Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Tents

« on: April 28, 2013, 10:01:25 pm »

2 people really need two doors and two vestibules, especially if one door/zipper goes bad and you have to sew it up.
if your trip is less than a month, you could probably get by with squeezing in together with regular discomfort. once you get past 4 weeks you might consider splurging a bit for bigger space.
if your companion is large, snores, flops around or keeps weird hours you might want two small tents.
i'm eyeing the easton kilo 1p.
cheers

2

General Discussion / Re: Bears

« on: April 15, 2013, 09:38:58 am »

Addendum:
I see it is the "OpSac" that is smell resistant, not the 'aloksac'.
Www.loksac.com
J

3

Gear Talk / Re: No Stove

« on: April 15, 2013, 09:30:02 am »

If you don't cook at home, you probably won't cook on the road.
If you change your mind, you can just buy one.
Enjoy!

4

Gear Talk / Re: Camping Gas/stove

« on: April 15, 2013, 09:26:52 am »

I don't find it hard at all to find cannister fuel, though the larger sizes are more difficult to locate. I travel with one large one, and a backup that can be smaller, if necessary. Most are universally connected to any stove- i did have to update my device to enjoy this convenience. The empty canisters are now recyclable, if one has the proper emptying tool.
I would recommend surfing several of our outdoor stores to check for fuel compatibility with your stove:
Www.rei.com
Www.ems.com
Www.sportsmanswarehouse.com
Let's hear it for the box stores.
Regards, janet

5

General Discussion / Re: Bears

« on: April 15, 2013, 09:17:14 am »

If nerves will keep you from sleeping, I recommend investing in a high strength bear spray (and keep it at hand) some bear bags such as "aLokSac" (www.loksac.com), and staying away from established campsites as much as possible. Even if there is nothing from which to hang the food bag, at least things will be packed in multiple layers.
I've found the worst campground pests are the small gnawers that come out at night.
Beware the rodents!
Cheers, janet

6

Routes / Re: Haida Gwaii

« on: April 04, 2013, 08:10:18 pm »

I sent some touring motorcyclists there on their alaska-to-Argentina trip, they loved it.
Would recommend you're ready for fire road type conditions, be fully self-contained.
Enjoy-i cycled prince of wales island in SE alaska, very closely related.
Cheers,
Janet

7

General Discussion / Re: fitting tents into rear panniers

« on: July 05, 2012, 12:02:08 pm »

pack tent in one waterproof bag, ground cloth in plastic bag that will be dirty, fly in another bag (may be wet and need drying later in day), poles and stakes (replace stock stakes with something stronger) separately stored to avoid puncturing things.
 unless you have bought a tent specifically for short length poles to fit in a pannier, you most likely will strap them crossways on the rear rack or along the top tube.
cheers!

8

Gear Talk / Re: Pannier that converts to knapsack?

« on: May 17, 2011, 01:43:12 pm »

the ortlieb vario is a fantastic bag, but nowhere near as big as most of their panniers.
regards, janet

9

Gear Talk / Re: Ipad, Tablets vs. Netbooks

« on: April 13, 2011, 09:07:55 am »

I had an Asus eee tiny pc for a bike trip in Japan 2 years ago. it was easy to carry and worked well. However, now that I have an iPad with 3G I wouldn't consider any other device. It would make the need for a gps obsolete, as there are a ton of gps and tracking apps. The only concern might be data usage in Europe when not on wifi. I have heard about cheapish temporary data plans out of England that might work and could probably be found if googled. The original iPad is being sold off for sale prices in some locations.
I have my iPad in the apple case, which fits in a padded sleeve and then a 2 gallon ziplock for pannier/backpack/dry bag travel.

10

Alaska/Hawaii / Re: AK Bike Routes

« on: January 07, 2011, 05:17:01 pm »

i'm from fairbanks and this is perfect advice! get out there and pedal our wonderful state.

11

Routes / Re: Is Vancouver Island this bad?

« on: January 07, 2011, 05:14:20 pm »

vancouver island a great ride and north of nanaimo you have the place to yourself. have a great trip!

12

General Discussion / Re: i want to travel america on bicycle. i dont have money for hotels so im going to

« on: January 07, 2011, 05:11:37 pm »

try joining:   warmshowers.org

13

General Discussion / Re: Camp Shoe ideas????

« on: January 07, 2011, 05:09:47 pm »

crocs=light weight, can wear with socks,step in and out, no problem in water. cons-crappy to ride in, not much of an urban fashion statement. good luck-shoe choices can be a b***h. don't hesitate to send home miscreants and start again.

14

Gear Talk / Re: Anyone think this tent would be too big to haul cross country?

« on: April 07, 2010, 08:42:16 pm »

you need a fly that goes all the way to the ground.
have fun-janet

15

Gear Talk / Re: 2009 Bike Friday New World Tourist vs Dahon Speed TR

« on: December 28, 2009, 04:58:53 pm »

i have a bike friday llama and a dahon muxl. i took the friday to japan last year for a fully loaded 3 month tour. as i ended up using public transportation frequently, it became obvious that the BF is really only an in and out of the suitcase bike, not a fold/unfold commuter (their tikit is, but it has 16" wheels). i saw many dahons over there, and purchased one upon my return to the US. it folds in under 10 seconds w/o the chain ring gouging you, chain coming off, or any parts at all needing to be removed. it has a slip cover for train use and i use my massage table bag for air transport (padded with bubble wrap & using the BF crush protector).
the friday is now my bike for long tours with big loads. it is well made and i expect many years use. it goes easily in to the suitcase, which is great until you get to your destination and don't want to haul it as a trailer. we used some $6 salvation army suitcases for our last trip, which we discarded. the soft bag sold by BF is pretty useless for transport-awkward for carrying and too big.
the dahon is my urban machine. it folds and goes in and out of the car, on the train and in to the hotel room w/o a problem. i feel comfortable putting on two panniers with a rear rack, but this bike is for more B & B type touring. i'm not sure how it will hold up, but i am a small woman and don't ride in an aggressive manner.
with proper planning and a clear itinerary i believe there is a place for both bicycles in this world. i have never paid a bicycle fee with either bike when using the original BF suitcase or any of my make shift containers.
regards-janet