Why go lightweight MTB touring?

• Lightweight multi-day tours enable you to devise long routes without having to return to the place you started from each day. If you plan the trip using trains you can start in one place and finish in another.
  
  
• The planning and riding required means you get to know an area much better than you do if you're simply doing a series of day trips.
  
  
• Being independent of the dreaded infernal combustion engine is a satisfying and liberating experience (trust me.....).
  
  
• The fact you don't have to return to a start point each day means you can change your itinerary depending on the terrain, weather and how the mood takes you.

Taken to its logical extreme, you could do a multi-day tour with just a credit card, a toothbrush and a change of clothes - stay in B&Bs along the way and eat in pubs and restaurants. There's a lot to be said for that approach and I've done it myself. However, it can be restricting and I prefer to camp.

Carting around heavy bags full of camping gear is no fun, so it makes sense to reduce equipment to a safe minimum. You can go too far down this route, though; rough bivis are OK for one or two nights if the weather's good, but they can degenerate into masochistic exercises if conditions get ugly (which they frequently do in the UK's temperate marine climate).

So.....it makes sense to strike a balance between the two extremes. I cut my mountain biking teeth in the years before I bothered getting a car, riding 3-5 days at a time between train stations with as little luggage as I could get away with. This is how I do it - other people may feel differently, but it works for me.

Equipment

As always, you get what you pay for so spend as much as you can afford. There's a lot of marketing hype associated with mountain biking, but in the context of camping gear it's not gear freakery - good quality camping kit is significantly lighter and more compact than the cheap stuff. It's also more durable and performs better, which can be crucial if you're cowering beneath a nylon flysheet in the middle of nowhere. I've been in cheap tents that got flattened during bad weather - I'm talking from experience!

Given the current FMD crisis, lots of places are having sales; stock up on kit now while it's cheap, so you're ready to go when we're eventually allowed back onto the hills.

Tent - a good quality lightweight tent is not significantly heavier than a bivi bag, and a lot more comfortable in poor weather. Models such as the Terra Nova Solar and Macpac Microlite will fit easily and securely onto the top of a pannier rack (they can weigh as little as 1.4 kg). There are various designs but I like transverse single hoop designs such as the Solar (below right). They're a good compromise between low weight, decent head/sleeping room, and a short packed length (important when you come to stash the kit on your bike).

Sleeping bag - get a light 2 season bag and a compression spider - it'll pack down to nothing. If it gets colder than the bag's rating, wear your clothes inside it. Down bags pack down smaller, but are more expensive and more susceptible to losing insulation in the wet (i.e. if you do go for a bivi bag rather than a tent, choose a synthetic bag). Macpac (among others) do an interesting range of bags that have no insulation on the bottom, just a pocket where you slide in your insulation mat. This isn't as strange as it sounds; the insulation on the bottom of the bag does little good because it's compressed where you're lying on it. I use a Mountain Equipment 2 season Glacier Down bag that's covered in Dri-Lite Gore-tex fabric (it doesn't get damp due to condensation on the inside of the tent in cold weather).

Insulation mat - essential for comfort and, more importantly, to prevent heat loss to the ground. Self inflating Thermarest mats pack down smaller and are more comfortable, but cost more and can get punctured. Closed cell foam mats are cheap and lightweight, but more bulky (although they're easier to bungee onto packs or racks). It depends on your priorities. Don't get a full length version - get a short one to save on weight, and put clothes/panniers etc under your legs and feet to provide insulation.

Headtorch - Petzls are good, but some models are pretty bulky. I use a small Mini Maglite with a head band - it's only for emergencies, you're not going to be night riding with it.

Washkit - resign yourself to stinking for a few days. Toothbrush, toothpaste squeezed into a 35mm camera film tub.....er, and that's it. Carry a small tea towel to dry yourself with (I don't rate those travellers' towels). If you stay on a campsite, a lot of them have soap dispensers in the toilet blocks that you can use.

First aid kit - I don't bother with one, but it's a judgement call. I figure if it's a scratch it'll stop bleeding eventually, and if it's something more serious - wrap an item of clothing round it and tape it up with the electrical tape you keep in your....

Tool & spares kit - ensure your bike's in good nick and of reasonable quality, and you can get away with just your normal day ride kit (see this toolkit article for details).

Maps & compass - and know how to use them!

Luxury items - I tend to carry one or two items that keep me amused when I'm not riding. One is always a little SW/FM radio. In addition I usually carry either a book to read and/or a little coffee filter that plugs into the top of a cup, for a decent brew in the morning.

Mobile phones - free your mind; leave the damned things at home. Go on, exercise a bit of willpower - you can do it!

Clothes - keep it to a minimum, using technical fabrics as part of a layer system. My typical clothing list would comprise:

Carrying all this stuff

So how do you carry this stuff? It should actually pack down pretty small. Strap the tent onto the top of the pannier rack (a couple of bungee cords always come in handy). Pack the rest into two small panniers - strap them down tightly onto the pannier rack. Put the tools and things you'll need while riding in a bumbag; if you remove clothing while riding you can strap it onto the bumbag or on top of the panniers. If you need to carry a large amount of food, use a small rucsac rather than a bumbag (see this review of the Karrimor Rush 20, a good rucsac for MTB touring); distribute your kit so that the heavier items are on the bike.

The Polaris guys generally seem to carry all their equipment in KIMM type rucsacs. That approach is fine for 2-day competition events, where speed is more important than comfort. However, carrying heavy loads on your back while cycling for extended periods is not good; you need to strike a compromise between bike handling and comfort. Tie the rucsac onto the back of the bike if you're riding along longer stretches of tarmac or easy fire road.

Carry a credit card and a cash stash too in case you need to bail out of the trip due to bad weather or bike failure.

Good areas in the UK for offroad touring trips

The Multi-Day Epics section has a good range of routes, both in England and in Scotland - the latter in particular has amazing scope for stringing together huge routes.

From my own experience, the Yorkshire Dales, mid-Wales and the Lake District are ideally suited for trips of up to a week. Shorter trips in the Cheviot, the North York Moors, the North Pennines and Dumfries & Galloway are also good value for money.

Assess the weather before you go - if it's going to be desperate, stay at home. The mountains and moors will still be there for another trip. Of course, if you fancy combining lightweight mountainbike touring and foreign travel - then it starts getting really interesting........

Visit Peter Jones' website - The Trackster Man - for more MTB articles