I know this is the bike touring thread, but I'm a 19 year old city boy in college that wants to tour, but would settle for bike camping, as described by Grant Peterson in this article. I'm wondering how realistic a trip come springtime would be. I only have one bike, a '76 Raleigh Grand Prix. Since I would only be out for two or three days, I figure my load would be 30 lbs at most. Would this bike to fit my purposes with a rack and some panniers or baskets, or do I have to wait until I can acquire a new bike?


Also, are there good sites for this sort of camping around Chicago? I think 60 miles is the farthest I'd be willing to go to begin, but I cannot find any good sites within 60 miles of here.