Bicycle Touring
Camping Equipment and Gear
Trekking Backpacking travel
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Below are the major categories of our camping equipment and information on
our experiences with each. Please remember that I am in no way
suggesting that I am an authority in this area. This is only meant to
give reader ideas about our preferences and ideas. Your personal
preferences will probably be different than mine. Please see
Some advise about advise
for more discussion in this area.
Camping Equipment Menu
Buying Camping Equipment
Tent and Ground Cloth
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad
Camp Stove
Pots and Pans
Water Filter
Water Storage / Solar Shower
Clothing
Flash Light (Torch)
Electronics
Camp Chairs
Tarp
Buying Camping Equipment
We started looking at camping equipment in
a new light when we realized that we were not just buying a new tent or
stove but we were buying our new apartment and appliances. After all,
this was not just a vacation but our new nomadic lifestyle.
Researching and buying all of our camping equipment was
almost as confusing and frustrating as buying our touring bikes. I
have been camping all of my life and have experimented with several
different types of gear and feel that I have a handle on what I like.
There are many reasons to camp while bicycle
touring, backpacking, or trekking. These reasons may include getting out in nature or the joy of
living with few material possessions. Camping and the equipment involved
is an absolute necessary in two
situations. First, if you are traveling in remote places there is often no
hotels or other indoor accommodations within a days bike ride from each
other. In this case you have no other choice but to camp.
Usually this type of camping does not involve a campground or any other type
of facilities. We typically ride until late afternoon, find a place to
collect several liters of
water, (at least 10 for the two of us), and then ride on until we find a place.
We prefer a flat location,
well hidden from anyone, where we can sleep under the stars or
pitch the tent. This is what some cyclists refer to as "Gorilla Camping" or "Free
Camping." Much of North and South America fit in this category. In
fact, if you are riding around the world you will find that you often have no
other choice but to free camp.
The second reason that cyclists camp is to save
money. There are places where you can find hotel rooms at the end of every
day. In these places many bike tourists choose to not carry camping
equipment and rent a room every night. This is sometimes called a "Credit
Card Tour." The advantage to this is you can travel much lighter and
therefore faster. The disadvantage is the expense. You have
to pay off that credit card someday. Places where a credit card tour is
possible might include, Eastern USA, Europe, and Japan. In these places a much cheaper
option is to stay in campgrounds or free camp at night. We hear that in Europe it
is very difficult to free camp but campgrounds can be found every night.
We will have to see when we get there.
We stay in hotels when they fit in our budget,
free camp when we have to or to save money, and stay in campgrounds in developed
countries. Below our favorite retail stores where we like to shop.
Bike Nashbar - Cheap Bike Parts For Sale |
Performance Bicycle Catalog |
Search for a Map |
REI - Camping and Traveling Gear |
Backcountry.com |
Altrec Outdoors Equipment and Online Gear Shopping |
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