Thanks to Anja, my clothing system is complete. She managed to get a hold of some of this seasons new, and i think best yet, Icebreaker range. For those in the dark, Icebreaker make fantastic quality merino wool clothing of all types, weights, uses and sizes. In combination - especially when the wiff factor is so low - these pieces allow you to stay, warmer, drier, cooler, for longer with less muss, fuss and weight. Downside? well its not cheap, and it doesnt have the latest en vogue team print.
So: mid weight, 260g balaclava. Can be rolled into a hat, will be used on the coldest winter days.
Expedition weight 340g hooded, slim fit top. Riding in if cold, used in sleeping bag so a 3 season bag gains a few degrees of rating.
Thin, breathable 180g short sleeve top. For the warmer days, and as inner layer.
Combined with 3/4 wool underwear for night time, i think i have the clothes dialled..
4 comments:
Seems to me like you're gathering together a helluva lot of kit just to camp out a ride away from home.
Planning on going out long?
yup...
Here are some thoughts:
1) Shop for your gear at a store with a substantial selection of backpacking gear (REI is a good one). Sleeping bags can take up a lot of room, so consider down bags, which stuff to a much smaller size while providing outstanding warmth. Our bags are Big Agnes and I would highly recommend them. We have two Luxury Camp Thermo-rest sleeping pads. Bags and pads go into waterproof stuff sacks and are attached just above the side bags.
2) We also have a very compact cook stove. Rather than packing food, we will stop towards the end of the travel day and pick up whatever we plan to cook for the evening (along with a nice bottle of wine!) I'm blessed to have a wife that is a gourmet cook and it's amazing what she can come up with from that little camp stove...part of the fun.
3) One luxury is two Kermit chairs, which pack onto the trunk rack.
4) Our tent is a Mountain Hardware two person backpacking tent, with a small storage alcove. Very lightweight and the alcove is nice for storing things out of the weather.
5) We both have BMW Comfort Shell riding suits, which eliminate the need for separate rain gear. We also each have a Gerbings heated liner and gloves, so we're good to go regardless of what the weather throws us.
6) We each get one of the side bags for clothing, which consists of an extra pair of pants (hiking pants with zip off legs) for evening wear and a couple of layering pieces. Everything we take is for travel so, for example, instead of packing a weeks worth of underwear, I'll pack 3 pair and wash them out at the campground. I carry a mesh bag which is great for packing wet clothes on the bike and drying them while you ride. Exofficio is a great supplier of lightweight travel clothes.
You do have to carefully think through what you really need, but you can generally get by with far less than you think (also a good lesson). You also need to plan the way a backpacker would plan, with an eye towards every ounce of weight. We would never consider traveling with a trailer (and I'm NOT being critical of those that do) and always look forward to our camping adventures.
Where did you get the IceBreaker Chase SS zip? I have been trying all the outdoor shops without luck.
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