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Don't take a book, you aren't doing any reading. See also: a journal for jotting things down. At least half a kilo of deadweight there.
Disagree. If you're caught in your tent expecting days of rain and don't want to roll out, having a book is great.
Everything else sounds pretty spot on :)
Do you get less fussy with the state of your clothes?
Yes. But having things like merino stuff that doesn't stink, helps a bit, if you're feeling self-conscious going out.
In Bormio, I was wearing the same stuff every day. No fucks given.
If you're more fussy you can sink wash undies and socks in any built up places. If the weather is good you can bathe in streams and wash your t-shirt type stuff.
hippy-
Disagree. If you're caught in your tent expecting days of rain and don't want to roll out, having a book is great.
Is a fair point, but given I was staying in hotels and the weather was delightful, I was out every night.
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This is where a kindle is so great, right? Loads of book, minimal weight and size. (Yes Amazon though, obv other e-book readers are available)
EDIT: somehow didn’t realise this was three days ago
ketsbaia
andyfallsoff
Got back last night after my mini tour of northern France. Highly enjoyable and definitely will do it again.
Things I learned:
I think I was lucky with the weather, although it was ruddy windy on a couple of days and that killed my 'speed'. Conversely, that helped when I washed my shorts and hung them out on the hotel room balcony rail to dry. No punctures either despite going over some pretty tricky surfaces.
I've no idea how you'd go about packing for a longer tour, though. Do you get less fussy with the state of your clothes? Or make sure you always plan a stay somewhere with washing facilities? I reckon 90% of the weight I was carrying was clothes and I wore the lot in five days/four nights.