Show me your touring/camping setup!

[John G.]

It looks like I'll be taking my Atlantis on a quick 2-night tour in the next few days. I'll be camping instead of staying in hotels. I haven't bike camped before, so I need ideas on how to load up the bike. If you have pics of your Rivendell loaded up for a quick tour, post 'em here!

[Reed Kennedy]

Not a Riv, but certainly Riv-inspired, here's my Velo Routier on a recent 3 day 2 night camping trip:

And another angle:

This is a low trail bike, so all the heavy stuff goes up front while the bulky-but-light stuff goes in back.

What'd I bring? This stuff:

https://docs.google.com/a/notfine.com/spreadsheets/d/1gNOLW4DweTD5FyN1bWFN9hEV9-O3cHKw8mEb3YaTx3o/edit?usp=sharing

In addition to the stuff I packed I wore a wool jersey and bike shorts.

That's everything I needed except another 1.5 days of food. A friend with a van drove up with most of our vittles. If I'd wanted to be entirely self-sufficient I would have bolted on the lower pannier frames (like this) and packed food in Ortlieb panniers.

Note the lack of tent. If the forecast had called for rain I suppose I could have lashed my small tent to the top of the basket, but in reality I would probably have just done something else with my weekend. In the case of surprise rain I plan to deploy this emergency bivvy between the hammock and the sleeping bag. Haven't tried it yet though!

I'm pretty thrilled, being able to camp this light. Took me a while to get here, but I'm much happier than I was back when I used to bring more.

Best,

Reed

On Mon, Aug 21, 2017 at 12:57 PM, John G. <jpg...@gmail.com> wrote:

It looks like I'll be taking my Atlantis on a quick 2-night tour in the next few days. I'll be camping instead of staying in hotels. I haven't bike camped before, so I need ideas on how to load up the bike. If you have pics of your Rivendell loaded up for a quick tour, post 'em here!

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Deacon Patrick]

So many options, depending on gear. My suggestion is gather together what you are taking and pack it and ride it, even for a short ride. You'll learn a LOT. Including taking only what you need, and absolutely want, to have to enjoy and be warm and dry and fed and hydrated. In short, don't over think it. Your next trip you will try new things.

Basic rules of any load apply: loads effect handling (different for every person it seems). You may prefer front load, read load, or balanced. Heavier/denser items low and toward the center line. I prefer weight low in rear panniers, tent/sleeping bag/pad on top of rear rack. I put food in my wee trunk sack in front to give balance to handling. Irish straps are your friend.

Keep items you may want during the ride on the outside/easily accessible. Likely this means rain jacket, map(s), food.

Enjoy! Let us know how it goes!

With abandon,

Patrick

[Deacon Patrick]

Och! Forgot links. These two posts show my Hunqapillar through the years with various bikepacking setups.

http://thegrid.ai/withabandon/the-mad-genious-of-rivendells-hunqapillar

and this one, in which my panniers are loaded with 24 pounds (15-20 days) of pemmican along with my gear.

http://thegrid.ai/withabandon/great-divide-mountain-bike-trail/

With abandon,

Patrick

On Monday, August 21, 2017 at 1:57:57 PM UTC-6, John G. wrote:

[drew]

Here is mine with a load for a couple of nights. probably more than actually needed, but it had food and cooking gear for 2 days. rear has sleeping pad, tent and tools. front has a soft cooler and small items in the basket. front panniers hold the sleeping bag, clothes, cooking stuff. i basically used the same set up for tours that last a week or longer.  i havent quite figured out how to pack for a s240 yet. 

[Reed Kennedy]

Hey Patrick, what's your pemmican recipe? I've been meaning to try making some, and would welcome any thoughts or advice you're willing to share!

Best,

Reed

--

[Deacon Patrick]

I rendered my own tallow from suet. Getting 100% grass fed is critical, both for nutrition and for it staying solid. Here are my notes:

~~~

Grassfed Beef:

40 pounds heart (dried to crisp, roughly 10 pounds total) (no need for it to be heart, but lean cuts. Heart is usually cheap)

20 pounds suet (rendered to 10+ lbs tallow, saved cracklin' for snacks and flavoring in other items)

Great source for tallow by the bucket (and beef): Grassfed Beef (they also offer pemmican but it is not shelf stable officially. I haven't tested that out on a trip) but it is the easiest way to taste pemmican):

https://grasslandbeef.com

40 pounds heart (dried to crisp, roughly 10 pounds total)

20 pounds suet (rendered to 10+ lbs tallow, saved cracklin' for snacks and flavoring in other items)

Yielded 21.5 pounds pemmican

1 cup pemmican = ½ pound = aprox 1,500 calories

I figure I need 1 to 1 ½ pounds pemmican per day to run 30+ miles per day. (I ended up averaging 60 miles/day on 1.5 pounds)

Used recipe from PDF on how to make pemmican (will email you off group). Added salt, sage, rosemary, and maple syrup to taste at the end. Tastes like a candy bar beyond all candy bars. Add spices slowly. A wee bit goes a long way. Taste as you add, and keep in mind it will intensify.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Kellie]

google bike packing and select images. 

[John G.]

Stroke of genius, Kellie. It truly never crossed my mind.

[Deacon Patrick]

I just get the modern nylon, aggressive, hard to use in my experience MTB set-ups via search images.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Ian A]

Don't be affraid to carry too much on a two-nighter. If the bike has good racks a bit extra weight doesn't hurt and being well-fed, warm and dry is always nice when camping.

My basic kit:
Tent
Mat
Sleeping bag
MSR stove + petrol
Pot(s)
Change of clothes
Rain gear
Camera
Far too much food
Soap/towel
Water bottles
Spare tire,tubes,patch kit, tools, a couple of spokes.
Good knife
Spoon

IanA/Canada

[Patrick Moore]

I have to say that, as beautiful as greenery is, the desert scenes -- Georgia O'Keefe's country -- is hard to beat. I recall Edward Abbey's paean to desert beauty, Desert Solitaire; worth reading.

Question: how long does pemmican last when properly stored but not refrigerated? And how do you store it properly?

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews.

By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching.

Other professional writing services.

http://www.resumespecialties.com/

www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique,  Vereinigte Staaten

****************************************************************************************

Auditis an me ludit amabilis insania?

[drew]

Ok. Somewhat related question. When I see people's bike packing setups, Especially the ones without panniers, where is the food being kept? Or are people just eating protein bars and stuff for dinner?
I always bring food to make, since that's one of the most fun parts about camping to me. But real food and a way to cook it takes up space fast.

[Deacon Patrick]

@ Patrick. Pemmican stores indefinitely if prepared properly (jerky dry enough, tallow rendered properly, proportions and mixed properly), though I'm not sure if that's been tested in hot desert country. You likely need to keep it solid for shelf stability at warmer temps.

@ Drew: I eat ketogenic and when bikepacking only eat one meal a day. I've settled into doing 1-4 nights or so, and thus take raw steak and/or brats and cook over my firebox. For the steak, I bring a dry rub. I've found raw steak vacuum packed lasts up to ten days in desert heat, so in the mountains I don't worry about it at all. Cream for extra fat in my coffee only lasts a day or two depending on temps, so that's trickier. I carry that all in my wee trunk sack on my front rack.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Deacon Patrick]

Here is a PDF on everything you ever wanted to know about pemmican. http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf

With abandon,

Patrick

On Monday, August 21, 2017 at 1:57:57 PM UTC-6, John G. wrote:

[John G]

Here is one (from almost 10 years ago!!) of my Quickbeam and a friend's Romulus on a trip to Gettysburg PA from MD.

Sleeping quilt on fron bars.  Pad and tent on rack.  Other stuff in Carradice Nelson longflap.

https://flic.kr/p/5aqahc

Here is a slightly different set up for my QB with sleeping pad below toptube.

https://flic.kr/p/X5m8o

Now-a-days I have use my Specialized AWOL for touring loads 

https://flic.kr/p/yhpa84  or https://flic.kr/p/ssJ8ft

and my MTB for bikepacking loads.

https://flic.kr/p/fTHAHd

Cheers,

 John G, Union Bridge, MD

[WETH]

Patrick,
Desert Solitaire! One of my favorite books! I reread the first 5 chapters about once a year.
“A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.”
-Erl

[Kurt Manley]

I was reading this on the train ride home from a week long off road tour. Here's my set up as I got home.

On Monday, August 21, 2017 at 12:57:57 PM UTC-7, John G. wrote:

[Marc Irwin]

Here's a photo of my Hunq dressed up  for a trip with Surly front rack, Ortlieb Front-Roller bags, a medium Wald Basket and Large Saddlesack.  Here is a popular link to my blog about bike packing.

Hope it helps.

Marc

On Monday, August 21, 2017 at 3:57:57 PM UTC-4, John G. wrote:

[Shawn Granton]

Here's a couple recent shots of my Bantam loaded up. I switch it up a bit, but there's generally a front "rando" style bag (North St), a frame bag (Jandd) and a saddlebag (Carradice.) And yes, there is food in there! ;-)  -Shawn

[Kellie]

Also a great resource  is bikepacking.com. Most of the photos here are packed too unwieldy for me. I prefer a more compartmentalized and streamlined look. You'll see lots of variety on this website, even basket bikepacking.

On Monday, August 21, 2017 at 12:57:57 PM UTC-7, John G. wrote:

[Lee Legrand]

I have never done a touring/camping on a bicycle and hope to do it one day but I have done tons of research on it.

1.  Develop a minimalist attitude and pack light.  Try to bring things that you need and instead of things you would like to have.  Easy to overpack things.  My research has told me to get the things you would like to have and then begin to pair down from there.

2.  Many people have different setups for carrying there things but the most logical is to carry heavy stuff up front and lighter stuff in the rear.  The french bicycle company Berthoud, recommends a set up where it is 60 front/ 40 rear.  Better weight distribution since majority of your body weight is on the rear wheel.  Met a bicycle tourist from France recently who came thru my town and he told me broke the rear triangle on his trek across the USA but he did have most of his loads in the rear.  He manage to get it welded together to continue his journey.  Better to have it most loads up front.

3.  Keep the loads low for stability of the bicycle.  Another of Berthoud advise.  Yes they sell panniers and that may be part of their of it but it makes since to keep the center of gravity low.

4. Everyone has a favorite in how they carry there stuff but I do think panniers are better than trailers.  It is one less thing to break down and manuever.  I think trailer are good if you need to bring stuff on a large journey around the world and extra capacity is needed. 

5. Make sure you can bring enough water on your journey.  Never know when you will be on long stretches with no access to water for awhile.  At least bring 3 water bottles.

6. I think for light touring, two large panniers up front with a handlebar bag and possible a small rear saddlebag is all that is needed.  The saddlebag needs not be large and if it is, consider what you are bringing again. Do I really need it?  Is it heavy?

7.  Steve told me this once but he mentioned that you should know the terrain so you have the gear required to ride it.  Changes in elevation with stuff on the bicycle with not low enough gear to ride will be a problem.

Thats all I got.

--

[Tim O. (Portland, OR)]

This is a fun thread! Here's my Protovelo set up for a mixed road/gravel short tour: https://goo.gl/photos/TVhGoQeFNyWwvn3h9

Pack light, but with lots of food and water if you won't have places to stop.

Cheers,
Tim

[Andrew Letton]

Hi Tim-

Nice looking rig!

Pardon me for hijacking the thread, but it is still touring related...

What are you experiences loaded touring on the G-One tires? How do you find their durability? Do you know the particular model (SnakeSkin, LiteSkin, RaceGuard) that you have?

I recently got a deal on a pair of the LiteSkin versions which are amazingly light (with papery thin sidewalls) and feel great on my Bombadil, but I don't have many miles on them yet.

In the spirit of the thread, attached is a photo of my loaded Bombadil from a recent cold weather (it's winter here in Sydney) overnight in the Blue Mountains. (with WTB Nano tires, before I got the G-Ones)

cheers,

Andrew

---

From: "Tim O. (Portland, OR)" <timothyc...@gmail.com>
To: RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2017 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Show me your touring/camping setup!

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsub...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.

[Clayton]

An older photo showing my Toyo Atlantis with homemade bags. 

Clayton B. 

[Nate Johnson]

Here's my Bombadil touring setup. It's not a 2-day rig by any means. Me and my girlfirend did 21 days on Lands End to John O'Groats this summer. She rode a 60's Frejus 650B conversion. I'd say about 40% of the route was gravel, grass or mud, the rest was pavement. It was my first tour with a basket, and I loved it. The basket was perfect for grabbing produce from farm stands, drying my wet t-shirts, and was pretty much like having a bottomless handlebar bag.

On Monday, August 21, 2017 at 3:57:57 PM UTC-4, John G. wrote:

[Steven Sweedler]

,here I am in Breckinridge, Co. riding the Divide last August. Steve 

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Steven Sweedler
Plymouth, New Hampshire

[dstein]

Nice thing about 2 nights is it's basically the same stuff you'd bring on one night, just a little more clothes and food.

I've experimented a lot for S240 setups and decided that a rear saddle bag combined with two low panniers in the front and a front basket is the perfect setup for handling. This equates to a medium/large saddlesack with tent/pad/bag/tools, HAR bags with clothes/food for campsite, and a basket with a medium shopsack with an insulated bag for beer and snacks. Never too much weight in any particular bag. I can fit everything in the saddlesack and shopsack, but the bike shimmies way too much, the low bags up front really help distribute the weight.

Bike on the left is mine. 

[Palmer]

Hi all,

Fun thread. Here are my non-rivs. Schwinn Passage and Peugeot Canyon Express. Both in S24O configuration. Passage is getting 650b'd now. 

Tom Palmer

Twin Lake, MI

[Hugh Smitham]

Not a Riv but this is my off road touring load. shown 27.5+ (3")

For longer tours I can either run bags on the forks instead of the water bottles or panniers. I have a custom being built around 27.5 x 47~48mm WTB byways or similar.

~hugh

[Hugh Smitham]

I need to read this. Been looking for a good read. Thanks Patrick and Erl. Late Fall here opens the window for Desert bike packing, Anza, Mojave and Death Valley. How I'd love New Mexico and Utah's White Rim.

~hugh

[Will]

I'd give Wayne at The Touring Store a call.

Poke around here first:  http://thetouringstore.com/

I have no affiliation with Wayne but I have bought 4 racks and 4 bags from him. Love the Tubus/Ortlieb setup. Works great on an Atlantis. I have a 53 Toyo. 

[Hugh Smitham]

Clayton,

Always dig your set-up's.

~hugh

[adam leibow]

almost at hawk camp in marin headlands. rode from my home in sf

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQLvQ0ODVzz/?taken-by=adom_l

[Curtis McKenzie]

Hi,

Here is my 67 cm Bantam at Angle Island.  This is how I usually pack for a week or longer.  Fun stuff.  Bob at Bantam is beyond great.

Curtis 

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.

[Tim O. (Portland, OR)]

Hey, Andrew-

Nice looking Bombadil!

I have the Raceguard G-ones that are sold on the riv site. I really like them on dry roads and gravel. Haven't really ridden anything else on them, but I hear they don't do well in wet conditions. They feel really fast and comfy. They eat up a ton of road vibration so it feels like you're flying on rocket clouds...or something like that. They aren't very durable though. I've ridden them about 800 miles so far and the rear tire has already lost lots of tread. I suppose that's always the trade off for lightweight/fast tires.

Cheers,
Tim

[Hugh Smitham]

Swooning. Love those Bantam rigs.

~hugh

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/LIc3Lcl33Zg/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

[Deacon Patrick]

I've never exercised self restraint, though I hope to do so one day, but I have done loads of research on it... Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Lee Legrand]

A Deacon that never exercise self restraint! LOL

--