22-01-14, 10:01 PM
Tent
VANGO Equinox/Omega 350 3 Man tunnel tent , light, packs up small, plenty room for 2 and all gear plus roomy porch for inclement weather sitting/boozing.Have had the Equinox for years and its never let us down but is getting a bit tired so now use the Omega its recent replacement .Dont be tempted by the lower price Beta , similar tent but not as trick ,heavier and larger pack
Sleeping bags
North Face Pyrenees , excellent combination of small pack and warmth
Mattresses
Pacific Outdoor Compact Ether superlight and very small pack. recently got Multimat Camper Air similar pack size but a bit heavier Both inflateable and much smaller and lighter than foam ones plus double up as a bodyboard when camping near the beach
Pillows
One posh one from Blacks and one cheap one from Aldi , both inflateable, fold up small and tuck easily in the front pocket of the panniers( where the useless waterproof covers live)
Couple of cheap Kagoul type things so as not be walking about in the rain getting bike gear wet
All the above packs easily into an Ortlieb 49 litre Rackpack and straps onto a Rentec rack on a 600
Stove and pans
Coleman F1 Lite , known as turbo stove , boils a litre brew pot in no time and has cooked Confit Canard, Merguez, full english countless times no bother at all . Vango cook kit 2 pans and Aldi camping cutlery , kind of clip together set with all you need . Collapsible mugs, cant remember the name Stove and cutlery fit into the pan set and mugs sit on top ,the whole lot sits easily in the tank bag.Always cook proper food or eat out, to use boil in the bag shite in Europe is just wrong!!!!!!!
Got gadgets too just to make the camping experience more homely, I Pod touch ,slim and easily slipped in anywhere ,Travel speaker £1 from asda ages ago, Solar charger to keep phones and I pod going , couple of very slim but very bright LED camping lamps.All this goes in a tupperware box in the tankbag ( Bagster ) Maps ,documents ,passports kept in a zip up plastic wallet ( Rymans etc) that slips in the tank bag lid pocket
Main luggage is Oxford X60 panniers
Have done countless 1000`s of miles round Europe two up on a 600 using this gear .We can now stop set up camp and be ready for beer in about 15 mins, breaking camp and ready to move doesnt take much longer .Using this gear we have never been cold wet or uncomfortable
Saying that , have also done 1000`s of miles with Knoxy and his method works just as well , tho he does scrounge our brew water of a morning
VANGO Equinox/Omega 350 3 Man tunnel tent , light, packs up small, plenty room for 2 and all gear plus roomy porch for inclement weather sitting/boozing.Have had the Equinox for years and its never let us down but is getting a bit tired so now use the Omega its recent replacement .Dont be tempted by the lower price Beta , similar tent but not as trick ,heavier and larger pack
Sleeping bags
North Face Pyrenees , excellent combination of small pack and warmth
Mattresses
Pacific Outdoor Compact Ether superlight and very small pack. recently got Multimat Camper Air similar pack size but a bit heavier Both inflateable and much smaller and lighter than foam ones plus double up as a bodyboard when camping near the beach
Pillows
One posh one from Blacks and one cheap one from Aldi , both inflateable, fold up small and tuck easily in the front pocket of the panniers( where the useless waterproof covers live)
Couple of cheap Kagoul type things so as not be walking about in the rain getting bike gear wet
All the above packs easily into an Ortlieb 49 litre Rackpack and straps onto a Rentec rack on a 600
Stove and pans
Coleman F1 Lite , known as turbo stove , boils a litre brew pot in no time and has cooked Confit Canard, Merguez, full english countless times no bother at all . Vango cook kit 2 pans and Aldi camping cutlery , kind of clip together set with all you need . Collapsible mugs, cant remember the name Stove and cutlery fit into the pan set and mugs sit on top ,the whole lot sits easily in the tank bag.Always cook proper food or eat out, to use boil in the bag shite in Europe is just wrong!!!!!!!
Got gadgets too just to make the camping experience more homely, I Pod touch ,slim and easily slipped in anywhere ,Travel speaker £1 from asda ages ago, Solar charger to keep phones and I pod going , couple of very slim but very bright LED camping lamps.All this goes in a tupperware box in the tankbag ( Bagster ) Maps ,documents ,passports kept in a zip up plastic wallet ( Rymans etc) that slips in the tank bag lid pocket
Main luggage is Oxford X60 panniers
Have done countless 1000`s of miles round Europe two up on a 600 using this gear .We can now stop set up camp and be ready for beer in about 15 mins, breaking camp and ready to move doesnt take much longer .Using this gear we have never been cold wet or uncomfortable
Saying that , have also done 1000`s of miles with Knoxy and his method works just as well , tho he does scrounge our brew water of a morning