Tuesday, 5 June 2018

Skye trip 2018 kit list + thoughts afterwards

Been to Skye for a week with Chris.  Took food and wild camped and couple of nights, stayed on campsites and went to the pub for the rest.  Kits and thoughts:

Category Name Comment
Riding kit Helmet My helmet has a slide-down sun visor which I used a LOT. It would also double as short term eye protection if the main visor got broken.
Riding kit Gloves Summer gloves. These got extremely wet in a sudden rain-storm and took a LONG time to dry. If there's enough threat of rain to justify water-proof clothing, you also need waterproof gloves.
Riding kit Buff x2 ADV style jacket and waterproofs cover the neck - didn't use these at all
Riding kit High viz Never leave home without this - it just lives on the bike
Riding kit Waterproof over trousers Didn't actually use these and got very wet in a storm as a result
Riding kit Waterproof over jacket Didn't use this in a HEAVY storm, and the ADV jacket wasn't adequate
Riding kit Spare gloves - waterproof winter Should have used these more. Were very nice to have when on the motorway for over an hour in the rain.
Riding kit Ear plugs x10 Used about half of these, although re-used the ones that I did open a lot. Worth using a fresh pair for long motorway slogs
Riding kit Textile Jacket RST Adventure 3. Surprisingly cool with all its vents open. OK for light/medium rain with the waterproof liner fitted
Riding kit Textile Trousers RST Adventure 3. Acceptably cool with vents open. OK for light/medium rain with the waterproof liner fitted. Failed miserably in heavy rain
Riding kit Riding jeans Wore these to ride 50% of the time when weather was good. Wore them to the pub in the evenings. Well worth the space in my luggage.
Riding kit Map Mostly used a mobile phone + Google maps. Was glad it was there as a backup.
Riding kit Gopro Not at all happy about my camera setup. Mostly just used my mobile to take stills.
Riding kit Tripod Used this a few times to hold my mobile with a delay. Should have made more of an effort with it in hindsight as shots were good
Riding kit Balaclava Didn't use this at all. The weather report showed it was never going to get below about 10 deg centigrade at worst so didn't need winter kit like this.
Riding kit Paracord Took about 20 meters, used about 20cm. Useful, but don't need much.
Bike Tools Thankfully didn't need these
Bike Tyre weld Thankfully didn't need this, but wouldn't take a long trip without it based on previous experience
Bike Puncture repair kit + glue Thankfully didn't need this. Probably redundant when already have tyre weld, but is very small and portable.
Bike Waterproof bags Heavy duty bags containing bedding. Were strapped to the outside and kept everything dry. Great bits of kit
Bike Bungies Didn't use this. In the event the "main" bungy snapped, it would have been possible to patch it back together, Won't be taking a spare bungy again.
Bike Disc lock Used this a lot. Acts as a "tip over" and tamper alarm during the night on campsite for peace of mind. Used "reminder" wire to secure helmets to bikes during the day on occasion.
Bike Security wire Didn't use this, although very small to pack and have been useful in the past
Bike Zip ties Fitted in tool kit. Didn't actually need one
Bike 12v USB charger Used this a lot to re-charge power-brick on the go. Took ages to charge the brick. Used the brick to charge mobile at night.
Camping Tent 3 man Eurohike (as per 2017 trip). Great tent, got the job done. Insect mesh screen in door was invaluable for this trip
Camping Mosquito "hat" Invaluable. Would have been pretty much impossible to camp by Loch Lomand without it
Camping Sleeping bag 4 Season. Slept on top of it when warm, and was nice and cozy when it was cold. Perfect.
Camping Pillow I will never ever go camping without a proper pillow again. It made the experience so much better.
Camping Roll mat Had this for about 20 years. As good on this trip as when it was new.
Camping Torch x2 Tent "lamp" generally handy. Used head-torch for reading at night.
Camping Lighter Part of cooking kit. Piezo starter on stove failed, so it's a good job I had this
Camping Water bottle Sigg 1 litre. Not a great shape for a top box, but a good size and reliable
Camping Pen knife 4 inch carbon steel. Great knife, but overkill for trip, mostly used for slicing spicy sausage.
Camping Can opener Used once to open can without ringpull. Should just buy cans with ring pulls.
Camping Cooker Piezo starter failed but was otherwise good
Camping Gas Coleman 500. Chris also took one. We could have coped with a single 300.
Camping Pans Used a few times, although needed Chris's kit at same time to cook for 2 people.
Camping Cups 2x insulated mugs. Keep tea hot for too long - makes stopping for a quick cuppa time consuming
Camping Sporks Used a few times, did what you'd expect. Good decision to take these
Camping Phone + charger Didn't use this. A combination of pre-charged power bricks, modern phone batteries and bike charging made it redundant
Camping USB powerbank Took 2, used 1.
Camping Baby wipes Used about 10% of pack, mostly for cleaning visors each day. Quite bulky, will only take a half pack in future.
Camping Book Doing 1200 miles in 5 days meant I was pretty tired so didn't read much.
Camping Water filter kit Used this a few times. Quite handy. Only need the basic kit (1 bladder, 1 filter, 1 pipe, 1 backflush)
Camping Headphones Didn't use these
Camping Pot washing pad + detergent Used these a few times. Very handy
Camping Clothes pegs Didn't use these
Camping Toilet Roll Didn't use this - we touched civilisation enough that facilities were available
Food Booze Didn't use this
Food Water 1 litre + filter. Made sure to buy drinks whenever possible.
Food Chilli beans Very bulky to carry
Food Steak Very bulky to carry
Food Rice Quick cook. Good, but only with something else.
Food Mixed nuts Should have taken more of these
Food Sweets Wine gums - didn't melt. Was nice to have a few each day
Clothes Socks x3 2 days per pair
Clothes Pants x3 2 days per pair
Clothes Shirt x3 2 days per shirt
Clothes Trousers - lightweight, non riding Didn't really use these
Clothes Warm hat Didn't use this. Better planning would have shown it was going to be plenty warm enough
Clothes Towel Use a couple of time. Was slightly difficult to get dry after use as it needed to go back on the bike
Clothes Wallet / keys Don't forget these. Even in remote Skye, all fuel stations accepted Visa. Cash for camping.
Clothes Comfy shoes New ADV boots not great for pub use, so used these a few times. Could have put jeans over boots for pub.
Wash bag Sun cream Obviously
Wash bag Insect repellent DEET. Strongest you can find. Use lots
Wash bag Paracetamol (cold/flu) Didn't need these, but would still take them again
Wash bag Toothbrush / toothpaste Obviously
Wash bag Antiseptic cream Used this on insect bites that were under sweaty gloves and threatening to get infected
Wash bag Ibuprofen gel Didn't use this, but very small and would take again
Wash bag Insect bite cream Used a lot
Wash bag Antibac hand gel Used a few times
Wash bag Deodorant Obviously
Wash bag Loose change for showers Didn't need this, but very small space required

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