[dReWpY]

Sleeping Bags
Now here is an important item. Go by the philosophy that if you can get a good night's sleep, you can put up with a world of grief during the day. A good sleeping bag and sleeping pad or mattress are vital.

There are lots of good bags on the market at reasonable prices. Goose down use to be the only way to go. I've got one I never use. If it gets damp, you're gonna be uncomfortable. Go with one of the new fibers, I use Holo-Fil II. I have two bags. When space is not an issue and I am not worried about bulk I use the biggest I could find, a rectangular model that can open into a comforter for a king size bed. For trips where bulk is an issue or I want to easily get the bag inside of a smallish stuff sack inside my luggage, I got a high quality REI bag. Sale price was about $75.

A bag with nylon inside and out is easier to maintain. A damp rag will wipe down the inside of the bag and 15 minutes in strong sunlight will do wonders to freshen the bag up. Plus, it makes washing and drying back home easier. Some have had good luck with polar guard sleeping bags as they are a synthetic blend that doesn't soak up water. If the bag gets wet a good shaking will get a large percentage of the water out, and they will dry much faster than a cloth bag. Anyone who has ever gotten a cloth bag wet knows,those suckers can hold 500% their weight in water.

Mattresses or Pads
This is also vital stuff as far as my tired old bones are concerned. You tough, young kids can sleep on the ground, but I want _comfort_. If it is warm, a standard air mattress will be just fine. In cold weather they act like a heat pump, circulating warm air into ground contact and make for a cold bag. I now use a self-inflating, insulating air mattress and love it. These are not cheap, mine cost something on the order of $50, but did come with a 3-year warranty. Lots of them are available for far less. Newer options for the self- inflating air mattresses are a range of thicknesses. For bike touring, get the thickest you can afford. Also a good option, but far bulkier are the foam rubber pads. I understand that they can be even more comfortable, and warmer, and are less expensive. They don't pack down as well. Take your pick.

Hint on using any self-inflating air mattress. Store it open. When you use it, unwrap it and give it a chance to inflate by itself. Sometimes it will take 20 minutes or so. When setting up camp, I will set up the tent, and then unroll and start the air mattress inflating. Blowing into the air mattress to inflate it will introduce moisture into the air mattress which can lead to cold sleeping if enough gets inside.

Stuff Sacks
Handy as anything you can take. Make them, don't buy them. Purchased they cost about $5 to $8 or more. With material, on almost any sewing machine, I can make one in about 2 minutes or less. Nylon is nice, but old denim (I use the legs from my cut-off's jeans) also works well...and looks mellow. What! You don't know how to use a sewing machine! Shame.

Stoves
Stoves are handy. Don't plan on cooking over an open fire. It might be raining, it is slow and fire restrictions may forbid it, it leaves unsightly scars on the ground and it attracts lions and tigers and bears (Oh My!).

There are bunches and bunches available. I use a Coleman model that burns unleaded regular. It is easy to fill at gas stops and has saved Vic's butt once. A good stove can boil water faster than you can use it and is handy as all get-out. Makes morning coffee a meaningful experience. I even got an espresso maker that works over a small camp stove. Right up there with pneumatic tires, I tell you!

Other types of stoves are available. Using unleaded gas can be tricky, if you aren't used to it. I prefer to use stoves that burn butane or propane. I have a butane stove that folds into a pouch no larger than a cigarette box. The butane cans are about the size of a coke can. The butane can be had for about $3.00 per can. You can get these stoves from outdoor outfitters for about $15 to $20.

Propane stoves (Coleman makes a nice single-burner for about $15.) are another alternative. Propane cans are larger, and disposable, and cost about $4 to $5--depending on source. These stoves are nice for a hot fire and even, reliable cooking. The propane stove and fuel can are no larger than a 32-ounce drink from Taco Time.

What I like about butane and propane stoves is that a can of fuel lasts a long time. I've cooked over one can of butane--meals for two--for three days, and still had fuel.

When packing a gas-fueled stove for travel, depressurize the fuel. Also make sure that it's never more than about 3/4 full. The heat of the day and altitude changes might otherwise make for a nasty surprise.

Unless you're riding a bike with easy access to the petcock hose, carry spare fuel. Get a good backpacking gas container. Do not skimp here. You can get a good one, anodized red, from REI for about $10. Make sure you mark it's contents with a big black indelible marker. It's also much handier to fill a bottle at a pump than it is to try to fill the stove from the pump nozzle.

What? You were thinking about a camp stove that only burns white gas or butane? Shame.

(ed. comments. See, I told you this would happen.)

Utensils
Here is where a lot of folks go way overboard. You need surprisingly little. I have a very elaborate kit consisting of 2 nesting pots (stainless steel- a SIG Tourister model), one cup (plastic insulated) and a spoon. Yes, I always carry a knife, but rarely use one for cooking.

A scrub pad, a small bottle of dish soap, and a small device to lift hot metal pots (came with the cook kit) rounds out this part.

FOOD
I am having a hard time shaking off my old back-packing habits here. When back packing you have to learn to carry everything, not so bike camping. When I started moto-touring, I packed as though back-packing. I quickly learned that is dumb. It is no big deal to carry little if any food. Buy what you need as you go. There are any number of great, one pot meals that can be had in modern markets. If you need meat, there are lots of small tins of various types available, otherwise boxes of one pot casseroles, cheese and noodle mixes, etc. are always handy. I found that Top Raman or other dehydrated soup, in mixture with instant lentils or beans or some such dish is filling, easy to cook and tastes pretty good. Explore any good supermarket for ideas, remembering to keep it simple.