[lball9]

Hi, I am planning to do my first solo mini-tour over 3 days and I was wondering what people do for the overnights? Is it best to get a 2-man tent and take bike apart, 2-man tent and sleep with your bike, or lock your bike elsewhere?

Also, sleeping bags are pretty big. What do people use as a substitute or do you just get a smaller one?

thanks 🙂

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[NeilG83]

For a solo tour you don’t
For a solo tour you don’t want to be carrying the weight of a 2 man tent on your own. A one man tent with a porch is probably best: quite light, but with somewhere to store your gear. If you’re worried about the security of your bike you could remove a wheel and take it into the tent to stop opportunist thieves. Also, take a cheap, lightweight cover for the bike, it will keep the rain off at night and stops potential thieves eyeing up the bike.

Getting a smaller sleeping bag is a good idea especially if touring in summer. If you take a light silk liner it will add an extra warmth to the sleeping bag and at the end of the tour you will only need to wash the liner and not the sleeping bag which will extend the life of the sleeping bag. Also, try and get a light, small sleeping mat or self-inflating mattress like a Thermarest which will keep you warm and comfortable.

All these things can be quite expensive though so you might want to wait until you’ve done a few tours to invest in more gear.

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