolonged rain.  It has a proper 'living area' and just needs one of those chair adapters for your camping mat to make it a home-from-home.
 

jags

  • Guest
Re: loaded touring.
« Reply #29 on: January 14, 2008, 08:52:21 pm »
hi freddered, i also had a look at the vango tent ,it look's a lot like the nallo gt except a hell of a lot more affordable,would there be a big difference in the preformance of the two tent's.