I seem to have developed a reputation for being obsessive about organisation so I thought I'd share my packing list for the 36 hour Brit Butt Rally . Back in 2010 when I rode my first one I wasn't sure what to expect and took far too much stuff with me. There's a fine line though between taking enough kit to get you through the rally, and taking loads of stuff you'll never really need.
After years of roughing it with a Military Youth Organisation I've become accustomed to sleeping outside. As rest breaks during the rally are often quite short I begrudge paying upwards of £50 for a couple of hours in a hotel when I can kip in the Iron Butt Motel for free (next to my bike). There's really only three essentials I consider when checking in and that is I must be warm, dry, and comfortable.
I know there's a lot to be said for a couple of hours in a nice warm bed, especially if it's been raining all day but if you've got good gear and it's dry then you're going to sleep fine after a long day in the saddle, and also less likely to oversleep when you're outside. Four of the five rallies I've ridden have always been dry overnight. Long may it continue too
For sleeping out I now use a Snugpak Stratosphere hooped bivi bag which I got cheap from fleabay.
http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/tents-shelters/stratosphere
This has two alloy poles that keep the head end off your face and makes it less claustrophobic. I take a cut down bit of groundsheet to protect the base if the ground is particularly bad.
Into this I put a 3/4 length (short) Thermarest Neoair sleeping mat, a slightly older version of this one:
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/ie/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/neoair-xlite/product
This folds down to the size of a drinks bottle and is surprisingly comfy. I also take a couple of small inflatable camping pillows as I must have something decent to rest my noggin on and I no longer use a tank bag, which is what I used to use. I also pack a small rubble sack and pop this over my boots so I don't trash the bivi bag when I get in. So that's the dry and comfort taken care of.
In 2013 the overnight temperature was the lowest I've seen for the end of May at around 9 degrees. I used to just put my warm layers on and get into the bivi bag. That year my legs were cold so didn't sleep particularly well. I've now bought a pair of ex-army insulated over trousers. They're large enough so I can put them on over my boots and bike trousers, and this is just like being in a sleeping bag. I have a nice insulated top too (Snugpak Snumper) and this goes on under my bike jacket. A woolly hat finishes it off. These compress down inside a vacumn bag so take up very little space; warmth sorted
Over the years I've assessed what I used and tweaked my kit accordingly. Now I've got a GS Adventure I didn't want to use the massive alloy boxes I use for camping trips so have modified a set of watertight plastic Peli cases. Not only are these extremely tough and dry but they're about half the width of the alloy cases. This makes filtering a lot easier and helps to keep the weight down. My right case holds all the Iron Butt Motel gear and the left slimmer one holds all my hotel gear.
Everything I need for the actual ride then fits into a third larger Peli case on the top. Under this is a custom made lockable alloy box. In here goes my laptop, again in another waterproof case, plus some other bits and bobs. On my top lid is a waterproof Kriega US10 bag with a bike cover inside. This is handy for keeping prying eyes away overnight and also doubles as an emergency shelter if I'm ever unlucky enough to be stuck on the side of the road in Scotland waiting a long time for a recovery vehicle.
Other than that everything else I take is shown on the packing list below. Yes I know it's all very anal but as I pack everything I can check everything off and don't end up leaving anything behind. Been there done that
After years of roughing it with a Military Youth Organisation I've become accustomed to sleeping outside. As rest breaks during the rally are often quite short I begrudge paying upwards of £50 for a couple of hours in a hotel when I can kip in the Iron Butt Motel for free (next to my bike). There's really only three essentials I consider when checking in and that is I must be warm, dry, and comfortable.
I know there's a lot to be said for a couple of hours in a nice warm bed, especially if it's been raining all day but if you've got good gear and it's dry then you're going to sleep fine after a long day in the saddle, and also less likely to oversleep when you're outside. Four of the five rallies I've ridden have always been dry overnight. Long may it continue too
For sleeping out I now use a Snugpak Stratosphere hooped bivi bag which I got cheap from fleabay.
http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/tents-shelters/stratosphere
This has two alloy poles that keep the head end off your face and makes it less claustrophobic. I take a cut down bit of groundsheet to protect the base if the ground is particularly bad.
Into this I put a 3/4 length (short) Thermarest Neoair sleeping mat, a slightly older version of this one:
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/ie/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/neoair-xlite/product
This folds down to the size of a drinks bottle and is surprisingly comfy. I also take a couple of small inflatable camping pillows as I must have something decent to rest my noggin on and I no longer use a tank bag, which is what I used to use. I also pack a small rubble sack and pop this over my boots so I don't trash the bivi bag when I get in. So that's the dry and comfort taken care of.
In 2013 the overnight temperature was the lowest I've seen for the end of May at around 9 degrees. I used to just put my warm layers on and get into the bivi bag. That year my legs were cold so didn't sleep particularly well. I've now bought a pair of ex-army insulated over trousers. They're large enough so I can put them on over my boots and bike trousers, and this is just like being in a sleeping bag. I have a nice insulated top too (Snugpak Snumper) and this goes on under my bike jacket. A woolly hat finishes it off. These compress down inside a vacumn bag so take up very little space; warmth sorted
Over the years I've assessed what I used and tweaked my kit accordingly. Now I've got a GS Adventure I didn't want to use the massive alloy boxes I use for camping trips so have modified a set of watertight plastic Peli cases. Not only are these extremely tough and dry but they're about half the width of the alloy cases. This makes filtering a lot easier and helps to keep the weight down. My right case holds all the Iron Butt Motel gear and the left slimmer one holds all my hotel gear.
Everything I need for the actual ride then fits into a third larger Peli case on the top. Under this is a custom made lockable alloy box. In here goes my laptop, again in another waterproof case, plus some other bits and bobs. On my top lid is a waterproof Kriega US10 bag with a bike cover inside. This is handy for keeping prying eyes away overnight and also doubles as an emergency shelter if I'm ever unlucky enough to be stuck on the side of the road in Scotland waiting a long time for a recovery vehicle.
Other than that everything else I take is shown on the packing list below. Yes I know it's all very anal but as I pack everything I can check everything off and don't end up leaving anything behind. Been there done that
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