Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Happy new gear!

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Happy new gear!

Old 01-02-23, 11:12 AM
  #1  
gauvins
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: QC Canada
Posts: 1,950

Bikes: Custom built LHT & Troll

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 832 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 100 Posts
Happy new gear!

[sorry. couldn't resist]

My 2023 resolution is to revise my packing system. A couple of times I regretted not having a backpack to hike side trips. Santa was kind enough to find that I am a deserving kid and I got an MLD Core 25L during the holidays. (small, narrow, frameless, waterproof backpack, easy to tie down to a rear rack.). The plan is to ditch the front rack, store "heavy" items in 4 x 5L fork packs (2 front + 2 rear) and the remainder in the backpack. Or something like that.

Have a good one.
gauvins is offline  
Likes For gauvins:
Old 01-08-23, 04:46 PM
  #2  
Pratt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 1,095
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 410 Post(s)
Liked 488 Times in 291 Posts
Good idea.
When I did the GAP/C&O I shipped the bike back from DC and took the train to NYC. I took toiletries, rain jacket, etc. in a little Sea to Summit pack the stuffs into its own stuff sack about 3" long and 11/2" in diameter.
Pratt is offline  
Old 01-09-23, 06:23 AM
  #3  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
I will be very impressed if you can do a trip with four fork packs of 5 liters each, plus one 25 liter pack on a rear rack. That sums to 45 liters.

Or, am I missing something here, were you planning to also use frame pack and/or handlebar harness, maybe small top tube bag, maybe a large volume saddle bag?

Decades ago when I did a lot of backpacking in the Rockies, a friend of mine used a very small lightweight backpack as his sleeping bag stuff sack when he packed up his larger backpack. Thus, if we stayed in one spot for two nights he had a small daypack that he could use for short hikes on a zero day.
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 01-09-23, 07:25 AM
  #4  
andrewclaus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Golden, CO and Tucson, AZ
Posts: 2,822

Bikes: 2016 Fuji Tread, 1983 Trek 520

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 669 Post(s)
Liked 725 Times in 422 Posts
That looks like a nice pack. I've heard of the company but haven't bought from them.

Are you planning on day trips or overnighters? For day trips, I use a little 20L pack from REI. For overnighters, I use my old Gossamer Gear G4. Neither has padding or hip belt, both pack easily into my Arkel Drylites. I tried using the G4 as a rack-top bag once but it was too unwieldy and finicky to pack. I think it would work with a learning curve.

I seldom go anywhere (other than errands) without hiking gear. My hiking shirt, trousers, and shoes work well as cycling clothes too. I volunteer on several trail crews and can usually cycle to the trailheads.
andrewclaus is offline  
Old 01-09-23, 09:33 AM
  #5  
staehpj1
Senior Member
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
Sounds like a nice setup. 45 liter total sounds okay to me. I backpack with that and that is when carrying 4+ days of food in a bear canister (BV450). Touring you can get by carrying very little food and restocking frequently. I'd suggest that if you do need overflow capability for short periods of the tour a bar roll is a way to add capacity. It could even be improvised with a stuffsack and cord. A couple short pieces of pvc pipe or other rigid tubing space it from the bar and might be worth taking if you know you will need to add a roll.
staehpj1 is offline  
Old 01-09-23, 10:27 AM
  #6  
gauvins
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: QC Canada
Posts: 1,950

Bikes: Custom built LHT & Troll

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 832 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 100 Posts
Well... I've toured the previous 2 summers (self supported including food for up to a week) with 2 front rollers + tent & food tied to the rear rack. Nominally 2 x 12.5L + 15L max on the rack + a camp chair and a 3L dry bag partially filled with rain gear tied on top of the front rollers (total 45L at the most) . So 4x5L + a max 25L on the rack is probably more than I'll ever need. The question will be how to pack and whether 4 x 5L has benefits over 2 X 12.5L.

I see two advantages with my tentative new setup: (1) I'll have a decent backpack for side trips on foot; (2) I can ditch the front rack, making is easier to fly. I am waiting for 2 dry bags, in the mail, and will try to figure this out.
gauvins is offline  
Old 01-09-23, 12:35 PM
  #7  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
Originally Posted by gauvins
Well... I've toured the previous 2 summers (self supported including food for up to a week) with 2 front rollers + tent & food tied to the rear rack. Nominally 2 x 12.5L + 15L max on the rack + a camp chair and a 3L dry bag partially filled with rain gear tied on top of the front rollers (total 45L at the most) . So 4x5L + a max 25L on the rack is probably more than I'll ever need. The question will be how to pack and whether 4 x 5L has benefits over 2 X 12.5L.

I see two advantages with my tentative new setup: (1) I'll have a decent backpack for side trips on foot; (2) I can ditch the front rack, making is easier to fly. I am waiting for 2 dry bags, in the mail, and will try to figure this out.
I suspect that I am so used to trips where I carry over a week of food that my volume estimate was somewhat off. And I was assuming this was for your round the world tour that you have been planning. If I was planning a big tour like that, my volume needs would exceed 45 liters by a lot.
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 01-09-23, 02:28 PM
  #8  
gauvins
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: QC Canada
Posts: 1,950

Bikes: Custom built LHT & Troll

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 832 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 100 Posts
Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
[...] I was assuming this was for your round the world tour that you have been planning[...]
Well, I've never actively planned for a RTW (work + family) and given the current political situation it is becoming less and less of a possibility. I'd say that there's a 50/50 chance that I'll bike tour (with wife and pre-teen) next summer. And a slim possibility that I'll attempt a solo/duo short tour. (life is definitely too short

Last edited by gauvins; 01-09-23 at 04:30 PM.
gauvins is offline  
Old 01-09-23, 04:25 PM
  #9  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
Originally Posted by gauvins
Well, I've never actively planned for a RTW (work + family) and given the current political situation is becoming less and less of a possibility. I'd say that there's a 50/50 chance that I'll bike tour (with wife and pre-teen) next summer. And a slim possibility that I'll attempts a solo/duo short tour. (life is definitely too short
You are fortunate that you have been able to take some good vacations. Before I retired, my longest vacation was a week long. Work always got in they way.

Exception, I often took two weeks over Christmas and New Years, but that was for family, not a trip.

But now that I am retired, have been able to take multi-week trips. I find that I like five to six week long bike tours the best.
Tourist in MSN is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.