Oh god so I should a canister stove?
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Because I have that.
yes, duh.
Hey if anyone wants to see the directors cut of the Tour Te Waipounamu Bikepacking race I did a couple of years ago, its now online free to view on Youtube. It just sends chills down my spine when I start to watch it again. It was pay to view on Vimeo up until yesterday. It’s a bit cringey for me to watch as I get interviewed a bit at the start. It’s 90 mins long but I reckon it does a reasonable job of showing what it was like, apart from the really hard bits, which the videographer didn’t have access to. I think next years edition is going to have some pretty big hitters coming.
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Hell yeah. Saved to watch while I’m getting my bike ready for bikepacking trip this weekend.
Also HY
Or maybe not HY? Honestly, I’ve forgotten what 90° feels like
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have a good trip. Looks like good weather !
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Enjoyed it.
Also yeah I’m going with a canister stove! This Fancy Feast can is way more efficient than the last one I made. Glad I tested it…not trying to burn anything down
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So apparently BWR has decided to come out as full blown clowns, idiots and TERF’s.
"New Category Policy Announcement
Monuments of Cycling and the Belgian Waffle Ride events are committed to ensuring that all participants have equal access and opportunities to participate in our cycling events in a fair manner while preserving the integrity of the sport and respecting international regulations. The organization does so with the full intent to foster positive, world-class experiences that promote personal growth and healthy competition.
Belgian Waffle Ride, therefore, adopts the following policies:
Racing Classifications
Beginning August 1, 2023, all Belgian Waffle Ride events will offer the following racing categories:
- Female: In the interest of protecting the parity of sports between women and men, racers who were born female may compete in the classification.
- Male: Racers who were born and/or identify as male may compete in this classification.
- Open: All racers, regardless of gender identification, may compete in this classification."
This is after Austin Killips (a pro racer trans woman) took the top spot at the podium at the last race in NC four weeks ago they have decided that trans women are no longer welcome to race, basically. They have thrown her and every trans person under the bus and just catered to bigots and the vile fucking “pRoTeCtInG bOrN fEmAlEs”-people. This is so fucking disgusting, transphobic, misogynistic, stupid and just beyond comprehension. Also against what the UCI, USA Cycling and IOC recommends not that it should matter any way.
Please be aware and don’t give them the time of day or your money, likes, follows, a platform or anyting.
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TERFs get the wall
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This is gross. Austin won an 8.5 hour race by four minutes. The difference in time between first and second was about 0.7%. How does making her compete in a separate category “protect the parity of sports”?
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It doesn’t. BWR is caving in to a very loud and very right wing minority. Trans people are no threat to the sanctity or parity or fairness of sports. It’s bigotry and the modern version of conservative Christian hatred disguised as “protecting women and girls”
No different from the gay panic of the 80s, just new victims this time.
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What is like the base setup for poopbarning? I left all my camping stuff with my ex and need to resupply. 'Sup is dying to do some overnights and I’m dying to oblige her. She’s got some gear but it all is more… car-campy. Every time I try to do research I get caught up in the flat-brimification of going outside and being active. I need a trusted adult to tell me the cheapest halfways-decent shit to get. Planning on some S24Os on the prairie, have a decent selection of bags and shit that I got for grocery shopping and making it look like I work for crust on instagram, but now I need shit to put in them besides cereal and beer.
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How cold does it get where you are?
What are you packing it into?
ATMO the rackless butt rocket/frame bag/front roll harness systems are nice for actual singletrack bouncy riding and not getting snagged on vegetation. They do require choosing gear that is compressible to small size, which tends to also be the lightweight expensive kinda gear.
But for more mellow singletrack or gravel road stuff, it’s perfectly fine to use typical touring racks front and/or rear. That also means you can often use larger panniers where compressibility of gear is not such an issue.
I’d start by shopping at REI outlet, Sierra Trading Post, or your local used-gear place. Also check for any local gear buy/sell/trade FB groups folks love upgrading so even if you don’t see much for sale it’s worth putting a Wanted post up.
Focus on sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent. That’s where you’ll see the most gains in terms of nicer stuff packing smaller and being lighter. OFC it’s also the expensive stuff. Having a rear rack is great because you can carry light/bulky sleeping gear and not need to upgrade so soon.
After that it’s not as big of an issue, clothing all tends to be the same quality/size ish (exception puffy jackets). You can get small cheap canister stoves off Amazon or whatever that are just as usable as MSR or other big-name stuff.
@Euphorbia recently shared that a $45 AAC membership gets you 40% off from Big Agnes (among other discounts), so if you are thinking of dropping some big $ on bag/pad/tent that could be well worth it.
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It’s not just a discount… it’s full access to their pro deal store, which even has sales sometimes!
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Yeah, racks are really good, as they are more amenable to oversupply scenarios. With butt rockets and frame bags, you only have so much room. With a simple dry bag strapped to a rack you can always fit a bit more in if needed. Plus the weight is nicer a little bit lower.
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Kelly Cosmic Down sleeping bag is a real solid purchase ATMO. A little heavier but a lot cheaper than similar options and you can pack it down to about football size in a compression sack. That’s really my only specific gear suggestion.
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There’s some Ali/Uncle Jeff stuff that rates well, namely the Lanshan tents. Last I looked sleeping bags were still overpromising. Inflatable sleeping pads are probably better than your average foam pad and little things like stoves can be a great bargain.
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If you’re a member, always check the used REI stuff online before buying anywhere else. Some amazing deals on there.
Bike Co-op or the classic planet bike rear rack for $25 are the best bets for rackage and are perfectly fine for 90% of all bikepacking
panniers are honestly pretty hard to source inexpensively in my experience. if possible I would try to borrow some from a friend before committing to them. two rear panniers per bike, plus rack loading, is more than enough for just about any bike camping trip.
the general zeitgeist is that ortleib waterproof panniers are the best, but I have never really liked those (I have an irrational dislike of their complicated mechanical attachments, give me hook & bungie any day please). I tend to prefer non-waterproof jawns that have pockets. Clothes, etc., go into separate waterproof dry sacks that can be tossed in the tent at the end of the day
I think pretty much any cheap 40 degree bag is gonna work for summer camping up here. it’s hot right now!
foam pads are fine but not terribly comfortable. I just copped a $40 “klymit” air pad for my kid off REI outlet. it’s not super warm but it’s comfortable for summer camping. but no matter what, you need pads. they’re not really for comfort, but warmth even in the summer.
cooking can be optional. It’s great to just buy a big sandwich, chips, cookies, whatever in the last town before camp and eat that. but I always bring a stove and a little kettle for coffee/oatmeal in the morning, and have actually sort of come around to the expensive dehydrated food for dinner which is so easy to make.
dirtbag cooking is bring a pot from home and use the fire grate, so you can skip getting a stove.
any 2P tent should work, even $40 jawns from Walmart.
For destinations, MN state parks have a no-turn away policy for human-powered travelers. So you can go any weekend, no reservation, and probably get a really nice, secluded spot in the picnic area instead of the regular state park campground zoo. I always bring this letter, but haven’t needed it:
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