ITT gear reduction

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techno
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ITT gear reduction

Post by techno »

Hey, I'm preparing for the YD200 which will be my first ITT.
I'm trying to slim down my gear, & have already trimmed off 4.5kg from my last overnighter!
I'm looking for suggestions as to whatothers would see as superfluous from the following, thanks :-bd . (items in bold are things i might cut already):

Clothes to pack:
merino buff = 36g
waterproof = 380g
windproof = 150g
midge net = 50g
Total = 476g

Sleeping Gear:
dry top= 190g
bivi bag = 330g
sleeping bag = 660g
Sleeping mat = 540g
warm hat = 68g
bed/spare socks = 70g
boxers =70g
Total = 1928g

Tech & Misc:
front light inc batteries = 130g
rear light = 55g
maps & case = 200g
phone = 140g
Batteries = 60g
drybag = 40g
powerbank + cable = 180g
lock = 160g
Total = 965g

Luggage:
Handlebar pack = 190g
unbottle = 340g
frame bag = 380g
Total = 910g

Tools:
multitool = 176
puncture repair kit + levers = 52
inner tube = 355
cable ties = 15
6" spanner = 130 (non negotiable as my bike has an alfine gear hub)
pump and tape = 100
chain links = 15
tyre boot = 5
tool bag & straps = 65
spare pads = 50
Tubeless repair kit = 50
Total = 1013g

Cooking:
stove = 28
meths = 130
Windshield = 25
cup = 152
Water filter = 84
coffee =25
spork =8
museli =150
Lighter = 16

homemade uber flapjack=200
total = 918g

First aid kit/ toiletries:
ibruprofen
plasters
paracetamol
Sterile wipes
hand gel
loo roll
ziplock bag
toothbrush + paste
total = 230g

GRAND TOTAL = 5640g
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Really not much there to be losing and the stuff you've highlighted is the stuff I'd leave behind.

Although ...

What's an Unbottle? That seems heavy.

I probably wouldn't take the lock but that's just me.

I'd ditch the tooth brush / paste ... no time for that on an ITT :wink:
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whitestone
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by whitestone »

I'd order all those items by weight and then start looking at the heavier items first.

Do you intend to bivy or are you aiming to ride through and a bivy would just be something that you might have to do? In the latter case would emergency kit do or do you want to be comfy? Makes a big difference to the amount of kit you'll end up taking.

Some items might be an either/or depending on conditions - if only a light shower is possible then the windshirt should be good enough but if it's forecast for heavy rain then take the full waterproof.

Why warm hat and a buff? Can you get away without cooking? There's a few cafes along the way if you need hot food.

Presumably you are taking your lightweight kit so without spending cash you aren't going to save weight on things like bivy bag or sleeping bag. I'll probably take the following bivy kit:

SOL Escape bivy bag - 160g
Down vest or jacket - 80g or 180g
Thermal top - 140g
Thermal shorts - 70g

Tools: not dissimilar from what I've got. Loo roll? Use public loos or those at cafes or go au naturel and wipe your arse with grass! I think my FA kit and toiletries comes to less than 50g:

plasters
wipes
safety pins
toothpaste and brush (from long haul airline freebie) but wouldn't take this on an ITT that's likely to be 24hrs or so unless you have some specific dental problem that requires it.
ziplock bag

Electrickery & Misc - probably not much different. No lock; no maps (I know the area being local so not a lot of point) I've a heavier GPS in compensation.

I'll probably end up somewhere in the 3.5Kg region or a little more before food and water.

Ultimately it's what you are happy with in the predicted conditions. There's no absolute right or wrong.
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
techno
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by techno »

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Really not much there to be losing and the stuff you've highlighted is the stuff I'd leave behind.

Although ...

What's an Unbottle? That seems heavy.

I probably wouldn't take the lock but that's just me.

I'd ditch the tooth brush / paste ... no time for that on an ITT :wink:
Thanks Stu, the Unbottle is my way of carrying water, it's one of these: Image
strapped on top of bar roll as i can't use bottle cage with frame bag in place. (it was 99p from ebay!)
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techno
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by techno »

whitestone wrote:I'd order all those items by weight and then start looking at the heavier items first.

Do you intend to bivy or are you aiming to ride through and a bivy would just be something that you might have to do? In the latter case would emergency kit do or do you want to be comfy? Makes a big difference to the amount of kit you'll end up taking.

Some items might be an either/or depending on conditions - if only a light shower is possible then the windshirt should be good enough but if it's forecast for heavy rain then take the full waterproof.

Why warm hat and a buff? Can you get away without cooking? There's a few cafes along the way if you need hot food.

Presumably you are taking your lightweight kit so without spending cash you aren't going to save weight on things like bivy bag or sleeping bag. I'll probably take the following bivy kit:

SOL Escape bivy bag - 160g
Down vest or jacket - 80g or 180g
Thermal top - 140g
Thermal shorts - 70g

Tools: not dissimilar from what I've got.
Loo roll? Use public loos or those at cafes or go au naturel and wipe your arse with grass! I think my FA kit and toiletries comes to less than 50g:

plasters
wipes
safety pins
toothpaste and brush (from long haul airline freebie) but wouldn't take this on an ITT that's likely to be 24hrs or so unless you have some specific dental problem that requires it.
ziplock bag

Electrickery & Misc - probably not much different. No lock; no maps (I know the area being local so not a lot of point) I've a heavier GPS in compensation.

I'll probably end up somewhere in the 3.5Kg region or a little more before food and water.

Ultimately it's what you are happy with in the predicted conditions. There's no absolute right or wrong.
Thanks Bob, plenty to think about there.
I'm aiming to ride through so have a look at what sleep kit i take.
Andy.
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chris n
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by chris n »

355g for an inner tube?
Replace the 6" adjustable with a cut down 15mm spanner.
Change your brake pads before you go.
Don't bother with a lock, bog roll or the paracetamol.
techno
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by techno »

chris n wrote:355g for an inner tube?

unfortunately yes, 27.5 x 2.8"
Replace the 6" adjustable with a cut down 15mm spanner.
thought about this but is also useful for chain tensioner.
Change your brake pads before you go.
good idea!
Don't bother with a lock, bog roll or the paracetamol.
yeah, all now on the cut list.

Thanks.
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Justchris
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by Justchris »

chris n wrote: Don't bother with a lock, bog roll...
Always take the bog roll!
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GregMay
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by GregMay »

I'd ditch lock, boxers and socks.
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Tam
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by Tam »

A few baby wipes instead of bog roll... No chance I'd use grass :o
restlessshawn
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by restlessshawn »

I carry one of these on my Sturmey Archer hubbed bike rather than a spanner -

https://ridepdw.com/products/3wrencho?v ... 4674533569#

still 95g but a decent tyre lever to (you only need one)

Also use a normal 27.5 x 2.5 conti tube in a maxxis 2.8 and it's fine and weighs 235g. Especially if you are tubeless it would be fine as an emergency tube.
Last edited by restlessshawn on Thu Aug 17, 2017 2:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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whitestone
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by whitestone »

Tam wrote:A few baby wipes instead of bog roll... No chance I'd use grass :o
And what do you do with the wipes? They are more of a problem than bog roll. You need to carry them onwards with you until you find a suitable bin.

Trousers down, dump, wipe arse with stick, rock or on grass, pull up trousers. Carry on.

Back on topic :roll:

Sleep/bivy kit. It does depend on how willing you are to forego creature comforts. I was going say "how willing are you to suffer" but it's not really about suffering, it's about balancing the amount of kit and conditions. On the YD300 I took what I listed (SOL bivy bag, down vest, thermal top and shorts) and got about 90mins kip before the cold (cooler temps really) woke me up. But that was enough to let me refresh and recover. If you feel that you need several hours kip once you stop then you do need more kit. The main variables here are: how warm/cold do you sleep? How cold will it be overnight?
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AlasdairMc
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by AlasdairMc »

whitestone wrote: Sleep/bivy kit. It does depend on how willing you are to forego creature comforts. I was going say "how willing are you to suffer" but it's not really about suffering, it's about balancing the amount of kit and conditions. On the YD300 I took what I listed (SOL bivy bag, down vest, thermal top and shorts) and got about 90mins kip before the cold (cooler temps really) woke me up. But that was enough to let me refresh and recover. If you feel that you need several hours kip once you stop then you do need more kit. The main variables here are: how warm/cold do you sleep? How cold will it be overnight?
Like you, I find I'm more likely to push further into the night when carrying next to nothing to sleep in, and I think what you carry is entirely dependent on whether you're planning a sleep at all, or to ride through as much as possible.

Tam and I both took only bivi bags and warm jackets for the GT24, but in the end half an hour at 4am, at the side of the trail, in our riding gear was all that was needed to refresh enough to push on. I took a sleeping bag on the Cairngorms Loop (and used it for 3.5 hrs), and then took even more again on the HTR when sleeping was guaranteed so a level of (relative) comfort would have been nice.
mtbmarkymark
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by mtbmarkymark »

Perhaps ditch the multitool - i use individual allen keys, only taking the ones your bike uses
with some searching you will find a lighter spare inner tube a 26" will easily expand. I used a 26" latex tube in my 29x2.4 wheels for years
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whitestone
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by whitestone »

OK, for comparison

Luggage.
Revelate Feed bag - 100g
Alpkit Stem Cell - 65g
Bearbabe downtube bag - 170g
Alpkit Fuel pod - 80g
Wildcat Tiger - 195g
Wildcat tapered dry bag - 80g
Total: 690g

Bivy
SOL Escape bivy - 240g
Klymit x-frame torso - 175g (might take this, might not)
Down jacket - 175g
Thermal shorts - 70g
Thermal top - 170g
Total: 830g

Spare clothes
Buff - 25g
Windshirt - 110g (this will do as a waterproof if there's a light shower)
Total: 135g

Tools.
No individual weights but the total is 675g

Electrics
Exposure Joystick front light - 90g
Comet rear light - 50g
Garmin Oregon - 210g
Spare batteries & powerbank - 120g
Total 470g

Sundries
FA Kit - 10g
Water filter - 160g
Cash & debit card - 10g
iphone - 125g
Total: 305g

That's roughly 2.4Kg without food or water. I'm sure there's stuff I've missed so let's add 600g as a guess to give a round 3Kg. If the weather's forecast to be bad then there'll be extra clothing but the above might be regarded as my standard summer short ITT kit, it's what I used on last year's YD200 as well as a few others.
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fatbikephil
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by fatbikephil »

I've decided to forgoe bivvy kit completely for the YD200. Based on what happened on the last 2 days of my HT ride if I need to sleep my body will let me know at around 2-3am and I'll sleep on the trail no matter what. Hopefully I'll be finished by then however.....
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whitestone
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by whitestone »

It should be a pretty quick route TBH Phil. There's much more road than last year's route which I did in 14hrs30 but it's a little bit longer.
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ZeroDarkBivi
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by ZeroDarkBivi »

^^^ Everything that Bob said, except the toilet routine, which is a bit Neanderthal for me!

I always run a good weather and bad weather option, then pack at the last minute, depending on the forecast. I am unfamiliar with the YD terrain, but would not take any cooking kit, and only the least survival kit should I be forced to take shelter after an incident.
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fatbikephil
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by fatbikephil »

whitestone wrote:It should be a pretty quick route TBH Phil. There's much more road than last year's route which I did in 14hrs30 but it's a little bit longer.
Good to know Bob - might be able to get back before dark 'o clock then :???:
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atk
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by atk »

I wouldn't count the weight of flapjack or any food in general in your total assuming you intend on eating all of it. There's a tasty 200g "saved" in your head at least :)
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by Single Speed George »

loose the mat , and the cooking stuff , if its only a 2 day kit list , the lack of mat will make you ride longer in to the night ! haha , then find some comfy moss !
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by slarge »

Take the compulsory kit list only if you are not stopping. Do you need tubeless repair kit and tubed repair kit?
No cooking kit. Your tools and spares add up to a big weight - try and lose some here - lighter tube, lighter multitool and spanner.

Leave the sleep mat, the windshirt at home (waterproof acts as a windshirt, and if you get cold, put some more effort in and eat a bit more).

Aim for 3kg and be ruthless - what's the worst that could happen?
techno
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by techno »

Many thanks all for the helpful replies. I'm going away to the dales with my boys for a couple of days so will process the above info while away and do some pruning when back. Ta.
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dlovett
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by dlovett »

Unless the weather turns crap I won't take any camping gear or clothes/cooking stuff. Just some food and a very small tool kit, It shouldn't be a problem doing it in one hit.
techno
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Re: ITT gear reduction

Post by techno »

So, my current "worst case scenario" list is:

Clothes to pack:
merino buff = 36g
waterproof = 380g
Total = 416g

Sleeping Gear:
bivi bag = 350g
sleeping bag = 660g
bed/spare socks = 70g
boxers =70g
Total = 1150g

Tech & Misc:
front light inc batteries = 130g
rear light = 55g
maps & case = 200g
phone = 140g
Batteries = 60g
drybag = 40g
spork =8g
Total = 633g

Luggage:
Handlebar pack = 190g
unbottle = 340g
frame bag = 380g
Total = 910g

Tools:
multitool = 176
puncture repair kit + levers = 52
inner tube = 355
6" spanner = 130 (non negotiable as my bike has an alfine gear hub)
pump and tape = 100
chain links = 15
tyre boot = 5
tool bag = 50
Tubeless repair kit = 50
Total = 938g

First aid kit/ toiletries:
ibruprofen
plasters
Sterile wipes
loo roll
total = 100g (guess)

GRAND TOTAL = 4149g + food & water

This will be reviewed once i've seen the weather forecast (on friday morning) so might go down to:

Clothes to pack:
merino buff = 36g
windproof = 150g
Total = 186g

Sleeping Gear:
dry top= 190g
bivi bag = 350g
boxers =70g
Total = 610g

Tech & Misc:
SAME
Total = 633g

Luggage:
SAME
Total = 910g

Tools:
SAMETotal = 948g

First aid kit/ toiletries:
SAME
total = 100g (guess)

GRAND TOTAL = 3387g + food & water

Either way, much lighter than my last solo bivi (slightly over 10kg) and somewhere between 1.5kg and 2.3kg lighter than my planned kitlist.

Thanks for the suggestions.
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