wet bags?? first timer question

Date: Aug 17, 2005

wet bags?? first timer question

Date: Aug 17, 2005

As a veteran of 20-something 5-to-7 day tours such as CNC, I can offer up what measures many riders including myself do to keep our clothing/sleeping bags, etc. dry.

Compartmentalize everything you can -inside plastic. Such as, put Monday's riding gear inside a two-gallon ziplock bag, Tuesday's into another, etc. This makes your bag much more organized and easy to find what you want. It also keeps your clothes dry. After you put articles of clothing into a Ziplock, sit on it to force the air out, then seal it up. (this only works with new/nearly new bags before they get holes in them) They take up MUCH less space if you get the air out.

Put your sleeping bag, and pillow (if any) inside of a plastic bag within your nylon/cordura duffel bag. Do you really want to stick your feet into a wet sleeping bag?

Bags get very wet even in what cyclists call 'perfect' weather. Each morning when leaving camp, everyone's tent is covered with heavy dew. When you roll up your own tent, whatever you put into a duffel bag with it, can very well be soaked by the time you get into camp that afternoon -unless you protected it with plastic bags. Now imagine 1k-2k other bags in the truck(s), the dry ones soaking up the water from the wet ones.

I've seen this happen: Early riders come in and unload the truck, spreading the bags out on the ground. Weather is perfect. An hour later, a horrendous thunderstorm comes thru. The driver quickly covers all the remaining bags (100's of them) with plastic. Unfortunately, the bags are lying in a low spot where the water pools. Some bags are literally floating. The ones who put there belongings inside plastic bags within their duffel bag, only had a wet duffel bag. Those who didn't... wish they had.

Then again, there's always Bubba!

Seriously, failing a vacancy on the Bubba train, some simple and inexpensive precautions will keep all of you gear dry. Remember, no plastic bags or other easily torn products on the outside of your baggage, only on the inside. Think of airport baggage handling just to be safe.

See you in Arden,

Gary

Date: Aug 18, 2005

Thanks for the great 'plastic bag' advise. I am a first-time road biker (just bought a bike so I could do CNC) and have decided to stay at hotels to ensure daily recovery. It sounds like I should prepare for all the camping wet bags to be wetting my bag. Does anyone know how that works?

Also, most of the photo gallery photos show bikers riding solo. In my mind I pictured bikers hogging the road (obviously there will be dispersement as the day continues). Can anyone provide me with some expectations?

Lastly, any advise on how kind the car drivers tend to be?

Thank you.

Date: Aug 19, 2005

BikingMom,

I think you can buddy up with someone if you are going solo. I may end up going solo or with one other person. My goal is to have a good time and stop at all of the places I see that I want to stop at. With that said, if I see anyone riding alone I will most likely ride with them for as long or as short of a distance they want.

I hear half the fun is just getting out and talking with everyone on the road and at camp.

I too have some concerns about recovery on some days, as a last resort I am budgeting to stay in a hotel at least one night if rain is outrageous and/or I am feeling lazy and want a soft bed.

Date: Aug 21, 2005

Hi BikingMom,

In response to your question regarding the density of riders, I remember before my first tour, I was expecting something like the start of a marathon-all the riders lined up at the starting gate waiting for the gun to fire. But, some people on these tours leave camp before the sun is completely up and others leave after the CNC UHaul lugguage trucks have left. There never really seems to be a lot of density on bike tours unless you are talking about a 35,000 rider freak show such as RAGBRAI. Not that you'll always feel alone during the route but you can go for miles and not see other riders at times. Which I believe is a good thing. Believe me, if you want, you'll meet some fascinating people and there will always be someone new to talk to. Or, if you're more of a solitary biker, there's plenty of that as well! But in general, your assumptions about the pack thinning out during the day are correct. Also, it seems that during the last couple of days, the total number of riders to seems to be much lower on some tours. Some folks can't take off a whole week and only want to ride in the hills so not everyone does all six days.

As far as the car drivers go, as with any day on your bike, that can vary. Most drivers along the route are well aware of a bike tour in the area and they know to be on the lookout for you. The only hostility I've encountered on tours was actually from other over-aggressive riders who seem to be living out some fantasy that they're Lance Armstrong on the tour rather than Herb on a state bike tour! Seriously, my experiences on CNC were positive but I have ran into a few idiots on other tours. If there's one thing I've discovered about drivers during my biking experiences, if you stay behind the white line, as best you can, drivers will give you some room. If you ride well inside of their lane, they'll get confrontational. It also seems to me that it's the minivan drivers who seem to be most likely to try to scrape the skin off of your left elbow with their side mirrors. I've never figured that one out but minvan drivers tend to be rather aggressive toward bikers.

As for the wet bags, I would go to Walmart and buy the large, yellow, rubberized duffle bags that they sell in the camping sections. They even have carrying straps. Use those and some plastic ziplock bags and you'll never have to worry about wetness.

Be well,
Steve

Date: Aug 23, 2005

Thanks to all for the responses and info...