Originally Posted by
JustaJoe
I've been increasing my fitness so I can tour and have the bike I believe will be great for my needs. I don't have specialized touring/bikepacking equipment: A 5lb 2-person tent, Exped Synmat, MSR Whisperlite and some other stuff from car camping. I am thinking of doing a faux tour - well, a 2 day ride on the forest service roads of Croatan National Forest near coastal NC (flat!). I will drive there in my car, load up the bike, and ride 40-50mi, camp, then ride back to the car the next day. I want to make sure this is something I can do and want to do before going all-in (e.g. not spending $1k on gear before going on my 1st real tour, then finding out I hate it). Also planning some over-nighters from my house to the 2 state parks within reasonable riding distance.
like most other things in life, planning a bike trip so that it is is a good experience for a newcomer, just comes down to common sense. You seem perfectly well on your way to starting out and as you are well aware, to see if you actually enjoy this sort of thing. This well planned, reasonable amount of distance debut is the smartest way to go at it.
Make sure your bike and tires are in good shape, have to tools with you to change a flat, a spare tube, perhaps practice this if you have never done this, look at towns nearby the destination so you can buy your supper and breakfast food at the end of the day (so you don't have to carry this stuff all day). It's super easy now with the internet and google maps from home to get all this info, and personally I think it is nice to have a shower at the end of the days riding, so researching campgrounds is easy also. If easier to just camp somewhere, and having been in the military, you know how to look after yourself with sleep, eating and drinking. If wild camping will be done, again just common sense to bring some sort of other bottle to fill up with water in a bathroom somewhere towards the end of the day, along with food for supper and morning.
Pretty basic stuff. Most of us did a similar thing as. you to start out.
I had canoe camped growing up, so bike traveling was pretty much the same thing in terms of not bringing redundant crap, clothes whatever, and again due to your military experience, you should know clothes and sleeping arrangements works for you for a given temperature range.
I used a 7lb tent for all my first bike tours, sure heavy for todays standards, but it worked out and a few pounds certainly didnt kill me nearly 35 years ago.
pretty simple-- as long as you have food, water, aren't a complete idiot for orientating yourself with a map or whatever, and are in reasonable shape, this is all doable and will be fun.
I take it this is a spring 2024 idea?