Tents and Camping.

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As I am more traditional, I have a fondness for ridge tents. I have two small ones designed so they can become one tent. One is a lightweight version. The other is heavier duty.

The last tent I ever stayed in was filling with water during a heavy rain at a campground I was at like 20 years ago. I ended up sleeping in the car instead. After that I only stayed in trailers when I went out camping. Sleeping on a pullout couch is much better than sleeping on the ground as it rains.

I have a lightweight, one-man tent for backpacking. (It misses being ultralight by a few ounces.) For campground camping, I have a large, sturdy four-man tent.

For travelling by car with my family, I have this:


For travelling by foot without the children, I use a lightweight hammock + tarp.

https://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/shop ... 76939.html

I have this one (2 door) which as mine was new (Though it was sold as used), it does need waterproof spray which I found out... Or rather my poor Mum found out. I was nice and cozy in my older heavier duty version of the same tent which just joins onto this tent. Could do with waterproof spray. The heavier duty one is cotton duck with a nylon flysheet. It needed repair which has been done, and because it had so much waterproofing done by its previous owners (The French Army) it doesn't really need the flysheet, though I use it anyway. Sadly at the moment there are only the lightweight summer versions in stock. It is as and when they can get them I guess.
They are classed as 2 man tents, but are generous in their size.

I have a lightweight one-person tent, a two-person dome tent and a big family tent, lots of sleeping bags, tarps etc.
I'll be taking one of them across the channel sometime soon on one of my bikes for a short holiday in France. It's nice deciding what to take. I have four bikes (just sold two) and about a dozen panniers, lots of stoves and waterproofs....you get the picture!

Very nice. I have only once been camping on my bike, though that has always been the plan. I went with my brother. We stayed in a small field/lawn with some people who are friendly with my parents. Nice interesting people. It was about 25 miles each way so not too bad. Only issue was I had the mountain bike (A Dawes Tracker... 1991 version which had early STI levers and a Reynolds 500 frame), and my brother took an old BSA racing bike. I didn't realize how uncomfortable the BSA was and how hard to ride it was. A "Dead" frame... My brother only just made it back. I also had frozen fingers on the way back so I couldn't change the STI gears. The old thumb shifters were easy. You could use your whole hand if you had frozen fingers... Was not exactly fun! The actual camping was fine. Old thin but double skinned cheap ridgetents. No issues. If I had thumb shifters instead, and my brother had a better bike... He had a leather saddle. However, it was old and had shrivelled to form a hard central ridge! I still have it and have oiled it etc. Still not right but better then it was. The previous owner had stored it for years.
I should have taken the Dawes Galaxy and let my brother use the Dawes Tracker. Ok, he would have to choose a gear and stay there if his fingers froze, but at least he would have a comfortable ride.

Doh, you had a Galaxy and left it at home!

I did 3000 miles on a MTB this year and my forearms were shot to bits from being in the same position for weeks. I've got a Dawes Ranger Mountain bike with drop bars, bar end shifters and gel saddle, it's super comfy. Here is a pic from a trip to France last November during the "Beast from the East"

(the tent is in one of the panniers, sorry!)

Dawes Ranger....If my memory serves me correctly, were they not made around 1987 to 1988? Trying to remember. My Dawes Galaxy was built in the very best year foe all Galaxys to have been made. 1989. I sold three bikes and a decent moped and still had to save an extra £60 to aford it. It cost me £405 in december 1st 1989. The price was officially £399.99 or £399.95, but I bought a bottle and cage to go with it.
I have some old Dawes bikes which are part 531 which need new homes with someone who wants to restore them. I also have a large 25" framed Ferrari racing bike which won't take much to fix. I have done all the major things. Just tyres and a saddle and maybe bar tape.
I need to reduce my collection. Just keep five bikes I think. About 10 years ago I had over 100. Oops!

I bought a Super Galaxy about ten years ago and a 1976 Galaxy about five years ago, one of those pretty green ones with chromed forks. I got rid of them when I bought the Ranger.

You're right, it's an 80's mountain bike / all terrain bike.

With a silly sticker that brags .....



It's hard to keep the collection down when there are so many nice bikes at the dump going so so cheap!

Can you really keep it down to just ten?

Sell your bikes and buy some more tents maybe?

Edit: Just googled Ferrari road bike.....OMG, you have one of them

if this is still about tents and not bikes then I just spent my first weekend in this

https://www.salewa.com/micra-ii-tent-00 ... 5?c=516670


very good, if a little small for the 2-man it's marketed as, you'd have to be on very good terms to sleep two in this but very nice quality and design

I lived in one of these tents for a couple of years.
Made from Hazel and military canvas, lined with blankets during winters it was a super cosy, warm and dark space. When I lit the wood burner an owl would come and sit on a branch above the tent at night and make "tuwoooo" noises.