Learning from last years mistakes

[92kk k100lt 193214]

The inflatable pillow probably came quite cheap. In fact I reckon the bag on its own might have cost more.

I saw cutlery pouches for sale recently, for a lot more than I paid for my cutlery...which came in a similar pouch since dedicated to carrying 2 sharp knives in the camp set. Or, like making jam, buy empty jam jars for £2 or buy jam for £1 in the same kind of pot. Or go buy a Bluetooth headset with a cable for £5, or buy a cable on its own....also for £5.

But the best buy I think I ever made was the 50,000mAh power bank that allows me 2 weeks travel without plugging anything in anywhere.

[steve_h80]

I take an old helmet bag, before bed I put some soft clothes (fleece etc) in it - instand pillow!
Decent sleeping mat etc to keep you off the ground. Air beds are great till they go down. Best I ever found was a 6 reed air bed each reed with it's own valve so even if one went down I still got a good nights kip. It cost the princly sum of £15 but was of such poor quality it only lasted about 10 years
Sleeping bag, 4 season regardless of bulk and bike jacket over my hips if I start to feel the cold..
And finally a hip flask of decent malt.

[92kk k100lt 193214]

The thing is that you could get a half dozen mates who get on well heading off together and find that the gear is very different for each one of them. I got the power bank idea from my travel mate, but while his was good for a few days I went for one that would last a few weeks with a little LED [LKEA €1] light that plugs into it saving he need for a torch.

We still prefer the airbed for France as its more comfortable but no cold there to worry about. 2 airbeds and one pump take a lot less space than 2 self inflating sleeping mats. They also go inside panniers. As for leaking, well every supermarket over there sells them so we are not bothered if that happens.

The tarp we loved but it led to me getting the Coleman Coastline 3 Plus tent with 3 access points that make it like a tarp when all are open. The space is big enough for 3 of us and we tried that last weekend too.

Anytime you go camping its worth wandering to see who uses what. Guys on bikes will always talk to you. Amazon and eBay are good for most stuff too but the oddments bin in a big camp shop will always yield some treasures. Discount shops can be good too.

I don't bring clothes to last 3 weeks, about 6 days worth and a few Persil washing tablets in their plastic. They come in a box of 40 packed 2 to a bag, bring a bag for each wash. You will always find coin operated laundry and drying facilities, even at most towns around Ireland and UK. Pop the stuff in and go do some food shopping or have a coffee.

One thing I found extremely useful in hot weather is a 500ml thermos flask, stainless steel. Fill with cold water/drink and its a refreshing stop if you are somewhere scenic and no shops or coffee places. The push button ones tend to leak if stored on their side but the ones without the push button tend not to.

And above all don't forget the citronella candles/nightlights.

[Flanker37]

what are your thoughts on this type of bed https://www.decathlon.co.uk/arpenaz-l10 ... 71697.html.

if the girl is anything to go by, it wont pack any wider than my pannier width

[hornet]

The thing is that you could get a half dozen mates who get on well heading off together and find that the gear is very different for each one of them. I got the power bank idea from my travel mate, but while his was good for a few days I went for one that would last a few weeks with a little LED [LKEA €1] light that plugs into it saving he need for a torch.

We still prefer the airbed for France as its more comfortable but no cold there to worry about. 2 airbeds and one pump take a lot less space than 2 self inflating sleeping mats. They also go inside panniers. As for leaking, well every supermarket over there sells them so we are not bothered if that happens.

The tarp we loved but it led to me getting the Coleman Coastline 3 Plus tent with 3 access points that make it like a tarp when all are open. The space is big enough for 3 of us and we tried that last weekend too.

Anytime you go camping its worth wandering to see who uses what. Guys on bikes will always talk to you. Amazon and eBay are good for most stuff too but the oddments bin in a big camp shop will always yield some treasures. Discount shops can be good too.

I don't bring clothes to last 3 weeks, about 6 days worth and a few Persil washing tablets in their plastic. They come in a box of 40 packed 2 to a bag, bring a bag for each wash. You will always find coin operated laundry and drying facilities, even at most towns around Ireland and UK. Pop the stuff in and go do some food shopping or have a coffee.

One thing I found extremely useful in hot weather is a 500ml thermos flask, stainless steel. Fill with cold water/drink and its a refreshing stop if you are somewhere scenic and no shops or coffee places. The push button ones tend to leak if stored on their side but the ones without the push button tend not to.

And above all don't forget the citronella candles/nightlights.

This post and others all make great practical sense to me especially the flask keeps it hot keeps it cold feels great too have it. See it as an ongoing thing that you improve on and learn about every time you go .Conditions vary an awful lot it's wet or cold windy or flipping hot and that can happen in 24 hours.

I love camping although i stil feel like a newbie at times when you pack to go away it's so so easy to get carried away with quantity and struggling to load up.

I have a list of items I take as it's easy to forget something that previously you found invaluable. Yes it's a bit anal but works for me. I'll let you do your own as it's personal to you. I'll quote Nathan Millward

it's not a case of right and wrong more like how wrong you get it. Which applies to everything from bike choice helmet luggage so on and so forth

It's a hard choice as to how deep you go on spending money on a the many items you may wish to have, going cheap to begin with ultimately cost me and my other half as we not only then upgraded to better gear then went further on several main items.

It's the things you don't think about until your faced with a need you realise it would have been nice to have it such as a can opener or bottle opener a headtourch a lighter a sharp knife ,deet bug spray, sun cream.

One last thing, making stuff fit your luggage or buying items you know can fit is another art in itself. By not organising your kit, it can be a real ball ache.

Have fun fella

[92kk k100lt 193214]

I have a little gadget on my key ring called a trolley dolly. It opens shopping trolleys and also has a bottle opener. Now why on a bike would I use a trolley? Its a great way of carrying helmet and throwing jacket off inside a supermarket ......

I store all the bits and pieces in a plastic crate for quick use too.

[Simon_100]

I take an old helmet bag, before bed I put some soft clothes (fleece etc) in it - instand pillow!
Decent sleeping mat etc to keep you off the ground. Air beds are great till they go down. Best I ever found was a 6 reed air bed each reed with it's own valve so even if one went down I still got a good nights kip. It cost the princly sum of £15 but was of such poor quality it only lasted about 10 years
Sleeping bag, 4 season regardless of bulk and bike jacket over my hips if I start to feel the cold..
And finally a hip flask of decent malt.

Reminds me of possibly the worst mistake I ever made - or the best lesson learned? - was to buy a 'flash' airbed from the UK that packed down very small into my luggage, set off on a four week tour and after about the first week, when I was in Portugal, managed to melt it from the exhaust - the tent poles must have carried the heat deep into the bag as not him mush see was harmed, even the bag itself - from Overboard, highly recommend their stuff half the price of special 'bike' gear!

So, I had a slow puncture that no matter how I tried I couldn't fix as the material had gone hard and the repair kist just wouldn't stick. So for three weeks I'd settle into a nice inflated bed, buy wake up at 03.00 - the way you do at our age! - and spend the rest of the night on the hard, and increasingly cold, ground. There was no way I could find another bed of any kind that would pack away into the space I'd allowed in my luggage - as it was my first 'real' tour most that was redundant anyway ...

So it's bedroll/mats for me ...

Regs

Simon

PS perhaps i should explain that here in Spain you've basically got Decathlon or very specialised shops - just around the corner there's a shop called 'K2' whose owner has ended scales all of the (K Himalayan peaks, some several times, so his stock is, er, rather pricey!

[hornet]

I have a cool bag that fits perfectly inside my top box which I keep empty as possible so if we stop I can put my helmet inside I can also put my boots in too if we go off to wander any distance I take a bicycle lock that threads through a jacket sleave if it's hot enough to want to leave it rather than lug it around. Great so I can wander without feeling like a pack horse and stay cooler.

Now just about every shop or supermarket in europe we have ever been in you have no bags to pack stuff so the cool bag goes into the shop and in goes the gub and drink great and then left overs have a better place to be stored overnight so no bugs get to eat my grub . Another thing is some para cord or salvaged tent guy rope as a As a washing line good as a beer cooler in a stream to keep it from washing away absolutely outstanding
It's small things that work well for me.

Happy days
Mike

[Simon_100]

I'm a very keen walker and one thing I find a big problem is what to do with your stuff while you're on top of a mountain or down a ravine. The real answer is come back some other time with Mrs S and the husky - handy for carrying the backpack :whistle: - but at least here some 'famous' beauty spots have a cluster of restaurants and bars at the road head. And in Spain 99% of the people just come along, walk 100 metres, say ¡Que guapo! and head back for lunch.

One such is the Cares Ravine in the Picos de Europa, the 'village' - if you can really call it that - is Cordiñanes de Valdeón, where there are about half a dozen restaurants- Getting there early, about 09.00, I wandered around checking the menus in the windows, found one I liked and walked in while the staff were setting up. I just asked if I could 'book' a far corner table and leave my stuff there, promising to be back for the first sitting, about 1.30. ¡Si señor, no problema!



So after my walk up the ravine, almost all to myself after I'd passed the obligatory 'mirador about half a km up the path, I came back in time to dangle my tootsies in the freezing water where the path crosses the little river at the end of the ravine, wandered past my bike, all safe and sound in the car park and into the restaurant, straight past the hoards of ravening coach party types queuing up for tables, and past the other diners, giving me a chance to reckon up the best dishes from the menu before I sat at my table in the far corner and was ready to oder without the waitress having to read through the, very long, menu - what you might call a good day ... (thumbs)

Regs

Simon

[92kk k100lt 193214]

I think that's a well seasoned traveller.....