Touring Equipment

Yes seriously. Weight matters on bike just as much IMO. 2.5 kg is heavy for a solo tent if you want a cheap solo tend decathloon have a two man @ 2kg for about the same price. An easy way to save 500g, that' s a lot of weight to save for free.

Got the Vango Banshee tent for touring round France and Spain this year, great tent - except I'd strongly recommend, replacing the aluminium tent pegs if you are summer camping. On the dry ground they crumpled like cooked spaghetti - there are titanium pegs around for reasonable prices. Will be getting these for next time:
http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16259&category_id=253

Took these sleeping bags, and to be fair only used it half the time (it was pretty good weather) and we had liners made from cheapy single bed-sheets
http://www.simplyhike.co.uk/products/Vango/Ultralite100SleepingBag-Paprika.aspx

Yes seriously. Weight matters on bike just as much IMO. 2.5 kg is heavy for a solo tent if you want a cheap solo tend decathloon have a two man @ 2kg for about the same price. An easy way to save 500g, that' s a lot of weight to save for free.
Hmmm I'm in two minds about this, as a percentage weight saving it isn't a huge saving if you're travelling fully laden. 500g = half a bottle of water, or a big poo. Weight on the bike fluctuates a fair bit.

I'd prefer the vango over a decathlon tent, but that may simply be effective marketing by vango. Total tangent - my dad has a vango force 10 that was used on the South West Face expedition up Everest in the 70s, and it's great. Not "touring weight" though, probably 5kg!

There's some crazy super-light travelling bloke who rides what looks like a geared OTP with a saddlebag, all over the world, mountains in pakistan, deserts, you name it. He sleeps on bubble wrap, and weighs it before and after his trips to measure how much sweat and dead skin and dirt it collects. It all adds up, apparently.

so weight varies day to day, and if you aren't travelling particularly light, 500g isn't the end of the world. But if the product, quality and price are close, go for the lighter one, obviously.

Vango's cheap tents are no better than Decathlon's it just vango also do some high level expedition tents like the one your dad used.

The problem is the mind set of "it's only an extra 500g", do that a few times and you have an extra couple of kg, 500 g is hard to save in one chunk. I'm not some super experienced tourer but what little I have done after each trip I've always wished I had less weight.

Forgot to say there are two of us, so 2 (wo)man is required.

I'm thinking every g counts, especially since now I'm going to have to take camping stuff and locks, so I'm happy to save 500g.
Is this the Decathlon tent Tommy? If it's just as good then it's worth a look.
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/t2-ultralight-pro-3244110/#

a lot smaller porch, slightly narrower but higher than the vango. I might afford myself 500g for more porch space for panniers etc.

This looks good megoid, cheers
http://www.simplyhike.co.uk/products...g-Paprika.aspx

I'm confused about the pack size though.
Pack size: 20 x circumference 16cm / 4 litres

Will make sure I do a 500g poo every day.

Bargin it's on sale! I may see if I can scrape together the pennies and get one myself!

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/t2-ultralight-pro-3244110/

My girlfriend and I have the T3 ultra light which is 3 kg between the two of us, about the limit I would want to carry, but it has loads of room. It's held up great I'd have no hesitation in buying the T2 ultra light. Been cycle touring in France in the summer with some very heavy rain, wild camping in the woods in sub zero temps, hiking and camping , camp site camping too in very wet conditions. The only thing I do is carry a small piece of builders plastic the size of the inner tent and place that under the test (making sure bits don't stick out the side) to protect the floor from sharp stones, twigs e.t.c and the damage that would result in a leak though the floor

Cool, sounds like a decent recommendation. I reckon I'll need to go see both of them as it's a fairly important decision. I'm not really up for carrying extra plastic if the Decathlon one is a bit fragile tbh. I'm still leaning towards the vango however.

All light tents have fragile floors and a little bit of plastic or similar is standard method, if you don't use it you just have to except that your floor will wear out quicker.

http://www.tauntonleisure.com/the-north-face-tadpole-23-tent/p4756?source=froogle&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=comparison_shopping_feeds&utm_nooverride=1
this which i borrowed from Joe smith was excellent IMO.
really really good.

http://www.tauntonleisure.com/the-north-face-tadpole-23-tent/p4756?source=froogle&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=comparison_shopping_feeds&utm_nooverride=1
this which i borrowed from Joe smith was excellent IMO.
really really good.

Pitches inner first fail. Would make for some miserable wet nights if you have to set up camp in the rain.

Vango's cheap tents are no better than Decathlon's it just vango also do some high level expedition tents like the one your dad used.

The problem is the mind set of "it's only an extra 500g", do that a few times and you have an extra couple of kg, 500 g is hard to save in one chunk. I'm not some super experienced tourer but what little I have done after each trip I've always wished I had less weight.
thought so for the tents.

as for the weight, true dat. Less weight is always a good idea.

the tent i use for touring weighs about 2kg its a coleman 360, but on a dewy morning or after a rainy night you can add a fair bit extra to that, i will try and get a lighter tent when i need get a new one. saving weight does make a big difference, even with a decent tourer with good racks.

i use a ajungilak tundra 3 season sleeping bag, it packs up tiny is light and really comfortable.

I'm on the look out for a touring bike for my wife. she's on the shorter side (5foot2)

please send pic of wife.... I might have a frame to trade for her...

My Vango is a 3-person (it was our bit of luxury for the trip). The lightweights are usually pretty dang cosy (I'm a 6 footer with gangly arms to match) and we wanted to be able to keep our gear inside with us. It does weigh in at 2.5kg but it was divided between the two of us, so nominal additional weight in return for a bit of extra comfort / piece of mind.

@Wicksie - the floor is pretty thin (ala garden-strength black rubbish bag) we just had to be aware of where we pitched, and moved anything that looked overly sharp, and had a 'no shoes in the tent' policy :)

Also as a side note, if you are going to be staying in camp sites - make space for table tennis bats and a ball, all the sites have permanent tables ... a friend said to me 'economize on the necessities and squeeze in the luxuries' and if I had have known about the table tennis I would have happily left out that extra warm top I squeezed in ;)

Maybe a groundsheet is necessary then. Extra weight. Meh.

I'd really like to have my Vango Tempest 200 for this weekend but can't find it in any shops in London.
Double meh.

tyvek ground cloth is the lightest. As I said I use cheap builder plastic, not as light but still pretty light but cheaper and easier to obtain.

USA unfortunately
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tyvek-Ground-Cloth-tent-sleeping-bag-backpack-camping-/120605398729?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0#ht_3014wt_1139

think superPrecise had tyvec.
he's got some lovely kit.
fling him a PM

used this: http://www.tarptent.com/scarp2.html for touring in the alps earlier this summer - an awesome bit of kit - got the extra crossing poles for it, but you could easily get away without (we got them cos we were also doing a fair bit of hiking at much higher altitude). Seriously quick to put up too (literaly no more than a couple of minutes) - which is a godsend when its chucking it down.

Am I being totally dense here?

Why doesn't my 'One Fits All' rear Topeak rack fit my 126mm rear ends? There's another 1" to play with.
http://www.topeak.com/mediafiles/assets/487/file/1

Crappy pic might help show what I'm on about...

1 Attachment

Hmm, I assume I just bend it into place.

Good idea with Aluminium tubing?...

use a washer/spacer each side, i had to do it on a tubus rack, it came with various spacers for this, i'm surprised yours didn't maybe they got lost in the shop.

i have improvised with the little washers that come on tube valves in the past too.

Hmm, I assume I just bend it into place.

pretty much.

I've been bitten by the touring bug and I'm building up a Surly Long Haul Trucker. I'm taking my time on it (not required until next May) and I've put a blog together for both research purposes and for the shits and giggles of writing about it.

Feel free to have a nose and comment away as I slowly fuck the thing up.

http://bit.ly/bahapq

I've been bitten by the touring bug and I'm building up a Surly Long Haul Trucker. I'm taking my time on it (not required until next May)

Wow, it takes nine months for the bite to take effect?

Hmm, I assume I just bend it into place.

Good idea with Aluminium tubing?...

I did. I had an inch or so either side.