Advice Ultralight Camping / Bikepacking

[Scouse]

Has anyone got any experience with ultralight camping kit that can make any recommendations?

I fancy some nice cheap do-it yourself nature holiday action that involves more than simply driving somewhere and throwing a pop-up tent up (though I'll still be doing that - off to Wales this weekend for just that eventuality).

Longer bike-train-bike action is to occur - especially in the summer - but I'm not adverse to a bit of camping in the cold so advice on 4-season sleeping bags and tents is welcome (as well as three-season kit).

I'll most likely be purchasing an Old Man Mountain Pioneer rack and some panniers (no idea on panniers tbh).

Basically - I've made a decision on the the rack but not on anything else so sleeping equipment / shelters / cooking equipment (I've a mini-trangia which is great for me to do small things but a couple of folks would struggle heating up more than beans) / clothing choice / first aid equipent etc.

Quality and weight are the important considerations, price less so - I intend to treat the kit well and for it to last a long time and I think it's a false economy (and uncomfortable) shelling out on cheap shit.

When it comes to tents / sleeping bags I'm 6'3" - so size is also a consideration.


Anyone got any experience? Or just tales to tell? Help a twat out

 

[Raven]

Bivvy bag
Lightweight sleeping bag

or, if you know there will be plenty of trees.

Lightweight tarp
Lightweight sleeping bag
Lightweight hammock

If you get the right ones you can take both options as they don't take up much space or weight.

For food - Make yourself a hobo stove - Plenty of vids and they are really cool if you get them right. Or just do what I do and cook off the fire* loads of stuff can be wrapped in tin foil and stuck in the fire. Chicken breasts cook in about 10-15 mins and if you stick some oil and herbs/spices in they are the best thing ever.

For water get yourself a stainless steel camping cup. I have an American import that is surgical grade steel, it was pricey but worth every penny (Forgotten the name will have a look later)

I also sometimes take a volcano stove, cool as fuck but a bit bulky for bikes I guess.

Also some mess-tins, cheap as anything and excellent for cooking.

*some places it isn't practical or safe to have an open fire, depends where in the country you are going.

Water, depends where you are, water purification tablets are good but always check upstream in-case there are any obvious nasties and you might also want to get a filter too.

 

[Scouse]

Cheers @Raven - but if you can I'm after actual brand/make/item recommendations if you've got them. I know I need a lightweight tarp/sleeping bag etc - but what tarp/sleeping bag.

I'm doing a fair bit of reading on teh webz but kit reviews are often contradictary so personal recommendations of the exact bit of kit to buy is what I'm trying to get

 

[Raven]

Forgot to mention, a good knife is essential for lightweight camping

A forum I visit now and again http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php

 

[Fweddy]

I have some ultralight stuff. For nicer weather I love my bivvy bag. Smaller, lighter and faster to set up than a tent and you can lay there looking at the stars and watching the wildlife. Only problems are they can get a bit miserable if it rains and there's a risk of waking up with a slug crawling through your hair. Can't remember what tent I have. I bought a Luxe SilHexpeak but it's rubbish. I carry everything in an MLD Burn backpack which is feather light and does the job very well.

I have a quilt rather than a sleeping bag that's fine for three season use (ultralight stuff tends to be rated with the idea you'll sleep fully clothed so take that into account.) For Christmas I got a fleece sleeping bag liner that I'm going to test with it in the garden as soon as the wind drops. I'll let you know how that goes. For clothing look out for merino wool base layers. They're warm and awesome.

I have a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir mat to sleep on and while it does the job it's very noisy. If I was buying again I'd probably be looking at an Exped mat first, I hear a lot of good things about them.

For food look up freezer bag cooking. Basically the idea is you portion out food that just needs water adding to it into separate freezer bags. Then each meal you just boil water and combine in the bag, which you then eat out of. Nice and simple and the only thing you have to wash up afterwards is your long handled camping spork. No washing up and it means your food tends to be lightweight. If you leave some water outside your tent at night then in the morning it will be ice cold and perfect for adding to your powdered milk+cereal bag for breakfast I often don't carry much water and use a filter and a passing stream to top up. You can get things like the JetBoil which are designed for heating up water quickly and efficiently for this kind of cooking.

 

[Tom]

If I were you Scouse, I'd forget about the tent and just hire a pod or tipi, in a campsite:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356395880574/

Otherwise you're going to be lugging a lot of gear around. Tent, groundsheet, mattress, sleeping bag, pillow - the list is endless. If you ditch the tent stuff in favour of a pod, you will have more space (and time) to carry things like a stills camera, books, food, etc.

Building/collapsing a tent is the most tedious and boring part of camping.

 

[Raven]

You only need to carry that crap around if you are weird. When I was a youth we wouldn't even bother with the bivvy, just a sleeping bag and a rucksack of cloths for a pillow. Going to an organised camp-site, especially one by the National Trust would bring me out in hives.

Putting a tent up takes about 10 mins, taking it down about the same, unless you have some 1960s army surplus crap. My personal tent is a 2 man, ideal for 1 man, sleeping on a diagonal. (again forgotten the name, will let you know later) its packs down to about half a foot by two feet including poles and has a porch large enough for my 60ltr pack, boots and cooking stuff, personally I love it.

 

[Scouse]

That quilt looks interesting @Fweddy. What size does it pack down to when you're done with it - the other consideration is the size of the items.

I've seen people use Jetboils and whilst they're cool the fuel is less easily obtained than the alcohol (or usually meths) that go in a trangia - you can get alcohol for burning in most corners of the planet and the size of cooking implements that you run on a jetboil aren't any different than a trangia either. Ta tho.

Agreed on a knife @Raven. That'll go in my bag with my bike tools.

@Tom - I do occasionally book camping pods or even b&b's (in fact, got caught in the snow with the missus this weekend and a cheap chinese battery failed on us - necessitating an emergency BnB stay on Saturday night (was lovely) - but when you're out somewhere remote, or planning a trip and want a little more freedom then camping's where it's at m8.

I love the feeling of being self-sufficient and camping wherever I feel like, when I feel like it - and there are some places, even in the UK, where you'd have to keep pedalling to get to a destination, rather than simply going "ooh, that's a nice hollow, out of view" or "oooh, these woods are nice".



Do you have any experience with panniers? What about @TdC?

Anyone got any experience with tents? Tarps are all well and good for summer - but wind + rain + snow requires a proper sleeping facility

 

[Raven]

The only thing I would say about Panniers, aside from getting a decent one that isn't going to fall apart, is that you should try to pack each side equally in weight or riding might be a pain!

Don't use them myself, usually drive close to camp then walk or drive onto the site and camp, mostly farmers fields or whatever (with prior consent)

The only other thing is, leave nothing behind (but I am sure you already do that!)

 

[Fweddy]

That quilt looks interesting @Fweddy. What size does it pack down to when you're done with it - the other consideration is the size of the items.

I've seen people use Jetboils and whilst they're cool the fuel is less easily obtained than the alcohol (or usually meths) that go in a trangia - you can get alcohol for burning in most corners of the planet and the size of cooking implements that you run on a jetboil aren't any different than a trangia either. Ta tho.

It packs down pretty small. I could probably fit it in a two litre ice cream tub without much trouble if I felt the need. The storage sack they provide with it is a bit poor but the quilt itself seems well made. My only regret is that I didn't get the larger footbox. I find the regular a little restrictive. Yeah, the JetBoil is like a lot of camping things, it depends a lot on how and where you camp for how useful it is.

I have an Ortlieb pannier I use for commuting that's very good. Very solidly made and well designed. They're a well regarded make so I imagine their larger options are just as good. I don't know about tents, I have a couple but I haven't found one I'm completely happy with yet. I keep being tempted by a Hennessy Hammock after someone recommended them but if you don't camp in woodland they'd be no use.

 

[Scouse]

2L ice cream tub is doable. They're not cheap - but then quality tbh. I'll seriously look at that.

Hammocks are just a luxury item tbh. I like the idea but then like you say - how often do you pitch up in the woods constantly on say a 5-day trip. The UK is the least forested country in Europe

 

[Tom]

I just think it's a lot to carry on a bicycle. I mean, how would you secure it overnight? Not for me. If you really want a challenge, shove everything in a rucksack and go camping rough, hiking across some peaks. IIRC above a certain height you can camp away from campsites provided it's only a night or so.

 

[Raven]

Not in England you can't. You can in Skirtland.

Well you can because either people wont see you or people just don't care but there is no legal right to camp anywhere.

That being said, you will find quite a lot of land owners are willing to allow small groups to camp for a couple of nights so long as you approach them beforehand and leave it as you find it. A lot will just tell you to fuck off too!

 

[Scouse]

I just think it's a lot to carry on a bicycle. I mean, how would you secure it overnight? Not for me. If you really want a challenge, shove everything in a rucksack and go camping rough, hiking across some peaks. IIRC above a certain height you can camp away from campsites provided it's only a night or so.

Not arsed with the legality of it (Scotland's great - you can legally camp just about anywhere - England & Wales is still great - people have better things to do than roam the wilderness in an attempt to find an "illegal camper"). Either way - I could happily pull 20lbs of equipment and it'd mean I didn't have to carry it on my back (which I particularly hate - especially in the hot summer months). I've lost more than that in weight anyway - and I used to happily carry myself up hills.

Also - it's nothing to do with challenge. It's about the freedom to stop wherever I am, possibly with the g/f, and pitch up for a couple of days. Just because I like it there.

In terms of security I wouldn't carry anything that couldn't be secured in the tent with me - the bikes aside. In remote spots bikes are pretty secure anyway - and a padlock and long cable will provide as much night-time security as you're ever going to get anyway (aside from keeping a bike indoors / in a car).


The reason I said "ultralight" in the title is because it's just that. Aside from the weight of a rack and panniers - you can get 4-season tents that come in at around 3lbs, a rollmat at a few hundred grams, a few pounds of cooking equipment and fuel, you don't carry pillows (a bag with your spare clothes in does that, if you want one).

You're only taking a tent over and above what you'd have to take if you were booking camping pods anyway.


Edit: I did like it very much when I stayed a Low-Wray tho @Tom - but I'm thinking a bit more secluded than that...

 

[Raven]

This is the cup I have, one of the best things I have in my kit http://www.urbanrock.com/wide-mouth-standard-stainless-steel-loop-top cook with it, use it for a water bottle, even use it to make a cuppa. Nice that they sell them in the UK now, when I got it, it was USA only.

My current favorite tent (no way is it 2 man though!) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-Rocky-Person-Tent-Olive/dp/B00322QRNC/ref=sr_1_4?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1421086280&sr=1-4&keywords=2 man tent

I also have a 4 man which is similar to this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Instant-Tourer-Tent-Person/dp/B00691GONG/ref=sr_1_11?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1421086391&sr=1-11&keywords=4 man tent

Big large for biking though.

As a rule of thumb, I take whatever they say is the berth and divide it by 2.

 

[Scouse]

Like that cup @Raven. Tents are wayyyy to heavy tho

 

[Scouse]

Found this site which gives plenty of ideas.

Geared up for running rather than bikepacking - but if you're running up a mountain and kipping overnight you want light, warm and small

 

[TdC]

Do you have any experience with panniers? What about @TdC?

I used them on my old CX bike, and they made it wobble all over the place. I had them on the back, with a single, fairly large, bag on the front but the weight didn't balance out.

 

[leggy]

This sounds awesome .. Come past mine on the way

 

[Hawkwind]

Just purchased camping gear for my son, doing his DE Bronze award. Found some pretty good gear in Decathlon. Rest I will get in REI when back in US in Feb. Decent lightweight cup, plates and cutlery. Also had a good range of lightweight sleeping bags, mats and tents etc. Worth a look and the prices are usually reasonable.

 

[Job]

I bought the Vango blade... 1 pole tent..but really you can't beat the popups...end of a long ride..add the wind..popup 4thwin.

http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/1-person-tent/64-blade-100.html#

 

[Exioce]

Have done a few wild camps with hiking buddies and gf recently, culminating in camping on top of Suilven, our favourite mountain.
Even when we were in England we wild camped on top of a Roman hill fort, sneaking away before the farmer got there in the morning!

My gear isn't particularly light, got a 85l backpack and have only done a couple days hillwalking at a time with it on. Jetboil for a stove. If I was doing proper week long hikes I'd be investing in ultralight, and dehydrated meals etc.

Camping on Suilven by markmburns, on Flickr

 

[leggy]

Bloody hell that LOOKS epic. I usually take a compass, boots, water and a 75L backpack. Might have to join in and do this proper like.

 

[Gumbo]

A guy I know through lightweight sportscar ownership, swears by https://www.alpkit.com/ for his lightweight mountainbike camping kit.