loadedcyclist

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• Winter sleeping mats

  @loadedcyclist started

  • 23 comments
  • 1,588 views

  @hippy replied
• Lightweight tent recommendations?

  in Cycle Touring and Bikepacking • 1 year, 10 months

  

  ketsbaia

  Anyone thinking of flogging an unwanted/cheap lightweight tent in the near future? I'm potentially in the market for one after a mate suggested cycling to a pub in the middle of nowhere that has a campsite next to it. See also: lightweight sleeping mat.

  for that application you shouldn't need particularly lightweight. In fact maybe better if not - wouldn't do to trip over a lightweight wonder on the way back from the pub.

• Winter sleeping mats

  in Cycle Touring and Bikepacking • 1 year, 10 months

  

  C4r1s in reply to @loadedcyclist
  Yeah, a couple of elastic shock cords is the best way of keeping them together! I used some old tent pole elastic from broken poles as a makeshift tie. Or a luggage strap round them if that’s what you have to hand, just not too tight!

  top tip, thanks - i have a fair bit of bungee cord around

• Winter sleeping mats

  in Cycle Touring and Bikepacking • 1 year, 10 months

  

  Aim to limit convention as well as conduction with the ground, so put your best reflective layer on top of your inflatable mat, not underneath to stop heat escaping through the mat in the first place.

  thanks - that makes sense to me, though I swear some bloke in an outdoor shop told me that the silver layer should go on the bottom - made no sense to me. My only problem with having it on top would be that as a "solid" layer, however thin, it would be difficult to keep it sitting on top of the inflatable mat during the night.

• Winter sleeping mats

  in Cycle Touring and Bikepacking • 1 year, 10 months

  

  I'm on an Synmat UL7, but we upgraded my partner's mat at Xmas to a Sea to Summit Etherlite Extreme insulated. She's a side sleeper and didn't get on with the Synmat that well.

  thanks for reply. This is for cyclecamping?
  (i ask as weight seems to me to be less of an issue if not carrying on your back)

• British Cycling being embarassing, obsequious idiots ...

  in Rides & Races • 1 year, 10 months

  

  https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/extinction-rebellion-stage-anti-shell-protest-at-british-track-champs
  British Cycling's response. "no comment".

• Winter sleeping mats

  in Cycle Touring and Bikepacking • 1 year, 11 months

  

  Kurai

  We have insulated mats for winter camping, but they are considerably more expensive.

  Maybe combine a foam mat like a thermarest sol ?

  Many thanks for reply.

  Good suggestion.

  I WAS doing a test camp the other night in what was supposed to be minus 2.

  With a zig-zag karrimor foam mat and a standard (old style) thermarest on top of it, but this combo didn't seem to be quite up to it.

  I know that decathlon do a zig-zag foam thing with a silver coated layer -maybe that's better?

  I take your valid point about dedicated winter mats being more pricey - a specialist need/market for sure - can I ask what yours is?

  I stress that I am not aiming to camp in truly low low conditions - I am after all a cyclist/cycle camper and won't be dragging my bike and ton of junk up a trackless mountain, nor like riding across ice, but just want to sleep easy on a night that MAY dip to minus 2 or 3, then after a good sleep and biding my time in the tent in the morning, fortified by espresso and snacks, venturing out for a cycle/onwards journey in temps at least plus zero.

• Owning your own home

  in Miscellaneous and Meaningless • 1 year, 11 months

  

  If it's not boarded then there isn't much point in going up. Particularly if there's no loft ladder it can be pretty awkward to climb in and out.

  maybe but I'd still make sure I checked it out in the way I said.
  and is the seller saying they didn't check it out when buying?

  it's not unknown for sellers to play the innocent/ignorant.
  I well remember asking some sweet old lady whether the nearby sewage farm was an issue.
  she'd lived there for decades but still said "what sewage farm?".

  (A pal of mine who had lived nearby alerted me)

• Owning your own home

  in Miscellaneous and Meaningless • 1 year, 11 months

  

  Another warning sign re the seller who couldn't tell their arse from their elbow; they don't have a ladder to go up to the loft and they have not been up. No worries, we are bringing ours, I will make sure the surveyor knows that. I will bring them a ladder if I must.

  The seller's line on the loft sounds somewhat odd to me - never been in loft when owned house? I would get the roof checked, preferably by a builder/roofer. Re surveys and box ticking when I last employed a surveyor I stressed that I wanted the roof checked before engaging him. He agreed. But then did box ticking referred to by a wise poster upthread - said there was an access issue to corners - not true - and that couldn't see properly/reserved judgement. Bloody useless. Roof turned out to have two leaks and signs of these two areas being deliberately obscured were very clear to anyone with a bit of nous/due diligence. I would get up in the loft with anyone doing the survey and take a powerful torch. Many bike lights suitable of course. Good luck.
  My opinion of surveyors is very low after my experience and that of a neighbour - he found multiple roof leaks on moving in - none had been spotted by his surveyor.

• Winter sleeping mats

  in Cycle Touring and Bikepacking • 1 year, 11 months

  

  hanford

  Alpkit Numo would do the job

  have you used it in winter?
  I very much doubt that it would do the job - it's just full of air - very little thermal insulation indeed.
  I have one, nice mat, but I wouldn't dream of using it in winter.
  If i wanted to sleep and dream