Surely not. Not for me anyway. Sam (he of the field) and I are on a mission this Friday to test our WRT set ups with about 20 miles of Chilterns muck and bumps, including a visit to a local jump site to hit a few doubles (not really)
I've been messing with my set up to get my water off my sweaty back and aching neck once and for all. In doing so, the last vestige of aesthetic value has been stripped from my bike. The water has gone into a 2lt plastic bottle in the repurposed Ocelot on the top tube, meaning my shelter is now in one of the commando rigged gorilla cages on the fork legs. The other one has lots of food in it. Even carefully colour coordinated, they are ugly. So. Ugly. Still, two gorilla cages is more volume than the Ocelot, so I can carry more of the things I really don't need, like three pairs of socks, extra nicks, waterproof trousers, a down jacket and trousers and a very large flask of something drunkiddy in my seat pack. TLS? Nope.
BigdummySteve wrote:2ltr of water? There’s no shortage of water in wales, small bottle and a MSR trailshot filter will save you 1.5Kg
Steve mate, I'm really thirsty. I go through 500ml every half an hour. If I dont, I get cramps and headaches and worse. Riding in a group, Im not going to be constantly moaning about needing a water source, so i carry a fair bit of it.
On a serious note, TLS is all well and good but it doesn't help shrink the size of the kit that you do take. I dream of a sleeping bag the size of a grape fruit, a tarp & bivvy the size of a small pack towel and a mat no bigger than the sleeping bag but the reality is that my sleep 'system' fills most of my bar bag and (small) seat bag and it's going to be a slow process to shrink it.
Brown Dog, I like the idea of trailling a Dyson along behind to erase any of those nasty tyre prints. Has the added advantage of not letting your competitors sus out where you've been. Oops, forgot it's non competitive.
Not sure about the ethics of having an electric skateboard up front though.
On a serious note, TLS is all well and good but it doesn't help shrink the size of the kit that you do take. I dream of a sleeping bag the size of a grape fruit, a tarp & bivvy the size of a small pack towel and a mat no bigger than the sleeping bag but the reality is that my sleep 'system' fills most of my bar bag and (small) seat bag and it's going to be a slow process to shrink it.
Unfortunately that tends to cost
Edit: I've not even decided which bike to take yet (first world problem). That will only get decided once we've seen the grid refs and figured out a route (and bail out options) that we like. Kit taken will really depend upon the weather and most likely only be packed in time for the weigh-in, whatever's left will stay in the car.
Last edited by whitestone on Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
On a serious note, TLS is all well and good but it doesn't help shrink the size of the kit that you do take. I dream of a sleeping bag the size of a grape fruit, a tarp & bivvy the size of a small pack towel and a mat no bigger than the sleeping bag but the reality is that my sleep 'system' fills most of my bar bag and (small) seat bag and it's going to be a slow process to shrink it.
On the other side of the coin - you bring what the hell you like Tim mate, and enjoy your weekend in whatever way you wish (*) . There Are No Rules (apart from the cake one obviously). Oh, if anyone literally wants to take The Kitchen Sink, you can borrow mine - it's a 40g S2S one. Nicely doubles up as a bidet as well. Or a swimming pool for your pet mouse travelling companion.
'R'
(*) even if that means visiting Golden Sands chipshop, there's no shame in a bit of honest masochism.
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
Well done John, you've just reminded me .... Gareth is just out of hospital after being run over by his own low-loader. Made a very nasty mess of his leg as you can imagine. I don't yet know how or if his accident will impact the pub but I shall try and keep everyone posted.
On the other side of the coin - you bring what the hell you like Tim mate, and enjoy your weekend in whatever way you wish (*)
Cheers Reg. I most certainly will. I don't take things personally and do like a bit of banter. Never ceases to amaze me how different everyone's approach to bikepacking is. I will happily admit to always over-packing - you should have seen what I took to Italy last weekend !!!
"Anyone else at the Star" - yes indeedy. Judging by the list of contenders so far it'll turn out to be just as sordid as usual . Train tickets all booked now, and I shall partake of my traditional relaxed ride from Caersws station on Friday afternoon, arriving conveniently as the sun is over the yardarm...
"Gareth....leg". Blimey. Poor Gareth . Not sure what to say. A lovely guy he is. Sending a card or something might be a bit presumptious/overfamiliar, or?
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
Gareth....leg". Blimey. Poor Gareth . Not sure what to say. A lovely guy he is. Sending a card or something might be a bit presumptious/overfamiliar, or?
While a smashed up leg doesn't sound lucky - when you consider that the truck fell into the ravine / quarry below the pub, a smashed up leg does seem quite lucky. I'll pass on best wishes from the 'Boners' Reg.
. There Are No Rules (apart from the cake one obviously). Oh, if anyone literally wants to take The Kitchen Sink, you can borrow mine - it's a 40g S2S one. Nicely doubles up as a bidet as well. Or a swimming pool for your pet mouse travelling companion.
.
. Not sure what to say. A lovely guy he is. Sending a card or something might be a bit presumptious/overfamiliar, or?