Camping

[maddog04]

I'm looking at those one man military type low profile tunnel tents, if its goretex then will it still get condensation?
can anyone recommend or not and the pro's and cons for this type of tent?
cheers

[apage16]

I'm heading down from Hamburg to Spain, then back via France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany this summer.

I'm planning to go out extreme simple. A tarp pegged one end, tied to the leaning bike the other. With my snoozing bod in a superlight sleeping bag underneath.

Anybody tried this? Any pitfalls? Other than the leaking sump plug dripping on me as I dream!...

[slimwilly]

you gonna get eaten alive by crawling insects,,thats where tents win ,not to mention snakes ,european scorpians are about now to sept too.
 
 
other than that it will be fun lol

[AndyL]

I'm looking at those one man military type low profile tunnel tents, if its goretex then will it still get condensation?
can anyone recommend or not and the pro's and cons for this type of tent?
cheers

haven't tried them but I do know that goretex stops breathing when the outer layer wets out (i.e. when water stops beading off it). It may be that it will breath fine in dry weather but you get a bit of condensation if it rains a lot. To keep it at it's best I'd treat it to restore the layer that helps it bead (DWR)

[Phil]

I thought I'd bump this thread to see if anyone else had anything to add after the years nearly over.
After my Spring trip I only camped once with the bike at the Snetterton BSB event. I've used the tent a couple of times on 5 day windsurfing trips down to Cornwall in the Autumn and through to December. Its was a warm Autumn and early winter.
Looking back the only major thing Id change would be going for a bigger tent I can sit up in. Maybe unbendable pegs for the Croatian coastline too.

I think you do meet and chat to fellow travellers camping than hotel/B&B, even if you don't always speak a common language 

[andybesy]

I've done my first bike camping this year and had some great adventures.

Started off with a dry run on a campsite down in Suffolk, then progressed to my semi-wild camping adventure up west coast of Scotland, then back down to Suffolk for the wedding of the friends I made during my first visit.

It went pretty well, I suppose main things I learnt were:

- Travel light,  I went too heavy, some stuff I didn't need, and I need more compact kit, in particular the sleeping bag. Compact is good, just make sure it's up to the job.

- If wild camping or even finding accommodation as you go then dont plan so long a ride that you're exhausted, allow plenty of time and start looking for a place to bed down early.

- Be comfortable with your touring/riding kit, different people favour different approaches, ive found a higgley piggely approach which works for me. Just make sure your comfy, warm, safe and waterproof. Don't let variable weather ruin a trip, be kitted out and don't be too soft. Where possible use kit that doubles up as both riding gear and camping/evening wear.

I'm very much looking forward to more bike camping adventures next year. Definitely Scotland again, probably further afield too.

The only downside is my usual riding group won't camp, too soft, so I find myself alone, which I'm fine with, fairly independent type, but adventures are best when shared. I'm really interested in many of the group trips proposed on here over recent weeks, but haven't been able to commit to anything yet as am changing job in new year and so need to let dust settle.

I completely agree that a tent you can sit up in is a good idea, you need somewhere to relax but be a little out of the elements. Mine is good in that respect, but the flip side is that I get a bit stressed in windy conditions that it's going to fly away. Is that a real concern or am I just being paranoid?

Andy

[Gingernutz]

Great thread Nick and we'll worth keeping alive. Now I have loads of luggage I'm itching to go - Mrs G isn't and I can't get the three boys into my panniers but I can dream. I camp at the spring meet each year but it hardly counts compared to your adventures. One site I have had recommended for those of us on a budget is http://campinmygarden.com 

the first and only website advertising private gardens as micro-campsites; providing accessible, affordable and fun alternatives to traditional accommodation around the world.

[Phil]

I completely agree that a tent you can sit up in is a good idea, you need somewhere to relax but be a little out of the elements. Mine is good in that respect, but the flip side is that I get a bit stressed in windy conditions that it's going to fly away. Is that a real concern or am I just being paranoid?

Andy

What tent have you got? I cant quite make it out from the photo.
I took spare guy ropes to attach if it was stormy. A bonus is you can use them as a washing line to dry kit on.
I had one really bad night in Croatia, I could hear the next big gust of wind coming as it whipped through the olive trees in the campsite. I didn't use any pegs on the guy ropes as the ground was too hard, I had to attach the guy ropes to rocks. A couple loosely held the inner tent down. A Polish girl was on a cycling/camping trip and did similar. She said she got out of her tent at dawn and saw the wind lift the tent off the ground just held by the guy ropes on the flysheet.

My bike was quite loaded as well, although the panniers weren't totally stuffed full. I left home on the 1st Brands BSB weekend in April so it was cold to start then got much warmer. So taking 2 fleeces to wear in the evening was a good idea, but bulky.



This blokes bike was fully loaded

[Phil]

From a security point, I always split my money/credit cards into smaller packs. So if I get mugged or lose a wallet I've got a backup. A set locked under the seat or in the topbox is more secure than just having it all in one place and most the time I keep the other set on me at all times.
When I'm abroad I also have a photocopy of all my documents and keep those separate. Also I email a copy to myself so if the worst does happen I might be able to get online somewhere and print them out again.

[Raz Mcgruff]

Ohh yes please! I'm planning a tour of Scotland in May and although I've done a lot of touring it'll be my first time camping with the bike so this thread will be useful.

I'm going wild camping and so the plan is pretty much just to pitch up where looks nice and live simply for a couple of days, then move on somewhere else.

Lots of research going on at the moment but I'd like to make outdoor cooking a bit of a feature of the trip and so any advice in that respect would be great. 

I think I've settled on a Coleman duel fuel camping stove which runs on unleaded:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-1-Burner-Sporter-Liquid-Stove/dp/B0009PUQAU

I'd like to use it to make a brew a few times a day, as well as cooking breakfast and dinner.

Ideally I'd like to do a fry up English breakfast in the morning and another meal in the evening.

Can anyone confirm if the stove is up to the job or not? Good choice?

How do you store fresh food like sausages, bacon and eggs? Coldbag good for a couple of days? I'd rather not have to go to civilisation everyday as it's at odds with the wild camping live simply adventure theme.

Any suggestions for nice meals I can cook in the evening which can be done practically on just the one burner?

I know I can survive on freeze dried or boil in the bag but where's the fun in that?!

Andy

I can highly recommend the stove I used to have one until it was nicked.

Boils a pan of water twice as fast as butane stoves and frys up a cracking breakfast in Billy cans,
On tour in Scotland, another in the party had a Butane stove and we ended up just using it as a hot plate and cooked on the unleaded.

I carried a piece of tube which I used to siphon fuel from the bike tank to fill the stove.
Was getting a days riding and breakfast for 4 from a tank 

[downey]

very enjoyable thread guys love the stories and photos last year i camped at the cookstown 100 in northern ireland and co kerry  which in fairness isnt as far from home ,although next time i wont bring the kitchen sink 
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aq7kXgMtqEM_9CZg1Kcbq9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/m_YRDAXRRtqf0ZDxWAIgfNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h_ctb_qynHHfDE5bmK3HH9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink