Touring - First tour preparations-where I'm lacking

Getting ready for my first bike tour in September, I went on a little overnighter-mini tour last weekend. I found some areas where my gear was really lacking.

1)The MSR dromedary bag I brought for extra water between available watering spots, and cooking uses got thrown away. It had been stored too many years and even though I cleaned it thoroughly, it made all the water taste foul-like drinking through a garden hose nasty times 10. Any ideas?
2)I need to bring a hotpad for cooking-obvious.
3)I need some sort of scrubby thing to wash my pot and pan and plates with.
4)A plate or bowl would be worth the weight. I chose to not bring one to save space and weight figuring to eat right out of the pan I cooked in.
5)I need to get a camp/pack towel. I saw these in the camping section of the sports store but they looked cheesy. I brought a dish towel sized towel from home for my shower and such-it was severely lacking. Does anybody have any experience with those "camp towels"?
6)The "camp soap" I bought was a joke. It really didn't work. I had to use a half a bottle to get a lather up in the shower. At that rate for cleanup and showers I would need to bring a pint of the stuff. Ideas?
7)I need to bring some sort of a pillow. I just can't sleep well with a wad of disheveled dirty cycling clothes under my head. Experience anyone?
8)And last but not least, cold drinks are nice. It was upper 90's up there and all I had to drink at the end of a hard day was lukewarm, nasty tasting water. The nearest store that sold beverages was 7 miles away-a 14 mile round trip just for some cold beverage that would be warm by the time I got it to camp. God bless my wife for driving up the 45 miles to bring me some cold beverage on ice on my night camping. I will have to be sure to get something at my last stop on tour before the campground. A hot sweaty biker needs refreshment!

And finally, my rear wheel was found "not tough enough". I blew a spoke on the way home. Ironically I had a fiberfix on order but just hadn't received it yet. The mechanic at the LBS told me he could build me a bulletproof rear wheel for about $150. Then maybe I would need to beef up the front if I ever used front panniers...even more $$. I am really considering shelling out the jack for a trailer for my tours and not worry about going with "bulletproof" wheels. I am intrigued with the Burley Nomad and I am busy searching out the threads here to see how people like them.

Thanks.

7)I need to bring some sort of a pillow. I just can't sleep well with a wad of disheveled dirty cycling clothes under my head. Experience anyone?

If you get another dromedary bag you can use it as a pillow. Blow it up to your own personal preferance.

8)And last but not least, cold drinks are nice. It was upper 90's up there and all I had to drink at the end of a hard day was lukewarm, nasty tasting water. The nearest store that sold beverages was 7 miles away-a 14 mile round trip just for some cold beverage that would be warm by the time I got it to camp. God bless my wife for driving up the 45 miles to bring me some cold beverage on ice on my night camping. I will have to be sure to get something at my last stop on tour before the campground. A hot sweaty biker needs refreshment!

I just complete a tour and realized trying to keep the drinking supply cold was pointless. When you're on the bike for hours your fluids are going to heat up. Besides, when you're exercising you really want your drinking supply to be warm. If you drink ice cold fluids your body could go into shock because of the extreme temperature difference between your body and that fluids. Thought I heard somewhere that drinks such as gatorade absorb in the body quicker when they're warmer.

If you don't like the Dromedary bag idea for a pillow (sounds like a really good one, though), I know Therm-A-Rest makes a pillow that rolls up pretty small and works quite well. In addition, I use a MSR Packtowl Personal in the "body" size. It's surprisingly absorbent and dries very quickly, a big plus. It also packs small in its own pouch.

Get Bronners peppermint camp soap, a little goes a long ways, and the stuff works great. I have a thermarest pillow and I love it.

1)The MSR dromedary bag I brought for extra water between available watering spots, and cooking uses got thrown away. It had been stored too many years and even though I cleaned it thoroughly, it made all the water taste foul-like drinking through a garden hose nasty times 10. Any ideas?

Check the Platypus instructions for cleaning and please tell us if it worked.
http://www.platypushydration.com/about_us/faqs.aspx?Inside=2#clean

7)I need to bring some sort of a pillow. I just can't sleep well with a wad of disheveled dirty cycling clothes under my head. Experience anyone?

I have Therm-A-Rest printed pillow and it packs nice. Oh, and it is stuffed with synthetic fibers, so you will not have to sleep on your clothes.

8)And last but not least, cold drinks are nice. It was upper 90's up there and all I had to drink at the end of a hard day was lukewarm, nasty tasting water. The nearest store that sold beverages was 7 miles away-a 14 mile round trip just for some cold beverage that would be warm by the time I got it to camp. God bless my wife for driving up the 45 miles to bring me some cold beverage on ice on my night camping. I will have to be sure to get something at my last stop on tour before the campground. A hot sweaty biker needs refreshment!

You can get small ice saver, and put it in your bag. You keep there just the ICE.
When you want to drink, you just add ice cubes.
This makes you depend on roadside gas stations that will sale you ice.
Another way to go is to put your beverage in a wet sock and ride. This will make the beverage cooler, but not ice cold.

7) I have a thermarest pillow and it's great. Packs up to a one litre bottle size.

8) I try to get cold drinks en route to camp. Beer and ice works for me.

6) I have campsuds but haven't used them yet.

3) I use a small scrubbie sponge cut in half.

5) I have some sort of tiny synthetic towel. Works fine. I also bring a small sponge to wick moisture from the tent prior to packing up. This is a necessity in Ireland. :) It also weighs nothing and works great.

2) For my stove I bring a small square ceramic tile. Odd, but useful!

Keep those questions coming! Shake-down tours are a great help.

I've been caught touring without suncreen and bug spray. Never again.

I've been caught touring without suncreen and bug spray. Never again.


I did pretty well without either. I carried sunscreen and used it through the desert, but once I got a nice base tan and into more moderate climates I was fine. The bug spray would have been nice, but mosquito bites lose their itch after a few hours or a day. The only time they are a problem anyway is when you stop. Just keep biking. ;)

2)I need to bring a hotpad for cooking-obvious.
3)I need some sort of scrubby thing to wash my pot and pan and plates with.

I use the type of dishcloth with a piece of plastic mesh sewn to one side for both. It's still dry while cooking, and folded in half it works pretty well as a makeshift hotpad.

5)I need to get a camp/pack towel. I saw these in the camping section of the sports store but they looked cheesy. I brought a dish towel sized towel from home for my shower and such-it was severely lacking. Does anybody have any experience with those "camp towels"?

I found microfiber cloths in the automotive section one day, and I really like these for camping. They come in several sizes, soak up water well, dry fast, compress nicely and don't weigh much. I think Packtowels are very similar.

6)The "camp soap" I bought was a joke. It really didn't work. I had to use a half a bottle to get a lather up in the shower. At that rate for cleanup and showers I would need to bring a pint of the stuff. Ideas?

I second Dr. Bronner's, though I also like JR Liggets shampoo bar.

3) Scrubby thing - if you have bog standard aluminium, (i.e. not non-stick.) pans, those stainless steel (sort of like wire wool only coarser) are excellent. Failing that, sand from a river or stream bed works well.

The "camp soap" I bought was a joke. It really didn't work. I had to use a half a bottle to get a lather up in the shower. At that rate for cleanup and showers I would need to bring a pint of the stuff. Ideas?

Keep with the "camp soap" the lather component of the soap has nothing to do with how well it cleans, it's just in there to make people feel like to soap is doing something

Getting ready for my first bike tour in September, I went on a little overnighter-mini tour last weekend. I found some areas where my gear was really lacking.

1)The MSR dromedary bag I brought for extra water between available watering spots, and cooking uses got thrown away. It had been stored too many years and even though I cleaned it thoroughly, it made all the water taste foul-like drinking through a garden hose nasty times 10. Any ideas?
2)I need to bring a hotpad for cooking-obvious.
3)I need some sort of scrubby thing to wash my pot and pan and plates with.
4)A plate or bowl would be worth the weight. I chose to not bring one to save space and weight figuring to eat right out of the pan I cooked in.
5)I need to get a camp/pack towel. I saw these in the camping section of the sports store but they looked cheesy. I brought a dish towel sized towel from home for my shower and such-it was severely lacking. Does anybody have any experience with those "camp towels"?
6)The "camp soap" I bought was a joke. It really didn't work. I had to use a half a bottle to get a lather up in the shower. At that rate for cleanup and showers I would need to bring a pint of the stuff. Ideas?
7)I need to bring some sort of a pillow. I just can't sleep well with a wad of disheveled dirty cycling clothes under my head. Experience anyone?
8)And last but not least, cold drinks are nice. It was upper 90's up there and all I had to drink at the end of a hard day was lukewarm, nasty tasting water. The nearest store that sold beverages was 7 miles away-a 14 mile round trip just for some cold beverage that would be warm by the time I got it to camp. God bless my wife for driving up the 45 miles to bring me some cold beverage on ice on my night camping. I will have to be sure to get something at my last stop on tour before the campground. A hot sweaty biker needs refreshment!

And finally, my rear wheel was found "not tough enough". I blew a spoke on the way home. Ironically I had a fiberfix on order but just hadn't received it yet. The mechanic at the LBS told me he could build me a bulletproof rear wheel for about $150. Then maybe I would need to beef up the front if I ever used front panniers...even more $$. I am really considering shelling out the jack for a trailer for my tours and not worry about going with "bulletproof" wheels. I am intrigued with the Burley Nomad and I am busy searching out the threads here to see how people like them.

Thanks.

1) I don't carry a water bag ... just a couple water bottles, however, if you want a bag, Walmart, Canadian Tire and MEC have those things in their camping sections.

2) & 3) & 4) & 5) Hotpads, and scrubby things, and dishes, and towels can be acquired at your local Dollar store for ... $1 (or less). While you're in there you'll likely find a whole bunch of other really cool stuff for your tour, like miniature LED lights for inside the tent at night for example.

5) You might also take a look in the cleaning section of Walmart where the mops and stuff like that are ... there are blue cloths ... I forget what material they are but they are solid, fuzzy blue (not mesh or anything like that). Buy 2 and sew them together.

6) For soap, I have a small bottle into which I put shampoo. I use that for EVERYTHING ... showers, laundry, dishes, etc. When I run out of shampoo, I fill the bottle with the liquid soap in gas station washrooms, and I use that for everything.

7) Get an inflatable pillow. Walmart and Canadian Tire have them ... they both have the same one. Put a folded sarong over it to make it somewhat more comfortable. Oh yeah, get a sarong. :D

8) I drink my cold beverages during the ride as much as possible, or plan to camp nearer to stores.

9) I prefer panniers to a trailer ... but then I travel by airplane to get to my starting point and travelling with a bicycle is hassle enough without travelling with a trailer too.

1)The MSR dromedary bag I brought for extra water between available watering spots, and cooking uses got thrown away. It had been stored too many years and even though I cleaned it thoroughly, it made all the water taste foul-like drinking through a garden hose nasty times 10. Any ideas?


Try a different brand. I believe the Platapus bladders have less of a funky taste.



2)I need to bring a hotpad for cooking-obvious.
3)I need some sort of scrubby thing to wash my pot and pan and plates with.


Try a green 3M scrubbing pad for each of these duties. However we typically just handle hot pots and pans with the handles, or with pliers from a leatherman.



4)A plate or bowl would be worth the weight. I chose to not bring one to save space and weight figuring to eat right out of the pan I cooked in.


A good outdoors store will have acrylic dishes for sale. They are light and won't break. However, my wife and I just use our pot and pan as bowl and plate.



6)The "camp soap" I bought was a joke. It really didn't work. I had to use a half a bottle to get a lather up in the shower. At that rate for cleanup and showers I would need to bring a pint of the stuff. Ideas?


Camp Suds, Mountain Suds, and Dr. Bronners (sp?) will all work, but only the latter will not give me hives. Just a drop is enough for each dish you would wash. The amount you could cup in the palm of your hand will wash your whole body.



7)I need to bring some sort of a pillow. I just can't sleep well with a wad of disheveled dirty cycling clothes under my head. Experience anyone?


Personally, I like having rather tall pillows so those camp pillow would never do for me. Try it out with the clothes again. Choose a jersey or jacket to use as a 'pillowcase' and stuff everything in there for padding. Smack it around and fold it and so forth until it has a shape you like. Try use only clean, non-stinky clothes.



And finally, my rear wheel was found "not tough enough". I blew a spoke on the way home. Ironically I had a fiberfix on order but just hadn't received it yet. The mechanic at the LBS told me he could build me a bulletproof rear wheel for about $150.

Kind of a vague question, we would need to know what kind of bike/wheel you have now, how much you weigh and how much you plan to carry. But that said, a quality hand-built 36 spoke wheel should be enough for most people.

5) You might also take a look in the cleaning section of Walmart where the mops and stuff like that are ... there are blue cloths ... I forget what material they are but they are solid, fuzzy blue (not mesh or anything like that). Buy 2 and sew them together.

8) I drink my cold beverages during the ride as much as possible, or plan to camp nearer to stores.



BTW - I have one of those camp towels, and it is OK, but I prefer the blue cloths I mentioned above. They are lighter and way more absorbent. I'm thinking they are made of microfibers or something like that.

Also, since you ride in hot weather you probably already know this, and do this, but I put my bottles into ladies ankle socks and hold the socks in place with a ladies hair elastic. Then I soak the socks in water, and the evaporation action keeps my water cooler longer.

Something I have found really helpful is a headtorch. Not sure if that is on your list but I would recommend it.

About the camp towel -- we started with a bath sized towel from Lifeventure and recently bought almost the same thing but from MSR (I managed to lose the Lifeventure one). They are great, dry really well and don´t weigh much at all, water wrings out of them easily. You can almost wring them dry. In Europe they go for about 25-30 euros.

Getting ready for my first bike tour in September, I went on a little overnighter-mini tour last weekend. I found some areas where my gear was really lacking.

1)The MSR dromedary bag I brought for extra water between available watering spots, and cooking uses got thrown away. It had been stored too many years and even though I cleaned it thoroughly, it made all the water taste foul-like drinking through a garden hose nasty times 10. Any ideas?.
I use a Platypus water container. It rolls up to nothing but holds about a liter and a half(?) Together with my water bottles, I'm good.



2)I need to bring a hotpad for cooking-obvious.
I don't seem to need one. I have an MSR mess kit (two pans and a lid) with a little handle/grabber. It works fine. I would use a folded bandana if I needed a hotpad.


3)I need some sort of scrubby thing to wash my pot and pan and plates with.
4)A plate or bowl would be worth the weight. I chose to not bring one to save space and weight figuring to eat right out of the pan I cooked in.

I just use a yellow sponge with the green scrubber on one side. That and CampSuds go in my mess kit when I stow it. It works great. I also like to carry a plate. My wife likes the thing plastic ones with raised dividers. They weigh almost nothing. I have an old plastic (Melmac?) one I like. It's a little heavier, but I use it as a cutting board. The thin, divided ones wouldn't work for that.


5)I need to get a camp/pack towel. I saw these in the camping section of the sports store but they looked cheesy. I brought a dish towel sized towel from home for my shower and such-it was severely lacking. Does anybody have any experience with those "camp towels"?
No. I just go to the towel pile in the closet and find the smallest, thinnest (lightest) one that's big enough to get me fairly dry after a shower. It's smaller, lighter, and dries quicker than a more plush bath-size towel.


6)The "camp soap" I bought was a joke. It really didn't work. I had to use a half a bottle to get a lather up in the shower. At that rate for cleanup and showers I would need to bring a pint of the stuff. Ideas?
Go to the travel-size section of any drug store (most supermarkets have them also) and buy a travel-size bottle of shampoo. For soap I always save all the bars of soap from motels (or have your friends who are staying in motels grab you some.) One of those will last for several showers.


7)I need to bring some sort of a pillow. I just can't sleep well with a wad of disheveled dirty cycling clothes under my head. Experience anyone?

I have the same problem. I bring along a fleece vest, partly because it's warm and comfortable, but also because it folds up into a decent pillow. I fold up my towel for the first layer, and put the folded fleece on top of that. I used to wad up all my clothes and put them in a stuff sack, but it was always lumpy, and varied from night to night, depending on what I put in, what went first, etc. I'm thinking about buying a Thermarest pillow. I tried a stuff-able pillow on my first tour, years ago (I don't remember what brand - it wasn't Thermarest - something I found in the Campmor catalog). At the time I decided it was a waste of money, but looking back I think it was because I thought it had to "stand alone". Now I think I would look for something that would make a soft, cushiony top layer, and put that on top of some folded clothes or a towel.


8)And last but not least, cold drinks are nice. It was upper 90's up there and all I had to drink at the end of a hard day was lukewarm, nasty tasting water. The nearest store that sold beverages was 7 miles away-a 14 mile round trip just for some cold beverage that would be warm by the time I got it to camp. God bless my wife for driving up the 45 miles to bring me some cold beverage on ice on my night camping. I will have to be sure to get something at my last stop on tour before the campground. A hot sweaty biker needs refreshment!
I hear you. If you're 7 miles away from a store, I think you're out of luck. Water will have to do, or add some powdered drink mix if you want something sweet. If there's a store handy, though, go treat yourself! If you want more cold beverages later you can improvise an "ice chest" like so: 1) Buy a bag of ice and your cold beverages. 2) Go back to your campsite and dig a hole. 3) Line the hole with the plastic shopping bag (not necessary, but things get colder if surrounded by ice water instead of just ice.) 4) Fill the hole with your beverage and cover with the ice. The ice will be melted by morning (probably by sometime in the night) but you'll have cold beverages for a few hours - worth the price of the ice, don't you think?


9)And finally, my rear wheel was found "not tough enough". I blew a spoke on the way home. Ironically I had a fiberfix on order but just hadn't received it yet. The mechanic at the LBS told me he could build me a bulletproof rear wheel for about $150. Then maybe I would need to beef up the front if I ever used front panniers...even more $$. I am really considering shelling out the jack for a trailer for my tours and not worry about going with "bulletproof" wheels. I am intrigued with the Burley Nomad and I am busy searching out the threads here to see how people like them. !

I've gone through this same progression. I had my LBS build me a "bulletproof" wheel. It never failed. However, after a few tours, I was worried, and I had bought a BOB trailer. I wanted to try it, so I brought it on my last tour. I didn't like it. My last tour was very mountainous, with some significant passes. The weight of the trailer wasn't worth it, in my estimation. I'm going back to just using my "bulletproof" wheels (which I will have my mechanic tune before each tour) and panniers. I bring kevlar emergency spokes and a spoke wrench. If I start breaking a bunch of spokes, I'll have the wheel rebuilt.

I've never broken a spoke on a front wheel, and I believe it's rare. Your front wheel should be good, but it doesn't have to be as strong as the back. I wouldn't use less than 36 spokes in the back for carrying a load, but I think 32 in the front is fine. I carry plenty of weight in the front, but it doesn't compare to my own 205 lbs. over the back, plus the panniers, plus the tent, plus the sleeping bag.

BTW - I have one of those camp towels, and it is OK, but I prefer the blue cloths I mentioned above. They are lighter and way more absorbent. I'm thinking they are made of microfibers or something like that.




Yes, those blue cloths are 100% microfibre, and they are 32 cm square (12 inches square). They are very soft, light, and absorbant. I just bought another one which I will sew onto the two I've sewn together already ... this will give me one decent sized towel.

Oh, and I picked up my newest square of microfibre cloth at one of my local $$ stores for ... $1.00. How can you go wrong??