Bicycle Camping – An Ideal Way to Combine Fitness and Fun

One of the most enjoyable, exciting, interesting, popular, and affordable types of camping these days is bicycle camping. This is where you basically pack up all of your gear and throw it over your back and head out into the countryside on your bicycle.

There are several benefits to this style of camping such as the exercise and the fact that you don’t have to fork out six dollars for a gallon. It also means there’s less pollution escaping into the environment, making it a bonus for everybody involved.

Bicycle CampingHowever, before you pack up and head put into the woods, there are a few things you need to consider. You have to ask yourself if you’re capable of taking a bicycle camping trip. This means you have to be realistic about the physical condition you’re in.

Bicycle camping isn’t for everybody no matter how tempting it may be. You need to be in pretty good shape to embark on a cycling camping trip.

Your physical condition will dictate the type of trip you can take. If you’re new to cycling you should probably think about camping pretty close to home. Pick out a spot that’s relatively close and make that your goal. You might even want to prepare yourself by cycling the same distance ahead of time as a practice run.

This way you’ll know if you can handle the distance. However, make sure you take it easy and stop for rests and water breaks on the way. If you have a hard time biking the distance, you should consider camping out somewhere closer to home.

If you can cycle the distance without any aches and pains then you shouldn’t have a problem when you go camping. Also, remember when you go camping you’ll be taking a backpack full of equipment with you.

The best thing to do is take lightweight camping gear with you, such as light nylon sleeping bag. In fact you might not even want to take a sleeping bag with you at all if you’re in a warm climate. You’ll also need a light back pack that can fit on your bike or comfortably on your body.

If you want to carry less equipment, look for a campsite that has outdoor grills and stores nearby that sell supplies. This way you can buy your goods when you arrive instead of carrying them with you. The lighter your backpack is the better as long as you have the necessities. The same thing goes for clothes and hygienic items.

Make sure your bike is in good shape and has all of the safety tools installed, such as lights, reflectors, a tire pump and a bell. Other than that make sure you treat the bicycle camping trip like any other, meaning you have a first aid kit and a communications device.

Take all of the precautions you would on any camping trip and treat it the same way. This means make sure you lock up your bike. If you don’t it could be a long walk home.