Yeah mate, try it out fer sher. I just picked up three thermarest ridgerest solites the other day, to chuck under all our mats on the snow. I sort of think they might be awesome for bikepack adventures, just lashing one to the back of your backpack/onto front of bar bag… cos closed cell theyre tough and can go on the outside without fear of puncture. Anyway, lets go out one night soon! Try all the stuff! cook all the things! sleep all the mats. I also have some big agnes mats, one downfilled, one just air. I dislike them but a stomach sleeper may love them. Theyre light and mega compact.
JP, where did you get the ridgerests from? I’m keen in one for bikepacking as you mentioned.
I have a big Agnes air core that is very light and compact but no insulation and is too cushy for me.
I have a Whisperlite but will never use it unless for car camping, big group or snow. Always going to be on the alcohol stoves with caldera cone or a wood gasified stove (home made bush buddy I have yet to make).
Well JP + Aeons - if you boys aren’t using gear. I can trade for cash.
Sweet! I think both of the big agnes mattresses are surplus, but lets def head out and try em first.
Aeons, ridgerests got from wildearth or something similar? Aussie outdoor store with online presence. Was comparing prices from usual gear haunt in uk (ultralightoutdoorgear) and the Aus stuff was as cheap or cheaper delivered, same items. In that delivery I also got a couple of those sea to summit reactor liners that apparently boost your bag rating by a million. Lets try those out too.
Yeah, I’m with you Pete.
Ezy;
if your only gonna use the stove 2-4 times a year I’d get a remote hose style gas one (or a screw top one if wanna be ultra light, and or using in huts where stability isn’t a factor)
Gas is easier, faster to setup and I think for the ~6 times a year user like me, better, yeah you have to buy and then recycle canisters, but a medium one will last ok. I have a screw top one I bought for $25 lasted for ages, has piezo ignition which is great.
If you wanna go liquid fuel, try one out 1st if you can, they are good cos if your going on a long trip you can take 1 big fuel bottle instead of several canisters you gotta carry around even when empty, they also work better at altitude, although you can negate that a bit depending on the gas mix you buy, also liquid fuel cookers are good OS where canisters are rare.
A liquid fuel cooker will eventually save you money as the fuel is cheaper than gas cans. If you wanna be pro you have 3 diff sized fuel bottle depending on how long the trip is/how big the meals are.
As Pete mentioned, they are great for frying and boiling, not so good for simmering.
Best is to have both between 4 people or so. We used to cook some really good meals out bush/in huts when working between using a remote gas can stove -for all the simmering, rice etc- and a liquid fuel cooker -frying meat, boiling pasta etc.
Couscous with toasted nuts and dried fruit topped with marinated lamb, veges and yoghurt.
Vietnamese beef rice noodle salad.
French toast!
You need to be careful when if you want to fly with your multifuel stove and fuel bottle. As I’ve said, I don’t have a multi fuel stove, so I’m not sure what to consider with that, but I’ve flown with a fuel bottle that I’d used for a metho stove. I burnt up all the fuel, and then washed out the bottle with water/detergent. Then I packed it in with my bike with the lid taped to the side of the bottle. The bike bag was openned and inspected in the USA, but it was all fine. I’ve heard of people putting vinegar or something in the bottle to show that it’s not fuel, but I reckon there’s a bit of luck involved with whether you get fuel bottles through or not. Mostly you’ll be fine, but not if it smells like fuel.
You can’t fly with a gas canister at all, but the stoves are fine.
I have both the Prolite and the Big agnes Q-core and air core (crazy cheap at REI when I was there). Personally Prolite is just as comfortable for me and I think lighter by a bit.
I would feel unless you have the lungs to get the Big Agnes nice and full you would find it too soft to sleep face down. Another thing to note though is that both the big agnes mats are REALLY bloody loud when I use them in my Big agnes fly creek. It’s probably due to the pairing between the tent’s silnylon and the pad but I would of thought being both from the same brand they would of tested it. I’m a very sound sleeper but this was pretty hard to deal with.
I’m lying on my Exped 7M Downmat as I type this, on a friends floor rather than his couch. it’s 7cm thick, down filled & comfy. I’ve started putting a tee shirt over the top so it doesn’t make noise under my head, but otherwise it’s pretty quiet. I’m a light sleeper, so I have noticed it helps a lot. I also sleep on my stomach/side. packs down to about the size of an American football, weighs 1.5-2kgs I think.
I have a kovea spider stove. have made bacon & eggs, burgers, pasta sauces, stir fries with it & a cheap frypan on this trip. balance is a bit of an issue, but positioned carefully it works. I’d consider taking the handle off it actually as this is where the weight is, just use my leatherman to pick it up etc, it’s a camp pan, zero fucks about scratching etc. I think it simmers ok, but it can be loud when boiling water & the gas flow is temperamental until you get into the middle 80% of the canister.
I’ve made coffee everywhere on this trip too, from campsites to the side of the road overlooking the Pacific. aeropress, hario slim grinder & a small pouch of beans has served me reaaaally well. take pre ground if you wanna skip the grinder? I’m sure your coffee snobbery can handle pre ground if it saves weight & space.
Found a pretty comprehensive blog that reviews a lot of stoves:
Hey mates, so I don’t mean to hijack this thread but I also want to get some outdoor stuff.
Is there anything wrong with the following combo / could I do better for the $?
I am fairly short so regular length bag and matt should be okay. Temp rating of the bag looks alright for QLD. Still working out tent or bivvy or both, previously have slept on tarp.
Stuff sack will take sleeping bag? Is 20L enough?
Any comments appreciated, ta.
i have that compression sack, i use it for laundry and it’s good.
as for the mat, how tall are you? i’m 178cm and get by on a medium mat which is 173cm from memory, it’s rare that you lie perfectly straight when you sleep (from my experience).
Thanks Rolly, I’m 167cm, should have heaps of room then!
Zach, that’s going to be a super lightweight set up! Nice. Do you want the compression bag for the waterproofness?
Plasma 30 has a 9.5L volume in it’s stuff sack so 20L should be good.
@mantra, yeah more so for that than organising, figure I can sling it on handlebars or front rack.
Great, thought I’d check before I switched to the smaller bag.
Sleeping bag was a toss up between the marmot and a Feathered Friends Hummingbird 20 but figured it would be too warm for up here.
My bag fits in a small sea to summit dry bag.
Been wanting that Marmot 30 for a while, just don’t have the funds for it. That’s a good sleeping setup though, it would be what I would be getting if I could afford it.
Thanks Mike, that leaves me some room for extra clothes.
Of course REI requires scans of my AU credit card before they’ll ship to my mail forwarder. Ugh.
bike24 does the same thing.
from what i can gather from being in the states the last 6 months, ppl hold REI in high regard, i wouldn’t worry about it too much.
Check this site before going overseas.
Camping Equipment & gear, hiking gear, swags, sleeping bags, Backpacks, tents and climbing gear
Yep, all sorted now I think.
Ta, will probably grab a BA tent there as it’s pretty close to US RRP with coupons etc.