Top 10 Tips for a 1st Timer S24O?

[Liesl]

Greetings Fellow Rivsters, Well finally I'm going on my first proper
S24O next weekend (by proper I mean no vehicle "meet you there"
support) with a few friends. I'm an avid camper and have ridden cross-
country on my motorcycle countless times in the olden days–but this is
my first true bicycle camping adventure. Most of my riding is my urban
commute, 20 miles r/t, which I do year 'round here in Minneapolis/St.
Paul . Here's what I have:

-Saluki with mustaches, B17, MKS touring pedals, a mini rack up front
and nitto big back rack
-various bags to choose from depending on load (Baggins Adam, Baggins
panniers, Shopsack & basket, etc)
-Eureka Spitfire tent
-crappy sleeping bag but it'll do
-snow peak mess kit
-trangia stove
-repair kit/tube/pump/water bottle, etc
-something warm to put on at night
-flashlight
-some food
-a flask with drambuie

Okay! Gimme your top ten tips!

your pal Liesl Happy-May-Day-to-all-the-Locals in the Twin Cities

[mikel...@juno.com]

a hands-free flashlight!!!!!!!!!! it goes around yer noggin' like a headband

purchased at REI for about $20 a couple years ago. makes things a whole lot easier at night

mike goldman

warwick,r.i.

____________________________________________________________
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[John Blish]

Hi Liesl,

I hope you have a great time and I am imagining that you are practicing for the MidWest Riv Rally in early June.  If not, that's OK, too.

I sometimes forget chain lube and if it rains, I always need it and a rag to wipe the excess.  Put red shop rag in plastic zip bag.

I have a sleeping bag liner from REI that gives the bag I take a better temperature range and helps keeps the inside of my bag cleaner.  Here is an example, although there are many:
  http://www.rei.com/product/695429/sea-to-summit-silk-travel-sleeping-bag-liner-traveler       Not cheap but could be worth the money by letting down bag last longer and stay nicer.

I keep a fairly big, heavy washcloth in one of the outside mesh pockets of my panniers.  When I come upon clean water I get the washcloth soaking wet and apply to forehead and other parts for nearly instant relief.

I carry one of the nicer LED flashlights and an adapter to attach it to the handlebars so that if I am caught out after dark I have a bike light and then I also use that as a flashlight in my tent, etc.  I use PDW RadBot or something like that for taillight.

Some folks use a CamelBack.  I just got a 100 oz. and expect to use it this summer.  Could be more trouble (weight on my back and straps, etc.) than it is worth but I am trying to drink more as I ride and that is one way to make sure I will.

I take a light jacket that will keep me dry in the rain unless it is a downpour and by then I would have tried to find some shelter.

Camera.

I have a folding pocket knife.  Short blade.

I take a spork or a pretty stout plastic spoon.  Can never tell when I might find yogurt or something similar at a convenience store.

I will think of more and try to post again.  I am getting tired now. 

Your daily commute is more than enough to get a person ready for what you are going to do.  It is the little incidentals that you might miss but anyone can get along without that stuff for a night or two, especially if there are lots of friends along.

Best,

John
 

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[Andy Smitty Schmidt]

I assume you have a sleeping pad and just didn't list it? If not, get one, you'll sleep warmer and it'll soften the ground a bit. I go with the old style closed cell foam because they're ultra durable and super light, but most people these days seem to prefer the inflatable variety. 

Depending on your menu and if your stove is one of the cook systems with the stand+windscreen+nesting pots, you might not need a whole mess kit. My kitchen varies from trip to trip depending how elaborate I want to eat.  

If I think I'm going to had a campfire, I usually bring some sort of fire starter. You know the little duraflame nuggets that burn for 5 minutes (or even a piece of a duraflame log) or something similar from the bbq aisle of the grocery store. 

Sometimes baby wipes come in handy. I usually carry a few in a zip-lock as part of my everyday and camping pack.

Some of my tents have a tiny LED hanging from the loops in the ceiling. I like the whole tent to be lit rather than having to hold a conventional flashlight or wear a headlamp. 

--Andy 

[cyclotourist]

A towel. Always have a towel.

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Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

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“I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.”

[William]

pack a second flask of drambuie

On Sunday, May 13, 2012 8:25:35 PM UTC-7, Liesl wrote:

[Mike]

LIesl, bring a book. Something seems really right about John McPhee
(Coming Into The Country, The Control of Nature, Survival of the Bark
Canoe, etc) for S24Os. Also, bring a camera and share the images with
us, along with a trip report.

Looks like my first S24O of the year is coming up on my rather
unexpectedly. A friend and I are heading out Wed for an overnight
camping trip on the Clackamas River. I sure hope this amazing weather
we're having in Portland holds until then.

--mike

[doc]

You have to be warm enough, you have to have enough food, and you have
to know where you're going. After those basics are covered, the rest
can fall into place. For warmth, I like down bags, but I have a liner
too, and a down sweater for around camp at night. Big Agnes makes an
insulated pad that stows pretty small. Don't forget something for a
pillow. For an S24O, you really don't need to cook, but that's half
the fun for me. My advice, though, is to coordinate with your friends
what you're bringing for food and how to cook it. Minimally, you need
something to heat water. If you're familiar with the territory, then
no need for a map or GPS, although sometimes it helps. Finally, the
one piece of kit I picked up recently that I can't believe I didn't
have before: an inflatable seat pad. If there are park benches,
great; but if not, what are you planning to sit on?

Have a blast and don't over think it.

doc

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

 

perhaps I missed its previous mention... but... 

 

Coffee!

Coffee thermos/mug/cup

 

French press is amazingly easy but does require the press. They are cheap from REI etc and you can get small-ish ones. (Snow Peak actually makes a titanium one. It may not be the best coffee-maker material, but titanium stuff is almost magical just to hold! :)) Making French press coffee benefits from (may require; I've never tried without) a really coarse grind. So you may have to grind it yourself or get it ground separately from other coffee you get. You *can* get a portable manual grinder and grind it at camp... but pre-measured pre-ground coffee in a baggie or a nalgene bottle is what I've always done. Love coffee though I do, I have my limits.

 

Starbucks now has this "Via" stuff that is "instant coffee" that may not come in varieties you like and isn't the best of any variety... but really is much better than standard instant coffees and is quite drinkable. Other venues may have similar stuff.

 

Don't forget sugar and/or cream if you like those! Small nalgene bottle for cream or milk unless you have "Mini-moos" lying around and something to protect them in. Similar for sugar... small restaurant-style packages are fine if protected generally but a nalgene bottle works too!

 

Coffee on a brisk morning outdoors after sleeping outdoors is not something to be missed!

 

No, I do not work in either the coffee industry, dairy industry, nalgene industry, or titanium industry. Not even at REI.

 

Sorry for wasting your time if you (a) aren't a coffee drinker or (b) already know all about camping with coffee and simply thought it implicit.

 

Enjoy! 

 

Yours,

Thomas Lynn Skean

[Liesl]

On May 14, 11:07 am, Thomas Lynn Skean <thomaslynnsk...@comcast.net>
wrote:

"perhaps I missed its previous mention... but...Coffee! Coffee thermos/

mug/cup. French press is amazingly easy but does require the press.

They are cheap from REI etc and you can get small-ish ones. (Snow Peak
actually makes a titanium one. It may not be the best coffee-maker
material, but titanium stuff is almost magical just to hold! :))
Making French press coffee benefits from (may require; I've never
tried without) a really coarse grind. So you may have to grind it
yourself or get it ground separately from other coffee you get. You
*can* get a portable manual grinder and grind it at camp... but pre-
measured pre-ground coffee in a baggie or a nalgene bottle is what

I've always done. Love coffee though I do, I have my limits. . . "

Ah, a gent after my own heart. My mess includes the following coffee
set-up: a 700 Snow Peak mug coupled with a Jetboil french press
adapter, which fits the 700 poifectly! Much cheaper than the Snow
Peak complete french press if you already have the 700. And I have a
450 double-walled Ti Snow Peak mug, which I use every single morning,
camping or no. (My other Snow Peak every-day-carry is the short spork,
or as I call it, my stubby.)

http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/coffee-press.html
http://www.backcountry.com/snow-peak-cookware

Because I'm no spring chicken and embarrass myself with a fully loaded
bike on hills, I'm endeavoring to as little as I can get away with.
When I car-camp, I absolutely delight in my Bellman Stove-Top Espresso
and Cappuccino Maker and my Hario hand-grinder. Pure heaven. Perhaps
I should hide them in one of the strong young buck's saddle bags????

http://kasbahouse.com/detail.asp?product_id=55
http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/Hario-Skeleton-Skerton-Coffee-Mill-p/scg11550-50.htm

-liesl

[Scott Postlewait]

On May 14, 2012, at 9:56 AM, Liesl wrote:
> (My other Snow Peak every-day-carry is the short spork,
> or as I call it, my stubby.)
>

Oh no! I didn't know the Snow Peak spork came in a short model. That's the danger of reading this list! I've often thought of trimming down the handle of the Snow Peak spork (regular sized) in my saddle bag, but can't ever bring myself to fire up the dremel against such a steady and useful companion. Time to add another item to the "wishlist."

To add to the "Top 10" - a thin wool cap (I always have my Ibex meru cap with me).

Scott Postlewait
Seattle, WA

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

Ha! If I'd paid more attention to where you were from I would have realized that my note was completely uncalled for. Cold weather, year-round commuting, 10,000 lakes .... the Twin Cities for goodness's sake! Of course you've got camp coffee covered!

 

:)

 

Yours,

Thomas Lynn Skean

(whose wife attended MacAlester yet married me anyway!)

[Manuel Acosta]

Pictures take plenty of pictures and show us how much fun your having to remind us to go out on our bikes.

[cyclot...@gmail.com]

And to prove it happened, right! :-)

[dougP]

On the flashlight issue, I suggest a camping headlight (hands free)
PLUS a cheap LED bike headlight that is easily detachable. One needs
2 lights: should one fail, you need the other to see what needs
attention (change bulb, batteries, etc.). Or you just break it or
lose it or whatever. Lights are compact, light & worth taking a
spare, even for an overnight.

dougP

On May 16, 10:59 am, "cyclotour...@gmail.com" <cyclotour...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> And to prove it happened, right! :-)
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, May 16, 2012 10:51:02 AM UTC-7, Manuel Acosta wrote:
>
> > Pictures take plenty of pictures and show us how much fun your having to

> > remind us to go out on our bikes.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Minh]

Wow, all great tips here to get folks started.  Liesl one thing that you should keep in mind, and i think Grant brought this up when he explain the S24O concept, it's only an overnite, and in many cases it's less then 24 hours.  You're only a few hours (ride) away from home and in an emergency probably even less time to get to aid don't sweat it too much on the planning side.  Make sure you have the shelter, clothes, food+water taken care of, the other stuff like forgetting a flashlight or sleeping socks or whatever are incidentals that you learn later if you really need or not. 

On my first S24O i was so consumed by planning that i went over the list multiple times.  The distance to my campsite was a little beyond my normal distance--especially with all my gear so i was pretty relieved to make it there with enough light left-over.  Imagine my deflation when i unpack my tent and realize that i had packed the rain-fly instead of the tent.  After a few minutes of cursing myself and realizing i was too tired to turn back home, i setup the fly as an open shelter--which i didn't really need because it didn't rain that night and just slept out in the open.  The bugs ending up biting the heck out of me, but it was only one night of suffering, and riding home the next morning in a sleep deprived state was interesting, but i survived!

Gear wise, just go with what you got, if you what to update anything i like my sleeping pad.  it's a foam/air-pad combo. it rolls up to the size of a regular foam pad but it has a valve that you open, let it expand (about 90% of the way) and then a few puffs of air to top it off.  i also have to have a pillow, one of the things i figured out is a requirement for me!

Good luck and make sure your report back!

[Liesl]

All the tips are great (not only for me but like Minh says for others
contemplating the adventure as well), I tend to be the firm checklist
type and err on the side of bringing too much so I am really trying to
relax in the spirit of the S24O "Just Ride" chapter and just give it a
whirl. And the boys I am going with will help on that front; they are
fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants dudes who are newish dads who are just
psyched to recover a glimmer their pre-dad days and/or community
artists.

see http://www.artshantyprojects.org/ to get a flavor of the
adventures we have in the winter

But now the fly in the ointment is heavy storms are predicted that
afternoon and night, so we might need to reschedule. (I commute 20
miles in the winter in Minneapolis and in the olden days, I'd ride 400
mile days in the rain across Kansas on my Beemer, so I'm not a weather
wimp--but I'm not so interested in my first S24O having the high
likelyhood of a battle with a storm.) Will keep y'all posted.

Liesl

[Zack]

If you want to cook, bring a lighter.  lol.  Learned that one this weekend.  Won't make that mistake twice!  I tend to bring too much food anyways, so I just had salami and an apple for dinner.  the whole "if you screw up it doesn't really matter because you will be home the next day" thing really does apply to S24O.  

Also, I suggest leaving earlier than you really think you need to.  When I leave later in the day and feel pressed for time to get somewhere to make camp before it's dark, I spend my time worrying about the time and trying to go faster, which isn't really my idea of having fun.  I am new to this too, so i am not yet a master at determining when/where is a safe bet to camp.