vautrain

Confession: I've never done a self-supported overnight tour, even though I probably have one of the best production touring bikes available on the market right now. That's how I roll. I'm such a poseur, with all the gear but none of the skills or experience.

I really want to do a tour, but I've been putting it off thinking that I need a touring partner or group. A thread on here recently (about finding a C2C touring partner) convinced me that touring alone may be a better option, but it sorta scares the hell out of me, and I don't know if it's in a good way or a bad way.

I've yet to actually plan something out, but I do have a question... a reply in another thread today (about the 600 mile newbie tour) has me scratching my head a bit.

If you "forget mileage goals" aren't you going to have a hard time finding a spot to camp at dusk? Or do you just camp on the side of the road wherever you happen to be? My gut instinct would be to have every camping spot planned out before starting my tour, and that would mean paying close attention to mileage goals.

lechatmort

I when I stealth camped I rode till dark and began looking out for somewhere to sleep at dusk. This often ended in me setting up my hammock in the dark... It's much, much nicer when you start riding early and set up camp in the late afternoon.
I loved the freedom of stealth camping

fuzz2050

If I have the luxury of spare time, I tend to ride until I find some place that looks nice to camp, and let that be my mileage goal. If there happens to be a beautiful spot not 30 miles from where I camped last, so what, I'll camp there anyway. It solves the hassle of trying to set up camp after dark, and all the troubles that can come with it.

mtnbiktn

The best way to figure it out is get out there and "just do it" (easier said than done on the first tour) as things change every day, and as your confidence grows, you will develop your own style, which probably may be a mix of motels, stealth,city park,peoples home invititation, etc. If using the ACA maps, you can sort of guesstimate mileage for free or cheap camping by reading the back of the maps about the towns you will be in, and base your mileage on that. You will get the knack of it after a while.

Machka 

I have never had every camping spot planned in advance on a tour.

There is a benefit to booking a place to stay in the town where the plane lands at the beginning of your tour if you are going to arrive there late afternoon or early in the evening, and it can be good to then book a night at that place, if you liked it, or another for the night before the plane leaves. I've also found it to be a good idea to call ahead to the campground down the road on a Friday or Saturday afternoon.

But other than that, we just kind of wing it. We have an idea of how far we might be able to ride that day, and aim for a particular town down the road. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

Go ride a weekend tour and see how it goes!

Carbonfiberboy 

Stoker and I are sort of in between style folks, somewhere between living free and CDO (letters have to be in correct order). So we plan the heck out of it, look up motels and campgrounds online, put numbers in our cell phones, draw the route on bikely, make cue sheets, all that stuff. Then when we get into it we have known options when we decide what to do next, depending on how we feel, weather, etc. At the least, it gives us a security blanket - a fall-back position. And we're always happy to change plans and do something different. We've been using that system for long backpacks for decades and we just moved it over to bike touring.

Our method isn't for everyone. Many folks prefer to just start and see what happens. That would drive my wife nuts.

stokell

Not wishing to blow my own horn, but if stealth camping is your wish, please check out my blog or check crazyguyonabike.

Cyclebum

The ability to stealth or wild camp opens up a degree of freedom that is both useful and relaxing. Knowing that you can pitch a tent or hang a hammock just about anywhere means no fixed destination for the day. Just the mileage that suits your mood and physical ability.

I start looking for a place to camp about 2 hours before dark. Might pass up a couple of possibilities hoping for something better. Try to stop in time to have at least an hour of light left.

For me, stealth camping means a spot totally out of sight of humans and one very likely not to be discovered. Wild camping is overnighting anywhere free, but not necessarily totally hidden. Could be in a city park, behind a rural church, cemetary, abandoned building, etc. Pretty much hidden from public view at night.

Do all the reading you can to get ideas, then just go out locally and practice a few times. You'll get the hang of it. May turn out to be an option for you, may not. Mostly gotta get past the fear factor.

xyzzy834

I research my route exhaustively before my trip. I do it partly for planning and mostly for occupying my mind while I'm waiting on my tour to begin.

During my research, I use google, maps, and other resources to note as many camping locations as I can for the entire route. I make notes on maps or in a notebook. Once I'm on my (solo) tour, I sit down each evening with my map and my notes. I plan my target campsite for the next day. Sometimes I plan two or three targets at different distances so I can see how I'm feeling or the weather is treating me the next day.

I like the camping aspect of my tours as much as the riding. I tend to meet more people in an organized campground (state parks, commercial campgrounds, city campgrounds, etc.). For myself, the most lasting memories of my tours are always about some of the people I meet along the way. I've had people cook dinner for me, share their beer or wine, ride with me for part of the following day, and share terrific stories of local life where I'm touring. I wouldn't give that up (nor a shower at the end of each day) for the uncertainty of stealth camping along the road. That's just me.

NoReg

"If you "forget mileage goals" aren't you going to have a hard time finding a spot to camp at dusk? Or do you just camp on the side of the road wherever you happen to be? My gut instinct would be to have every camping spot planned out before starting my tour, and that would mean paying close attention to mileage goals."

Depends where you are riding, but while bikes don't just eat up the mileage, there are campsites of the organized type all over the place. It might help you to see if you could identify all the places you can camp legally along particular routes, not in order to make a trip, but just to see they come up all the time. The problem is that even if you plan your heart's content, if you get a head wind, you can literally get stopped in your tracks. I was coming through one part of Quebec once, and the head wind was so bad I was standing at 90 degrees in my 24 inch gear and basically couldn't move the bike for a second. Organized campgrounds are only part of the options, there are all sorts of other places you can camp, but just realizing that even the organized sights come up a lot will help your confidence. Of course there are areas without such sites, but they will normally have lots of free camping options, so one way or the other...

Another option is to do a wild tour. Not easy in some places, but if you can find a wilderness bike ride in your area, then you don't have to worry about stuff like making camp. Maybe you are more comfortable with wilderness challenges than dealing with a confrontation over where you put your tent (which may never happen, but it is the thought of it).

Bike touring is pretty tame, but the one aspect of it that is uncomfortable for control freaks is that it is a little unpredictable. You are at the mercy of enough factors that it is difficult to plan out your life. But if you can let go, you may enjoy that experience also.

Machka 

An additional comment ... if you plan out every camping spot, and especially if you book ahead, and one day something happens so that you cannot make it as far as you hoped to go ... what do you do?

Suppose you have a bad day with tough terrain, tough weather, mechanical difficulties and/or lack of energy ... and at 8:30 pm you realise you are still 30 km (2+ hours) from where you were planning to stop ... the wind is still howling, the temperature is dropping, darkness is falling and all you want to do is to stop for the night already. If you've booked ahead and arriving at that spot is a critical part of your plan, you might feel like you've got to push on. Whereas if you're just winging it, you might stop at the campground in the town you're currently going through, or just find a decent place off the road somewhere.

staehpj1

Personally I can't imagine being shackled to a schedule that was planned out before the tour. I generally do not stealth camp, but do camp for free much of the time (small town parks, churches, someones yard, etc.). I look ahead each day to see what my options are for places to stay and have one in mind, but also look at other alternatives just in case. I look a bit farther ahead too so that I maximize my options for the next day or two especially if there are long inhospitable stretches.

Juha

I've done a couple of tours where I carefully planned every night's camp in advance. Not one of those tours went as planned.

Nowadays, I plan the general region where I'm going to get food for the night and next morning. I often visit that particular town's tourist info for pointers on B&B, camping and such. I've also asked around from locals. It helps that "stealth" camping is actually legal here and we don't have extreme conditions such as desert areas to cross.

--J

Machka 

Another scenario ...

Suppose you plan your route and book all your nights along the way. Then you get out there, and discover that one particular road is horrible because of construction, so you look at the map and discover that you can get around all that construction, but it is going to add an extra day or two of riding, throwing you off schedule, and you're going to completely miss the town you planned to spend that night in.

Or suppose your cycling along, and you stop in at a restaurant where you hear about a must-see view/museum/land formation/whatever off the route that would take up an extra day or two. Decisions - stick to the schedule and miss seeing something you'd really like to see .... or take the detour and mess up a whole line of bookings.

Cyclebum

+1. Or, on a long tour, how you'd ever stick to it. Talk about stressful.

simplygib

To get a feel for solo touring, you might plan a short tour in a location where there are plenty of campgrounds, then stealth camp a night or two along the way just to see how you like it. That should eliminate that fear of the unknown, not just for stealth camping, but for solo touring as well.

Part of the reason I love touring is the freedom from schedules.

On my last tour we (there were 2 of us) each brought tents for stealth camping. We had reservations at our starting point, but nothing past that. At the end of the 9-week trip we had used the tents exactly one time, and that was in the restaurant building of a resort that was closed. Motels and hostels were abundant and inexpensive everywhere we went (Mexico, Central America). And there were always vacancies (low season). In that situation the choice between sleeping in the jungle with fire ants, snakes, howler monkeys (loud), occasional heavy rain, etc., and having a shower, bed and a roof over our heads, was easy.

My Pacific Coast tour (started solo, met 3 others along the way and ended up riding together) was camping nearly every night, except the first and last nights, and three other nights waiting out a storm. There it was easy - campgrounds every 30 miles or less, cheap hiker/biker sites everywhere, no reservations. Again, didn't do any stealth camping, but was ready for it if needed.

Take a look at your proposed route. Find out about the availability of hotels, hostels, campgrounds and stealth camping opportunities. Plan on a comfortable average daily mileage to give yourself spare time for unforeseen circumstances. Make time your friend, not your enemy. Smell some roses along the way. Plan a tour that doesn't eliminate all the spontaneity from it, which in my opinion would ruin it.

BigBlueToe

I did stealth camping when I was young and very poor, and I didn't like it. I don't like having to worry if someone's going to object to my being there. I've camped at random spots in national forests where it's okay lots of times. I do like that.

On tour I try and camp, with motels as a backup. I prefer camping. I plan out my intinerary prior to the tour, but know that it's only a framework. I know I won't stick to it. When I'm actually out on the tour, I stay in the selected spots from my itinerary about half the time. I usually plan a couple days ahead. Often the choices you'll have on Tuesday depend on how far you ride on Monday, so you can't just think one day at a time. I often make up my mind at lunchtime where I'll camp that night. Sometimes I'll make my decision when I actually get to a spot: "This looks like a great place to stay; I'll stop here," or "This doesn't look all that great. I think I'll make some more progress today before I stop."

I don't like getting to a campground that's full and having to figure something out, so I try and get to the campground in the early afternoon if I think this might happen. On Fridays and Saturdays I'll try and get there by 3:00 at the latest, and sometimes even by 1:00. I'm on vacation, and riding a certain number of miles every day isn't my only consideration. I like camping in a good campsite. I like sitting around and reading. I like taking naps. I like eating. I like drinking coffee. If I stop at 1:00 in a nice campsite I've got more time for those things.

nun

I research my route before I go and have a list of campsites and motels. I also carry an iPhone which is great for finding places to stay if you have reception. Stealth camping is generally my final option.

The thing that I do is to ride easily manageable distances, say 50 miles and start early. This means that I often arrive by late morning or early afternoon. I have plenty of time if things go wrong and also get ample time to rest and look around the town or go for a meal.

Booger1

I don't have mileage goals to speak of.

I plan for an end result.I want to ride from point A to point B.

So it's 100 miles,with some hills.I'll plan on 30-50 miles a day.So it will take me 3 days.Planning completed!

Pack panniers,get on bike and ride.Deal with what comes up in the middle,that's touring for me and I like it that way.

I planned a 3 day round trip from L.A. to Santa Barbara and back via Lake Piru (about 200 mile R/T or so) for Labor Day weekend.Took me longer to type this than to look at the maps on Google to figure out how to get to the coast from Santa Clarita Valley.

vautrain

Thanks for all the replies. It's starting to make more sense to me now, but I think starting out riding and not knowing exactly where I'm going to sleep that night definitely represents a mental hurdle I need to clear. Maybe I should do a short tour with someone more experienced before I try it on my own.

As for the kind of touring I have in mind, I guess since I'm a complete newbie I'd like to do a couple of 3-day tours at first. I'm in the city of Chicago, and it basically takes a day to get anywhere truly outside the urban environment where towns aren't necessarily bunched right up next to each other. I can slingshot out on the Metra train system down to Indiana or up to Wisconsin, or perhaps out to rural Illinois (meh, been here most of my life).

I'm not sure I would really like to do a C2C tour. I'd be more interested in doing 1-2 week tours, probably around Appalachia, the Pacific Northwest, or maybe even Canada or Europe. My work situation doesn't really allow me to be gone more than a couple of weeks at a time.

simplygib

+1 Met some nice people that way. Using that method got me camping spots behind stores, at a church, on a plateau overlooking a rustic bar/restaurant (restaurant owners also owned the plateau), and at a full-to-the-brim RV park on the park manager's lawn (I was injured, couldn't ride another ten feet, the manager took pity on me).

Greg_R

One thing I learned from backpacking is that you are not required to eat dinner at your campsite. Cook and eat your dinner wherever but then ride a few more miles up the road to find a good stealth camping location. This has the added benefit of reducing critter/bear problems (the smell of food cooking + any spills will attract them).

Machka 

I've done it where I've eaten my main meal at about 2 or 3 pm ... sometimes made from stuff found in a grocery store, sometimes from a cheap take-away place ... and then when we got to where we would spend the night, we'd just have a snack. You don't have to stick to conventional eating times etc. when you're on tour.

LeeG

that point is worth repeating. Have a big meal at 3-4pm then crawl out of town for 10 miles with a full belly for a quiet snooze stocked up with liquids for the next days meals.

Neil G.

There's actually no need for you to clear that hurdle.

People have different personalities and desires. Given your apprehension (and also your time windows), you sound like you're a planner, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Don't let some guy who likes to wing it make you feel inferior for being a planner, because you're not. You're just different than he is.

Reserve a campsite at Kettle Moraine or Lake Geneva some weekend, ride up there, camp, and ride home the next day. Even though it's quick and simple, it'll get you out the door, and you'll learn way more about bike touring than you will from reading these forums.

Then you can build from there, and over time, you'll naturally learn what it takes to "wing it". Maybe you'll find that you prefer it to planning, or maybe you'll find that the planning method is better. Either way, experience on the road will give you the *ability* to wing it when necessary, even if it's not your preference.

I'm a planner myself, and when I plan routes, I pick primary stopping points (generally places with nice campgrounds in scenic locations, spaced 60-100 miles apart). But then, I go back to find every other possible camping spot along the route, to give me flexibility if I want to stop short or go longer. Sometimes a planned spot *is* a stealth camping spot. It's difficult (but not impossible) to make it to every planned spot on a weeks-long tour, so I adjust when I need to, but almost always have a fairly good idea in the morning where I'll be stopping for the night. It works extremely well for me, especially since my touring windows range from 2 to 4 weeks. My last tour included 8 National Parks/Monuments in southern Utah and northern Arizona, and for every one of them, I spent the night in the Park, at one of their campgrounds. There's no way that would have been possible without planning for it to happen that way. Winging it and not paying attention to mileage would have made for a really crappy trip (and maybe a deadly one, out in that desert!)