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On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 6:27 PM, steve_pells <stevie@...> wrote:
Hello Everyone-
> On Behalf Of Mike Meiser
> Sent: 26 June 2009 20:26
> == less stuff more freedom ==
>
> My own attitude on packing light is "Less stuff. More freedom."
>
> I still carry a stove and cook kit. Most of the time anyway.
>
A couple of times recently we have been self-sufficient but without a stove. Igor just tends to eat cold stuff (as far as I can tell) if he is nowhere near a restaurant, and these masochists:
http://swultralight.home.bresnan.net/
(sometimes) eat uncooked food that ought to be cooked to save weight, but there is another option: build a fire. This means that you only need a pot (which you can obviously eat out of as well as cook in), a piece of cutlery and a box of matches on top of what you'd carry anyway, which adds minimally to the weight but significantly increases the quality of the food and enjoyment of the trip. My brother has a few shots of a 2007 trip here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/colossusnz/CapeYorkJune07#
Re: Enjoyment... yeah... if I was "racing"... but touring is about enjoyment... and food is always a large part of the travel experience.
Woodgas... it's somewhere between carrying a stove and cooking over a fire
I've been planning on maing a woodgas stove forever, have a can of fosters and some of the other items sitting on my dresser for months. Just have to do it.
The advantages of woodgas are
1) it's extremely efficient and hot (as hot as the hottest gas stoves) and can boil water with a handful of sticks and twigs.
2) you don't need to carry any fuel... save perhaps a handful of dry twigs or wood pellets in case your found wood is wet (to get the wet wood started)
3) it's extremely light
4) it generally doesn't need a windscreen... though some sort of foil around a pot ALWAYS helps especially if it's winter and/ or the pot is aluminum / Ti (you have to keep those pot sides warm)
The only disadvantages are...
1) it's slightly bulkier then an alchohol stove or isobutane stove though it is much lighter
2) it does produce a little bit of soot, so it's a little messy
3) takes a couple minutes to get going
Previously, I've always used a plastic teaspoon, but have just treated myself to a titanium spoon/fork thing, which I'm looking forward to trying out soon.
> It's always a mix of what you can find on the road ...
> This balance also varies tremendously with your experience
> and creativity.
>
Yes indeed...see above. I'm getting quite interested in combining traditional "bushcraft"-type improvisation techniques and cycling to get ultralight trips that combine the best of both worlds. I've used a Hennessey hammock a couple of times in the last couple of years, and it's worked out pretty well, and the small size means I can get away with the "no rack, no panniers" system using a saddlebag, yet not be dependent on finding a motel, hotel, YHA, B&B, etc. However, with the hammock I have always got a bit cold where the sleeping bag gets crushed by my body weight between the hammock and bony bits of me. This was above ~1500 m in the Alps, and just by unusually cold weather in the tropical Australian outback! I'm off to the Dolomites/eastern Alps next month, and am going to see if a space blanket is sufficient, assuming it's not too cold.
Re Bushcraft: Yeah, always been interested in bushcraft, at the very least it's just good to know.
Re: Hennessey hammocks... one of these days I plan to try one, but you just never know it'll work for you until you try it.
<Water>
> Why it never occurred to me to just stop at a house, knock on
> a door or use a garden hose spigot is beyond me.
>
We've done this quite a few times-it's not as if anyone loses out by filling your bottle. Even pubs will happily fill your bottle from the tap as well. Also, (back to bushcraft above), unless you're in a desert, there are rivers, ponds, lakes...
Yeap, reading igore's site he carries a filtration straw... I think these were first designed and used by the military. They're fairly inexpensive, very small and will do about 20 gallons. More then enough for an emergency.
Personally though I haven't toured anywhere yet where I've felt the need for any kind of a water filtration system. I have experimented with Iodine... but I don't even bother to carry these anymore.
There is also the option of boiling water in an emergency... though I wouldn't depend on it due the weight and space cost of fuel. Water filters are far more effective per the weight and space than wasting fuel boiling water.
>The trick is to lift
> the veil of those perceptions and think of creative solutions
> that clearly appraise the situation.
>
Right on, man!
> In Mineapolis, Minnesotta an upstanding musician at the local
> civic / opera center was tasered and arrested merely for
> riding his bike to the airport. There were no laws against
> it, but some cop had it in his mind that cyclists didn't
> belong anywhere near the airport.
>
This is a completely horrifying story! I don't get why no one else on the forum has commented on it. Did the fascist-I mean "cop"-go to jail for assault, GBH and false imprisonment?
Nope. He was found guilty... basically the judge said the cop gave him and order and even though it was law... he should have followed the cops demands. Yeah... the ruling is horrifying, but for every case like this there's another one gong the other way.
> == the issue of food, specifically the stove ==
In places like the alps, our standard "carry food" is bread (a baguette straps across the top of the saddle bag with a couple of spare toestraps perfectly!), ham, cheese, tomato and butter. Everyone carries a penknife, and that's all you need to sort out a great lunch. For dinner, we'd grab an onion, some pasta, some sausages and maybe a pepper as well as the tomatoes. A film cannister with some pepper, salt and another with herbs is all you need to end up with pretty decent and filling food. Like you, we tend to just carry extras like booze and cookable food above just a few miles.
Oh! I just heard the greatest (or at least the most obvious) idea today.
Instead of leaving extra space on the bike, just carry an ultra lightweight backpack.
I don't like things on my back (I have enough weight on the rear wheel, and it's a matter of heat dissipation), but a ultra-lightweight backpack is perhaps the perfect solution to my issue of where to put extra food and water from the grocery store on the way to camp at the end of the day. This is far easier then trying to find space on an ultralight setup like this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmeiser2/3656893283/
This is perfect for bulky, lightweight... but delicate things like baguettes.
I like your food ideas... I have a lot to learn about cooking on the road... it's an endless frontier... like bushcraft.
Anyway, this idea came from one of the GDR riders, don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.
> == Packing without racks ===
> These systems have become increasingly popular for off road
> tourers because quite simply... racks are both heavy, and
> they break to easily.
Tubular steel racks are absolutely the way to go if you need a rack. I have a Tubus tubular steel rack which weighs about 500g, and it's as solid as a rock. Incredibly, both lighter and much stronger than an aluminium rack (solid rod, not tubular). I really have no idea why people use those crappy seatpin racks, which weigh about the same (or more!) than a tubular chromo rack and yet swing around and can't handle much weight at all, until they break, when they can't handle anything.
I will keep this advice in mind. I still use a variety of racks on occasion. I'm familiar with Tubus racks, they have some nice designs.
Re: stem/ seat racks... wtf... they're "convenient"... but they're a horrible idea in my opinion. Would never buy one. And yet I see people using them all the time.
Indeed the firest time I saw one it was broken... guy was just moving his bike down some stairs and caught the rack on a step... it doesn't take much to exceed their weight limit.
> == a simple gear recommendation ==
>
> Based on all my reading thus far I have one piece of gear I
> think you might find most useful.
>
> The Jandd top tube bag:
>
> http://www.bikepacking.net/reviews/bikebags/jandd-frame-bag/
>
This thing looks like a great bit of kit. Unfortunately, they don't seem to supply their stuff to Europe. )-: Quick question: will it interfere with downtube shifters? (I'm not totally retro; I just like a DT shifter for the front rings as it's better and more controllable than an STI one).
You know... I have no down tube shifters, but I highly doubt it.
I guess it depends on your frame size. If it's really small then it might require you to consider how wide you pack it, but that's about it.
> I find your bottle cages interesting. I've used a Topeak
> Magna XL which is very similar in the past and will probably
> put it back on as it gets hotter, but I have found no others
> like it.
I have one that I think is a Topeak ("Modula"), that can be adjusted to different diameter bottles. Top Tip: when set to its "fat bottle" setting, it will also carry a Thermarest ultralight mattress!
Cheers,
Cool on the thermarest. I hear they have a new matt out that I've been meaning to check out... the neo air or something like that. Supposed to beat out the Exped Airmat in weight and pack size.
I just talked to someone about what it takes to put water bottle cage lugs in a frame... apparently it's quite easy... I'm going to put a cage under my down tube on my surly cross check asap... probably put the Topeak magna XL on it with extra support from a velcro strap to be safe. It's the perfect place to haul extra water (or fuel)... low / central center of gravity and you don't need to easy access.
Now... If only I could figure out something easy and non-permanent for my ultralight Salsa Campeon (aluminum/ carbon) bike.
-Mike
Steve
p.s. Have a good trip, Igor!
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