BSF Camping

This post is for myself as much as it is for other people.  I have little experience camping, but I like to do so and always want to do more when I do so. Here are some observations from our BSF trip. Ironically, not one of us took a pic of the campsite. I think we were so intent on getting calories shoveled in that we just forgot. I'm going to "red" the items I need to pay attention to next time, for me as much for you.

Clothes

• I forgot underwear. I rode down in cycling-ready bottoms, but once finished, I didn't have anything for under my pants. Going commando was doable but unsatisfactory.
• Extra camp clothes. I didn't actually take any 'change-into' clothes, only those I wore down in the morning and those for riding. I really, really missed comfy warm clothes after a long day. That goes double on the drive home, when I wore a scratchy wool T when a soft cotton would've been blissful.
• Change of shoes. My fault, not an oversight. I do many long days in Keen sandals. I brought wool socks for the sandals, but had to go with my newish  New Balance runner/hikers. They did better than expected, but like the clothes, a different feel would've been great.

Food

• I brought lots of snacks: almonds, clif bars, hostess devil food cakes, other food bars. I also brought peanut butter and bread. Much like the clothes, by the end of a hard day, none of that would have sufficed. I needed FOOD. Michael brought a larger campstove, so he made some pasta which completely bailed us out. Otherwise it would've been chocking down PB.
• Raman. leaving the house I saw some Raman and thought how gross that would be. When we finished, I would've eat 4 packages of that crap.  While something like raman or the dehydrated eggs had too much salt for a normal meal, for 8 hours of bike time salt would be our friend and savior, so more raman next time.
• For breakfast I ate a MountainHouse egg product. It was adequate and didn't really taste too bad, but Man, was it salty! I would eat it again, though, after a strenuous day. Mountain House has lots of products, so I might try something of theirs again for a S24O.
• I used my Esbit portable stove for the first time. Once Michael tinkered with the fuel source it did fine. After it didn't light so great on the first attempt, he scored the top of the tablet as "kindling" and it went right after that. A tab was enough to do water for the eggs and certainly for the instant coffee.
• The Esbit was fine, but it does need a Windscreen. I'm going to research that before I use it again. I didn't really need one in BSF, but it was super calm.
• I used one of Michael's Starsux instant coffee tubes with my water. Dave and Michael drank some camp coffee Dave had percolated on the bigger stove. I found the camp coffee perfectly fine for one morning's worth.
• Need to get a camp mug.

Tent/bag

• I was pleased here. I got the tent up easily, helped by the pebble tent pad at the campground. It made stakes going in easy. The bag did its job and the tent fly kept most of the wind out.  I did notice that the tent fly doesn't go completely to the ground around my head area, so I can imagine so rain spray splashing up, but it was dry as a bone for us, so no probs.
• The tent pad, on the other hand, left to be desired. I had purchased one of those ultra-light foldable sleeping pads. This was car camping, though, so no need for ultra-light. In fact, I was pretty freakin' uncomfortable all night. If I were to car camp again, I would double up my sleeping pads and see about a smidge more comfort, maybe even for a S24O with the right bike.
• Pillow. Take a real pillow. Really.

That about does it. It's interesting because I packed more for a bike camping trip, with lower weight and functionality as though I was on the bike. Instead, we car camped, and with that you have so much more space.  I think it was good for me, though, to practice more like conditions of a S24O, b/c if I'm going to bike camp, that's the way I'll pack for such a trip.