First tour, advice please on emergency gear

[psmiffy]

I'm hopefully going to head to Arran on Wednesday

So are you ready to go out of the door - Remember to report back

 

[Kbrook]

I am ready, but never having camped before I'm worried about Thursday's forecast which is wet and windy. I had originally planned to go last week but was ill during all that nice weather. I've looked at other options further south like the Scottish Borders/ Northumberland or even Wales but really want, as strange as it sounds to use some ferries, there are 3 in the route I've planned, and want the ruggedness of the route I've planned. The thought of 8 hours getting soaked isn't appealing though.

 

[Crackle]

Windy is good, it'll keep the midge population at bay. Incidentally I didn't see any anti-midge stuff on your list, like Avon skin so soft. I hope you don't need it but best to be prepared.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

yup - Ive wild camped not 20m from a busy motorway toll booth and under motorway bridges - noise whats that

That's the stuff of nightmares for me. I slept off a main road in Africa. It wasn't wildlife or muggers that were dangerous. It was ME! I was found by a farming family, sleep walking along the verge!

 

[Brains]

Thanks all, weather looking not too bad. Another question is how much water to take?I'm thinking just a 2 litre bottle and refill as I need it.
I'm sort of regretting buying my Trangia stove, seems a bit heavy in hindsight, maybe should have gone for gas,then again I would still have to carry pans etc. It's all very new to me at, not camped in the last 40 years.

You will not regret the Trangia, it is the lightest like-for-like cooking system available, no gas stove with the associated pots and pans can get close weight wise. and what the Trangia may loose in speed it makes up for in versatility

For a single person bike tour you can ditch the kettle and probably the smaller bowl.
For water, in Scotland, your bike water bottles should be enough, but otherwise get a one or two litre water bag (Ortelieb do a good one), it weighs nothing when empty, you just fill up before you stop for your wild camp

 

[robgul]

Seems reasonable - be interesting to collate what the other ten have - and then publish the % of what is actually used

Edit - I assume that you are going to France as you have included a spork as emergency gear - for Sundays and Mondays

Hopefully the usage statistic will be 0% ! Most of the others will pretty much only have a couple of tubes ... I'm the trip organiser, hence the fairly comprehensive kit. The list doesn't include my clothes but it's all Rohan-type quick dry stuff and I'll only take the Shimano "trainer style" SPD shoes - so will clip-clop like Dobbin in the evenings!

Love the Spork comment! What I didn't mention, as we are visiting the home of moules I have a silver-plated, hinged mussel-shell gadget for eating them with - the height of sophistication.

Rob

 

[Kbrook]

You will not regret the Trangia, it is the lightest like-for-like cooking system available, no gas stove with the associated pots and pans can get close weight wise. and what the Trangia may loose in speed it makes up for in versatility

Fr a single person bike tour you can ditch the kettle and probably the smaller bowl.
For water, in Scotland, your bike water bottles should be enough, but otherwise get a one or two litre water bag (Ortelieb do a good one), it weighs nothing when empty, you just fill up before you stop for your wild camp

Thanks for the advice, what's the advantage of a water bag to just buying bottles, i presume it's for filling it from natural sources, or a tap,if you can find one?

 

[Brains]

Thanks for the advice, what's the advantage of a water bag to just buying bottles, i presume it's for filling it from natural sources, or a tap,if you can find one?

A water bag you can fill where you camp, weather that be a spring, a tap, the nearest house, the tap in the church yard (they all have one!) or the water that runs into the cattle trough, as long as you can see the original source.
The advantage over bottles is space and ease of carrying both on the bike and in your hand

 

[mjr]

the tap in the church yard (they all have one!)

I've seen my first ones that require keys this year. Oh well - it's not like churches are charities

Better off finding a mosque... if only they looked more stereotypical in northern Europe!

 

[mjr]

In my experience it can be long way between bike shops and not all bike shops are equal - horses for courses again - a three day tour to Arran - basic tools, puncture kit, pump and a spare tube should suffice

Indeed. You can bodge the bike to the nearest shop and possibly the whole way if necessary, although some bodges trash the failing part and sometimes neighbouring bits.

This month's group tour, we had one pedal fail which was replaced when we found a decent bike shop (usually I could repair that but I'd not put the 12mm socket back in my tool kit - kept the old one to repair) and one pannier hook snap in a dispute with a narrow bridge (the bridge won) which was bodged with a bungee until home. One had a few thrown chains which we put back on but never really figured out the cause.

Last year, we had one headset go out of adjustment which was fixed at lbs the morning after it happened and one rack lose a bolt which was replaced with one kindly given to us by a motorcycle mechanic in the nearest village to where it went.

Punctures each time. Punctures are by far the most common thing that can leave you walking.

 

[psmiffy]

going to head to Arran on Wednesday

So are you going or gone - the suspense is killing me

 

[Kbrook]

I'm embarassed to say, after all your help that it's postponed. Being in the very lucky position of being retired I can go anytime, like I say I was due to go last week but because I was ill I was unable, hence the reason I was desperate to do it this week. However for my first tour, the forecast for Thursday has put me off. I shall however be going the next three decent days there are, hopefully next week.
Thank you for all your help, my bags are packed and are sat in my lounge ready to go at a moments notice.

 

[psmiffy]

my bags are packed and are sat in my lounge ready to go at a moments notice.

No worries - ditto