Now, changing the subject...Creature Comforts, what are they? Well creature comforts is a term I use to describe "stuff" that I would bike travel without. As bike packing becomes more popular, and more people begin touring, I think that some of the "Lycra/MAMAL" mindset has carried over. Discussions on weight, aerodynamics, rolling resistance etc are becoming more prominent.
I'm sorry if I don't weigh into these discussions too greatly, I really can't find their relevance in bike touring. Honestly. if you're on a loaded touring bike and worried about aerodynamics...well, "nuff said. Yes, weight does play a factor and you do have to be careful not to overdo it drastically. But less weight equals two things; lighter and more expensive gear, or leaving stuff behind. So I ask this simple question, "Is it worth being uncomfortable for the sake of 500 grams? My answer, in short, is no. Let's face it, a morning's constitution can save you that amount of weight, so just eat more fiber and drink more water, and let nature take it's course...lol.
There are of course those who appear to have their bikes loaded to the hilt, even with the kitchen sink. OK, maybe not to those extremes, but you'll also find that these are the people that probably tour greater distances and more constantly than our "lighter is better" brothers and sisters.
So creature comforts, as I said, are those things regardless of their accumulative weight that you would pedal a little harder with, rather than a little easier without. So here are some of mine.
1. A chair. Now I know it's far from necessary, but when you have spent as many years as I have jumping in and out of truck cabs, off the back of trailers and the like, the bones and joints are just not like they used to be. A chair for me is a relatively new comer to my kit. I too thought that it was not a necessity and opted to go without it on my first few trips. But I have to say, that since I have decided to carry the extra 800 grams, life couldn't be sweeter.
The chair itself is a cheap three legged stool with a back on it. I picked it up for around $10.00 from a hardware store. It fits nicely across the top of my panniers and makes a welcome change to cooking when camping. It's not your luxury recliner model...lol. It just makes life that little easier and more comfortable, and that to me is worth that little bit extra needed on the pedals.
2. Trekking poles. What, trekking poles? Yes, trekking poles. They have more than one use. They firstly act as a walking stick it you want to go for an afternoon stroll after setting up camp. Then they come in handy as a tarp pole for another of my comforts...They also fit nicely inside the bag that my chair fits into.
3. Hiking tarp. The hiking tarp acts as an extra tarp to put up over the front of my tent. My one man tent doesn't have a lot of room out front to cook in if its raining, and I refuse to cook inside. So the tarp can act as a kind of awning and can be used in conjunction with the trekking poles or tied to a couple of tress, or both. It weighs next to nothing and is a great little safeguard. It can also be set up prior to the tent in the event of rain so you can pitch out of the weather.
4. Pillow. I have two pillows, both inflatable. One is a cheap Jackaroo from a department store and the other is a...I can't remember the brand, from a camping store. Why two? Well I bought the cheap on first, and me being of larger frame found it wasn't quite thick enough. The second I bought when it was on special and found it to be the same. But the two together...aaahhhhhh!
5. Two stoves. I like to cook, I like food, what can I say! I usually take a gas stove along with a multi-fuel stove. I mainly use the gas stove during the day for coffee and such. But as night comes in I like to be able to cook and have the option to do more than a one pot kind of thing.
6. Food. It just had to follow. Whilst many on the road are content with dehydrated hiking meals, or with just some pasta or rice, I'm not. Whilst I love to cook pasta or rice I need (OK, want) more than just a drizzle of some packet sauce, or just plain. I take a mixture of fresh, tinned and packet food with me. For me the prepackaged dehydrated hiking food is expensive, at between $11.00 to $14.00 per meal, I can feed myself for a whole day, or longer.
I plan to start putting up some videos of quick, easy, and cheap, recipes soon.
7. Coffee. Coffee is as essential to cycle touring as the bike itself. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I have to admit that I am a fully fledged 'coffee snob'. My coffee snobbery well preluded my entrance into MAMILhood and cycling. I am sure when I die I will be buried with my favorite coffee apparatuses keeping me caffeinated well into the afterlife.
My favourite items to take with me would have to be my Aeropress. I looked around at many on the market from the Handspresso to pour over filters. But none have impressed me like the Aropress has. Yes, it is a little bulkier than many on the market but the quality of coffee, mmmm mmmm! I think that one day I will have to do a video alone on my beloved AP. I have just purchased a new tag along to go with the Aeropress, a manual burr grinder. Every good coffee snob knows that coffee tastes better when it is freshly ground.
So these are a few of my creature comforts that I just couldn't (or wouldn't) tour without. All up I would probably carry in excess of an extra 1.5 to 2 kilograms, and in the scheme of things that is not a great price to pay. Plus the added benefit is that as you eat the food it gets lighter.
Cheers guys, and ride safe.
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