There is almost no part of the US that gets the same kind of cool/cold/wet/damp weather that we get here. Your kit gets wet and it isn't going to dry out. Residents of the Pacific North West may beg to disagree! Seattle's annual rainfall is around 38 inches Glasgow is 120 inches. PNW is wet for the...

I remember North Face tents back in the 1980s, I think the model was the VE24 but can't be certain - it was their equivalent of the Wild Country/Terra Nova SuperNova. The fly was well off the deck and provided about as much coverage as a bride's nightie in a hoolie :lol: Our thoughts (not about the...

yourguitarhero wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 4:37 pm There is almost no part of the US that gets the same kind of cool/cold/wet/damp weather that we get here.
Your kit gets wet and it isn't going to dry out.

Residents of the Pacific North West may beg to disagree!

Do you want something that lasts and a tent you can sell on. Have a Hilleberg nallo and it's 22years old , best tent we have and it's still bombproof. Sometimes its better to spend a little more, went down the Great Divide in America on its first trip. Teamed up with an American group of cyclists, ...

Appears as thought Valley and Peak are now a Durston stockist for the UK. https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/collections/durston-gear But there's quite a price uplift on the US RRP, though this may equalise with duty, VAT and shipping from the US. The XMids do look good (I've not got one so only going on w...

What a great find Ripio. Here's the book it comes from, for download free: https://ia801308.us.archive.org/25/items/cu31924023252707/cu31924023252707.pdf Round the World on a Wheel of 1899! cheers, Keith It's a great book. Love this photo and caption, I think from somewhere in Central Asia... Pith ...

Cycle_Camp_photo-3.jpg A blended bikepacking-touring approach from J Walker in 1904, setting off on one of a series of tours of the Scottish Highlands. Walker and his riding companion E. E. Henderson may have been the first bicyclists over the Corrieyairack. Terrific book (link below). It includes ...

As Dyffers says, there have been a number of different versions of the route over the years James, as organisers, conditions and tastes have changed. Originally the out and back sections took in different parts of Wales in more of a loop, then for a few years it became a faster route with more A40 a...

I'm working on MidgeVacuum V0.1 which seems to be the answer Could such a contraption be fashioned from a miniature air bed inflator (Flextail etc) with a midge head net as the bag. Perhaps wise to turn the net inside out, and remember which way round it is, should you want to go outside and wear i...

Dave at Colour Tech. https://www.colour-tech.co.uk/about/

Richard Hallett uses him and I have no complaints on the paintwork of touring bike Richard built me. He paints for a good number of framebuiders. Used to paint all the Roberts bikes I believe, and they have lovely finishes.

I've had a few roadkill pheasants over the years. One was while staying at the Eskdale Youth Hostel in in the Lakes. I did the butchering in the shared kitchen, which raised a few eyebrows among the other residents. There's a way to skin (i.e. de-breast) a pheasant without a knife that I've seen dem...

Nowt to do with me, but there is a MK2 Stooge for auction, currently at 150.00 with a full set of bikepacking bags. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387044031820 This was previously advertised on the CyclingUK forum classifieds, so if you're a member over there you might be able to get in touch and negot...

There was some chat here about the LOFI fan-assisted wood gasification stove a while ago... https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=293675&hilit=LOFI#p293675 What struck me about this stove, and others like it, such as the much larger "Chengdu" stove ( https://classic...

Flask for a tenner https://www.bananaindustries.co.uk/products/copy-of-bottle-for-life-32oz-990ml Comes with three free pairs of socks too. Got the flask last month and using it for water, works well for that. No idea of how well it works for hot drinks. They’ve also got 15% of sunglasses and socks...

Tangentially to the tangent, having a GPX doesn't stop adventure when the marked bridleway doesn't exist on the ground across a field of tussocks and there's a forest plantation with no visible paths across the only logical place for the bridleway to go. Is adventure the same as awkwardness? It’s a...

. a gpx alone does not mean its not an adventure it just means you probably wont get lost My comment was less digital v analogue rather wondering whether following a GPX track was the same - in terms of “adventurousness” as following a waymarked trail. Clearly there is following a track and followi...

Upthread I raised an eyebrow at the idea of “waymarked adventure” as a contradiction in terms. On reflection, is any ride that comes with a GPX just as waymarked, albeit digitally? Which begs the question, if you’re following a GPX, especially if a GPX someone else has made for you, is it an adventu...

I've had a look at the publicity here https://www.beicsbrenin.co.uk/news/launch/ 1711558236-NEW ROUTES VIEW.jpg Yeah, 'waymarked adventure" is a bit of an oxymoron. Reading between the lines I reckon someone thought (like my publisher a couple of years back) that gravel biking is so hot right n...

I think there's a real demand for easy off road (i.e. traffic free) trails that you could ride on what continental Europeans would call a trekking bike and what we used to call a hybrid. Many people just don't want to mix with the ever-increasing traffic on the roads, but aren't adrenaline-pumped t...

Something that's probably applicable to the other recent thread on Adventure™, but I recently attended one of the "Reframing Mountain Biking" events. A common theme in the discussions (and also to some extent on here) is that the MTB portrayed in the media (especially advertising) is gene...

class.jpg Cleese: (In bowler hat, black jacket and pinstriped trousers) I look down on him (Indicates Barker) because I am a bikepacker. Barker: (Pork-pie hat and raincoat) I look up to him (Cleese) because he is a bikepacker; but I look down on him (Corbett) because he has panniers and sleeps in a...

Interestingly now that 'self supported' has been mentioned, they refer to their journey in the article as "... a self-supported, multi-day adventure." In these days of marketing, influencers, social media, diversity, bike manufacturing, adventure holidays, self-identification... maybe we'...

100% with what's been said on freedom, adventure and (relative) self-sufficiency. I guess being free to follow a route of your choosing in any moment would rule out the 'bikepacking races' where the whole point is to follow a predetermined race route. I've always thought bikepacking ≠ racing anyway ...

'Bikepacking' from 1978 Was just about to post this one! The Foreword is a really good summation, and I think stands the test of time: "Like all beginners, I made every mistake possible. As there was no authoritative textbook on the subject, I learnt the hard way. My self-instruction was carri...