Your best tip for a newbie

[pushbikemike]

I'm relatively new to Bikepacking. What pearl of wisdom or invaluable lesson have you picked up along the way that you would care to share?
Mike

[Bearbonesnorm]

Norms top 5 :)

1/ A night under the stars with just your bivvy bag can be wonderful ... in the UK it can also be deeply unpleasant, so take a tarp just in case.

2/ The lightest gear is the gear you don't take.

3/ Don't allow 'Dan the amazing snoring man' on any trips

4/ If someone says you're missing the point by sleeping in a tent ... so are they!

5/ You're the scariest thing out in the hills at night.

[Taylor]

With reference to Point 3, don't worry I will never subject anybody, ever, to Dan again.
I went night riding with him last week and he annoyed the crap out of me again.

[simon72]

Hi mike, check out my thread "life cycle of a bivi beginner".
http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... hilit=Life

I haven't updated it lately but since my last post I have:
Bought a fs 29er
Did a 3 day solo bivi trip
Realised I am no where near bike fit for the BB200 (unless they offer a parallel event BB100)

Keep us updated about your exploits, and enjoy!

[restlessshawn]

@ #5

Quite a newbie here too, this years WRT was a steep learning curve...quite a cold wet learning curve too as it happens

[Pyro]

Don't fret over all the people talking about 20g here, 10g there. Buy what you can afford and learn to use it properly, then upgrade when you can.

[Gari]

Don't fret over all the people talking about 20g here, 10g there. Buy what you can afford and learn to use it properly, then upgrade when you can.

Amen to that.
Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things
Gari

[Ian]

1) Beware the winged teeth
2) Watch out for slug attacks

[d45yth]

Take earplugs...I've been woken by rain before and couldn't get back to sleep.
Always sleep on flat ground...your mat WILL slide otherwise.

[pushbikemike]

Morning all. Cheers for the replies. Been out a couple of times now. Simon's thread was pretty inspiring.
Norm: I've already failed to follow tip 2 and hopefully won't fall foul to tip 3. I will try to believe tip 5. Occasionally when I'm out night riding I have found myself imagining a man standing in the woods with a shovel. Didn't get that when bivvying last weekend. :)

Top advice from Pyro. Talked myself out of a pipe dream sleeping bag as the car needs new discs and pads.

And as for d45th, well I slept on a slope on Saturday night and it was a restless night. Perhaps not enough booze. My buddy slept like a log in his ray mears inspired shelter he built. He did get a slug attack though.
Cheers. Mike

[pushbikemike]

@ #5

Quite a newbie here too, this years WRT was a steep learning curve...quite a cold wet learning curve too as it happens

Your way ahead of me if you've done the WRT. I think the furthest I've biked with all my gear is about six miles. I'll be up for a longer ride for the Peebles pedal.

[Cheeky Monkey]

Hammocking is not quite as light or as simple as you might think.

[Ray Young]

You could spend a lot of money very quickly, my gear is a compromise between cost, weight and durability. It's not the lightest but I am happy with it. Money saved went towards what I actually want to do which is bikepacking trips :D . Kept the wife sweet too. I'll think about upgrading as the gear wears out.

[FLV]

For a race / ITT - Pack Light, No comforts, no Booze.
For fun - Pack the hip Flask, Coffee Kit and a pillow of some sort

[pedalhead]

1. You almost certainly "need" less than you think.

2. Make sure you're having fun. This may require carrying more than you "need".

[Cheeky Monkey]

1. You almost certainly "need" less than you think.

2. Make sure you're having fun. This may require carrying more than you "need".

Very good 8-)

[99percentchimp]

Some things I've learnt (luckily not the hard way due to help from other forum members here - thanks for saving me from a long walk)...

1. Get your tool kit sorted and your skills to keep you moving should something go wrong - I'm now focussed on keeping the brakes, wheels and drive train running with field repairs... I've now learnt to carry spares and now know better to use them (quick links, spare spokes, brake pads etc). Hopefully only a frame snapping would stop me now. Look for a good thread on here on lightweight kit and spares.

2. Miles and smiles - it's all good whatever you get up to

[Ian]

...take a tarp just in case...

Precisely which tarp and how you pitch it remains a subject of unresolved discussion

[pedalhead]

...take a tarp just in case...

Precisely which tarp and how you pitch it remains a subject of unresolved discussion

Doesn't it just! For another thread perhaps, but I'm hoping your Hexamid tarp with that tougher pole will be good for 95% of conditions.

[pushbikemike]

You could spend a lot of money very quickly, my gear is a compromise between cost, weight and durability. It's not the lightest but I am happy with it. Money saved went towards what I actually want to do which is bikepacking trips :D . Kept the wife sweet too. I'll think about upgrading as the gear wears out.

Very true Ray. Had stuff from backpacking but bought a few things for carrying stuff on the bike after selling a bike. Money went pretty quickly but pretty pleased with what i bought and it worked very well the twice i've been out. Always a good idea to keep the other half sweet

Been trying out a few tarp setups. I got the DD 3x3 a while back. Seen a few folk on here with much smaller setups, like Ian B and Anthony using their bikes to set up the tarp. like the look of that and have smaller tarp i may try that with. It is a revelation to be under sky rather than inside my tent.

Anyway, thanks for all the tips. Much appreciated

[pushbikemike]

1. You almost certainly "need" less than you think.

2. Make sure you're having fun. This may require carrying more than you "need".

Sounds Zen, man. 8-)

[Ian]

Another good tip I think is to set realistic targets for your trip, and for those to be the same as the others you may be bikepacking with. Some of the beauty of bikepacking is the total flexibility with where and when you stop. Riding with a loaded bike is lots of fun, but it can be quite different to a normal ride and things take longer than you might imagine. Be prepared to cover less distance, or spend more time in the saddle covering the same distance.

[pushbikemike]

Sound advice Ian.
I was out for a bivvy last weekend. Next morning rode some Singletrack fully laden and was amazed at how stable the bike was with a wildcat harness on the front and rear. My buddy had all his stuff in a 65l rucksack. He was all over the place even on his full susser. You may have some more custom from him as a result.
Mike