Touring Tent Talk

[shorecycler]

Thanks for all the advice and anecdotes you guys! Its all been a good help. On my search for the perfect portable home, I decided I am definately going to have a 2 person tent just so there is enough room for me to sleep (being that im a pretty big guy) but also some room to hang out if we do get stuck with an off rainy day. Also, the use of a vestibule seems logical to me so I can store my bike under shelter during the rainy night, is this necessary? Like I said, seems "logical" to me but even if the bike doesnt have to go in its a good spot for at least the groups panniers. North Face Big Fat Frog 24 is what I decided on for now. Any feedback?

Also, hammock under the stars sounds like a dream haha good looking out with that suggestion

[JayH]

you wont really be able to fit your bike in the vestibule of any lightweight backpacking tent, and you might even be hard pressed to even fit the bike essentials inside either, so you're better off using a silnylon tarp if you want to use it for the bike, you might really save the weight by using your tarp as a groundcloth when the weather is OK...

Jay

[paddleboy17]

Periodically REI will sell off orphan tent footbeds.  I have one that I use with 4 spring clothespins to cover my bike up at night.  My touring partner does not bother to cover his bike up.  We both have Brooks saddles, so a saddle cover is needed.  I have the Brooks saddle cover but have been disappointed with how well it keeps water off.

[Pat Lamb]

We both have Brooks saddles, so a saddle cover is needed.  I have the Brooks saddle cover but have been disappointed with how well it keeps water off.

I highly recommend the Aardvark saddle cover, found at <http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB='1005-00'> or <http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/saddles/aardvark-saddle-cover.html> (sorry if the urls wrap).  They lasted us all the way across the country, including drowning-in-sweat days in Kansas as well as downpours in Kentucky and Colorado, without a leak.  Riding on them does wear through eventually, as I had to replace one the fall after the big ride for commuting.

You can always use plastic bags for overnight; a good one doesn't leak a bit, but won't stand up to the abrasion of riding.  Information center bags (where you get maps for the new state) work well for me.

[waynemyer]

Okay, it's getting off-topic, but I just have to ask: why do people cover their Brooks saddles?  Serious question. 

I have a B17 that had regular year-round use and now gets occasional use.  I have never covered it and never worried about it getting wet/snowed-on/frozen/baked in the sun.  It is still going strong.  I figured that sweat is far more abusive to the saddle than the elements and that the Bag Balm would more than protect the leather anyway.  Am I just missing something?

[FredHiltz]

Like any leather product, it stretches when soaked through. Treatment with Brooks Proofhide is the recommended protection, and you find that Bag Balm works. The stretching might be slight enough to simply accelerate the break-in process. Small stretching can be tightened up with the adjusting bolt.

I tape a wet sponge under each sit-bone area when breaking in my Brooks.

Then, it can stretch as much as this horrible example. That's enough to make me use a cover in a soaking rain.

Fred

[waynemyer]

Ah so!  Thank you for the explanation.  I always thought that the brokeback saddles were just abused and not maintained.  I don't use Bag Balm on my saddle, per se.  But rather it is what manages to seep through my cycling shorts.

[shorecycler]

  THAT SEATS A MONSTER! BTW Im still going with the Northface tent but this thread gave me some helpful info. Thanks riders.

[bogiesan]

even if the bike doesnt have to go in its a good spot for at least the groups panniers. North Face Big Fat Frog 24 is what I decided on for now. Any feedback?

Traveling with a group changes your lodging dynamics. You can divide the load or splurge on a central sun/rain shelter. Kelty makes some great stuff but heavy. Moss also makes beautiful parawing tarps that are expensive but less mass.

Deep-deep discounts are, in my opinion, the only good decision-making tools for bike touring tents. Your decision to go with a North Face tent is commendable but I suggest it is inappropriate for bike touring. North Face gear is designed and built to go backpacking at the Arctic Circle and to withstand rough treatment and stay erect in storms at 10,000 feet. It's overbuilt and therefore more expensive and heavier than you really need on a bike so, unless you are getting it at a deep-deep discount, keep looking.

david boise ID

[staehpj1]

BTW Im still going with the Northface tent but this thread gave me some helpful info. Thanks riders.

Looks kind of heavy and kind of pricey.  You could do better IMO.

[Moondoggy]

Big Agnus SeedHouse SL2

[vanvalks]

Kelty Gunnison 2; two vestibules, plenty of interior room, and plenty of room to sit up in when you are stuck in the tent in the reain

Bob

[litespeed]

I have a Hilleberg Akto tent. It is very light, very weatherproof and very ingeniously designed but requires a lot of stakes and the entrance is a bit awkward. It was a bit expensive. I will continue using it but for my next tent I would probably go back to North Face. The Akto is a double-walled one piece tent - no removable rain fly. It has lots of vents but isn't the best tent for very hot weather. It works fine in cold weather - seals up like a cocoon.

For a sleeping pad I have a shorty Therm-a-rest Guidelite. It works fine for me.

[knolltop]

Kelty Gunnison 2; two vestibules, plenty of interior room, and plenty of room to sit up in when you are stuck in the tent in the reain

+1

[popeyespal]

I am an ENOS Doublenest Hammock guy myself. With the bugnet and a custom tarp it is the most complete lightweight system I have ever used for hiking.

My upcoming tour will be my first time using it while biking but I can't imagine it being much different. I have even seen a photo of someone using the bike as one of the hanging points when trees were scarce.

A hammock also opens up far more sites for camping as you don't need to even consider level/wet ground.