What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Always save on excess weight: don't take the wife!
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Lucky for me I've never needed chamois cream; the long distance mountain bike racers swear by Preparation H (the stuff in a tube. I don't suppose the suppositories would be much use) any drug store will have it so don't bother packing it.
Most motel laundromats have a machine that sells soap powder. If they don't, toss a bar of motel soap in with your wash, I've done it, it works. Once you get to the US accumulate quarters for laundry. it's most annoying to load up a machine and then find you don't have enough of them to do your washing. Typically the washer and dryer use 8 each and powder is another 4. They do have change dispensing machines that take 1 and 5 dollar bills in most places but sometimes they don't and sometimes they don't work.(Voice of experience from my tour last month)
If it's still hot when you get over here make sure you drink plenty. A symptom of dehydration can be constipation. This can be no joke, again voice of experience. So bring a laxative just in case. Eventually I learned to drink a large orange juice with my breakfast and that seemed to prevent it recurring.
Most motel laundromats have a machine that sells soap powder. If they don't, toss a bar of motel soap in with your wash, I've done it, it works. Once you get to the US accumulate quarters for laundry. it's most annoying to load up a machine and then find you don't have enough of them to do your washing. Typically the washer and dryer use 8 each and powder is another 4. They do have change dispensing machines that take 1 and 5 dollar bills in most places but sometimes they don't and sometimes they don't work.(Voice of experience from my tour last month)
If it's still hot when you get over here make sure you drink plenty. A symptom of dehydration can be constipation. This can be no joke, again voice of experience. So bring a laxative just in case. Eventually I learned to drink a large orange juice with my breakfast and that seemed to prevent it recurring.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Pete Jack wrote:Lucky for me I've never needed chamois cream; the long distance mountain bike racers swear by Preparation H (the stuff in a tube. I don't suppose the suppositories would be much use) any drug store will have it .
I've heard of it being used on saddle sores do they use it as a preventative?
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Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Pack things that are useful in multiple situations; don't carry things you can stock up on en-route.
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
One of the best tips I've seen, can't remember where, was: if in doubt don't take it.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
- Heltor Chasca
- Posts: 3016
- Joined: 30 Aug 2014, 8:18pm
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Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
And there is a massive difference between credit card touring and camping. 5kg is easy when you don't have your bed, tent and kitchen contents.
For a pauper like me? Well apart from loving being under canvas, I've got no other choice than 'move house' while on the move...b
For a pauper like me? Well apart from loving being under canvas, I've got no other choice than 'move house' while on the move...b
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Travel size washing/shaving stuff is available in most drug stores (chemists) due to airline
security theatricals.
Aside, GPS map names of roads often are different than the local names,
some counties number their roads. So GPS will have the country road number,
the road sign will say something else.
Missing road signs at intersections are common in rural areas.
Pubs in the US do not have accommodations, or beer.
security theatricals.
Aside, GPS map names of roads often are different than the local names,
some counties number their roads. So GPS will have the country road number,
the road sign will say something else.
Missing road signs at intersections are common in rural areas.
Pubs in the US do not have accommodations, or beer.
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Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG
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Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG
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Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
I hauled a stove, pans and a gas cylinder for 1300 miles on my last tour. Never cooked anything. I also toted a pile of freeze dried food we'd bought for earthquake preparedness that was out of date. I left that at a campsite hoping someone could use it. i'll never carry that lot again. Oops i tell a lie. I did use one bag of freeze dried at a hostel I stayed at; it was orrible.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
- simonineaston
- Posts: 8062
- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Tip 1: select the smallest pannier / saddle bag etc. option you could imagine getting away with using, and then take only what will fit in it.
Tip 2: Don't take anything that doesn't have at least 2 uses.
Tip 3 - not mine but still my favourite The day before, spread everything you're going to take out, including the money, on your bed, then halve the items and double the money...
Tip 2: Don't take anything that doesn't have at least 2 uses.
Tip 3 - not mine but still my favourite The day before, spread everything you're going to take out, including the money, on your bed, then halve the items and double the money...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
mnichols wrote:Preparing for a 1 month credit card tour of America with friends and looking for your top tips on saving pack weight
In our our test runs we've been pretty minimal ranging from 10 to 20 litres of space each
The area that most frustrates me is toiletries: chamois cream, sun cream, tooth paste, washing powder, shaving stuff and deodorant
Tip #1: stay in hotels rather than camp DONE
Tip #2: travel with friends to share stuff DONE
Tip #3: take a credit card so that if you need something you can buy it DONE
Tip #4: limit yourself to beween 10 litres (you will need to carry something) and 20 litres DONE
Tip #5: go on test runs to see how it shakes down and what you don't need DONE
Tip #6: deodorant - why in heaven's name do you need deodorant?*
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodorant
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Sweep wrote:Am looking forward to this thread being a mix of the supremely practical and the infamous viz handy household tips
When touring in France, to keep your French Baguette fresh simply pop it into a bucket of water overnight....
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Pete Jack wrote:I hauled a stove, pans and a gas cylinder for 1300 miles on my last tour. Never cooked anything. I also toted a pile of freeze dried food we'd bought for earthquake preparedness that was out of date. I left that at a campsite hoping someone could use it. i'll never carry that lot again. Oops i tell a lie. I did use one bag of freeze dried at a hostel I stayed at; it was orrible.
Me too. I hauled cooking stuff for nearly 2000 miles round Spain and only used it a handful of times. When you can get a filling menu del dia for under €10 and breakfast for €3 there's not much incentive to cook. Plus with hotels not much more than camping there's not much incentive to camp!
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
Shop at Decathlon for clothing requirements. cheap, lightweight and rolls up nice and small.
Shave your arm pits (I know it sounds a bit opposite to some manly men and I refused to do it for the first month of cycle touring but it was so much better after I got rid) then use a speed stick, it works alot better than any other deoderant and it lasts alot longer (also means you can "shower" with wet wipes easier)
Shave your arm pits (I know it sounds a bit opposite to some manly men and I refused to do it for the first month of cycle touring but it was so much better after I got rid) then use a speed stick, it works alot better than any other deoderant and it lasts alot longer (also means you can "shower" with wet wipes easier)
Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
My top weight saving tip is .... lose some weight!
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Re: What's your top weight saving tip for touring?
davegtt wrote:Shave your arm pits
Oh come on, how much weight can there be in armpit hair!!?