Packing and Equipment

July 16, 2010

Our S&S Couplers enable the bike to be split in two for packing.

Normally when 2 people bicycle tour on individual bikes, they could have a total of 8 panniers. The challenge for us is to get all of our gear, including camping equipment, into 4 panniers. We have an underseat Terracycle rack for 2 panniers under the stoker (a.k.a.Rear Admiral)and a rear rack for 2 more.

Our Terracycle underseat rack goes under the stoker and carries our Arkel recumbent specific panniers.

All of our bags are recumbent specific and made by Arkel in Sherbrooke, Quebec. We also have Arkel`s amazing trunk bag and their newest bag, a Recumbent Seat bag. It is always a goal to keep the weight as light as possible. Ideally the bulk of the weight is under the stoker to provide the best stability. Another benefit of recumbents is that our water bladders are mounted on our seat backs and not on us!

We love to research the latest bicycle and camping gear...I guess you could say that we are inveterate gear hounds. For example, we have used and enjoyed a Snow Peaks stove that uses propane/butane cannisters. In the past, we have found it difficult to buy the cannisters and there is also the issue of disposing of the cannisters. After much research and browsing, we have purchased a Trangia alcohol burner and the Clikstand/windscreen combo.The fuel is available everywhere. It is slower to boil, has virtually no moving parts to break. If it's good enough for the Swedish army, then it's good for us too. Another recent acquisition is the Big Agnes King Solomon double down-filled sleeping bag. We like that the sleeping mats fit into sleeves in the bag. Comfort on the road is a priority for us as we get older.

Below are a few of our favourite things we take with us on a trip:

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 tent(3 person)

Our Big Agnes three person tent is lighter than most two person ultra-light tents.

Big Agnes King Solomon bag

Thermarest Neo Air and Big Agnes Primaloft Air Mat

Thermarest pillows

siltarp

Black Diamond Orbit lantern

Big Agnes ultralight cyclone chairs

Petzel headlamps

Snow Peaks Titanium french coffee press (essential)and S.P. titanium cook potsAnti Gravity pot cozy

Trangia stove

Orikasa plates and squishy bowls

Arkel: RT40 and RT 60 panniers, trunk bag and seat bag

Packed and ready to go at the Vesuvius Ferry terminal on Saltspring Island.

Map case OTG (stoker)

Keen Commuter cycling sandals

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Kelly IniguezI have an S & S coupled Stratus. What soft bag do you use for packing your tandem? Do the seats go in the same bag? Thanks for any advice.
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1 year ago

Barry BartlettHi Kelly,
The bag that we have used for our Rans Seavo tandem is specially made for the tandem. We bought the bag through Angletech in Colorado. A woman in the Pacific Northwest makes the bags. The seats do go in the same bag along with everything else. Perhaps Angletech could give you the woman's contact info.
Happy riding,
Barry
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1 year ago