Lighten up! your summer touring setup
08-17-06, 10:59 PM
#26
totally louche
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i didn't include the weight of my water bottle cages either, i consider a bike kit and and spare tubes "STANDARD EQUIPMENT" and don't consider that 'extra' weight.
I did bring a swiss army knife, a spoon, a very very small headlamp, and forgot to include the 13 ounce foam pad. might have put my total gear weight at 8 pounds.....sooo heaavy...
I did bring a swiss army knife, a spoon, a very very small headlamp, and forgot to include the 13 ounce foam pad. might have put my total gear weight at 8 pounds.....sooo heaavy...
08-19-06, 09:05 PM
#27
the commutor / tourer
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Originally Posted by Bekologist
just pulled back in yesterday from a 220 mile overnighter...I know, not a lot, but 85 miles of it or so were on gravel....
here's a photo of my trek 520, fully loaded for camping with a tarp, sleeping system, thermarest, bivybag, warm clothes, stove, pot, first aid, bear rope, and etc sundries as well as food and over a gallon of water for those hot and dusty days that are a long while between potable water....and a photo of my stealth camp pitch.
Rode from Seattle up the iron horse trail, thru Snoqualmie Pass tunnel (longest open to hikers/bikers in the USA) and over to Cle Elum, then up past Roslyn and ronald to camp on the hills above Cle Elum Lake. 110 miles, Monday, repeat back to Seattle but took the interstate for about an hour dropping off Snoq Pass back to North Bend and on into Seattle.
Light weight is a big improvement for overnighters. I will still pack more traditionally for longer trips, but this ultralight summer system really rocked!
here's a photo of my trek 520, fully loaded for camping with a tarp, sleeping system, thermarest, bivybag, warm clothes, stove, pot, first aid, bear rope, and etc sundries as well as food and over a gallon of water for those hot and dusty days that are a long while between potable water....and a photo of my stealth camp pitch.
Rode from Seattle up the iron horse trail, thru Snoqualmie Pass tunnel (longest open to hikers/bikers in the USA) and over to Cle Elum, then up past Roslyn and ronald to camp on the hills above Cle Elum Lake. 110 miles, Monday, repeat back to Seattle but took the interstate for about an hour dropping off Snoq Pass back to North Bend and on into Seattle.
Light weight is a big improvement for overnighters. I will still pack more traditionally for longer trips, but this ultralight summer system really rocked!
holy cow beck, where in the hell are you camping with that sleeping setup??? here in Ne FL the bugs would EAT YOU ALIVE!!!
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08-19-06, 09:18 PM
#28
totally louche
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hi, mcnavana....i grew up in a wilderness type of place where we learned to ignore the biting insects, there was plenty of more things to be worried about than the bugs.
I did live in Tallahassee (sp?) Pensacola, and spent a few weeks in Ft Walton Beach as a kid and young adult, i never recalled the bugs as being that bad... and i lived on the bayou south of Tallie down by the Airport south of town.....
but here, in the NW, the bugs are not that bad, and at night it gets too cold, usually, for the bugs to be much bother. i do bring a headnet sometimes, and bug dope. this last trip, no need. just a few mosquitos. i have a great tent with good mesh that is 3 pound 2 oz or something, if the bugs are going to be THAT BAD i will bring the tent.
I'm liking my 7-8 pound touring setup, i will try a short week type (4-5 days) tour this fall with an extremely minimalist kit and report back in September.
I did live in Tallahassee (sp?) Pensacola, and spent a few weeks in Ft Walton Beach as a kid and young adult, i never recalled the bugs as being that bad... and i lived on the bayou south of Tallie down by the Airport south of town.....
but here, in the NW, the bugs are not that bad, and at night it gets too cold, usually, for the bugs to be much bother. i do bring a headnet sometimes, and bug dope. this last trip, no need. just a few mosquitos. i have a great tent with good mesh that is 3 pound 2 oz or something, if the bugs are going to be THAT BAD i will bring the tent.
I'm liking my 7-8 pound touring setup, i will try a short week type (4-5 days) tour this fall with an extremely minimalist kit and report back in September.
Last edited by Bekologist; 08-20-06 at 02:41 AM.
08-20-06, 01:59 AM
#29
I'm made of earth!
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My heaviest item is my sleeping bag. It is super though, and is actually a 3-part system: a goretex bivvy sac, green "summer" sleeping bag, and black "winter" sleeping bag. It's a military issue thing. Needless to say, using the three parts together suffices for arctic conditions. https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=280017932167
But with my Hennessy hammock, I use one of those silver shiny heat reflector pads that weigh almost nothing in place of the black winter bag. I just started doing that on my most recent tour and couldn't believe how warm the reflector pad kept me when in the hammock. I can't recommend it enough.
I have a tiny Esbit cooker, but I don't use it often. Spending €3 for a hot, fresh Döner Kebab sandwich is money well-spent. And it is my only expense since I don't stay in-doors at night. I alternate sleeping in the woods (stealth camping) and sleeping at campgrounds. If more campgrounds offered "shower-only services", I'd stealth camp every night and use campground showers.
But with my Hennessy hammock, I use one of those silver shiny heat reflector pads that weigh almost nothing in place of the black winter bag. I just started doing that on my most recent tour and couldn't believe how warm the reflector pad kept me when in the hammock. I can't recommend it enough.
I have a tiny Esbit cooker, but I don't use it often. Spending €3 for a hot, fresh Döner Kebab sandwich is money well-spent. And it is my only expense since I don't stay in-doors at night. I alternate sleeping in the woods (stealth camping) and sleeping at campgrounds. If more campgrounds offered "shower-only services", I'd stealth camp every night and use campground showers.
Last edited by becnal; 08-20-06 at 02:12 AM.
08-20-06, 07:54 AM
#30
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Good job!
If any of you are interested there is a Yahoo! group dedicated to ultralight and light weight bike touring, both on and off road. The volume has been low lately but it's sometimes fairly active. Some new ideas, questions and trip reports would be welcome. 
https://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ultralightbiking/
Gary- ultralight biking co-moderator
https://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ultralightbiking/
Gary- ultralight biking co-moderator
08-29-06, 06:34 AM
#31
totally louche
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..... little update....this last weekend, packing the same gear load, but placed in rear panniers to make packing and carrying foodstuffs easier, I just laid down 245 miles as an overnight tour.
The ride was great, i saw A LOT of terrain, including encircling an entire group of mountains you can see from Seattle. carrying light loads feels like, well, like riding a lightly loaded bike- snappy, fast, sprintable up a hill-
I rode from downtown Seattle to the North Cascade Highway and out to Marblemount, then back to Seattle; overnight, including a closed down mountain road where i was scrambling over logs, walking thin eroded hillsides with my bike, or else my mileage could have been even greater. pic shows bike without panniers in the middle of a difficult portage.
I predict over 300 miles in an overnight trip, camping out, with the long daylight hours around June. as it is getting close to September, the daylight is already a bit of a limiting factor on my mileage.
The ride was great, i saw A LOT of terrain, including encircling an entire group of mountains you can see from Seattle. carrying light loads feels like, well, like riding a lightly loaded bike- snappy, fast, sprintable up a hill-
I rode from downtown Seattle to the North Cascade Highway and out to Marblemount, then back to Seattle; overnight, including a closed down mountain road where i was scrambling over logs, walking thin eroded hillsides with my bike, or else my mileage could have been even greater. pic shows bike without panniers in the middle of a difficult portage.
I predict over 300 miles in an overnight trip, camping out, with the long daylight hours around June. as it is getting close to September, the daylight is already a bit of a limiting factor on my mileage.
Last edited by Bekologist; 08-29-06 at 09:15 AM.
08-29-06, 07:41 PM
#33
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I've been watching this thread form the beginning. Good job Bekologist! I'm into the ultra light on/off road touring thing too. I ride an Ibis Hakkalugi cross bike on these sort of rides. I agree with Bekologist, with a really light load it really makes it easier and more fun. If I did it right, I'm new to this, here's a photo of a trip I did in southern AZ last Feb. If the attatchment didn't work I'll try again.
