tWO wHEELS tOO mANY jOURNEYS ~ BTG-2017/004
Inscription Date: Thursday, 25/05/2017
Since I’m not thinking of going on a so-called “credit card tour” (meaning sleep only in hotels and eat only in restaurants), the most of my nights out bike touring will probably be wild camping nights. Needless to say, camping and bike touring go hand in hand, and wild camping is one of the fascinating aspects of traveling by bicycle. Finding the perfect spot, sleeping in nature, cooking my own meal, enjoying the stars and waking up in the wilderness. These are experiences I’ll carry with me forever.
Choosing the right camping gear for my expedition marks the difference between nights amazing and memorable or horrible and restless, if I’m traveling in climatically extreme areas my very survival will depend on it.
As Turkey has different climates in her seven regions, I must be prepared for that. Summer days will be exasperatingly worse in the Aegean and the Mediterranean than spring’s rainy days in the Thrace and Marmara. Likewise, coldest times of winter in the Eastern and Central Anatolia will be frustratingly worse than showers all seasons in the Black Sea.
Well, cycle camping is that thing when someone takes his/her bicycle and goes around for a while, then finds a nice spot and sets up his/her camp to spend the night. I can go for a single night out or do this for the rest of my life, it will still be bike camping. Of course the duration of the trip matters when choosing the right gear to go bike camping. In the course of staying out one week around the same area probably I wouldn’t have much temperature difference, so I could bring less gear which would be suited for the season.
Yet on an extended bike camping trip like I’m planning throughout the country, I’d probably go through a wide range of climates, which means I’ll need to find a compromise – or carry A GREAT DEAL of stuff.
Another thing that makes a difference is my campsite of choice: if I plan to overnight in public or private camping grounds then I believe I will need less stuff – certainly not a folding sink or a water filter, for example. If instead my plan is to wild camp, which means camping in the wilderness often in a stealth fashion, then I’ll need some more stuff.
BIKE CAMPING TENT
My Tent will be my home for most of my trip, if it is going to last a while, then I’ll want a comfortable and reliable home to live in. It should be lightweight, small when packed and as big as possible when mounted. Having wide vestibules is very important to store my gear.
Tents can be free-standing (no need to pitch it to the ground), half-free-standing (only need a few stakes), or not-free-standing (doesn’t stay up if not pitched).
I think I will absolutely avoid free-standing or half-free-standing tents because it looks bizarre to use weird ropes and tight it to somewhere. No. I’m planning to take with me a non-freestanding tent as it’s very common to find perfect sheltered camping spots where is always possible to plant a stake (or peg), it may be grass, non-rigid earth or any kinds of soil where pitching is really not that complex. But this means I may have hard times sleeping on the grounds of petrol stations, concrete, wood or whatever; or on porches of some camp sites and hardened soils or sand.
Perhaps I may also invest in a hammock and bring it with me all the time. Oh, I love to use hammocks for camping. (If I am going to do that I should not forget to buy a sturdy carabiner.)
SLEEPING MATS FOR BIKE CAMPING
If the tent is my snoozing house, then the Sleeping Mat is my furnished bed. It’s very important to have a proper sleep when keeping my body under a continuous effort like bicycle touring does. Self-inflatable mats are the most common choice, and indubitably the very convenient – inflatable camping pads though are usually lighter and more compact. On the other side of the coin, though, rigid camping mats are very bulky but eliminate the risk of puncture and give peace of mind. I admit I shall learn this by experience.
SLEEPING BAG
Well, the quality of the Sleeping Bag I’ll need strongly depends on which temperatures I am going to face. As I mentioned above, Turkey is not a country where every region has the same climate condition. There are very cheap, compact and lightweight sleeping bags that are good for temperate climates on the market, but my survival with lower outside temperatures is very important for investing a little more in this item; because the lower the temperature, the more expensive the sleeping bag will get.
HEADLAMP & FLASHLIGHT
As ageing ascends I’m losing the power of a feline (catlike) eyes. Hence I’ll need some help to see in the darkness. A Headlamp is definitively the best solution, as it will leave my manipulative limb free to manipulate whatever. A Flashlight is also a good option, as it will illuminate even the poorest dimness.
BIKE CAMPING KNIVES
Aha, this should come under my Health and Safety planning theme but, (whatever in the heck are those?), a camping Knife has just so many purposes that I won’t bother myself trying to list them. A good quality folding knife or a classical Swiss knife is what I just might need.
SLEEPING LINERS
Umm, a Sleeping Linen is a thin sheet that can add some warmth to my sleeping bag, or be used when is too hot for a proper blanket. They are generally lightweight and do not take generous space, a great solution for added resourcefulness to my sleeping gear. I’ll think about that.
COOKING STOVE FOR BIKE CAMPING
When it comes to camping, I’m a person who is much eager to use natural fire than a man-made equipment. But I know there will be times I won’t be able to build a fire due to safety reasons or some civic/ecological by-laws. Then a Cooking Stove seems to be an inevitable solution, either through an invention by myself like using a beer can, or a professional one found on the market. Does not have to be very expensive and sophisticated though.
COOKING PAN & WINDSHIELD
Unless I am going to eat canned foods directly (which is very unlikely) then what’s the meaning of a fire or a stove without a Pan? I have spotted a lot of solutions on the market for cooking sets. A Windshield is fundamental for cooking outdoors when the wind becomes a pain in the neck.
KITCHEN TOOLS
Fire is lit, stove is set to cook, and pan is filled with cooked food, then comes the ceremony of eating mode... Whether this forms a fork, a spoon, chopsticks or my hands, I must find a way to deliver the tasty meal I just cooked to my mouth. Camping specific Tools and even a “spork” (a multipurpose eating utensil that combines the bowl of a spoon with the tines of a fork) sound nice, but I could also just bring a fork and a spoon from home.
FLASK
OK. One thing I cannot ever give up or forget is drinking hot tea and coffee. Therefore I shall need to store some hot water with me all the time. Yes, it’s nice to keep my tea/coffee hot, or my orange juice icy. Simple as that, a Flask is always better than a normal cycling water bottle. Also, if I want filtered hot-coffee maybe I should consider a portable coffee maker; similarly if I really feel like having a Turkish coffee, then maybe I should add coffee pot set to my bag.
WATER FILTER
I want to trust the Turkish water reservoirs. Along the road I will come across many springs and drinking fountains. Some taste nice, some others awful. But in the end it is a life-surviving water. I can do without food for many days. I have attempted this in my youth political days and have joined hunger strikes for days. But I cannot do without water. For this reason, I must always find ways to reach a water source.
A Water Filter is something I may use very rarely, but it’s a true lifesaver. Especially travelling through densely populated areas I probably don’t need that. But when going to wild places like uninhabited mountains, then I think I’m going to love it.
FOLDABLE SINK / BOWL
I didn’t even know these existed until a few days ago. When I was surfing on internet I came across numerous selections. They are exactly what the name suggests: a sink that I can fold. Useful to wash the dishes, but do I really need one? No, I don’t think so. I’d like to clean my dirty kitchen stuff in nature’s troughs, wildlife fountains, and creek/river/lake/sea waters.
AND THE REMAINDER
Of course the above mentioned stuff is not all I’ll need for my long planned cycle camping trip, there’s a lot more to be carried along with me, in my bike panniers, especially when I’m out for going on a long, grand bike trip.
What gear should I bring on my bicycle trips? I believe I have answered this question in my earlier posts. The choice of the gear really depends on what kind of trip I am planning and how. Will it involve the comings and goings or one way continuous trip?
Riding in winter, cycling in the summer will surely have emotional impact on my strategy when trying to explore the whole of Turkey. So, in the initial stages, I won’t categorically need to set any extreme expedition on foot, then I should not to worry too much about the gear. I will go ahead to stay on a budget as much as possible, thus won’t invest too much money in equipment, I wish to plan for future and save it for the grand trip instead. I can travel on an ordinary commuting bike, perhaps use buckets, baskets as panniers and get a cheap tent.
Quality gear though is an investment that could last a lifetime or at least several touring years, which is a matter to be considered in future planning.
Here what goes in my planning list...
CAMPING: SHELTER
*Backpacking Tent (Summer)
*Tent (4 season)
*Sleeping Bag
*Sleeping Pad
*Sleeping Liner
*Camping Pillow
*Hammock
*Bug Shelter
CAMPING: KITCHEN
*Stove
*Windshield
*Pot & Pan Set
*Kettle
*Bowls & Plates
*Cups & Mugs
*Fork-Spoon-Knife Set
*Camping Utensils
*Flask
*Spice Rack
CAMPING: GADGETS
*Tent Groundsheet
*Spare Poles
*Ground Stakes
*Tent Repair Kit
*All Purpose Tarp
*Tent Lamp
*Spare Stove Cartridge
*Hammer
*Laundry Materials
*Repairs & Maintenance Tools
*Other Appliances
*Trash Bags
*Fishing Rod
*Trekking Poles
WHAT NEXT?
In the next GEAR post, I’ll look into substantial planning of Essential Clothes for My Bike Touring...
The current year budgetary plan with regards to camping equipment can be found in my “Investment Budget: Camping Gear [2017]” post...
Two Wheels Too Many Journeys
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