AsanaCycles

minimal shelter often times = more substantial clothing

depending on how bad the weather gets, often I like wearing more substantial clothing while in camp and a minimal shelter.
I'm not too hot on laying around inside a solo tent

I'd rather use something like the Kifaru ParaTarp and their Parka, patagonia capeline, and a set of lightweight nylon pants
vs hunkering down inside a solo tent

when I tour and camp, I like to be outside, vs being inside a small shelter
clothing seems to be the answer

bexley

How are you liking the Ostrich handlebar bag? I've got the Acorn Boxy Rando bag but it's slightly too small. Was worried that the Ostrich would be slightly too big.

nun

That's my philosophy.......my tarptent Contrail provides reasonable protection from bugs and the weather, but it's packed volume means that it just won't fit inside the saddlebag. There's an equilibrium point that we all reach where the desire to reduce weight and volume and make the setup look sleek is balanced by our need for comfort.

Bekologist

I'm a big fan of tarptents, i made one back in the 80's out of a backpackers A-frame tent and have used tarps extensively. my choice of my absolute smallest tarp was not sound; the slightly larger siltarp or a silnylon shaped tent like the henry shires tarptents, other 'mids or just a larger tarp will be the choice.

i still felt a bit like a hobo, with a wool shirt strapped to the roll d-rings and a half gallon of water dangling off the Carradice!

the large handlebarbag will almost be an imperative to still go neatly tucked away. I might try the hennessy hammock packed in its snakeskins and wrapped around the seattube mabye.

Bekologist

i'm also going to get a flyweight down vest with an Epic shell from Feathered friends for warmth with less bulk in the bags, likely stuff it in the same compression sack as the sleeping bag.

antokelly

alpkit .co.uk have some great down vests on sale .
have you taken any more pic's of your gear like to see if you did thanks..

Bekologist

i can't post on vacation, somehow the computer i'm using is quite slow on the graphics. i'll post some in about a week.

Bekologist

i had my shell jacket and pants in my ortliebmedium handlebar bag, i suspect if i pack the ostrich perhaps even a small tent would fit in the back bag if i could fit more of my gear up front.

going to make the Travelerscheck into a dedicated UL touring rig. if i'm travelling with this bike far from home, UL camping is what i will be doing anyway more than likely. the LHT will get ridden on trad tours with skis and stuff and when i want to bring some of the creature comforts like a lawnchair and a hibachi.

balto charlie

I'm surprised that some of you are using Carradice, acorn etc. They are very heavy when comparing to other possible pack combinations. I ran the numbers once comparing the carradice saddlebag to a very light rack and Lone Peak panniers. If memory serves the weight differences were minor yet one increases the carrying capacity significantly. I'll try and find the numbers and post them.

balto charlie

Just found my post from earlier this year

"Thanks, I just read nuns site/blog. He has really trimmed the weight, very impressive. I do think the Arkel Big Bag is way heavy if ultralight touring is the goal. It goes @ 3 lbs. You could easily put 2 small Lone Peak panniers and a Tubus Duo rack on the front and come in just over 3 lbs while picking up 1500CI storage in the process(total 2000CI=33L). The Carradice also seems a tad heavy but at least has a decent volume. I'm thinking the Tubus and LP front bags might be one of the lighter touring options. Use a tubus fly rear rack for an ultralightweight dry bag with tent, pad , bag etc. strapped down. Weights are almost equal and you have a lot more storage volume.
I do like the way folks are really looking into ultralight touring. I almost bought a set(4 bags)of pannier but now will wait. Please report back on how much the Carradice can hold. I wonder if anyone has determined the volume/weight numbers of many pannier/saddlebag system. A quick look at the numbers show Arkel/Carradice combo weighs 2180gm with 34L and the Tubus/Lonepeak weighs 1420gm with 33L. That's750gms difference(1.5lbs) which can be used for a rear rack,Tubus Fly(300gms) and a dry bag(wt??). Less weight and more volume. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but this seems to be a lighter way to travel. Charlie "

Bekologist

I tell you, baltocharlie, I've always been a proponent of UL loads hauled low near the axles in pannier and racks front and rear.

I've been giving the Carradice a run of it over the marin headlands and found the volume limitations to be a serious issue with the one saddlebag method for hauling a full camp kit.

I had to haul 5 L of water to a high, dry camp and had two of those hanging off the back of the bag and another one stuffed in my jersey- if i had trad racks and bags i could have simply slipped the bladders into a pannier, ridden with the weight lower and better distributed and likely go smooter overall. in the morning i had to overstuff the bag as thats how gear goes you know.

perhaps the carradice/handlebar bag style of touring is better done inn to inn, but for camping loads its definetly the rack and pannier combo thats going to win the race so to speak.

the UL bring it all in one bag and one handlebar bag can certainly be done. even nun admits that when even the slighted consideration of comfort is given, then stuff is going to be larger than what a carradice and a hb bag can comfortably transport without looking like a hobo!

but, the bike hobo look might be the new style in touring eh?

anyway, i'm going to keep using the travelerscheck as a one bag bike, and see what can be done to make the system better. maybe it means something as simple as riding with a camelback which i am kind of loathe to do but should give one a shot.

nun

Yes I like my comfort! Doing Inn to Inn the saddlebag and handlebar bag is more than enough and I have lots of spare room. If I include my camping stuff I have to strap the tent under
the saddle. Water is also an issue as even with 3x bottle cages the max I can carry is 2.5L, but for touring that doesn't include much wild camping that's ok as resupply at campsites and stores is easy. The large Ortlieb does give me the option to carry a liter of so more, but i wouldn't advocate my setup for expedition or off road touring, but it's great for road touring.

Bekologist

I think if the carradice was supported with a rack in back, with small things slung on the rack as need be, might be a solution, similar to some of my earlier trips without the carradice.

I'll be using the Travelers Check in Upper Michigan next month if all goes according to plan. I will bring a refinement of the Carradice system for stout off road touring and put it thru the test, run the Ostrich bag up front on a mini rack with bulky clothes, stove, mess kit and camera.

Nun, you have a great system figured out. I am in your same camp, that some comfort or durability is gained out of using slightly more robust luggage than silicone nylon stuff bags. I am less %100 ultralight and more as light as is practical very light style of travel.

I am hoping to get my system dialed with refinements that will work for off road touring .

benajah

That, most certainly, came from some grad student trying to come up with a thesis topic

benajah

[QUOTE=Bekologist;11122604]Without insulation, sand becomes a heat sink and will suck the warmth right away from a person.I've spent well over a year of my life sleeping, living out of doors. I spent the better part of my 16th summer living on a beach with little more than a wool blanket.

the most significant loss of heat at night from a camper is directly thru the ground beneath them, unless they are on a mat.

Yes, a insulative sleeping pad is part of an indispensable kit.

QUOTE]
I totally agree. This is one luxury item I consider a neccessary. Even the US Army and Marines issue Thermarests now.

spooner

I recently returned from a year in Korea. It's a pretty hilly place. Very hilly actually. How'd you do with all those hills?

Bekologist

BACK! to civilization.

photos of bike packed ultralite, with a half gallon of water off the back and a photo of the bike in the Marin Headlands looking down to the Tiburon and Sausalito after hauling the water from the Marin Visitors center by the lighthouse.

like i said above, i had some issues with load maanagement but with the addition of a larger handlebarbag am confident in a solid & classic ultralite system.

fietsbob

One bag , no problem .. Stay in B&Bs, Zimmer Frei, Hostels, and other indoor lodging. , eat in nice restaurants ,. enjoy the service.

bmike

is that a long flap? i wonder if tucking the plays under the flap would have helped stabilize them...
a custom frame bag might work well too for ferrying water.

i think many bikepackers use frame bags and keep bladders tucked inside.
or bring along an ultralight pack for ferrying odds and ends when needed.

Bekologist

it worked fine, i could have deployed the longflap and tucked them under but they rode well like that even on the rough fire roads of the marin highlands.

frame bag won't work running liter bottles in my cages, maybe a slim custom one up high. I had a musette bag i was going to stuff them in but figured out a nifty way to hang them exterior.

I wouldn't need to utilize that amount of water hauling except in drycamp situations.

zeppinger

I pack light!

When I crossed Korea the first time it took me five days. I averaged around 125k a day, some shorter some longer, with constant up and down along the Taebaek Mountains through the center of the continent. I even passed through Andong, the highest major city in the country.

I am not really the most athletic guy in the world and didn't really train, though I am certainly not out of shape either. Keeping the load light was essential, otherwise the constant climbing would have done me in.

Oh ya, kimchi also helps. I am serious about this. I kept some kimchin in my front basket with a pair of chopsticks and ate some whenever I stopped.

balto charlie

I agree the heavier the lower. I was just saying that racks and Lone peak give you light and low AND volume. Durability: silnyl is not the strongest stuff sack material. I am thinking about using one of my dry drags, heavier but stronger than sil, lighter than rear panniers.
You raise a good point about water. This is very important especially when stealth/wilderness camping. You always need water at night for dinner and water in the AM for breakfast. Thus you need a lot of water(nun just pointed this out). I try to camp near water so I don't have to carry it. This is not always feasible. I like how you set up extra water carrying capacity. As for a camelback, doable but you'll hate it when it's really hot.

balto charlie

interesting, maybe you could make it into a power bar type of food;-)

Bekologist

I'm torn. a superlight set of panniers and a light rack might make more sense for hauling the load despite the style points of the carradice.

as to the water issue, i think it is manageable with the two liter bottles and three liters in platys when needed. leaving San Francisco I had the bladders stowed or hanging empty, and didn't need them when touring in close proximity to civilization. i too try to camp near water but Hawk Camp high in the Marin headlands is a dry camp, was easily three miles from any seeps i could ascertain or any fresh water supply.

I'll be picking up a Miox pen for water purification; i field tested these for MSR when it was still a DARPA project.

I may very well switch to a set of panniers and a rack and leave the carradice for gentlemans' touring, but will try to finesse the system into the volume constraints of the carradice and a ostrich front bag for style points and maybe work on a more robust rack and pannier UL system for the future.

balto charlie

Field testing for MSR, nice. You're still alive so I guess it worked out OK. I'll look into that pen, still need water though. I also am planning a tour late Sept or early Oct. As of now I am going w/ LP panniers on the front and rear rack with a small stuff sack. Light but comfortable(at least to me). Might go with your water carrying technique. Light enough not to care about if not used or lightly used. I'll post up with the results.