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I'm doing a 3 week tour of Iceland this summer. Some of it will be in remote areas with maybe 60 miles between resupply places. However, I've managed to booked hostels, farm stay sleeping bag accommodation or hotels for every night.....so the question is would you still take full camping gear for safety or just a sleeping bag and travel extra light?

I guess the only reason I would take sleeping gear would be if I thought that with the wind in particular I was going to fall far enough behind that I would miss a night. But over 3 weeks with bookings every step of the way, you pretty much need to be able to keep up, so how tough are the days.

In your situation I would probably not take a full set of camping gear, I would take survival/ultralite level stuff like a tarp or bivy. I would not be taking all the cooking stuff etc... unless you are taking that for some other reason. So overall your ability to survive hurricane winds and rain, or just a night out, might only cost a pound or so.

No need to take stove or cooking gear, but emergency shelter could still be a good idea - especially if you're carrying a sleeping bag anyway. Always a chance that weather or mechanical problems keep you from reaching a planned destination and you may even want the shelter during the day to wait out a bad squall. My tent (1-man) weighs under 2.5 lbs and my mattress pad another half lb. so I'd only save 3 lbs. by leaving them behind. Using a tarp or bivy sack would weigh even less.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=191943http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=191944http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=191945http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=191946 I totally agree with "prathmann" you never know when the worst can happen, I've been there and prepared. (I was lucky that time) It could have been a different out come..........

I would always have something(plastic tarp,space blanket or poncho) which can be used for emergency shelter. Something will probably go wrong and it will be less wrong if you are not at the mercy of the elements.

Marc

siltarp or emergency bivy, not a climbing bivy.

don't avoid siltarps, they are versatile, and pack up VERY SMALL.

A viable shelter that packs up the size of an orange. not a grapefruit, an ORANGE.

if i was going to be in iceland for 3 weeks, there would be some nights i'd want to be camping out.

Alcohol stove and cooking cup, sleeping bag, mosquito head net, siltarp, pad.

A siltarp and a mosquito net would be small enough to pack into your cup.

Bicycle touring; the quest for less wrong.

Perfect.