Life In The Saddle

Cyclists can be a difficult bunch to choose birthday and Christmas gifts for. I hope that this selection of products will offer some new and interesting options for stocking fillers or birthday gifts for the two-wheeled fanatic in your family or friend group. From bar tape to body lotion, and hip bags to hand torches; there is sure to be something in this gift list that would be a good present for the cyclist you know and love. Marvellous Maps Great Britain Adventure Map I love maps and I love adventure. This Great Britain Adventure Map provides incredibly detailed coverage of the best adventure possibilities that the UK has to offer. From ideas about hiking trips, to beaches, historic highlights, sea kayaking destinations, bicycle touring routes, and long-distance driving routes; there is sure to be something that tickles your fancy and inspires your next adventure. I have spent hours poring over it, and each time I find another highlight that I add to my bucket list of places to ex...

Camping and cycle touring or bikepacking are the perfect ways to explore this summer—offering a sustainable, hassle-free, and low-cost adventure.  From my experience on past bikepacking tours and camping trips, I have compiled this list of my Top 10 products for both outdoor pursuits. It is a mix of compact gadgets and more luxurious accessories—all of which can help make your camping experience that much more enjoyable.  1 – Voited CloudTouch Camp Blanket  This is the ultimate camp blanket—if I had one as a Scout, I would have been the envy of the entire troop. It is insulated, water and stain resistance, machine washable, and made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles.  The CloudTouch 4-in-1 PillowBlanket is a luxurious outdoor blanket that is built to last. It uses recycled 50D Ripstop REPREVE® on one side, and luxurious CloudTouch™on the other. CloudTouch™ is a 100 percent recycled high-loft insulation fabric that is soft and fluffy, with the feel of real wo...

Leatherman tools are excellent quality and offer lifelong companions for back-of-beyond adventures. The Leatherman Skeletool Multi-Tool is a plier type tool; designed to be lightweight, portable, and robust. Partnered with the Leatherman Bit Kit it makes for a superb bikepacking and bicycle touring tool. The Leatherman Skeletool weighs in at just 142 grams—placing it well within the realms of your standard bicycle multi-tool. Yet, this 7-in-1 tool has the capability to deliver a significantly greater level of functionality compared to many bicycle multi-tools on the market today. As the stand-alone product, the Leatherman Skeletool comes with a 420HC stainless-steel combination blade, dual type pliers, a wire cutter, a bit driver and screwdriver bits, a removable pocket clip, and a carabiner/bottle opener. The Skeletool is designed with ease-of-use and handling in mind. All the tools can be accessed single-handed from the outside of the unit. The blade and bit driver also featu...

I'm in the process of putting together a full kit layout of my chosen accessories, luggage and clothing for my ' Coasts and Cols Tour '. It is kit that needs to be lightweight, durable, compact and reliable; products that will perform throughout the duration of the two weeks, as well as on future tours. A good cycling multi-tool will definitely feature in the line-up; but I also went searching for the ultimate plier-equipped multi-tool. I wanted a tool that would be useful for bike maintenance, as well as camping duties. The Leatherman Charge Ti multi-tool is my chosen option; so in this post, I thought I would explain why... Feature packed The Leatherman Charge TTI multi-tool is designed to be an incredible workhorse; a companion that will get you out of tight spots, and help you fix-up problems, whatever they might be. It features an impressive 19 tools in its arsenal; including hex keys, pliers, wire cutters, knives, saw, screwdrivers, scissors, bottle openers a...