benashley

I'm in the market to start stocking up on touring supplies & looking for advice on some essentials I'm going to need...

As far as a tent I've had my eye's on the MSR tents.. there 'hoop' tent seems like it could be a good option for a bit extra room for not too much. weight seems to be fairly okay too...

https://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Tents/...-hoop-tent.jsp

As far as a sleeping bag I'm still fairly open to whatever's going to be okay for mild summer/fall nights... nothing sub zero. but I'm a fairly tall (6"3) guy and need something that isn't going to make me feel like I'm trapped in a tomb. I've noticed a few of the mummy style sleeping bags have a zip on one side to open it up a little more. something like this would be nice...

I've been looking at the thermarest sleeping mat's, I want something fairly thick (5-8cms). weight here is something I can see being acceptable... nothing better than a soft place to lay your head after a long day in the saddle!

Stoves to me seem like there hit and miss... a lot of people say you cant go without them, & then others will tell you they thought that then it became more of a dead weight than a useful item. Can anyone share some light as to what they've found from their experience?

Also feel free to add anything you cant tour without! Even those little luxuries we could probably live without...

fietsbob

hand made, in NH is Warmlight.. tunnel tents ,in the case of their 3 person one is 12' long.
from one cone shaped end and door to the other, that long enough?

comfort requirement? thin closed cell foam pads pack small , weigh little,

OTOH, insulated air mattresses are lots more comfortable..

i liked the Down Filled airmattress If only the Coatings for sealing
were not vulnerable to mildew, from being inflated when the RH and Temperature were
conspiring to be no less moist than if I blew it up by mouth.

Dry Summer or Snow camping no problems..

Exped may be different IDK.. I got one of their heavier foam plug filled ones.

Marmot CBS -component bag system,, rectangular matching zipper with
the zip cover over the Matt,as a Bag bottom works, because I'm a side sleeper..
and I hate a tight a mummy bag..

alan s 

Word of advice ... may want to narrow your question, such as start with tents in this thread, and then move onto other items separately. There are so many factors that go into the selection of each piece of equipment. I went through this last year, and other than the sleeping bag which I just purchased, every item was carefully deliberated and chosen for my particular needs. After a season of testing, I think my decisions were pretty good, with no glaring mistakes.

benashley

I haden't looked at the warmlight's... but at the $450 mark I think they're a bit out of my budget unfortunately. Trying to look at something around the $250 mark that is made for 2 people, I want a bit of room so I dont feel so cramped in there If I wanted to bring my panniers/bag inside and not in the vestibule.

Can you recommend any thin cell foam pads? I'd love an insulated air mattress but I think they're a little too much overkill on the weight. If i went for a trailer maybe... but i dont think I would with panniers

seeker333

At least TRY to search for common information before you start the ten-thousandth thread on a very tired topic:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tent...bikeforums.net

https://www.google.com/search?q=slee...bikeforums.net

https://www.google.com/search?q=slee...bikeforums.net

juggleaddict

I've said this before, but tarptent double rainbow. Not free-standing, but much more sturdy than any other free standing tents I've seen (said to take 50 mph, but that's debatable)

The sleeping bag is going to be heavier the roomier it is. I went on the cheap side and went with a kelty comic down, they make them in 20 and 40 I believe. It's roomy and light by my standards... big and bulky probably to high end standards.

benashley

I understand this... I merely started it as a place for people to share with me their personal favorites etc.

Yo Spiff

Glad I let someone else post that and take the heat, but I'll take advantage of the links!

benashley

thanks for the links If you dont like the thread just dont read it. Isn't that what forums are for?

Yo Spiff

I've been starting to research the subject myself. Some of the folks I ride with are starting to do overnight and weekend camping trips. Not any serious touring at this point, so I was looking to see what I could manage for a budget price. My impression so far is that I should steer clear of the $40 junk, but can probably get a reasonable starter model for around $100-150.

I found some good information in the following article. The information describing the waterproof ratings is something I would not have thought about, but is important.
https://www.cyclocamping.com/Tent/gui...g_tent-92.aspx

benashley

I also noticed this tent...

https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/De...nt/lonespring2

seems like it could also be a good option in the $250 (or around there) price range...

Dheorl

Seeing as you have made no indication of budget.

Tents - If I had the money I can't think of many situations where I wouldn't choose a Hilleberg.

Sleeping bags I personally love my mountain hardwear one (Phantom 32). Not sure there is anything lighter for the warmth rating, although next time I might go for something warmer. I hear PHD are also very good, and you can design you own based on your needs.

Sleeping mats thermarests are pretty nice. I got mine ages ago though and haven't had a need to look into them much since so it wouldn't surprise me if there were many great alternatives these days. It's probably the next upgrade I'll make to my camping stuff though. Been eyeing up the NeoAir my sis has got.

Stove wise I've always used a trangia with the gas modification but have been looking at the various MSR possibilities recently, as well as various wood stoves (you can get a nifty one that will also charge your gadgets) or a caldera cone. With stoves though there is just such a ridiculous amount of variation though. There must be a good 10 different types of fuel alone, compared to sleeping bags where it's pretty much "synthetic or down/what temperature".

Bear in mind this is from lots of experience hill walking/mountaineering rather than cycle touring.

Touristo

I can tell you what works well for me.

Bag - synthetic + whatever is comfortable.
Tent - Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1

https://www.rei.com/product/827912/bi...-spur-ul1-tent

I'm 6-4" and works for me.

Pad - 3/4 pad, but I agree with you, don't skimp here. A good nights sleep is worth whatever $$ investment it takes.

Stove - Trangia alcohol. Its not dead weight if you plan on using it...are you? It's more of a question of if you are or aren't going to cook. I like the Trangia's because they are super easy to use and don't sound like a F16 taking off, but to each their own.

seeker333

God, I really wish I could ignore pointless, redundant threads, unfortunately bf.net software permits only ignored posts.

Yo Spiff

If we eliminated redundant threads, we might not have a forum. How many "Looking for a high end road bike on a budget" or "What saddle should I buy?" threads have been posted this week?

The subject is new to some of us.

fietsbob

So .. isn't there an MEC store in Toronto?

benashley

Yeah, There is. But I find that a lot of what they have are far as tents/sleeping bag is kind of limited for cycle tourers... when it comes to tools/most cooking/first aid etc they're awesome! I can imagine it'd be like doing your grocery shopping haha

Konasutra

Tent-MSR Hubba Hubba
Sleep System- Big Agnes
Stove- MSR Universal

Erick L

Tent - Sierra Design Clip Flashlight. Replaced my 12 year old model with a new one. As they say, if it ain't broke... The Tarptent Rainbows 1 & 2 look interesting.

Sleeping pad - Used many and settled on Exped Downmat 7 LW (long and wide). I sleep on my side and roll quite a bit so I won't go back to anything less than 2" thick and 25" wide. I don't really need a long pad but wide pads are always long for some reason.

Sleeping bag - MEC Merlin "used to be -3°C". Around -5°C to 0°C covers my needs nicely. I carry it in a 12L OR compression sack. It would probably fit an 8L sack.

Stove - Primus Classic and Super Cat stove. The first is cheap and easy to use, although there are lighter options. Fuel may be harder to find. The second is just a 85g tuna can with holes in it. I brought both on a trip and used the alcool stove when I couldn't find canisters for the first.

fuzz2050

If you want a comfy, light air mattress than a Therm-a-rest Neo-Air is for you. It ain't cheap, but it's comfy and weighs less than a closed cell foam pad, not to mention packing a lot smaller.

If you want to try something different than a sleeping bag, look at enLIGHTened equipment, a cottage manufacturer of sleeping quilts. For about the same price as a similarly rated sleeping bag, you get something much lighter and built to exceedingly high standards by some guy in Minnesota.

andrewclaus

I'm one of the stoveless people. I was able to adapt my shopping and eating habits to make the stove unnecessary and my traveling got simpler and better because of it. One huge issue for most is giving up the hot coffee.

Ditto the enLightened Equipment quilt. I tried one last year and love it. Same with Tarptent as mentioned above. I like the Contrail for simplicity, ruggedness, and low cost. In the same arena of simple, cheap, and rugged, I use a Ridgerest pad. It's good enough for me.

Cyclebum

My tent: Eureka Spitfire, hacked to cut weight and increase space. $100. Tarptents are good too.
My pad: Thermarest NeoAir. $150
My bag: flannel sheet, light synthetic, light down, depending on expected temps. Spare clothing to supplement as needed.
My pillow: clothing stuff sack.
My stove: Pocket Rocket, used less frequently the more I tour. A stove is an optional item in the first world.

Would not tour without my e-reader, or at least a paper back.

Keep the gear bulk/weight to a minimum and leave room for water and food. Always tote more water than you think you'll need.

benashley

I'm starting to think I'd be very similar to this... however having the ability to make myself a hot coffee or cup of tea is a pretty important thing for me

I'm still debating the panniers/trailer option without throwing stove/no stove into the equation!!

Western Flyer 

With the exception of stoves the equipment you are asking about is a rapidly changing world of design innovations and marketing hype. You have to decide what characteristic are important to you.


For instance my current tent is aGolite Shangri-la solo. A very simple two pole A-frame tent that I did major alterations on. Golite no longer makes it and I don't see any other manufacturers producing a similar product, so I can'treally recommend it. But I can say what criteria I looked for in buying it (and altering it). Sit up head room for me is critical and that is at a minimum 1 meter or 40 inches. My Shangri-la is 45 inches at the peak. That criterium alone eliminates for me almost every free standing dome tent on the market. I am 73 inches tall and sleep with my legs straight out and feet and toes pointed most of the night often with an arm or and elbow raised past my head and I can't stand to have my face touching the tentwalls while sleeping. This leaves only a hand full of tents to choose from. I mostly through-camp on tour, seldom spending more than one night at a given campsite. The tent spends more time on the back of my bike than set up for sleeping. For me a one person tent provides all the width and area I need for this kind of camping and an A-frame tent provides more width than most solo designs. I want the tent to be lightweight (>1K), simple to set and quick to pack. Those are my criteria. They may not be yours and that's what you have to figure out.


If you read numerous threads and posts including a few current ones, you will find a substantial number of touring cyclists on this forum swear that alcohols stoves are the cat's meow for touring cyclists especially if you build you own. Itis almost a Jedi right of passage for some bikers when they successfully build and complete a tour with their own stove design. And I am included in those numbers with my own stove made out of used cat food cans (>2oz). I can give you a long list of alcohol attributes that fold perfectly into the touring life style. Yet for all the touring I have done and the months spent on the road, I am the only cyclist, the only camper, I have ever met who burns alcohol. The others, many with as much or more experience than I, seem to be eating just fine despite their ignorance of the ultimate truth concerning the culinary nirvana of ethanol fired cooking.


Make your informed choices and don't bestuck on them if they don't work out just perfectly. REI and MEC will always have another sale coming up. Having fun is just not that serious -- even serious fun.

Machka 

You're going to Europe ... right?

In Europe you'll discover the presence of stores like Decathlon and GoSport. They are similar to MEC, but I think the bigger ones have more variety. There's a big Decathlon near the campground we stayed in near Bordeaux, and at least one in Paris ... and many other places.

This is the UK site for Decathlon: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/


In 2007, Rowan and I met at Heathrow, stayed in London a couple days, took the train down to Dover, crossed the channel, and upon arrival in Dunkerque we swung by the local Decathlon and bought a tent which we used for the rest of that tour, for several other shorter tours, and we carried it on our 8-month tour ... and it is still going. It is a Quechua, 3-person tent.

You could pick up stuff along the way if you discover you need something.



Now, if you take a look at our Europe 2012 story, and scroll down to Sunday 26 August, I talk about the equipment we used:
https://www.machka.net/RTW_2012/RTW_Europe_Main_2012.htm