Monday 6 May 2013

Loaded Fargo, about 75lbs I reckon

Loaded Fargo, about 75lbs I reckon a trial run for more commiting tours, I learnt a lot.... 4 Ortlieb panniers, bar bag and rack pack 5 litres of water plus 500ml of meths Tent was a Lichfield 200 treklite, pitched perfectly, but although it was long enough on the footprint the tapered design meant both my face and my feet were touching the inner and this was uncomfortable, changing it for a Wild Country Zephyros 2 XL. Down bag was my old Karrimor thats about 15 years old, combined with the Neo Air air mat made for a reasonably comfortable bed. Food was 4 bags of boil in the bag meals, all tasty and quick to cook, stove was a Trangia, 3/4 full of meths was perfect to heat the meal and provide enough water for a brew. I also carried a mix of Cliff bars and assorted other bars plus a few emergency gels, breakfast was quick Oats mixed with water and milk (not ideal but served a purpose) Clothing was 1 spare set of cycling clothing and 1 set of civvy clothing, down jacket and beanie, plus spare gloves, Rapha waterproof jacket and Altura waterproof pants, a pair of crocs were added for foot relief. I relied on maps for directions but had a garmin 800 gps on board for mileage counting and back up, I also carried a Kindle, an Iphone and a headtorch, plus a power monkey for power when required. I also carried a foam foldaway seating mat and a tarp, plus some spare rope etc for tying off the tarp or drying washing, I also had rear lights on the pannier rack and a front exposure light and a couple of front blinkies for on the roads when it was raining or getting dark. Not sure that I could reduce this by much for an extended tour, it might be worth seeing if I could fit it all into a frame/seat/bar bag to reduce the weight of the panniers and racks, obviously for a few nights out I'd go a lot lighter than this. Riding the bike loaded like this took a bit of relearning, the weight made for slow pondorous steering and a few speed wobbles, it was hard work on the hills, I dont think I've ever changed gears so much. Hoping the new tent will be here by weekend and I'll set off again and do more "research" :-)

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