Camping

[midden]

surely wild camping isn't about taking a stove but about hole in ground camp fire
or taking shop bought meat more a telescopic fishing rod and a snare. but with the dream not practical I would find a local butcher with a vacuum packing machine and buy my meat from them and get them to vacuum pack it in portion sizes[size=78%] [/size]

[Mattsplat]

My camping mantra is - Any fool can be uncomfortable...

[dickturpin]

I have had a few bike camping trips now and try to refine my kit each year.
I have the sportser dual fuel stove which is a bit bulky but has the advantage of all the fuel in your bike tank. Like others I carry somesmall bore tubing to siphon out of tank as required. It is a good stove giving plenty of heat.
I also have a Trangia meths burner which are about £15 and I carry some thick tinfoil to make a windbreak. three 4'' nails in the fuel well make a perfect pan stand! Very compact and lightweight but you do need a bottle of meths with you!
Surprised no-one has yet mentioned the £4 collapsible hexamine tablet stoves, I have two of those with plenty of tablets works very well and nothing to spill. On one I have cut a circular hole in the base so the trangia burner can sit inside.
For sleeping bag I use a down filled rectangular bag...a bit more expensive but down does pack smaller than man made fibres.
 
I use a Givi top box with soft panniers for luggage with my tent and sleeping bag strapped to the back seat with elastic bungee rope.
 
I have toured Scotland and moved on each day but that means packing up each night and riding fully loaded...when I tour to Cornwall or Devon I tend to base at one point for a few nights and day trip unhindered by luggage.
 
I use a three man tent which gives space for clothes/boots etc in the tent. Last year I had what I now think was 'over the top' tent. I'm sure it would have clung onto the side of a mountain in a storm. Now I prefer something cheaper and lighter that is quick to erect given that I camp in good weather at short notice I hopefully avoid the worst of weather conditions!
 
 

[ajmes1]

I'm on the verge of buying new gear after recommendations from people! The season is almost upon us.


Dragon rally soon 

[dickturpin]

I also use a Highlander reeded backpacker inflatable matteras which seems sturdy enough.
I have wired a strip of led lights to a cigarette lighter plug soldered to a length of speaker wire to give me light in the tent at night.
Take any accessories that charge off a usb socket and fit the plug to the bike. I have one under the seat and
one on the fairing infill.

[dickturpin]

and do take something to put the side-stand on in a field! I have a disc of plywood about 8''....then the bike may still be upright in the morning!

[ChristoT]

I follow some strict guidelines about camping.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

[mickvp]

I follow some strict guidelines about camping.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

I would have thought you loved camping, judging by the amount of time youve spent lying beside your bike in a field

[Doddsie]

I follow some strict guidelines about camping.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

I would have thought you loved camping, judging by the amount of time youve spent lying beside your bike in a field

 

[ChristoT]

I follow some strict guidelines about camping.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

I would have thought you loved camping, judging by the amount of time youve spent lying beside your bike in a field

Let it be known, I have never crashed in a field!! 

[Dead Eye]

I follow some strict guidelines about camping.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

I would have thought you loved camping, judging by the amount of time youve spent lying beside your bike in a field

Ooooohhh someone call an ambulance for Christo - those burns must be nasty! 

[bri h]

Im getting on a bit now so i nee d my creature comforts. I take an inflateable air bed in my tankbag, cooking stuff etc. in one soft panier and clothes in the other. My 3 man tent and sleeping bag go in a 60 litre drybag which is to big for that purpose but my helmet and leathers fit inside and i use and exonet steel wire security thing to keep them and valuable suff safe. I run the cable through the centrestand. The bikes not exactly perfect for the twisties carrying that lot but when im touring im not in a rush so its a good compramise for me. The main thing is to get out there and do it.

[esetest]

I have been looking on the Go outdoors site , a lot of the burners and stoves seem to have mixed reviews , biggest criticism is they get through a lot of gas , does anybody know how long  the canisters on the  coleman  burner that was mentioned in previous posts last , for instance if you were using it  to boil some water for a hot drink in the morning and evening would a canister last a week  .

[Hedgetrimmer]

If that's all you're doing, a canister should last easily a week. Some stoves use gas quicker than others, and of course it depends on how you set the flame too, but yes, easily a week for just a couple of brews a day. As mentioned above, use a heat/wind shield to make it go further. But I usually carry 2 canisters just in case, replace one as you use one, and never been caught out that way.

[esetest]

If that's all you're doing, a canister should last easily a week. Some stoves use gas quicker than others, and of course it depends on how you set the flame too, but yes, easily a week for just a couple of brews a day. As mentioned above, use a heat/wind shield to make it go further. But I usually carry 2 canisters just in case, replace one as you use one, and never been caught out that way.

Thanks for advice Nick , I will take a spare in case .

[snapper]

cant add much but this seems very popular with the carp anglers
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151037885102?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649&clk_rvr_id=577859269365&afsrc=1

[bri h]

I carry two of the calor gas burners with gas cans and one spare. they come with a plastic cover so even i can work out which is the unused one. one burner comes in a case and the other fits indide two saucepans which fit into eachother so saves space. it means i can boil the kettle and cook at the same time thus dispelling the myth that men cant multi task. I did try ironing once and burnt my ear when the phone rang.

[bri h]

By the way, good thread Nick.

[JZS 600]

How To Turn A Beer Can Into The Only Camping Stove You'll Ever Need on Vimeo

Thought this was pretty cool

[JZS 600]

My favourite bit of kit is my self inflating mattress

[69oldskool]

Pillows?! No, you don't need one.

Er yes we do , done the roughing it shit using bike gear , fleeces etc  but as the pillows take up no room at all why not use something designed for the job .Multi use just means average at lots of uses not excellent at one thing

Plus one on the pillow, i like to travel light & minimalist, but i've gotta have a pillow, scrunched up jacket just doesn't pass the muster.
 
Can recommend  Vango's half moon pillow, fits in a mummy bag a treat.
 
Few more musings,
                          I believe gas stoves generally produce more(ie quicker) heat than spirit burners, I use a tiny coleman F1,  if using gas, get the larger sized canister (440g) as it gives you a more stable base.
 
Get a warm sleeping bag!
                                 Take the thermal ratings with a pinch of salt, should be three numbers, the lowest is a survival rating, you will not be sleeping warm at this temp!!! then a lower & an upper comfort temperature.
Temperature ratings are calculated in conjunction with using a suitable sleeping mat. I don't  care to use one, most sane people do!
 
If touring Scotland, take enough cash for a possible nights b&b, This is not wimping out 
When you've been riding through days of rain, pitching tent in the wet etc, your previously thought of as waterproof clothing may turn out to be anything but & you'll be glad of a chance to dry out.
Ahh yes ~the midges, that brings back a few memories...
 
 

[Hedgetrimmer]

Ok, let me clarify a little more on this pillow set up I use. Firstly, yes I've tried various methods of wrapping different types of clothing up that weren't particularly successful or comfortable. What I now use  - you've seen the roll-top waterproof bags I spoke of? I keep clothing, electrical items etc in them usually. So, I take one of those, and carefully fold up a Primaloft jacket inside. If I want it a bit thicker, I can fold up some other clothing underneath it in the bag. It's not all just scrunched up in there. The bag allows me to trap more or less air inside too, so it's even adjustable. Primaloft is almost as soft as down, with the advantage that it doesn't "migrate", so you don't wake up with it all stuffed in one end of the pillow. Then, I wrap, again neatly, a thin fleece pullover around the whole thing. Fleece doesn't absorb much moisture, so it remains pretty dry, unlike a cotton cover would. I promise you, this is a very comfortable set up, and means I don't have to take an extra item of kit (this is me I'm talking about - the shorter the kit list, the less likely I am going to forget something  ).

So really, it's just a suggestion. It took me a few trips to discover that this works well, and is very comfortable. I DO appreciate that others have their methods, this is just another. But that was my intention when I started this thread, to get as many variations and suggestions from as many people as possible, so anyone can pick and choose what works for them, give some alternatives to consider.

My experience, as I have said, largely comes from backpacking in the hills, where you have to be a bit merciless about every piece of kit you take - weight and bulk are far more important than being able to just pile it all up on a bike. Multi-use items allow you to do this. For my Lake District kit, I weighed EVERYTHING and spent much time agonising over what I could leave behind, and still have a combination that worked for all likely scenarios. Do I leave the tent inner behind? Do I take a bivvy bag too? Do I really need that extra cooking pan? I looked at all the combinations of stoves and cookware, checked their weights, read reviews about their efficiency, and so on, and so forth. In 2 months, I faced every kind of weather from snow and freezing, howling winds, to hot summery days where the air was quite still.

This attitude came from walking for 2 weeks on the South West Coast Path - up and down 200ft combes in Devon, one after another, carrying heavy, cheap kit. I still wanted to do long distance backpacking, but had to face that this particular one, often in hot sunshine, just killed me, and I needed to go MUCH lighter.

You don't have to do all this when camping with the bike. God knows, I've done the luxury camping method (as far as that's possible on a bike ) - big, 3 man tent, foldable table and chair etc etc. I've enjoyed both methods. Both have something to recommend them, as does tent and sleeping bag in bin liners and f**k off.

Didn't mean to start a pillow fight! 

Gassit, I did not mistreat my Pacific Outdoor mattress. Again, I looked at all the available alternatives when I chose it, and it seemed like a great, lightweight option. I did read of others having problems with them puncturing easily, including Chris Townsend writing for TGO magazine, who also used one, on his walk of, I think it was the Pacific Crest Trail in the USA. Maybe he and I were just unlucky. As I said, the 2nd puncture was near a seam and couldn't be repaired so it would hold. But I would only use one again on a backpacking trip where weight is the supreme consideration. For bike camping, I now use something a little more sturdy. That's just my experience.

[red98]

This is what ive been using for the last couple of years......halfords 3 man tent.came in a kit of tent and 2 mummy sleeping bags for £100....light weight and packs small.fits in the roll bag in front of my top box.along with one of those foam roll up mats.had some heavy scottish downpours last year and no leaks...has a porch to put your biking gear, nice to have somewhere to put your wet gear....oh...I make my own pillow from my jacket thermo lining...did the job....a few beers help for a good nights sleep aswell ;)6

[Mattsplat]

My matress bag is also the inflator for it and is sponge lined, chuck a few clothes in it and its my pillow 

I use the Exped DLX9 matress, I rate it as one of my best purchases.

[Bikerroo]

For a pillow, just take a pillow case and stick some of your clothes inside it. Pack a foil blanket and put it under air bed. Keeps you warmer. Invest in a small rubber backed doormat. Keeps your knees clean when scampering in and out and it folds up flat so easily put under luggage on seat.