Equipment I can afford?

[Sky King]

Here are a few tips we have put together on what to take on you bike tour

[Hartmame]

I have gotten a lot of good advice here so far but we haven't touched on sleeping bags and pads yet. I'm mostly curious about sleeping pads having never used one and they seem pricey. I don't want to waste my money on something to cheap that won't hold up but I don't want to break the bank either. What's the most comfort for the buck? How well do these roll up and store on the bike? At my age a sleeping pad seems like something I would really like to have while camping.

[Tri Girl]

I own three different sleeping pads (for different purposes). I have a 3/4 length 1" thick Thermarest self inflating, an Alps Mountaineering 1.5" thick self-inflatable, and a Big Agnes core-air 2" blow up air mattress.

My absolute FAVE for bike touring and backpacking is the Big Agnes. It's not self-inflating (takes about 30-40 breaths of air to blow up depending on how thick I want it that night), but it's the smallest and lightest and most comfortable mattress IMO. When rolled up, it fits in my water bottle cage. It took some getting used to sleeping on, as it's a bit noisy when you move around on it, and it kind of reminded me of sleeping on a blow-up pool toy at first. But truly- it's SUPER comfy and molds to my body. I wouldn't use it in cold weather, tho, because it's filled with air and that trapped air gets COLD!

The Alps Mountaineering is SUPER comfy, but it's quite thick when rolled up and it's MUCH too wide for bike touring. It's my car-camping mattress.

The Thermarest is OK. It does OK for bike touring, but it still takes up a lot of room on the bike. 1" thick is not enough for these old bones.

If you know anyone with a mattress, see if you can borrow a few different kinds to see which one would work best for you. Sometimes you don't know until you sleep for a night on it.



As far as sleeping bags- I have a heavy-duty winter one and a very lightweight Slumberjack one I found on eBay for $5. The light summer one rolls up pretty small, although in summer I usually just bring a top sheet to use as I don't need much when it's warm.

[Sky King]

okay couldn't resist showing off our hennessy hammocks. I love, love mine except when there aren't any trees but most of the time we can find something to hang them on.

[out_spokin']

+ 1 for the Big Agnes. I now bring mine on trips where otherwise I'd be sleeping on a couch or pullout, even with a car or plane trip, because it's more comfortable than bad beds and really packable. Might be out of your price range, but definitely best value for the dollar. Otherwise I'd say definitely look to borrow or rent. I wouldn't go without something - important for comfort, keeping your bag away from dirt/dew, etc.

[Tri Girl]

If you check eBay you can get a Big Agnes for rather cheap.
It's where I got ours. Paid $45 for each. For what it is- it's a GREAT bargain!!

[Hartmame]

The Nashbar Panniers price went up $10, I'll try to wait for another sale. I don't need them right away I have at least 2 months. I'd like to do some training rides with a loaded bike before it is time to go though.

[tinyhelmets]

I think this is the best video about touring prep ever! I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/user/AdvCycli...feature=g-hist