Life In The Saddle

On my previous long distance bike tours, I have always used a dry bag stuffed with clothes as my camp pillow, but on my recent #NorthWestRoad trip my touring partner had a lightweight inflatable camping pillow; he convinced me it was worth the additional weight—providing you with a better night's sleep and less of a sore neck and shoulders when you remount your bike the following morning. The search started for the best lightweight camping pillow for bikepacking. The results led me to the impressive range from Sea to Summit, and I decided to trial the most lightweight inflatable camping pillow within the range: the Aeros Ultralight Pillow (size Large) , as well as the most luxurious within the range: the Aeros Down Pillow (size Deluxe) . Review – Aeros Ultralight Pillow The Aeros™ Ultralight Pillow is designed to be superlight, compact and comfortable. Made from durable 20D laminated polyester, the pillow has a curved shape to fit around your shoulders whether you are sleepin...

Stretchy TPU cinch-straps are a frequent sight on bikepacking bike rigs; they offer an inexpensive way to strap canisters and bottles to your bike frame – securely enough to ride off-road on back-of-beyond adventures.  The new Stretch-Loc Straps from Sea to Summit are the brand's own take on this well-established accessory; with experience of their superb silicone cookware and camp products, I was keen to test these luggage straps out, and see if they could deal with the rigours of the trail. The Sea to Summit Stretch-Loc Straps come in a range of different lengths and sizes; either a four-pack of assorted lengths (375, 500, 625 and 750 mm) or a two-pack of smaller size straps (450 mm). Different lengths of strap have different functions and uses, so it is helpful to have an assortment. The 375 mm length strap proved perfect for holding a bottle securely into a bike bottle cage. The 450 mm length strap was equally great for attaching a pump to a bike frame. Meanwhile, the 625 mm st...