Originally Posted by
cinda49
What if you are tent camping in a campground (not stealth) for a couple of nights - and want to explore the area without all your gear; or go swimming or rent a kayak for a couple of hours but have your computer with you - would you leave it in your tent?
This is something I've wrestled with. Here's how it usually goes down for me:
1) I pull the bike up to the edge of a beach or pond and I swim. The bike is in sight, safe.
2) I am staying with a Warmshowers host in an interesting place (like Montreal or Denver) and I leave my stuff with them and explore. Very easy.
3) I decide not to do something because I have to keep an eye on my stuff. Unfortunately, every once in a while I do have to pass on an interesting experience. But I figure I'll get 95% of my nice experiences and if the price I pay for the freedom of bike touring is an occasional missed thing, that's ok. I'll go have a different adventure.
I definitely agree with the "one bag" for electronics. I usually carry a backpack when touring. It's either a small packable one or it's part of my touring setup (when bikepacking). My camera and my laptop never leave my person, period. Even with Warmshowers. But I have a small camera and laptop, Ricoh GR and a Macbook Air.