What do I need

[Canardly]

So should I join the camping fold after many years of  comfort and relaxation what do I need as a minimum to get me up and running on a cycle camping exploration?

[CrinklyLion]

Well, I managed our first two camping trips (one with the elder cub and one with the smaller cub) without any camping kit whatsoever.  So I'd say all you need is the kindness of YACFers

But we do now have (for the use of the 3 people in the CrinklyDen who like camping) a 2andabit person tent, 3 sleeping mats, 3 sleeping bags and a spork.  And lots of Ortlieb loveliness to pack it all into.

[Julian]

Vital kit <with upgrades in brackets>

Bicycle with rack
Panniers
Tent <better tent> <superduper lightweight tent>
Sleeping mat <thermarest> <downmat>
Sleeping bag <and sleeping bag liner>
Stove & fuel, unless you're planning to eat in cafes / pubs the whole time
Mug <titanium mug>
Plate & cutlery <titanium spork>

Kit that is not vital but will make camping a nicer experience

Headtorch
Inflatable pillow
Travel wash
Towel <tiny lightweight microfibre towel>
Shower gel, shampoo, potions of your choice
Mini containers for oil, salt, pepper, herbs
Good book
Flip-flops or similar for campsite, so you're not clomping round in cycling shoes or barefoot in mud or cowpats

...I'm sure I'll think of more. 

[Dibdib]

Not a need, per se, but a decent headtorch can add a touch of comfort to a camping trip IMO - so much better than trying to tuck a torch under your chin while you do something

Doesn't need to be massively expensive, either. In my experience the cheap £5 ones from garage forecourts and supermarkets will disintegrate in your hands while you put the batteries in, but even a cheap Petzl (mine is a fairly affordable £18 Petzl Tikkina2) should be fairly robust.  As an added bonus, it runs on AAAs rather than the lithium button cells you find in many of the cheapies, so keeping it juiced up should be easier.

[Basil]

Good list Julian.

I'll add, Plastic bags. Lots.  Large for keeping soiled clothes separate from fresh. Large for keeping one set of clothes dry whatever the day's cycling weather was like.
Several small ones for wallet, note book & pen, stash of cash. etc.
(Can you tell I've have some wet tours?)

Some bog roll folded up into a bag, in case you're riding past some woods and you realise that you desperately need to be a bear.

A good camping knife.

[Canardly]

how does the good camping knife go down these days?

[Canardly]

And ta muchly

[Canardly]

Apparently these are supposed to be quite good


 Outdoor Gear Shop - Alpkit

[Canardly]

Doh just seen rogerz's post above......tum ti tum...

[Canardly]

So If I kick off in spring presumably I will get away with buying mediocre tent and reasonable bag for starters. Snugpacks are not too badly priced. Stoves seem to be a subject matter on their own.

[rogerzilla]

If you're hard and you're only camping in summer you can do without the mat; I have.  Some people get everything in a big saddlebag.  Some people will argue that you only need a bivvy bag.

Superdrug sell small plastic bottles so you don't have to lug a big bottle of washing up liquid or shower gel.

Personally I take far too much gear (teapot, gas lantern, folding toaster), but I use it all.

[Julian]

how does the good camping knife go down these days?

Fine, if it's at the bottom of a pannier & clearly part of your camping kit.  That's your "lawful authority or reasonable excuse." 

[Chris N]

rack
Panniers
Tent

Not vital at all - it's perfectly possible (and I think it's a very good idea) to tour without these items. Frame packs, saddlebags and a good rucksack can carry all your gear so you don't need a rack or panniers and a tarp plus bivvy bag can substitute for a tent. The less stuff you take the better, in my opinion.

That said, a hip flask and a bialetti espresso maker ARE vital.

[arry_b]

I'd add a small battery radio to the list. Useful for weather forecasts, and a little quiet company from R4.

Rucksack? Horses for courses, but it's not for me. Rack and panniers every time.

[Julian]

Rucksack? 

*shudder*

It might be because I'm short and narrow-shouldered, not to mention a sweaty betty when I start riding, but I can't think of anything hotter and less comfortable.

[andygates]

Hip flask, espresso maker, radio, e-reader, intertubes gadgery thing...  ...I need more bags.

[arvid]

In the not necessary, but nice to have list I'm missing: a stool.

[LEE]

If you're hard and you're only camping in summer you can do without the mat; I have.  

Nurse..nurse..come quickly..Roger's managed to undo his restraints and get out out of bed again...I think he's heading for the PC in reception!!!

Seriously though, a decent sleep mat (self-inflating, not closed-cell foam) is one of the best investments you will ever make. Alpkit's "Airics" are about the best value I reckon.  What price a decent night's kip?

You'll have many hours lying awake, freezing cold and aching, to wish you'd bought one.

[TimO]

Rucksack?  

*shudder*

It might be because I'm short and narrow-shouldered, not to mention a sweaty betty when I start riding, but I can't think of anything hotter and less comfortable.

Likewise (except for the short bit!).  I've walked carrying more kit in a rucksack than I've carried when cycle camping, but I wouldn't use a rucksack on a bike unless I had no alternative, that's what racks and panniers were invented for!

Stuff carried on the bike puts far less strain on you, than the same weight carried directly by you.

As others have said, the list of "essentials" is possibly endless, but tent and sleeping bag have to be up there near the top, unless you're keen on experimenting with things like tarpaulins.

Other random useful things that come to mind are:

• Matches; Even if you've got a piezo lighter on a stove, this is a good fall back in case of failure.
• Gaffer tape (a small roll); The generic mend all material.  Useful in an emergency to repair tents, tent poles etc
• Bog Roll; As mentioned above, but also it's useful when you find the campsite toilet has run out at 2am, when there's no one to ask for more, and a handy material for cleaning and drying random stuff (like a spillage in a tent).  It can be used as a much smaller version of a Kitchen Roll.
• Tea lights; They're relative robust and cheap, and useful if you just want to throw a bit of light onto things for a long period of time, rather than relying on torch/head torch and batteries (be careful with them around tents however).
• If you do cook in the doorway/bell end of a tent (if the weather is a bit inclement), keep a sharp knife handy.  If the tent catches fire, the only way you're going to get out without hot bits of dropping burning plastic on you, is to cut through the tent rapidly.  Rip stop doesn't rip very easily!
• Dehydrated stuff; Not always the most palatable of food, but if you haven't found a suitable shop and/or take-away, then boiled water added to couscous, a packet of savoury rice, etc is a lot better than nothing.

[Kim]

Bog roll.
Gaffer tape.
Bin liners.
String.

Armed with enough of those, you should be able to improvise most of the rest...

Don't forget the earwig repellant.   

[cycleman]

ear plugs  . stop earwigs to 

[andrew_s]

I'm surprised all you experienced campers can do without a pan to use with your stove  

For bog roll, raiding some of that flat-pack interleaved stuff from the loos at work is better than using normal domestic roll.

[Kim]

I'm surprised all you experienced campers can do without a pan to use with your stove  

Or we use Trangias and consider them to be part of the stove...

For bog roll, raiding some of that flat-pack interleaved stuff from the loos at work is better than using normal domestic roll.

For reasons I don't really want to have to go into (but also apply to its use for cleaning out pans or whatever), when it comes to bog roll for cycle camping, IMHO tensile strength while wet is everything.  Either way, it goes in a ziplock bag.

[mark]

A few thoughts on what everyone said:

Closed cell foam sleeping pads are much, much cheaper than the self-inflating ones, they are lighter and they never puncture. If you decide you need the extra comfort of a self-inflating pad you haven't lost much money on the closed cell foam pad, and you can probably still find a use for it somewhere.

You can make an alcohol stove from a drink can, and do your cooking with whatever pots and pans you have at home. The handles on household utensils interfere with packing and household utensils tend to weigh more than camping utensils, though. If you buy a camp stove, alcohol or gas cartridge stoves are easier and safer to use than white gas/Coleman fuel stoves like Whisperlites. White gas/Coleman fuel puts out more heat than alcohol, but this is mainly advantageous in winter or on long backcountry trips where it's necessary to carry many days worth of fuel.

Rucksacks/backpacks are for walking, not cycling IMO. They raise your center of gravity and are generally not comfortable on a bike. If you can fit all your camping gear into a big saddlebag that's great,  otherwise go with panniers.

[rogerzilla]

The advantage of a white gas stove is that it keeps working in ridiculously low temperatures because the fuel is vapourised in a tube above the burner, however cold it is.  Trangias get a bit more difficult as the temperature drops, but butane stoves are hopeless in anything but mild conditions, because the already high boiling point of butane is made more of a problem by the cooling of the canister as you use it.

I agree that Coleman stoves are a bit frisky on light-up and you need to keep an eye on them.  Spilled white gas is also not a good thing because (like petrol) it forms an invisible pool of vapour at ground level, just waiting for you to strike a match.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/XFoDeuUh430&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/XFoDeuUh430&rel=1</a>