Strategies for Reducing the Mass of Carried Clothing and Equipment

For me, camping and cooking are essential elements of the touring experience. Here are some of my strategies for reducing the overall mass of clothing and equipment. 

• Methylated Spirits burner for cooking. The fuel is available in hardware, paint or larger grocery stores. It is sometimes available as fondue fuel. Isopropyl alcohol (90%) will work althouth it is more expensive

• Minimise the amount of food carried during the day. Purchase food when convenient and close to meal location. 

• Plan ahead and determine when and where food and water will be available. 

• Use the layering principle for clothing - this adds flexibility. High performance fabrics can help to reduce mass. 

• Take no more clothing than you can wear all at once. I have found that the four layers of clothing is the maximum in practice - for example underwear/base layer, shirt, jacket and rain jacket.. Remember  that it is nice to have something to wear while most of the clothing is being laundered.

• light weight 3/4 length  1200 mm) self inflating mattress 

• sleeping bag suited to the overnight temperature conditions. 

• Tent suited to the weather and temperature conditions.

• When in a group, plan and share tools and equipment with others in the group.

• Photocopy or remove the pages from the guidebooks rather than taking the entire book. Or photograph the maps etc with a digital camera and view them using the camera.

• Light weight cable lock - Kryptonite 5 mm by 900mm and padlock

Improving the Warmth of the Lightweight Sleeping Bag

I used my Black Wolf Micron 50 sleeping bag for my early September tour of the South Australian Barossa area. The sleeping bag is rated at +6 degrees C made with Power Loft 3D fill (50 gm/sq metre). Weather forecasts indicated that temperatures should remain above 5 degrees C overnight. Actual ground temperatures outside the tent in the morning over the 5 days were 0, 0, 2, 4 and 6 degrees C. Weather observations record the temperature at about 1.2 metres above the ground. Morning temperatures are often considerably colder at ground level. 

In the evening, I put my Windstopper / visibility vest around the foot end of the sleeping bag. As the temperature dropped I put my rain jacket over the mid section of the sleeping bag and my long sleeve shirt over the upper section. The hood portion of the sheet was over my head, the draw cord around the neck and hood of the sleeping bag was pulled to minimise the uncovered area. On the colder mornings, my balaclava was pulled down over my face and neck. I also wore two pairs of socks on the colder nights.

The Black Wolf Micron 50 sleeping bag weighs about 800 grams. It has a full length zipper with draft tube. These add to the weight and allow the bag to be opened up fully in hot weather, or used as a blanket / cover in other situations. Perhaps a sleeping bag with a half length zipper would offer better performance for bicycle touring. In hot weather I sleep outside the sleeping bag in the silk sheet, until the temperature falls as morning approaches. 

I used a silk sheet. Perhaps a flannel sleeping bag sheet would have performed better in the cool conditions. A flannel sheet is substantially heavier that a silk sheet of similar dimensions.

Sleeping Bag Strategies

My down sleeping bag is a One Planet Bushlite Super Abyss, a model where the short Thermarest mattress is inserted into a pocket in the back section of the sleeping bag. It has a rating of -7 degrees C and mass of 1700 grams. It was well suited for my style of motorcycle camping and hiking. I found it advantageous to select a lower mass and lower volume sleeping bag for bicycle touring. I found that 0 to 4C is a typical dawn temperature for some good bicycle touring daytime weather of spring and autumn (in South Australia). 

My third sleeping bag was the Caribee Firefly Extreme sleeping bag with 0 degrees C rating. The fill material is Thermal-loft Micro. Mass is about 1200 grams. It has a nylon draw cord around the hood and another nylon draw cord around the neck / shoulder muff. The foot width is 600mm compared to 500 mm for the Black Wolf Micron 50. This might permit more of the loose sleeping bag material to be piled on top of the legs and body - in cold conditions. I used this sleeping bag on my September 2007 Mawson Trail (South Australia) tour - it was more suitable for the temperatures near freezing - particularly due to the hood and draw string, and neck / shoulder muff and draw string. I now have an 800 gram down sleeping bag which I use in place of the Firefly Extreme - when touring in moderate to dry weather.

For bicycle touring - two sleeping bags might cover the range of temperatures that I tour in. I have mostly used the 0C rated sleeping bag - the best touring weather seems to be in spring or late autumn. The lighter +5C sleeping bag is fine for overnight and summer touring - although afternoon temperatures above 30C are less pleasant for pedaling. 

Selecting a Tent

Overnight temperature has a bearing on which tent will be suitable. The tent's mass is lower if the upper part of the inner tent is screen rather than fabric. With this type of construction the temperature inside the tent will be similar to that outside. The screen panels also allow drafts if there is a breeze. In cooler weather, a heavier sleeping bag may be needed, if a light weight tent is selected. 

Challenges and Disciplines of Bicycle Touring

I built up to multi day bicycle touring by starting with overnight tours. The first overnight tour, I camped within 20 km of home and involved a 50 km ride the next morning. The second overnight tour involved a 65 km ride the next morning with more hills. On the early tours I packed the amount of equipment that I would need for multi day tours. This increased my resolve to reduce the mass and volume of equipment carried. My earlier packing lists were influenced by my hiking and motorcycle touring experience.

On my first multi day bicycle tour I averaged around 60 km per day. My knees were sore for the next five days. On my second multi day tour (a month later), I averaged more that 75 kilometers per day without sore knees following the tour. Sore knees tends to indicate that the pedaling cadence is too slow. Sore ankles and tendons seems to indicate that the pedaling cadence should be slower.

I enjoyed touring more after developing the discipline to take regular breaks. Even with a 10 minute break every hour for a drink and a snack, there was still plenty of time for further enjoyment at the end of the day. Digestion of food requires energy. While riding, the body consumes energy through pedaling, etc. When starting to ride after a meal break, my muscles felt sore and tired - probably because to the energy being diverted to digestion. Hourly breaks and easy to digest carbohydrates seemed to help. 

Cost and Equipment for Bicycle Touring

For those who prefer to not sleep at ground level on a 25mm thick by 1200 mm long mattress - Bed and Breakfast and On-Site Cabins at campgrounds may provide more agreeable  alternatives. Assuming the current bicycle is suitable for the type of touring to be undertaken - a rear pannier rack costs around $100. A pair of acceptable rear pannier bags cost around $200.  A small handle bar bag can improve access to the close at hand necessities.