Will I be able to carry all this?

[bikey-mikey]

So it will be an Extrawheel trailer with 2 x 40 litre panniers..  plus 7 litre bar bag, and 6 litre seatpost bag

I am now trying to decide whether I will be able to carry all this...

Tent - poss Hilleberg Nallo GT4  19" x 7", 3.3 kgs, you can remove the poles and pack smaller, then attach the poles to your seat post rack...

(I reckon I can get the entire bike, and the trailer, and me, inside this one, comfortably, avoiding worries about waking to find the bike gone....)

Mat - Exped Downmat 7, small or maybe medium

Bag - Alpkit Skyehigh 600 or maybe 800

extra clothes, toiletries, and food, and maybe a tiny stove...

Most of this stuff is on special offer for a couple of days, so it is getting to crunch time...

Tell me what to do, please??

 

[tatanab]

I would think that dead easy with that amount of space.  I would not use a downmat simply because the pack size is so big.  The tent will take little space when separated from its poles, and the Hilleberg pack size dimensions also assume a very loose pack.

I get my Hillegerg Unna (2kg), RAB Quatum 400 down bag, Thermarest mat, cooking kit (small stove, small pot, mug etc) plus odd bits all in a bag  500x250x150 so I reckon you'll probably get all the camping kit in one pannier.  This leaves the other pannier free for the dinner jacket, portable TV, hair dryer etc.

I am aware that this post is not about "how light can I go", so I'd say "if you want it then just do it".  I would not use a short mat because it ends around my knees and I am not at all tolerant of ridges and one the size of the end of a downmat would drive me nuts.

[Gus]

That is about the same that I have in a 50 L. backpack for a weekend or 1 week trip, so it should not be a problem.

Tatanab was faster 

[Butterfly]

A downmat takes no more room than most therapists. it's a bit heavier but 23 times more comfortable. 

[Wowbagger]

A downmat takes no more room than most therapists. it's a bit heavier but 23 times more comfortable. 

Don't you just love predictive text?

[tatanab]

A downmat takes no more room than most therapists. it's a bit heavier but 23 times more comfortable. 

Don't you just love predictive text?

Made I larf.

The Exped downmats that I've seen pack about 350x150mm whereas my Thermarest Prolite 4 packs 240x90 or I can fold it and pack it flat.  Others I've had have been a little larger in diameter.  I'm not really too bothered about the weight either way.  Maybe there are Downmats that pack away like that, but I've not seen them.  I find the Thermarest adequate for me, but I accept that we are all different.  I'd still go for a full length one whatever.

[bikey-mikey]

That sounds comforting..

There are some cool videos of Andy Brun deflating and packing away the Downmat.. and it seems to be pretty small...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q61wnopqonA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Q61wnopqonA&rel=1</a>!

Watching him inflate it, is also good.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/lpa9qNictSs&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/lpa9qNictSs&rel=1</a>

[bikepacker]

Is it worth sacrificing 2" of packing space to have fantastic comfortable nights sleep? If so you will choose a Downmat everytime. I have two thermarests that have never been out of the cupboard since I got a Downmat.

There is now an Exped Synmat ultralight which packs smaller than a Thermarest.

[The Mechanic]

A downmat takes no more room than most therapists. it's a bit heavier but 23 times more comfortable. 

Don't you just love predictive text?

Made I larf.

The Exped downmats that I've seen pack about 350x150mm whereas my Thermarest Prolite 4 packs 240x90 or I can fold it and pack it flat.  Others I've had have been a little larger in diameter.  I'm not really too bothered about the weight either way.  Maybe there are Downmats that pack away like that, but I've not seen them.  I find the Thermarest adequate for me, but I accept that we are all different.  I'd still go for a full length one whatever.

I have an Exped downmat 7 Pump and it pack into a bag approx 240mm x 150mm.  It is smaller than my sleeping bag.

[Kim]

There are two ways to avoid having a miserable time lugging camping gear on a bike:  You can have really lightweight kit, so it doesn't take much extra effort to carry.  Or you can have kit that allows you to get a proper night's sleep, so you're rested and able to carry it all the next day.

Downmat 7 is lighter and packs marginally smaller than the Alpkit self-inflating mat that I consider a bare minimum for actually managing to sleep on, so it's a no-brainer anyway.  There are, IMHO, much better places to save weight/bulk than bedding (clothing and cooking gear have far more potential for optimisation).

Therapists may be a useful source of heat, but even the small ones are much heavier than the most luxurious Downmats, and they're likely to keep you awake all night asking awkward questions about your mother.

[andrew_s]

There is now an Exped Synmat ultralight which packs smaller than a Thermarest.

Which Thermarest would that be - the one that packs a tad larger than a Synmat Ultralight?