neilfein

That would be toilet paper. Unless you like using leaves.

Machka 

Personally I'd bring wetwipes rather than toilet paper ... they can be used for so many other things in addition to the purpose you're referring to.

Machka 

I see.

Just dig a hole and squat.

Bekologist

you people are scatalogical.

if you want to wash your bike shorts on a regular basis at campground or reststop sinks you're going to want to bring a sink stopper.

that's why it's on my 'musthave' list. some people do laundry in plastic bags but that's sloppy and leaves you with wet plastic bags to deal with. with a sink stopper, every sink you come across becomes a potential washbasin for your stinking clothes.

freemti

+1

This is what I was thinking about. The campground I was at had the taps that you have to hold on to use - made washing my face a one handed affair. I sink stopper would be useful for that and for washing clothes.

toodman

"...made washing my face a one handed affair. I (think a) sink stopper would be useful for that"

No offense but, did anyone else visualize freemti ariving at the same sink 5 minutes after Bek left?

My must-have is a Thermalounger chair. It makes primitive/stealth camping so much more civilized.

valygrl

yup

Torrilin

Ride your bike lots. Just my normal daily wanderings tell me that I want water. Usually, 1.5L is enough capacity. If I run out during the day, I can usually find a water fountain or sink where I can refill (in a desert, this might be a problem... in Southern WI, not so much). Since I do a lot of utility biking, I know how much weight I can handle on a bike (30 lbs is easy, 50 lbs is bordering on Too Much). I'm also practiced at manhandling the weight around. And I have a deep appreciation for how annoying a stuffed pannier is if you need to get something out of it in a hurry. (Well, I can always get my water bottles out fast... but they've got their own special pocket)

So for my first tour, I'll aim for having less than 30 lbs of gear. Hopefully *much* less since if I need 30 lbs for a summer weekend jaunt to a brewery and b&b, I'm Doing It Wrong.

atombob

My friend just returned from a 4 month ride across Argentina and down Chile to the tip of South America. She blogged the trip when they would come across internet cafe. She just completed a list of to "To Bring and not to bring" on her blog as well as things that she couldn't live without.

You can see her list here: https://overtheandes.blogspot.com

Camel

Thanks for the info jpmartineau! Would you (or anyone else) have a link to further info?

As far as I can tell there has allways been a concern with Bisphenol-A leaching from polycarbonate food storage containers, but not linked with the temperature of the contents. Nalgene brand polycarbonate bottles are temp rated -200F to +275F. They also have a BPA free line of bottles now (but not polycarbonate)--worth switching?

jpmartineau

It was all over the news a few weeks ago. Basically, Canada will ban baby bottles made of PC because they are heated, and heating PC increases the rate at which bisphenol-A transfers from the container to its content.

I guess if you go camping a few days a year and eat hot food out of a PC plate, it's not the end of the world, but it you're on a tour and doing it 2 or 3 times a day for months at a time, it's probably worth changing your plate/bowl.

Will I throw out my Nalgene water bottles? No. Will I throw out my PC bowl? Probably.

Camel

Wow! Huge thanks for the link!

I'll switch to the bpa free bottles for coffee/hot drinks etc (that bpa is nasty stuff, and I would like to have kids some day...).