Vintage cycletouring and camping

[joe careless]

It started with vintage bikes, then ermm I find myself picking up things to add to the bikes, clothing to wear. Today a tent appeared in the post..

 

[legrandefromage]

Now, modern tents are great, even my 1996 Argos special 'Gelert' still keeps the rain out - but these old canvas jobs are terrible! I remember some awful camping 'holidays' with these.

As an aside, watch the scenes from 'carry on camping' and spy out the remarkably modern looking dome tents in the background with their carbon tent poles...

 

[joe careless]

Some are poor, but this one is destined for the summer trips away and I do regularly use my Vaude mountain tent ( utralight, modern ) but to be honest my Medina force ten ( pre Vango buy out) is a favourite for reliability and comfort whatever the season

 

[bduc61]

Re:

love the "brave the storms" & "defie the elements"

that's pure 50's or 60's marketing :idea:

and interested to see what are your bags ?

This side of the channel, you had Berthoud and Sologne as top gear for the Singer or Routens and possibly Lafuma and other makes - I have some Karrimor pieces - for the less fortuned

but on your side of the Channel ?

 

[barry2017]

Re:

I had one of those!

It was fun while it lasted.

Some of my favourite bike touring has been on Sturmey Archer equipped roadsters. You can't cover as much distance in a day as you can with a "proper" tourer, but so what?

 

[RobMac]

Re:

I've sat out a few thunderstorms in a waxed cotton single skin tent with little or no condensation.

 

[David B]

Now, modern tents are great, even my 1996 Argos special 'Gelert' still keeps the rain out - but these old canvas jobs are terrible! I remember some awful camping 'holidays' with these.

As an aside, watch the scenes from 'carry on camping' and spy out the remarkably modern looking dome tents in the background with their carbon tent poles...

I now have the phrase "Matron, take them away!!" indelibly etched in my brain.

David

 

[highlandsflyer]

Re:

One area in which I vote new tech for the win.

 

[joe careless]

Aah don't worry highlandsflyer I have some pretty new tech kit too and in the case of my stove a bit of both. I finally had enough of the various types of modern alpine stoves failing at totally wrong moments last winter I tracked down a Manaslu 96 pressure kero stove, a incredible stove that's really well made and cheaper than the ''hi end' gas/multi stoves.

 

[highlandsflyer]

Re:

I can dig the nostalgia trip, we have our old Nijer in use frequently. Nothing wrong with old stoves either, but I am thinking about all the extra weight and cringing as I recall when these older and heavier things were all we had. Not the huge Nijer of course, but we used to carry heavy tents and stoves on day long rides, as well as guitars and such. When it came to the Nijer it was the Land Rover dropping us off for surf weekends and such. Good old days indeed.

Me and the wife have been camping on our own lately and it really is a blessing to have a super light modern tent, apart from the weight issue you can also get it up in no time.