Touring Equipment

Ed got pics of that setup? No bar bag eh? I found my bar bag very useful for stuff that I used on the road such as camera, phone, cash or a bottle of coke.

I've posted it a dozen of time, I'm surprise you haven't notice;

Remember I was riding a fixed wheel bicycle, it's vital to keep the weight as low as possible, saddlebag didn't swing at all despite the abnormal length, the only time it does is when the strap loosen a bit due to poor installation.

The framebag was plentiful for accessibility, I had a musette for the occasional bread and fruit when nearing a destination/lunch.

@ltc: The list I made did quite well. Maybe next time I would only use merino wool both on and off the bike and leave the cooking stuff behind. The last two weeks I didnt have any gas, but I didnt mind at all to live on cold stuff, loads of fruits and veggies and canned tuna in olive oil on baguette with pepper and salt. Good shit!

This is a very important decision you have to make earlier on, deciding not to take cooking equipment can easily save you 2.5kg and a huge amount of volume in your panniers/bikepacks.

And if going to France I would bring an electricity adapter. They dont have normal plugs over there.

Ensure all the device you're taking can be charged via USB, making it easier to carry just the one, also a bonus if your device share the same mini-USB port (or micro), if not, you can get small adaptor that plug into the cable;

When going with friends I guess common sense would get you far. Dont multi-bring stuff that you only need one of. This can go as far as soap and toothpaste, but I'd start with tools and looking for the possibility to share a tent etc.

Sharing the same wheel size and inner tube valve is pretty fucking useful, would've save me a 60km round trip to a decathlon to pick up spare for my stranded companion whom brought a 700c instead of a 26" by mistake.

Well, after reading all these ultralight touring proponents, I'll try to weigh in for the other side (pun intended).

As Ed says above, you're not racing, so being a bit heavy isn't a problem. You also have to remember it's not just about the cycling and you need to take the things that will make camping enjoyable for you: decent tent etc, comfortable mat, stove, change of clothes, book, whatever. After 6 hours riding I certainly want a cool shower and clean clothes!

Sure thing, it's definitely personal. For myself I take more joy out of a good long and hopefully not too slow ride than a hot meal on a comfortable seat after it.

I seriously considering to leave the cooking equipment at home the next time I go touring. There is so much tasty stuff for on bread out there, especially in the mediterranean countries, and loads of fresh fruits and veggies. And when I feel like a proper meal I can ''eat out'' and taste some of the local specialities.
Then it's also a matter of budget and how much you want to spend. My tent, sleeping bag and mat are very comfortable yet extremely light. However this comes at a price.

In Spain, eating out is surprisingly cheap in those small rural villages that no one visit because there's nothing of interested other than the amazing landscape.

We got a full 3 course lunch meal for the pair of us that cost only 18 euros, including a small bottle of wine! (heavily regretted later in the day).

Never got tired of bread, salami and cheese, especially in France and Spain.

Nosier, did you use the hammock without a sleeping bag?

So true. Add Portugal to that list. I just came back from spending nye there and it is goreous and at least 30% cheaper than Spain. It's ridiculous! Next tour I want Portugal to be in there :)
Watch it with the wine indeed. No alcohol on tours for me.

Good thinking, will add Portugal to my list as well.

Santander - Portugal and ferry back to the UK.

That's my next tour plan ed! are there any ferries back from portugal though? i couldn't find any

I only know that there was base on reading up about WW2, will look into it.

I got this message;

Sorry, our Ferries to Portugal page is no longer available due to this service not running anymore. For an alternative, please visit the following pages:

Best bet is flying to Portugal and ride to Santander instead (or to France via the Channel).

Why not fly back?

I prefere ferries and don't trust airlines with my bike. Probably have to in this case.

We've been considering ferry to Santander, loop around Spain dipping into Portugal and ferry back from Bilbao. I keep changing my mind every five minutes though.

I keep changing my mind every five minutes though.

Keep at that and dont decide until you're at the roundabout. Gonna be a great trip anyway!

Why not fly back?

Easier to pack up your bikes in the UK rather than having to locate cardboard/bubble wrap etc in Portugal. You can then stick that in the recycling at the other end and just ride off.

You don't necessary need to pack your bike, you can just wheel your bike in providing you turn the handlebar, removed pedals and deflated the tyres, they're more likely to take care of it.

Mind you I got a tiny dent on the top tube due to that.

I tried that once Ed, but they wouldn't take my bike unpacked at the airport. Most airlines mention this in the policy. Though packing a bike abroad shouldnt be too big a deal. Here's a quote of a PM I sent to another forumenger a little while ago who wanted to see how I packed on my flight back from a tour:

Hi there,

Here is a little guide to how I packed my bike the last time when I bikepacked to Madrid and took it back by airplane. As you can see on the pictures, I didn't use bubble wrap because I couldnt find it. I used clingfilm (For a carbon bike) which worked out just fine, but I recommend using some bubble wrap as well.

One of the advantages of using a cardboard box is that it's much lighter than a designated bike box and that there is a lot of leftover space. Of course while bikepacking I couldnt bring any suitcases with me so this turned out very handy. I put all my cycling clothes, frame and bar bag, accessories and tools inside the box with the bike.

I didnt mention it in the pictures but make sure to lose some pressure on the tires before you pack it.

Hey guys, I was wondering about what kind of stoves you all use as well as cook sets ect. I've been looking for one to buy and this seems good: Esbit 985ml Stove and Cookset: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors . I have used a trangier quite a few times and my dad thinks they're good. What do you think

If staying in Europe I'd recommend a gas burner as the gas is easy to come by throughout Europe and the stoves are cheaper. For the pots I would look for a set with a lid also for the small pot. This allows you to heat your rice or pasta until the water boil, take it off the stove and let it rest (on top of the large pot) while cooking something else in the large pot.

Trangia are good as long as long as you're not in a rush or need super high heat.
Apparently the trade off point is somewhere around a week where it becomes more efficient (weight-wise) to carry compressed gas stoves.
Of course, depending on where you're going and whether you mind a little mess, you could use one of these or a diy version.
Vargo would be an unsealable ultralight competition for Trangia.

If staying in Europe I'd recommend a gas burner as the gas is easy to come by throughout Europe and the stoves are cheaper. For the pots I would look for a set with a lid also for the small pot. This allows you to heat your rice or pasta until the water boil, take it off the stove and let it rest (on top of the large pot) while cooking something else in the large pot.

That's probably the only reason that I was going for trangia. I was under the impression that the gas was really quite rare outside of the UK (somebody told me that). Thanks for that!

Depends what gas - I had a primus stove and could only get find the specific canisters from high quality camping shops and certain decathlons, outside of france it became pretty useless.

The blue Campinggaz canisters were alot easier to find and sold in most supermarkets

^^^^^ another recomendation I would make is to buy a shit skateboard and attach a truck to one end of the bottom of the box, then you can wheel the box, makes transport to the airport a lot easier. at least you can do this on the way out. Ensure you put washers on the bolts so as to not rip through the cardboard

Good one Fred, I just took a cab though.