Packing Tents

[ootini]

For those of you that use tents, can I just ask how you go about packing them? Do you keep the inner and outer separate? Do they (or it) go in the seat pack? Do you have any worries about the tent outer getting everything else in the pack damp? Am I missing something obvious? Am I worrying unnecessarily?

Thanks :)

[rudedog]

I pack inner and outer together and either put it in the framebag or seatapack. I put stuff I want to keep dry in separate bags.

[FLV]

If im using a tent for more than 1 night, together from home, then seperate if wet.

[ootini]

The reason for this question is simply that for my road bike set up. I've got it sorted, my dry gear goes in Panniers and the tent outer goes on a rack in it's own bag. For my MTB setup however, I'd basically got two attachment points available, Handlebar bag, or Seatpack. I'm thinking the most effective setup would be both parts of the tent in individual dry bags (4l +6l) together in a single 10litre dry bag on the handlebars, then everything I need dry in the seat pack.

[sean_iow]

I've just done a 3 day trip, including one on the SDW in the rain. I was staying at campsites (cheating I know) so took the tent. I had it strapped to the top of my handlebar harness. As it's a TN Laser it's a bit of a faff to separate the inner and outer, and they have to be together to pitch it so I left them joined together. It was raining when I took it down the first time, so the tent was wet when I put it back up but luckily by then the sun had come out so it dried out before I had to sleep in it.

As it's on it own on the front of the bike it doesn't matter that it's wet when packed away, other than having to look at it as you ride along in the rain thinking that if the weather doesn't clear up you'll be sleeping in a wet tent

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[Charliecres]

I've done a similar thing, strapping the tent to the top of the bar harness. Works well.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've done a similar thing, strapping the tent to the top of the bar harness. Works well.

Also means you don't need to start unpacking bags in order to get your tent up ... handy if it's raining

[rudedog]

I guess it depends how heavy your tent is, how much weight you've already got on the bars and the type of riding you'd be doing.

I wouldn't want the extra 1.5 kilos that my wet tent would add on my bars if I'm expecting any kind of technical terrain.

[ootini]

I guess it depends how heavy your tent is, how much weight you've already got on the bars and the type of riding you'd be doing.

I wouldn't want the extra 1.5 kilos that my wet tent would add on my bars if I'm expecting any kind of technical terrain.

Fair point, I don't really ride anything "technical" just general XC. At the mo there is no weight on the bars as I've nothing fitted up there and the tent weighs in at 1.8Kg

[sean_iow]

You do notice the extra weight of the kit on the rougher sections, so I take a more leisurely approach when out on the loaded bike. I tend to have to pick my way through and slowly roll over stuff I would normally just fly over. The bike as pictured weighed 49 lbs at the start of the ride so not exactly a cross country whippet. My actual OO whippet weighs just under 21 lbs so that feels like it pedals itself by comparison

[danielgroves]

Code: Select all

As it's a TN Laser

I also use a laser, what I did last timer which worked great was to remove the two carbon end poles, role it tightly and drop it in a 5l dry sack and squeeze all the air out. This then went in my handlebar pack with my sleeping stuff (20l appkit dry bag) and softshell. I put poles and pegs in the frame bag, but the carbon poles didn't fit. So, I have a hydration port on mine, so I poked them through and they stuck out level with the front of the head tube, so they won't be getting in a the way in a hurry. I wrapped the last velcro strap around them too, just to be sure.

Only thing I'm going to change next time is to stick dry evening clothes in the bar pack instead, and the tent int he back with raincoat, etc, so all the wet stuff is together.

[Dave42w]

I'm going from one tent extreme TrekkerTent Stealth 1 on my last tour (3 weeks camping, including WRT) to a Vango Banshee 300 for my ride to Scotland starting Friday. I decided a wanted a bit more comfort with space to dress and cook if it rains.

Anyway, it fits nicely in an Alpkit 20 litre dual opening drybag on my WildcatGear Mountain Lion with Lioness and Tomcat on a Jones Loop h-bar.

However, I'm on road so will have panniers as well If I were bikepacking then obviously the much smaller tent works better (and not just for weight) as I was able to carry a lot of other stuff in a 20litre Gourdon Drybag rucksack in the harness.

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