Generic Touring Thread

I went for two tents.

A 3 man Hilleberg Nammatj for my wife and I, which is the 4KG one and is super spacious and unbelievably strong. This is more for holidays, world travels, festivals, etc... it's to replace a 20 year old 2 man that had been everywhere, and I wanted something as capable.

But, for ultra-light touring I've opted for the Hilleberg Enan 2015 which is ridiculously light at 1.1KG for a three season strong tent. It is a bit coffin like, which doesn't suit sitting upright, etc. But hey... this is just for the cycle touring.

For what you've described, I'd seriously consider the Hilleberg Anjan tents. They're around 2kg and come in variants with a vestibule or without. They're 3 season tents, and suited mainly for soft pitching sites (fields, not rocky sides of mountains).

I thought the Anjan was perfect in fact, except for the fact that my wife dislikes camping and anything I can do to give her more space, comfort is worth it... hence my choosing the 3 person Nammatj instead. The Anjan would've got it and been the only purchase if she were more enthusiastic about camping.

Cheers, all. I've seen some sub-kilo tents, but I suspect they're condom thin. I really want to cut at least 1.5k for it to be really worth it (so a tent around the 1.2 kilo mark) as I really like our current tent (MEC Tarn 2), so need to take that into consideration re: weight savings.

Having said that, this was me at one point two days ago, so every little obviously helps.

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^ And you've not mentioned anything about your PX London Road breaking, so that's reassuring. :)

Handled a very lopsided load like a boss. Me, on the other hand...

Is that my old Bob Jackson Audax bike you're going on?
Pics?

Between Digoin and Grenoble, which way are you planning to go?
Not sure about northwest of Lyon, but a direct line Lyon to Grenoble is not that interesting. They call the area in between Le Terre Froide, it's flat and damp and fairly dull.

You can pick up a section of the ViaRhona east of Lyon and down to Grenoble that way, then going around or through the Parc Chartreuse.
Or follow it the other way, south from Lyon, down as far as Saint-Vallier or Tournon-sur-Rhône, then cut across to Saint-Nazaire-en-Royans, from where you can cross the mountains and gorges of the Vercors (including the amazing Route de Combe Laval, the D76) and back up to Grenoble, or straight across to Huez from there.

Alternatively, if you're not fussed about passing through Lyon, you can head more directly south from Digoin, towards St. Etienne, and pass round the back through the Ardeche, and pick up one of the l'Ardechoise cycle routes, see here also.

I'm in Valence if you need any spares or repairs on the way...

Ready for the off. Bike tour starts with a short hop to Victoria Station at 5am tomorrow. Should get more scenic after that. Back in three weeks. Toodle pip!

Nice Epos.

Enjoy the trip!

They're lovely speakers. Cheers!

I have some ES11s, however on permanent loan to a friend. Linn Keilidhs are doing the job in their absence.

Enjoy the tour!

Hi! Yes indeed I'm riding the Bob Jackson. Thanks for the tips, very very useful as I hadn't really planned any kinda route between digoin and the alps. Will deffo use that advice when I'm in those parts!

Beware of the southbound viarhona from Lyon,
it simply doesn't exist until Givors,
lots of cars down that way.
I would use the cycling lanes from Lyon to St Priest,
and use quiet roads to get to the start of this cycling route
http://www.af3v.org/-Fiche-VVV-.html?voie=161
that swings into Grenoble.

N/m.

Thinking about doing the Pyrenees and northern spain in late september. Will the weather be good?

Would be keen to base myself at a campsite for one of two weeks somewhere in Pyrenees, suggestions on where?

But, for ultra-light touring I've opted for the Hilleberg Enan 2015 which is ridiculously light at 1.1KG for a three season strong tent. It is a bit coffin like, which doesn't suit sitting upright, etc. But hey...

I have the tarp tent double rainbow, genuine 2 man space, 1.1kg and tiny pack size. http://www.tarptent.com/double-rainbow.html I've used it trekking in patagonia in such wind and it's strong.

I'm planning a 6 day tour from Munich to Strasbourg. Riding south out of Munich down to the Bavarian Alps, riding west to Lake Constance and then up through the Black Forest to Strasbourg.

Anything I shouldn't miss?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/15941462

The 500 that starts at Koblenz is amazing. Pick it up.

You could route a little further west when going south from München and drink great beer at Kloster Andechs near the Ammersee.

The 500 that starts at Koblenz is amazing. Pick it up.

How do you mean? Koblenz is a long way off that route. Did you mean Konstanz? (There may well be another Koblenz that I haven't spotted.)

Yeah wrong one.
It starts near Waldshut-Tiengen on Swiss border. But can be joined higher up. It's a must ride/drive road.

Should be okay, but it can get very cold at night. I've ridden both the Alps and Pyrenees in mid September and got lucky with the weather both times. Dry and warm by day, but once the sun goes down the temperature plummets. Made an early start in the Croix de Fer, Galibier route a bit challenging.

Yeah done Alps in September and was nice.

Want to do Prynees as never been and figured norther Spain would be nice and warm.

Without reference to specifics, I'd try to spend more time heading through the Black Forest. But that's because I love it there. However, it's also a tad lumpy.

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Just heading home after nearly 4 weeks touring down the Pacific North West, from Seattle to San Francisco. No epic tales of heroism - I kept the mileage pretty modest each day (about 50 miles avg) so I had time to explore and hang out. It was amazing, though - can v strongly recommend. Oregon in particular was brilliant start to finish. Washington was beautiful, if a bit less cycle friendly than OR. N California was just really, really foggy.

Things I discovered that may be of use:
You can't get trangia-type fuel in camping shops - go to the solvents aisle in hardware stores and look for alcohol fuel.
If you can't face the ride into Portland (which I couldn't) little local buses go from Tillamook on the coast into the centre of Portland. Timings are pretty irregular but you can put your bike on the front.
I ignored advice to hitch a ride over the bridge across the Columbia from WA to OR and came as close to death as I think I ever have. It's 4 1/2 miles long, there's no shoulder, there are strong side winds and massive logging lorries. I would definitely look for a ride if I was doing it again.

And a few pics...