Various Camping Tips and Ideas

I was about to start writing this section but then I realised that I am so not passionate about camping! So I will leave this section to Paul to write as he is actually interested in this stuff.

Over to Paul:

Ok – it’s not that exciting, but we’ve learned some stuff that may be useful…. but if you’re planning to stay in 5 star hotels you can skip most of this.

Essential pieces of kit:
• Head-torch
• A Leatherman or Swiss Army knife
• Ortleib roll bags - Water proof (but not bullet proof) – kept our sleeping bags dry.
• A kikoy, i.e. a square of material – you can sleep on it, under it, use it on beach, as a towel, even wear it.
• Bathroom plug
• Elastic washing line - twisted elastic line (Life Adventure) – used every day.
• Flip-flops for showers/toilets – just trust me on this one.
• Small calculator that has a programmable exchange function – we’ve been through a dozen or so currencies and it takes the guess work out of how many zeroes to plug in whilst standing at the ATM!
• Nationwide current account (zero charges for withdrawing currencies from ATMs)

Main Stuff:

Tent
We bought a lightweight (2.4kg), easy to assemble, but expensive 2 man tent (Exped), reasonably inexpensively from the US. It’s done ok, but now leaks – I think the built in groundsheet needs re-waterproofing – no more obvious holes!

A brief insight into tent vernacular: a 2 man tent means tent big enough for 2 bodies, laid out side by side, with no luggage, not moving; i.e. you need to add at least 1 man to your requirements – for 2 people get a 3 man tent. The domed design is best so you can at least sit up straight. We use the porch area for bike gear – boots, helmets, jackets etc… having learned the hard way the first time it rained really hard, we now put all our gear in an orange plastic survival bag.

Reflective guy ropes - will stop you tripping over them … repeatedly. (we don’t have these). The elastic in the poles will probably need to be replaced during the trip.

Groundsheet - under the tent we put a thick plastic sheet which provides a waterproof base in the porch and protects the tent’s base from thorns etc….

Rubber Mallet – for outside the UK where the ground is hard. (a 6” nail on a string can make a hole for your tent pegs in really solid ground (tip courtesy of Steve Langton). The mallet doubles as a hammer for the bike or anything else you feel like hitting.

Sleeping mats – the lightweight Thermarest are great, even on rocky ground, well worth the money.

Sleeping bag - In the mountains in Ethiopia it went below zero, our 3 season bags were good. I’d be happy with a lightweight bag (+5 c), but in Africa Sandi still needs something designed for the Antarctic. We have small pillows, courtesy of a couple of airlines. Sleeping on a bundle of clothes is ok for a weekend, for 6 months a small pillow is needed and weighs very little. We bought a silk sleeping bag liner, the kikoys were more useful.

Stove & cooking
A multi fuel stove – it’s expensive, working with most fuels, which means it runs on the same fuel as the bike. However, petrol is dirty and the Primus Omnifuel blocks constantly – easy to unblock but a pain in the butt. I am assured that the MSR stove suffers the same.
I use a firesteel to light the stove, attached to the stove with a piece of string, saves scrabbling for a lighter every time.
Pots & Pans – minimum of 2 – non-stick won’t survive so don’t pay extra.
Enamel mugs & bowls are really practical.

Food
Don’t carry too much – they sell it everywhere!
Take multi-vitamins.
Hot chilli sauce – can save many a terrible restaurant meal
If you don’t already, develop a liking for canned tuna and pasta. This will get you through North Africa.
Hard bread/biscuits and honey/jam/peanut butter make a quick cheap meal.
A single bladed lock knife just for food is useful & easy to clean – getting mango juice from your Swiss Army is not time well spent.
My luxury is a tiny hexagonal stove-top coffee perculator – I have great coffee every day.
A useful gadget to save cash & hassle is an element kettle that you can heat water in a cup – for $5 hotels don’t provide tea/coffee in the rooms.

Water
We splashed out on a fancy ceramic filter (£80) but to be honest have only used it a few times, and then it clogged easily. Instead we have generally treated ourselves to bottled mineral water for drinking, and boiled tap water for cooking. We now also use WaterGuard – a simple, (readily available in E. Africa) additive to water from tap or lake etc. 1.75ml treats 10litres. A 500ml bottle cost 35p and treats nearly 3000 litres!

Mosquitos
I must have donated more than a litre of blood in 6 months of mosquito bites. They love me, ignoring most insect repellents. Anything with Deet in it really works, but the 100% Deet really does melt plastic e.g. watch straps. The coils than you burn are ok but can make your eyes sting in a room. A can of spray (e.g. Doom) is good for hotel rooms. The electric killers with small mats also do the job – if there’s a plug. We have a mosi net but haven’t had much cause to use it.

Anti-malarials – I use doxycyline – the downside is you have to take it daily and it can make you more sensitive to sunlight. On the upside the side effects are much much less severe than the others which can be mind altering. In the UK you can pay £1/tablet in Kenya I paid £0.035/tablet !
After hearing so many horror stories even Sandi is now taking them. The best advice is still to cover up – long sleeves & trousers.

Other Useful items
Omo powder – great for getting grease off your hands as well. Available everywhere.
Small scrubbing brush
Plastic waterproof boxes e.g. “Lock&Lock”– great for keep things organised and bug free.
Gerber knife sharpener
Pacsafe – metal net for locking roll bags etc. allowing you to leave bike unattended for short periods with peace of mind.
Night lights (if you cut the top off of a plastic water bottle, put 10cm of sand in the bottom, cut a small door to pop in the night light you have a cheap & wind proof lantern)