I was almost tempted to enter but given the advice of “if you’re a softie have a word with yourself and let someone else have a go” (I paraphrase slightly) I decided against it. Hopefully I can ease myself into it gently with a winter event or something first and have a go in 22.

The email I got yesterday said they go on sale at noon. So you haven't missed out yet

I have some On-One ones from Planet X. They are quite thick and stiff but they keep my feet warm and dry-ish and have a cheerful sheep pattern. For cold and wet rides where I know I won't be out for days I often just use neoprene overshoes. They are not really waterproof but they act like wetsuit bo...

Pretty much. I have at least had a couple of things that I booked in 2019 for 2020 happen in the last few weeks, and still have another guided weekend to come in September, 15 months after it should have been. One good thing is that I paid for several events ages ago and they are finally starting to...

It's also a bit like is it better to buy UK tomatoes or Spanish ones - one involves transport the other involves heated greenhouses (maybe powered by renewables though - arg!) Seeing what Spanish fruit and veg are watered with colours my decision somewhat, too. My wife insists on buying strawberrie...

So the advice for the 200 is
PACK
RIDE
DON'T

Firstly it's interesting that your body adjusts so quickly to a new situation. Although, I could plainly have had a poo any time I wished - I possessed all the equipment for a successful release into the wild, and unlimited space - but my brain chose not to. Secondly, maybe my body also switched in...

Asposium wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:59 am
In its most simplistic, can you ride / walk 100km in a day twice?

On nice dry smooth flattish country lanes? Sure.

But I've read a few ride reports and I don't think such things feature all that much on a typical BB200?

Are previous BB routes archived somewhere? I know there’s one on bikepacking.com based on a previous route (2017?) but I do enjoy studying routes and working out how much fitter/madder/less soft I would have to get in order to have a crack one day.

Hello from another southerner. I'm in Farnham so on the KAW also. :-bd I have an uninsulated Moutnain Warehouse :shock: air mat for summer and a 20 year old Thermarest for the other three months. Quite fancy a Synmat but never got around to buying one. The MW mat has been better than my old Alpkit ...

In view of the slug discussion on the other thread does someone need to write a book like 'Bikepacking, this is what its really like' or something?? The book under discussion sort of hints at it. I quote: Broadly speaking a tent is often a slightly heavier option, takes time to set up and can make ...

Like most of us on here who've chosen camping as a life choice, I spent years sleeping on closed cell foam mats and, well, I can honestly say I don't remember sleeping worse on them compared with my Exped Synmat. Far more comfy, for sure, but I wake up a bizzillion times every night if Im sleeping ...

A lot of the rides seem to be around the 100km mark. Surely that's a nice big single day, but a bit short for two days? I dont think we are the target audience but most folk starting bikepacking will probably find that a long ride /enough for an overnighter. I have recently got a copy of this book ...

it is the air that's doing the insulating but if you've a big uninterrupted volume then you get convection currents which act to shift heat around. The "insulation" like down or synthetic works by splitting that volume into lots of little volumes in an attempt to stop those convection cur...

I have had Exped and Thermarest mats, and still have a decent one for winter, but i bought a Lidl camping mat just before Torino-Nice when i couldn't get my fancy mat repaired following a puncture, and i have had it 3 years now, lent it to numerous friends that wanted to try bivvying etc and for £1...

*waves* Hello, new member here. I've been lurking and reading for so long that I feel I am now a fully qualified armchair expert on the bogs, bothies, service stations and Spars of Wales and Scotland, despite my bikepacking experience to date consisting of one weekend up the Elan Valley. I have in t...