Luggage etc

[Bearbonesnorm]

for the next trip, apart from my "upgrade" to one of Stuart's micro-stoves — thanks! — plus a secondhand Mytimug 650 in place of the Jetboil,

Caution ... 8g stoves and 650ml pots / mugs are not a match made in heaven. It can be made to work with a special windshield but ideally you want a 400ml - 450ml with an 8g.

[Wilkyboy]

for the next trip, apart from my "upgrade" to one of Stuart's micro-stoves — thanks! — plus a secondhand Mytimug 650 in place of the Jetboil,

Caution ... 8g stoves and 650ml pots / mugs are not a match made in heaven. It can be made to work with a special windshield but ideally you want a 400ml - 450ml with an 8g.

I got a caution off Mrs W this afternoon for seemingly spending almost all of it outside trying to boil a mug of water! I bought both the 8g and the 22g stoves, so I've been playing with both, but the windshield does appear to be a critical component to getting this to work. I cracked it with the 22g and a LOT of fuel on a single-burn, or the 8g and quite a bit of fuel on a double-burn, but only for about 300ml of water. More practice required and a better-executed windshield, but I might wait until she's out of the house before giving it another go ...

FWIW, I got the 650 so that I can cook up cous-cous and the like. A 400 wouldn't be big enough, although if I was eating just dehydrated meals then it would be.

[Richard G]

My biggest problem remains having to pack for sh*t weather. I've had to call an event because it got too nasty, so it definitely falls under the "actual problem that needs to be solved" umbrella.

[Bearbonesnorm]

but the windshield does appear to be a critical component to getting this to work.

Oh yes, a decent windshield is most important with any stove but especially meths.

Have you read this? http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... ields.html

Also - you are using meths and not a substitute? Some really don't work very well.

[Wilkyboy]

but the windshield does appear to be a critical component to getting this to work.

Oh yes, a decent windshield is most important with any stove but especially meths.

Have you read this? http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... ields.html

Thanks — I hadn't but I have now. I'd come to the same conclusions from my mucking about yesterday — the best burns were when I'd got the tin foil just right, with gaps in all the right places to deflect the breeze, but also to behave like a chimney around the pot. But, tin foil being eternally malleable, it's rather tricky to get repeatable results! Next time I'm in Tesco ...

Also - you are using meths and not a substitute? Some really don't work very well.

Yes — the purple stuff from B&Q.

If I were to go out on a trip tomorrow then I'd just take two 100ml bottles of meths instead of one — that will definitely give me enough boils, albeit from twice as much meths as anyone else. Getting better at it will enable me to leave one of the bottles at home. Even with two bottles it's a lot lighter than the Jetboil, and a lot more fun.

[benp1]

My biggest problem remains having to pack for sh*t weather. I've had to call an event because it got too nasty, so it definitely falls under the "actual problem that needs to be solved" umbrella.

This is quite a skill

You need to pack well enough to be able to ride and sort yourself in foul weather. Sometimes the very light pack lists seems great, but perhaps slightly optimistic

One thing I would struggle with is no dry sleeping clothes. On trips where I'm sodden I need clothes to sleep in
- I don't want to get my quilt/sleeping bag covered in crap - though I could use a liner
- I'm often with someone else so banter in the evening is a bit crap when you're sitting round in wet clothes getting cold

My trips are social rather than ITT or racing so I admit it's heavier having dry kit but generally much more pleasant.

A dry trip is much easier than a wet trip

[whitestone]

Agreed Ben, dealing with bad weather is a pain and a bit of extra leeway in both weight and space is required. I get cold quite quickly when I stop, regardless of whether it's dry or raining, so I need to get into a dry base layer ASAP. Once I've done that I can take my time. Thinking ahead and packing to facilitate this helps, so tarp and bivy bag are kept separate from the dry stuff, typically in their own bag so it's just a case of grabbing that bag plus pegs/poles and I'll get the shelter up. Then get everything else inside and get sorted out:

out of wet clothes; put on dry base layer; sort out sleeping bag and sleeping mat; sort out food/drink.

My "dry" bag will be packed in relevant order so there'll be a microfibre towel at the top, then my base layer then whatever else I'm carrying. I don't carry a full sized groundsheet but a small (600x1000mm) section of Tyvek is useful as a place to sit or kneel on when getting changed especially now I'm not as flexible as I used to be.

If you are doing a multi day trip then it's worth stopping when/if the sun comes out and drying stuff out. In the 1980s many of the top Himalayan climbers were from Eastern Europe, Poland in particular, they'd stop for an hour or two in the heat of the day and make sure that their sleeping bags were dry and have their main meal - used less fuel than in the cold of the night. Reading Ian Barrington's blog of last year's HT550 he did this when stopping for something to eat at cafes.

[Richard G]

I always carry spare dry bags because of this. The ultralight ones weigh f'all and are useful in keeping dry and wet separate... even if it does make packing a bit harder.

[littlegirlbunny]

I'm pretty pleased with my current set up. I am consciously trying to reduce my comfort redundancy and ensuring items fulfill two purposes where possible. It takes guts to do it with the important stuff like lighting and power though. But I am trying to resist paranoia!

Then there is always trade off.

Going lighter is a always good idea but what you carry surely depends on your goals.

If I'm against the clock I would always consider carrying food and a Jetboil so I can cook up quick and not have to hunt for food outlets or wait in queues to be served. It's amazing how much time is wasted in outlets, this I learnt from Audax. So my kit maybe heavier but if it saves wasted miles in towns or ticking minutes then who's to say a Jetboil is a bad idea?

Eg 2 - Slick lightweight tyres may be faster but if you are splitting them or having to push because of lack of traction, then what's the point?

And sometimes there is just that smug feeling of knowing you have everything except the kitchen sink on the bike, you aren't in a rush to get anywhere, you will be having a luxury bivvy in comfort AND you can still pedal it up that 25% climb

[Richard G]

The 10 minutes it takes to boil using a slower method are generally used to do other things, like get your tarp / tent up / unpack your gear etc.

In terms of speed though... definitely no cooking gear and a store / garage stop near end of day. The minute or so you spend picking up your food in a garage is easily better than carrying a ton of weight all day (unless there are no hills in your route).

AND you can still pedal it up that 25% climb

I'd love to see the gear setup that allows you to carry all that weight and still get up a 25% climb!

[littlegirlbunny]

I'd love to see the gear setup that allows you to carry all that weight and still get up a 25% climb!

I have a 40t sprocket on the back and a 22t granny up front

Takes half an hour to pedal round a carpark mind you

[Richard G]

I think I'd rather walk. lol

[Wilkyboy]

Going lighter is a always good idea but what you carry surely depends on your goals.

If I'm against the clock I would always consider carrying food and a Jetboil so I can cook up quick and not have to hunt for food outlets or wait in queues to be served. It's amazing how much time is wasted in outlets, this I learnt from Audax. So my kit maybe heavier but if it saves wasted miles in towns or ticking minutes then who's to say a Jetboil is a bad idea?

You're right, of course — on the WRT I was able to do three boils with my Jetboil in the time Mark took to do just one on his Trangia. There's no question that the immediacy and convenience of a Jetboil (or equivalent) is very compelling. But, being a bit of a pyromaniac, it's also quite a lot of fun to try to work out how to get a meths burner to work efficiently — something I managed to do a couple of times this evening after a couple of hours of trying different windshield configurations. The learnings are useful, and when not "on one" then the discipline required to get a boil going with meths is another challenge worth conquering, in my opinion.

But if I was "on one" then the Jetboil, or the Mytimug 650 with a micro gas head, would be my preferred way to heat water quickly, in spite of the weight penalty. And if there was a storm brewing and I was under canvas then it would be Jetboil all the way!

[Mart]

FWIW, I got the 650 so that I can cook up cous-cous and the like. A 400 wouldn't be big enough, although if I was eating just dehydrated meals then it would be.

You use a mug to make Cous Cous in?
Boil water in Mug. Tear top off Cous Cous packet. Put hot water into packet. Eat couscous as the mug boils more water for a brew

NB not sure if make of Cous Cous is important, but the Ainsley Harriott ones have foil on the inside of the packet that s OK to put boiling water into

[Wilkyboy]

FWIW, I got the 650 so that I can cook up cous-cous and the like. A 400 wouldn't be big enough, although if I was eating just dehydrated meals then it would be.

You use a mug to make Cous Cous in?
Boil water in Mug. Tear top off Cous Cous packet. Put hot water into packet. Eat couscous as the mug boils more water for a brew

NB not sure if make of Cous Cous is important, but the Ainsley Harriott ones have foil on the inside of the packet that s OK to put boiling water into

*scuttles away to check Ainsley Harriet cous cous packets* ... *scurries back to 'pooter to order Mytimug 400* ... and, in typical Alpkit style, they've sold out

Ah well, Cotswolds do a slightly bigger 450 Ti mug, which I can get from town ... but without a lid

Ordered some no-name Ti mug with lid from eBay, I'm sure it will be fine

[Zippy]

Ordered some no-name Ti mug with lid from eBay,

A lot of people have a 'Keith' name Ti mug lid, you're lucky it's no name

[Wilkyboy]

You use a mug to make Cous Cous in?

FWIW, I was looking to repack all the food into more flexible food bags to improve their packability, but the reality is that it's probably not worth the hassle. And even though our local Tesco is mahoosive, they don't appear to sell ordinary cous cous for making your own meals anyway, just pre-mixed packs.

[Wilkyboy]

Ordered some no-name Ti mug with lid from eBay,

A lot of people have a 'Keith' name Ti mug lid, you're lucky it's no name

Haha — there are various ones available from China, including the Keith ones, but they take weeks to arrive. I checked and the no-name brand I just bought is "docooler", which is right down there with "keith" as a cool name — apols to any Keiths reading this