Hi all,
I'm planning a trip over to Europe for 8 weeks over their summer this year and want to take my bike over to do a bit of bike touring and travelling while I am there.
I was originally going to buy everything brand new, as I want good quality gear, however I've made some calculation and doing this will cost me a significant amount of money for what I still need. Given that I am earning quite a lot less than I expected and that flights are $1000 more than I paid last time I am looking to reduce my costs for touring and camping gear by purchasing second hand where possible. I know that most people who buy good gear will most likely hold onto it for life (until the item breaks), however I have also noticed a few people who do bike touring go through different types of gear depending on their needs.
So here's what I am looking to get:
-Ground mattress (long enough to be comfortable for a skinny 181cm tall bloke)
-3-season sleeping bag (unsure, something that's light and packs down small)
-3-season tent (unsure, looking at the Hilleberg Soulo or similar. Open to 1 or 2 man tents as long as they are easy to pack and light weight)
-Dry bag / rack storage bag for the tent/mattress etc (Alpkit Gourdon or similar)
-Cooker kit (pot/pan kind of deal for basic cooking; something that doesn't take up too much space and is light weight)
-Travel stove (MSR Dragonfly or Whisperlite or similar, something small, portable and easy to use/maintain that can run a variety of fuels)
-Front rack (Tubus Nova or similar design to suit my VWR with a front disc brake and mudguards)
-Front pannier (maybe Carradice or Ortlieb FR+ or similar, durable material and pockets ideal)
-Handlebar bag (Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Plus/Compact or similar to suit drop bars with STI levers)
-Rear view mirror (frame mounted, or suitable for STI levers or drop bars. Something that can be easily moved and adjusted for riding in left or right hand traffic).
If you have something of good quality and condition that you no longer use and think might fit the bill send me a PM offer.
Due to the bulky nature of this gear it's probably easier to keep this as local as possible, I'm happy to come pick it up from most areas in Perth or meet in the CBD where I work.
