Fr. Matthew Cashmore

Priest in the Church of England. Father, husband, son. Keen biker.

Category: Reviews, Gear (Page 1 of 3)

Gear, you know what that is.

Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 2 Review

October 21, 2023 /

Last year I headed out on the motorbike across north Wales with the intention of camping in the wild, or at least a so-called ‘wild camp site’. I loaded up the bike with my tried and tested Tatonka Narvik 2 and Exped Downmat and hit the road.

The set up has worked really well for me for a long time – it’s done a run to Russia, a journey across Morocco and parts of Australia, and more laterly an off road run from the Med’ to the Atlantic across the Pyrenees.

However, it seems turning 40 has had an impact on my ability to put my pants on whilst being lying on the floor! The last trip left me distinctly uncomfortable and so I started to look for a tent where I could at least sit up, and who knows – perhaps even stand.

The tent market has come on a lot in the last 15 years and there are several options for tents that you can stand up in and pack up / are light enough for good moto travel. The most popular (if bike rallies are anything to go by) is the Lone Rider MotoTent. So much so with BMW GS riders that I was starting to wonder if they came as standard issue with new bikes.

It’s a great design, tried and tested over the years and offers a super generous sleeping space with room to park your bike.

I first looked at something like this at a Horizons Unlimited meet back in 2011 but at that point didn’t appreciate that standing up inside a tent was a useful feature. I also couldn’t square the pack size and weight for what the tent gave you.

Little has changed in the last 12 years and I decided to go looking for something more modern, lighter, and with a smaller pack size.

I turned to cycle touring companies and discovered the great range of tents offered by Big Agnes and was even more delighted to find that they had a tent that offered a place to ‘park your bike’. I’ve never understood why people want to park their bikes in their tent – but I do understand why people want to stand up. I’m not sure why the manufactures don’t advertise that rather than the ‘parking’ feature.

The Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 2 is designed for cyclists rather than bikers but it offers a super lightweight and small pack size that is not that much bigger than my previous tent. I’ve had to move from a 60 litre tail pack to an 80 litre to accommodate that and a new Helinox bed, but that small pack and weight increase had an enormous impact on comfort on the road.

Big Agnes claim this is a three season tent, but I would say it is two season with a third if there are no strong winds. On a recent trip to Salisbury Plain the winds were up and I couldn’t erect the tent. I tried facing it into the wind, away from the wind, alongside the wind – all to no avail. In the end the front of the tent collapsed and bent two of the rear poles and snapped one of the front poles.

This actually highlights three big positives for Big Agnes.

1 – The poles are small and super light.

2 – The customer service when things go wrong is exceptional.

3 – Everything is repairable.

When I got home from the failed trip in Salisbury I contacted Big Agnes who shipped out replacement poles (for a very small fee) from the US without any issue. Initially they shipped the wrong poles… but they fixed it ASAP.

I love that the design of this tent is to be repairable. Everything can be repaired or replaced. It’s a testament to the quality of the materials and design that despite bending poles and snapping one I was able to repair them with the provided sleeve and some tape and continue to use the tent on several trips before the replacement poles arrived.

The tent goes up very straightforwardly and I can do it on my own in about 5 minutes. It takes me 15 mins to get my new set up sorted, including the new cot, seat and table – all of which pack in to the tail pack.

The sleeping space is definitely for one person. There is no way two adults can sleep in the inner without being incredibly friendly. However, the porch size is enormous.

I have never been what you may call a tidy camper…

… I tend to spread out. So the ability to have a porch that contains this has really helped me keep my things in one place! It also gives me a place to be when it is raining and this has extended the times of year I can go away. The cot, mat, and sleeping bag also keep me toasty.

This tent has allowed me to continue camping – in a good deal of comfort – well into my middle age and has extended my ability to camp throughout the year. I’ve had a blast with it over the last year and I’m looking forward to more exciting adventures with it again next year.

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Small pack size
  • Huge porch area (more than high enough to stand in)
  • Comfortable sleeping area with rear exit for night time toilet trips
  • Great customer support
  • Repairable / easy to source replacement parts
  • Easy to erect on your own

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Not great in strong winds
  • Poles will bend fairly easily
  • Not a two person tent
  • A struggle to call it a three season tent

I’ve had to work quite hard to come up with the cons list, you get what you pay for so I’m comfortable with the price. I’m not 20 and wanting to camp whatever the weather these days so the high winds element is neither here nor there. I’m not sure I’d be willing to trade off the weight / size for stronger poles and I camp on my own (or with my son who sleeps in the porch) for the most part.

As ever YMMV, but for my money this is a great moto touring tent that is ideal for those of us looking for a little more comfort, but still wanting to keep the pack size and weight to a minimum.

Helinox High Cot One

June 12, 2023 /

I’m just back from a few days off road riding on Salisbury Plain. It’s been an age since I was last there – and when I was last there I was rough camping wherever I could find a space. Always happy to find a hedge, but most often I would find a place to pitch my little one man tunnel tent (green of course) out of sight.

But those days are long behind me and these days I like to get a bit more comfort when out and about. My best mate Stace had already made the switch from a down mat on the ground to a cot – and then to a hammock – switching as the environment demands.

When I visited him last year he was using his Helinox High Cot One as his main bed as he was mid-move and was split between two places. He waxed lyrical about how comfy it was… so of course I had to give it a try.

He combines his cot with an exped down mat. It is super comfy and I couldn’t let him outdo me on the camping gear front could I?

So now I have one as well. I went for a super simple green High Cot One. I went for the high version as it adds almost no weight and the extender bars fit within the standard cot bag – but importantly it makes getting up (and down) so much easier – especially for that 3am wee (mid-life comes to us all).

I’ve taken mine a little further however and, just like Stace, I added an exped downmat to the top and then wrap it with the Helinox fleece sheet (which they call a ‘cot warmer’).

This creates an amazingly comfortable bed which is lovely and warm and soft. A far cry from a hedge in a field – but as one very wise camping gear supplier once said to me ‘any fool can be uncomfortable’.

The finished bed is combined with a square sleeping bag which can be used as a blanket or bag and/or a rumple blanket along with an exped and nemo pillow. I’m almost certainly going to change this to two nemo pillows.

It fits beautifully in my Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 2 and adds very little in terms of pack size and weight to my setup. In fact my tent, sleeping cot, table, sheet… everything I need for my camp easily fits inside my trusty Ortlieb 89l Rack-Pack, which means I can get to my camp site, drop my camp and be away very easily.

Ultimately I could have a camping set up that was lighter and took up less space and weight – but at some point comfort becomes more important than showing off how tough you are. I love my new set up and I’ll be writing about the Helinox One Hard Top Table very soon.

TCX Blend 2 WP Urban Bike Boots Review

February 19, 2023 /

It feels like an age since I last wrote a review on this blog about actual bike stuff… but I’ve been so impressed with a pair of boots that I have to sit and share why I think they’re so good.

I bought these TCX boots whilst my new Aprilia was having its first service. I was hanging out at the retail bit of On Yer Bike up past Aylesbury – always a dangerous exercise for my wallet – and after a summer of bouncing around the city with my good old Dainese boots (great for commuting, less good for short runs in heavy traffic) I wanted something that was a little more versatile and would look better with my new riding jeans.

To be honest I wasn’t expecting to find anything. I’m a size 12 (UK) and have big calves. The reason I was still using my nearly 20 year old Dainese boots (despite hole in the bottom) was because they were just about the only comfy boots I’ve ever found.

I wandered to the back of the shop and looked at all the very lovely shoes, boots, trainers and other quite stylish motorbike accessories and asked the chap if they had anything in a size 12. To my absolutely shock he said he thought he had pretty much everything in a 12, what did I like?

I spotted a pair of stunning brown boots with armour in the right places, a solid sole and laces (would they fit around my calves?) He nipped out the back and came back with a pair in less than a minute. I tried them on and fell in love.

Why the instant reaction? These boots are COMFY. They don’t feel like bike boots, they feel like high end street boots. They’re snug in all the right places, they sit beautifully on my heel and run up the back of my calf like they were custom made.

The laces allow a degree of flexibility, with tightness and space around the upper part of my foot, and the back has a little loop in exactly the right place to pull them up and over your foot when putting them on.

They’re stylish enough to pass for standard boots, so when I’m dashing into town wearing my bike jeans and jacket, I don’t look like I’ve just completed the Dakar. They’re light and breathe well and have been a fantastic pair of summer boots.

But what about the weather? What about winter?

I’ve worn these over a winter in London and through rain, wind, and icy temperatures.

Most recently I wore them on a run up to Walsingham (c150 miles, 3 hours ride) in temps of about 1c-5c. My feet were warm throughout (I suspect more down to the knee length walkers socks I was wearing) and only towards the end did I start to feel cold creeping in. The leather does a good job of keeping icy winds out allowing good socks to do their job of keeping your feet warm.

In rain my feet have remained dry on a 1 hour run, but I suspect they’d give in at some point – I’m not sure I’d wear them for a known wet run of over an hour – or without some sort of waterproof outer.

(UPDATE 19/2/24 – I rode for 4 hours in torrential rain and through flooded roads two weeks ago and my feet remained bone dry… exceptional stuff)

On the recent run up to Walsingham I used them as my only shoes throughout – wearing them everyday as walking boots and you wouldn’t have known they were actually motorbike boots. I walked several miles each day and my feet thanked me for them.

In short I can’t recommend these boots enough. This new range from TCX are not just pretty to look at, not just great motorbike boots, but are also fantastic boots full stop.

If you’re looking to buy a pair I recommend the great team up at On Yer Bike Clothing Store or get them direct from TCX.

BLEND 2 WP – BROWN from TCX Boots

Reviews for 2012

January 17, 2012 /

After being prodded on Twitter, and reminded on Facebook that there’s been an ‘unacceptable lull’ in my reviews I’ve started putting the list together for 2012 reviews. So far I have:

I want to do a lot more than that this year – especially when I head down to the Pyrenees in September – but I’d really like your feedback on what you’d like to see reviewed. So please… take a moment and use the form below to make some suggestions and I’ll get right on it.

I’ve already started to gather recipes to film over on Horizons – but if you’ve got something you’d like to try let me know using the form below.

Cooking videos planned

  • Frittata
  • Sausage Casserole
  • Provincial Fish Stew
  • Sardines and Spinach
  • Paella
  • Scallop and Chorizo Kebabs
  • Eggy cheese sandwich

[si-contact-form form=’3′]

Suggestions so far:

  • Spearmint Rhino (I’m going to say no here)
  • Bike luggage (will do a comparison I think – soft vs hard, different types of hard)
  • Brick lane bagel shop (no idea, but okay why not)
  • Tucano Thermal Aprons
  • France (what the whole country?)

Tortillas to Totems

October 31, 2011 /

Tortillas to Totems Cover

Tortillas to Totems by Sam Minicom

I’ve been reading Sam’s books for quite a few years now. First there was Into Africa – a journey through the heart of, you guessed it, Africa, by a man who had only just figured out what a motorbike was for (travel of course). Next up was Under Asian Skies which took us right across Asia with Sam and the people he met along the way. The next book out of the already quite impressive stable was Distant Suns which was based on the diaries of Sam’s partner and travel buddy Birgit Schuenemann. Finally we have his latest book – Tortillas to Totems– and what a corker it is.

As regular readers of this blog will know, I don’t often write book reviews. Not because I don’t devour every single adventure motorcycle book out there – but because for the most part… um… they’re not very good. I’ve made some exceptions to that rule – first with Lois Pryce and her book – Red Tape and White Knuckles and eventually I will for Paddy Tyson and his books – but the stand-out daddy of them all is Sam Manicom.

Tortillas to Totems is easily Sam’s best book so far. The writing style is engaging and steady – that horribly addictive style that leaves you realising you’ve been reading for 10 hours straight and just can’t put the book down. The stories he tells don’t just transport you there – they encourage you to get on your bike and ride. For me – that’s the best thing a travel book can do. If you only want to read one of Sam’s books – start with this one, then head back to Into Africa and read the rest – just be prepared to leave a few days clear before you start!

You can buy Sam’s book over at amazon.co.uk (where you can also find his books in kindle format) and also learn more about Sam and his adventures over at his website.

Horizons Unlimited Tyre Changing DVD – Review

July 8, 2011 /

I don’t know about you but the very idea of dealing with a puncture when I’m on the road fills me with dread. When I was running tubeless tyres it wasn’t quite so bad – plug the hole – pump with CO2 cartridges and get to a garage. But now I have tubes…. well I’ve been petrified of how I’ll deal with a flat.

Before I rode out to Russia I took a six month City and Guilds motorcycle maintenance course here in London. We spent two hours dealing with tyres and tubes – on beautiful clean, new bikes – what a breeze! The tyres had been on and off the rims so many times you hardly had to use the leavers.

Fortunately at the Horizons Unlimited meet up in Derby earlier this year I was lucky enough to see Grant Johnson run a tyre changing demo… I was blown away (see what I did there) by the aspects that I simply didn’t know and actually, once you have the know-how, how easy it can be… why on earth was I ever worried?

The good news is that Horizons have produced a DVD which is basically Grant doing his demo – in detail and with notes. I can’t recommend it enough – if you’re frightened of dealing with a flat, or even if you just want to brush up on your skills before hitting the road, this DVD is for you.

It’s available to buy from the Horizons Unlimited Store (you need to scroll down some to find it) for $24.99 US or from people like Traveldri-plus here in the UK (I’m afraid I couldn’t find a direct link so just give Les a call).

Here’s the trailer:

The perfect camp kitchen

April 12, 2011 /

When you’re cooking on the road, other than your cooker, the most important bit of kit you carry is your camp kitchen. There are lots of options out there – from the home-away-from-home sets right down to nothing more than a sharp knife and a spoon.

I carry a commercial Sea to Summit kitchen set that I’ve modified with a few personal luxuries (if you can call a small whisk a luxury). But more than things like knifes, forks, spoons and washing gear the most important part of your camp kitchen are your everyday spices and little extras that mean you can cook properly.

My kitchen contains:

Of course – this is just me – other people have smaller sets and others have larger sets, especially if they’re travelling two up. I recorded a quick video showing my set and my best mate Stace’s.


Watch the video on YouTube.

 

Top 5 tips on buying a new tent

March 22, 2009 /

Buying a new tent can be incredibly difficult. There are so many choices out there that it can be very confusing if you don’t know what to look for.  As the northern hemisphere heads into spring, and camping becomes a comfortable alternative to the B&B again I wanted to share some tips on how to chose a good tent.

If you enjoy this review, I have some others you may like

I made a little video about choosing a tent which you can watch at the bottom of this post, or over on YouTube.

1. How far from help are you?

Before you decide how much you want to spend, work out why you’re buying the tent and how far away from shelter you are. If for example you’re travelling in a Land Rover, then your tent – whilst being your primary shelter – is not as important as it is if you’re camping 10 miles from anything else on your own. Ask yourself, how near shelter am I if the tent fails? The further from help, the more you want to spend, and the more consideration needs to be taken.


2 . Materials

Simple enough, do some research on what materials work best in which senario. Are you going to be spending time in the desert? What about rain? A good tent for northern Europe, may not be the best bet for the hot climbs of central Afrrica. A swag bag works wonderfully in the dry conditions of Australia, but is simply not suited to a wet trip in Canada.

3. Size, weight and dimensions

Are you carrying the tent on your back, on the back of a motorcycle or in a car? If you’re carrying a tent you’ll need to explore high-tech options with suppliers like Exped and Tatonka. Both companies offer options with light-weight short poles and highly compressible materials – ideal for hiking and the motorbike.

If you’re in the car you have a greater range of options – consider a tent that goes up in seconds from Quecha or something designed to fold out from your vehicle in a few simple steps from people like Oz Tent.

4. Accessories

You’ll be amazed how many tents don’t come with the essentials. Make sure you have:

  • Ground sheet / footprint
  • Good quality pegs
  • Strong poles / pole repair kit
  • Material repair kit (for fixing holes)

The ground sheet will really help with keeping condensation to a minimum – they also act as a barrier between the cold ground and your butt, but most importantly they protect the material of your tents bottom from sharp stones on rough ground. A good ground sheet means you can keep your ventilation vents open in most weathers.

Pegs are so important – many tents ship with really weak simple pegs that will not drive into hard ground and have no grip in soft ground. Try a v shaped titanium peg from people like Alpine Kit – they don’t have to be expensive! Make sure you drive the peg in at a 45 degree angle.

5. Design

There are really three major tent designs. Geodysic, dome and tunnel. Depending on what type of camping your doing you’ll need to consider the different types.

Tunnel tents generally pack up very small, they also tend to have very short poles and are quite often very easy to erect. They do however require some thought when pitching – they can be badly affected by wind and you should try to pitch with the front or back facing into the wind – if you get caught side on in a gale it can not only end in a very noisy night- but can also bend the shape of the tent inwards, affecting it’s thermal capabilities and how much rain it can deal with. This is the type of tent that it is really important to buy the best of – money really does have an impact here and the more you spend generally gives you a very sturdy, tough option with all of the benefits.

Dome tents tend to be the cheapest option. You’ll see them in the supermarket for very little cash and for many applications are the ideal option. Their pack size is small, they generally only have two poles and can be purchased as an inside up first option or a fly up first option. In wetter climates the outer (fly) up first option is ideal, but in dryer hoter climbs you’ll find the option of being able to pitch the inner tent without the outer ideal – it keeps the bugs off, and lets the heat escape more efficiently.

Geodesic tents can be rather complicated to erect – but once you’ve worked out the knack they are without doubt the most stable shelters around. They tend to be more expensive and they’re what you’ll see the professional expeditions using as they head out into the great wilderness. They deal with very bad weather well, will see a gale through with hardly a twitter, these are the best options to ensure you’re safe and snug inside.

Finally I’ll  come back to that first tip when choosing your tent – remember that it’s your primary shelter – if you can sleep somewhere else if it flys away or gets soaked through then don’t stress it – if you HAVE to get a good, warm, dry nights sleep then spend some money.

The best place to start is with a reputable supplier – I recommend Travel Dri-Plus – call and ask for Les – he’s the most knowledgeable person I have ever talked to about tents – if he doesn’t know it – it’s not worth knowing about.

If you enjoy this review, I have some others you may like

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Be honest, I look good don’t I.

July 20, 2008 /

Thing is, I can’t help spending money in camping shops. It’s a problem, and it leads me to buy things I think I really need.

In this case I’m certain I need this. It’s a bivi bag, or you could call it a waterproof sleeping bag cover. Whatever your syntax of choice – it’s lovely and warm, and importantly waterproof. No good for full on storms, or even a light shower – but combined with the Basha – it may well mean I get the swag off the bike less than I initially planned.

New Bivi Bag

Wet weekend

May 26, 2008 /

As I couldn’t go camping with Mrs Cashmore this weekend – I decided to take advantage of the hideous weather to give the swag a good wet test.

First of all I wanted to play around with configurations to keep as much of the water off the bag as possible – that resulted in this set up:

Bottom of swag under basha

A simple rip-stop nylon basha combined with a ground sheet and a couple of poles. A simple solution that for about six hours in moderate winds kept 99% of the rain off the canvas.

However, I then left the swag, and having not tied the ropes down properly, the basha came lose and exposed the swag to the full fury of a coastal South Wales storm. Got up this morning to a small water problem. I’ve called this the second ‘test’, when in fact it was my stupidity forcing one.

Good stuff wet canvas

The canvas inside was dry, as was my sleeping bag and mat. I got in and gave the canvas a good prodding. Nothing got through. Must admit I was surprised and very impressed.

I then rolled the swag up, and left it in the back of the car for about six hours for the journey home. Just unrolled it and the water has started to seep inside. Not a great result, but proof if I needed it that I have to ensure that the bag just doesn’t get this wet – either by avoiding camping in the worst weather on the road – or by ensuring I get the basha set up properly and securely.

On a more successful note…. the poncho works!

Matt in Poncho

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