With the passing of each birthday, I seem to become that bit more cynical. I no longer expect my sexual magnetism to be elevated to unimaginable levels after applying a certain deodorant and I’m fully aware that any product carrying a lifetime guarantee, is only guaranteed for the life of the product – not mine. […]
We’ve all done it, a place for everything and everything in its place. Driven by an unrelenting desire to minimise the number of bags adorning our bikes, we pack and repack, allocating the minimum possible amount of space to each and every item of essential equipment. After countless trial runs and endless hours, our hard […]
Amongst the many questions I get asked such as, “Why don’t you shut up?” and “Really, are you sure?”, one of the most common is, “What’s the difference between bikepacking and touring?”. I have to say, the question is usually asked with a subtle sneer or at very least, a slight smirk; my inquisitor having […]
You really need to be careful when it comes to bags, they’re not always what they seem. Many masquerade under a name that bears little or no relation to their intended purpose. This shameful misrepresentation can lead to all kinds of problems for the unwitting purchaser or would be user. Take ‘Lucky bags’ as an […]
Although well known, highly respected and widely used in the US, Porcelain Rocket luggage is quite a rarity in the UK. The main reason for this obscurity, is the somewhat random approach HM Customs and Excise take to things arriving on our shores from the other side of the Atlantic. Sometimes, luck’s on your side […]
As a bikepacker or even, a would be bikepacker, the issue of weight can’t have escaped you. Anyone who’s ever puffed and wheezed their way up a one in four or required assistance to lift their two wheeled behemoth over an unweieldly gate, will testify to the fact that weight and its reduction, is a […]
Bearstock? As with so many things in life, it all started with a flash of electricity between someone’s ears. That electrical impulse was converted into the medium of speech and before you’d considered that Robert might be a relation, the idea of a ‘party’ had been born. It was scheduled to coincide with the Bear […]
Double-ended dry bags? It’s a concept I fully understand in theory but I’ve always found that when theory becomes practice, there’s no real world benefit to having a hole at each end. If we were playing dry bag Top Trumps, I’d fail to see how ‘ooh I can get my stuff out of either end’ […]
In part 2 of this epic saga, we were finally introduced to the cuddly bear, a friendly, approachable and perhaps slightly childish fella, who’s character traits epitomise those of nearly every bikepacker I’ve ever met. Flying under his flag were a website, a forum and this very outlet for my observations and ramblings … but […]
Admit it, we all like that new bike feeling but it’s a habit that can be expensive to feed. Sure, there’s cheap bikes out there and a hundred of your British pounds will buy you a bicycle … or at least something resembling a bicycle. It’s unlikely to last very long and will probably eat […]