I'm with Dave on tent size, small is best, as long as you are comfortable inside, it also is less interior space to heat up. The tent will add about 10d capability to your sleep system. You mention air mattresses. Hopefully they are either closed cell foam or inflatable foam, because an air mattess provides no insulation from the cold ground. This will help you sleep warmer in your summer weight bags too.
I would bring a tiny backpacking stove just for coffee or hot instant oatmeal in the morning. The MSR pocket rocket is tiny and with a small isobutane canister is easy to use. You will need a small pot to heat the water in. A warm liquid in the Morning can certainly brighten your day. and don't forget to bring a wool cap and warm jacket for the evening/ morning. You can use them for sleeping if you get cold too. Being warm can make or break the camping experience. ~Mike~ On Apr 8, 8:06 am, Dave Craig <dcr...@prescott.edu> wrote: > René > > You've seen this, right? > > http://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_camping/a_kit_for_one_night_out > > I'm the opposite of Anne in terms of tent size. I like smallish tents > because they are usually lighter and they pack easier. Get a sleeping > bag that will keep you warm. 50 degrees is a little sparse for May on > the coast. I use 30 - 40 degree bags for coastal camping. Pamela > sleeps cold in anything above a 30 degree bag, even in the summer. > > Overall, don't fret too much about gear or packing. If you have to > strap stuff on your bike in crazy ways, so be it. If you have to push > your bike because it is unrideable, that's fine too. You are one on > end of the learning progression that everyone who camps goes through. > Don't listen to too many experts, particularly salespeople. As long as > you sleep warm and well at night (and even if you don't), you'll > discover soon what works FOR YOU and you'll have some great stories to > remember with your son years down the road. > > Dave > > On Apr 8, 2:17 am, Rene Sterental <orthie...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > I'm going to do my very first S24O in China Camp (Marin county, CA) on the > > weekend of May 8 - 9 with my 11 year old son. I have absolutely no > > experience and the only camping I did years ago (too many...) was in the > > beach in Venezuela where we would bring everything by car/boat. > > > I chose China Camp because I already know the place, know the trails, and > > feel that if it doesn't work out, we're quite close to the car. I have > > purchased a 2 person REI Quarter Dome tent, but I'm wondering if a 3 person > > tent would be a better choice if we want to invite someone along. I also got > > a pair of Big Agnes Lost Dog (rated 50 deg) sleeping bags with their > > respective air matresses. I'm planning to use my Bombadil to bike from the > > main parking lot (at one end of the Shoreline Trail) by the Fishing Village > > to the campgrounds (at the other end). It's about 5 miles or so, so it won't > > be a disaster if I make mistakes. It's also a good manageable distance for > > my son. > > > Here is my list of questions... :-) > > > 1.- What else do I need to bring? At this time, I'm not planning to cook; > > we'll just bring sandwiches and water in bottles and our Camelbaks. I'm > > leaving the logistics of cooking/warm food for another time. > > > 2.- How should I pack? I'll have to carry all the stuff for both of us as my > > son's Specialized 29er cannot carry anything. He'll have his small Camelbak, > > but that's about it. I do have the medium and huge front baskets with their > > respective medium and large sackville bags. I also have a medium sackville > > saddlebag. I can mount the Nitto rear pannier rack, but all I currently have > > is a pair of the small Ortlieb panniers I used to commute with a few years > > ago. Budget-wise, at most I might be able to get the large sackville > > saddlebag, or a set of rear panniers. > > > I don't think I'll be doing anything beyond the S24Os this year; but I do > > want to do them on a regular basis. I have no idea what will happen or what > > we'll do once we've set up camp, but I'm looking forward to discovering this > > new dimension. > > > Please feel free to give me all the advice you think I'll need, and even > > advice you think I may not... you never know. If you want to e-mail me > > off-list, feel free to do so. As was incredibly excited when I discovered > > what an S24O was, shortly after I discovered RBW and got my bikes there late > > last year. If I don't get started now, the whole inertia of work and > > travelling for work will drag me down and by the time I realize it, another > > year will have passed. It's been a recurring theme for me. My son is also > > growing up relentlessly, so if I don't do it now, it might soon be too late. > > > Thanks again for all your support and guidance; I've certainly learned a lot > > from all of you, and continue to do so... > > > René- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
