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Travelling Light?
I am NOT talking about travelling with only credit card and papers .... :rolleyes:
With gear depending on mission (road trips in Europe) and preference (camping), what would you consider light but not necessarly minimalist gear? My thoughts (motorcycling, not backpacking): Sleeping: - sleeping bag - hammock - silk nylon tarp - small dome tent - fleece blanket doubling as underquilt (hammock) and ground pad (tent) Cooking: - coffee can pot - SS 500 ml cup doubling as second pot - CampingGaz cooker - spoon or spork - liliput grill or similiar system - two Nalgene bottles, one rigged as hydration system - pot cleaner - towel Tools: - small pocket knife / Opinel - Multitool - matches and BIC-lighter - head lamp - small voltmeter - insulating tape - wire - cord - tire patching kit - 2x tire spoons - (electrical) pump - chain wax - set of fuses - set of light bulbs Clothing: Full ATTGATT 4 sets of undies 4 pairs of socks 1 pair of sneakers 1 pair of black jeans 2 polo shirts 1 fleece vest 1 anorak 1 ball cap laundry soap Food: - several packs of chicken noodle soup - tea bags - spices - snacks Toiletry bag plus 2 towels 1 roll of TP Medications Papers Cell phone + charger Camera + charger Diary and pen Travel guide(s) and maps Also, what luggage weight would you consider light? Thank you in advance! |
Check out the thread started by Blackhawk called "what do I need to bring?" Good thread with excellent responses. A European road trip generally means access to parts, food, and shelter when needed. Therefore some of your items may best be acquired en route vice hauled everywhere. What weight is "light?" To my wife it usually means packing to right at manufacturers published maximum for the bike, if not a few kilos over. Good luck with that!
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For motorcycle camping in Europe I would suggest:
Dump either the tent or the hammock/tarp, don't take both, just take whichever one you prefer. My preference is to keep the tent. You'll definitely need a ground pad of some sort to insulate yourself from the cold ground - it's the most important part of staying warm in my personal opinion. Take a a closed cell foam roll for ultra light, a thermarest mat for a compromise or for real comfort and get an exped down mat (my personal choice) - they're expensive but VERY comfy, and it packs down the smallest I've seen and it's pretty lightweight. Don't underestimate a good nights sleep. Sleep System: Exped 7DLX Down Mattress, Thermarest Ventra Down Comforter & Fitted Sheet | Adventure Vagabond Cooking depends on what you want to do. Are you just boiling water, heating ready made nosebag or cooking proper food. If you just boiling water for the chicken noodles then any old tin will work just fine. Gas is readily available in Europe, it's quick, cheap, efficient, clean and pretty lightweight. Don't forget a bottle oener/corkscrew for all the beer/wine. Dump the grilliput, it's a nice little gadget/toy and bit of fun on the campsite but it's not that lite and a bit of a PITA to set up and clean. You just won't feel like setting it up. I dumped mine before my trip for this reason. If you want to grill there are other/better ways. Nalgene bottles are great, especially the wide mouth cantene ones that fold up, taking less space when not being used. Wide mouth are easier to fill and you can put ice in them. They're available in different sizes too. I used a couple of the 2L Nalgene widemouth cantene bags and a couple of the 2L Platypus bags (one as a hydration bladder the other as a dirty water bag for filtering) I've since consolidated into a single 4L MSR Dromedary for convenience. A good/proper micro-fibre towel is great, they soak up loads and they pack real small and weigh virtually nothing. They dry really fast too. Even a medium sized one can be big enough. Great for drying clothes too, just squeeze excess water out of clothes, roll item(s) up in the towel like a sausage, stand on one end, twist and the towel sucks out all the water and your clothes aint stretched out of shape. You're in Europe so I wouldn't go mad on tools as there's lots of mechanics and garages about. Focus on quick temporary fixes for your specific bike. Get EU breakdown cover and just keep it very simple, but definitely take a puncture kit, it can save time money and hassle. A multi-tool is excellent but dump the pocket knife as the multi-tool will have one, dump the voltmeter too, you probably won't use it, if you really need to check a circuit just use a small battery, a bulb and some wire. A head torch is a great idea. Insulating tape and gaffer tape are must have as they'll temporarily fix almost anything, wrap it around a pencil (gaffer tape makes excellent emergency rim tape BTW). Heavier gage wire (from an old coat hanger will sort you out when the zip ties aint strong enough). Fuses are useful and so is a spare headlight bulb. Some sort of chain lube is needed but not a massive can. I take HKS chain oil in a 100ml squeeze bottle applicator. The Tool Kit, Chain Kit, Miscellaneous Kit and Puncture Repair Kit | Adventure Vagabond Laundry: a nice tip for washing clothes is to get a waterproof bag,1/2 fill it with hotish water and soap, put your dirty skivvies in, seal it up, strap to your bike and ride (bumpy roads optional). Stop an hour or so later and voila clean clothes. Squeeze out excess water put them in a mesh bag, strap that to your bike and continue riding. By the time you stop to camp your skivvies are clean and dry. Dump the extra towels you already have a micro-fibre one. I took a diary but never used it, I usually made a video diary in the evening instead. But a notepad and pen is useful. Consider making up some travel cards to give out to people that you meet. A small first aid kit with personal items is wise (ie your meds, insect repellent etc) and a good supply of ibuprofen will be appreciated in those first few days. You might consider a small sewing kit and a bike cover (for security and for hiding the shiny bits when stealth camping). If you seriously want light weight then the only option is soft luggage, especially if your going off road. There are plastic cases available which is a decent compromise. I personally use TT Zega Pro cases but if I was doing it again with more off roading I would use soft luggage instead. Alu cases are great, but they're heavy and usually expensive. I like the Wolfman range of soft luggage (I have a few pieces and they're excellent) but there are lots of others. Touratech Zega Pro 38L Black Aluminium Panniers & Accessories | Adventure Vagabond Pretty much my full kit list here with additions and subtractions: The Kit | Adventure Vagabond Good luck and Bon Voyage. |
just make it up as you go along and ditch what you dont need
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That looks like quite a heavy load if you really want to travel light! Here is what I would get rid of:
Drop the hammock, you have a tent! I know it is comfortable but it is too much space and weight to carry both and the tent is more flexible. Get an exped sleeping mattress instead of the fleece blanket. If you are staying at campgrounds drop all cooking gear and ask to use someone else's or just eat cold food. (I did this for four months in the USA and Canada). No more than 2 of any piece of clothing, one to wear and one to wash. No jeans, they are bulky and heavy! Get treking pants instead (with zip-off legs for maximum flexibility). Drop the voltmeter and insulating tape, you are too close to civilization to worry about carrying these. Is your phone an iphone or android phone? Get a PDF guidebook and put it on your phone. I believe an "anorak" is a type of coat? Unless you wear it while riding, get rid of it and use your motorcycle jacket. Do carry a small notebook to write to write down random stuff and contact information of people you meet. |
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I like your website and your kit, which is pretty much high end. With four more mouths besides mine to feed, this is probably out of my price range but thanks for the hints! |
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