IT #34 Microescape Gear Roundup

What you really need for self-supported adventures

Czarina and Matt went fully-loaded (note pool noodle) for their journey around the US. But you don’t need all that 😃.

The season of independent traipsing is upon us, Fellow Travelers!! So, I’m leaving all the philosophizing and whimsical musings of colder months behind in order to get down to the real business of adventuring. In this post: my all-time favorite microescape gear!

From decades of selling bikes, I know that customers can get easily overwhelmed with technical details. While some people can spend hours “talking shop”, most simply want a bicycle that fits well, and can handle the type of use they envision. They couldn’t care less about derailleur x, y or z, only that when they press that shifter, the dang chain doesn’t go falling off the cogs.

When I first began learning about outdoor products for my own use, I had a similar sense of overwhelm. I found online product reviews more confusing than informative. Reading product roundups sometimes left me more bewildered than before I started. Many reviews were geared toward people interested in expedition-style outings (how many of us are?!), and were brimming with technical details.

I didn’t need stuff that would withstand months of hiking through remote reaches of Mongolia, but I did want gear that was reliable, durable, simple to use, and above all –compact. In short: good stuff that works.

Over the past eight or so years, through trial and error I’ve whittled my own gear to some key favorites. My coverage of those items is less a review or side-by-side comparison, and more an account of my experience with a particular piece of gear, used in the real world on short, but sometimes quite demanding trips. From this, I hope you will be able to determine if the particular item will work for your intended purpose.

A note on buying your gear

Obviously, since we run a retail store, we hope that you get some items from us 🤞. We stock or can special order a wide range of bikes and accessories, and some excellent quality camping gear. We link to these items in our online guides, and we would really appreciate it if you’d consider purchasing from us, either in person on online.

For items we don’t carry, I used to rely on affiliate links, but I’m getting away from this practice, as it really limits what I can truly recommend. I simply make suggestions based on my own experience, and leave it up to you to decide where and how you will make your purchase. Fair?

OK, let’s dive in.

Start with what you have

A day trip is as simple as adventure gets. With nothing more than a a few outdoor gear essentials, you can get lost in the great wilderness that lurks along the edges of the city. If you don’t have any specialty gear yet, don’t let that keep you from enjoying outdoor adventures today! To get started, all you really need is a decent pair of shoes or a no-frills bicycle, plus some kind of serviceable backpack (maybe filled with a sandwich, a thermos of tea and a blanket to sit on).

Bike

Chances are the bike you already have is plenty good enough for day trips and overnight adventures. If you’re not sure how to determine its road-worthiness, here’s a rundown of what makes a decent bike, and some thoughts on whether or not it makes sense to repair yours.

If it turns out that a new bike is in the cards for you, here are two options that have worked very well for me on many short, self-supported trips:

1. A good quality hybrid bicycle (aka: city bike). Mine happens to be 2017 Kona Dew Deluxe, but any decent hybrid, touring or gravel bike would do the trick. I’d suggest buying one that is versatile enough to fit into your lifestyle in other ways, such as around-town commuting, fitness or whatever other cycling pursuits you enjoy. For detailed advice, please visit our guide to choosing the best bicycle for your microescapes.

2. Brompton folding bike. Though it may not have been conceived as such, this tiny but mighty UK-made folding bike has inspired countless adventures, including around-the-world journeys (such as Matt and Czarina’s pictured above). For me, it inspired the notion of ultra-compact, local, self-supported trips, and I can’t think of a more fun tool for microadventures.
   

   Live large, pack small!

Shelter

This is a key piece of any outdoor gear collection if you plan to stay outdoors overnight, or venture out in inclement weather. It’s definitely worth investing in shelter that is genuinely weather-proof, but also easy to set up, lightweight, and comfortable to live with.

Here are some items that have served me well and dependably through many microescapes.

1. Tent: Unless you’re determined to try your hand at winter camping, for most Midwestern outings I’d go with a generously vented, 2-piece (fly is separate from tent body), freestanding 3-season tent. Since I am not a weight weenie, I carry a 2-person tent on solo trips, because I like the extra space.

2. Hammock: A hammock can be a wonderful alternative to sleeping in a tent, and it’s also the perfect tool for hanging out and relaxing. For camping, you’ll want to invest in a full setup that includes a bug net and rain tarp.

3. Tarp: A tarp, such as one from your hammock kit mentioned above, is an unbelievably useful piece of gear for those days when weather doesn’t cooperate. It provides instant shelter almost anywhere, and allows you to duck in from the rain to rest, enjoy a meal or a hot drink.
   

   Let's go Tarping!

More details on choosing your shelter are here.

Sleeping and camp

Aaaaaah… creature comforts!! Don’t underestimate them. When you’re trucking along on your bike (or on foot) to get from point A to point B, getting good rest is priority numero uno. A mediocre tent will still get you through one or two nights of camping. But mediocre sleeping gear can make the second day of your trip miserable.

1. Sleeping pad: I’ve spent many dollars on the most premium ones, and still struggled to get a good night’s sleep, until I discovered The Static V sleeping pads from Klymit. Their v-shaped center channels and articulated “side rails” distribute the air inside the pad it such a way that it keeps you comfortably centered on the pad throughout the night, even as you move and change position.

2. Sleeping bag: The sleeping bag can be a very personal choice, but I have loved my Nemo Forte bag for its softness, excellent temperature regulation, and zero clamminess, even in a fully zipped tent.

3. Camping blanket: For summertime camping and ultralight packing, a technical blanket offers next-to-skin comfort and lightweight warmth. I bring this along for warm weather hammock camping, when a sleeping bag is overkill, and for coffee outside during cooler months.

4. Pillow: A pillow is a tricky piece of equipment. Yet, for many of us, it is absolutely indispensable for restful sleep. I find that a lightweight, inflatable pillow with a contoured bottom edge provides the most reliable head and neck support for comfortable sleep.

5. Chair: You already know how much I love the ​Joey Chair​! It has been a nearly constant companion on our microescapes for years! Trust me, you will not make a better outdoor investment than a compact, portable camping chair.

More on choosing your camp gear in this post.

Cooking and Food

What cooking gear you choose to bring will depend on a lot of factors. Are you only making coffee and buying ready-made food? Relying on freeze-dried meals? Cooking from scratch? Will firewood be available, or do you need fuel? Etc.

Here are some options:

1. Canister fuel stove: A compact folding canister-fuel stove is what I would bring for the most fool-proof and fastest meal preparation on the trail or at camp. The only drawback is the need to carry —and later dispose of— the fuel canister. But you can’t beat it for reliability.

2. If you wish to eliminate the canister disposal dilemma, the minimalist Vargo Titanium Wood Stove packs down to the size of a small saucer, and uses only natural kindling and sticks for fuel. This stove is ideal for day trips, but it’s so compact that you can easily carry it on all your trips as a backup, and use when natural fuel is abundant.
   We carry both of the above options in our store 😀🤞.

3. Cookset: I have not found one indispensable piece of cooking gear that works for all occasions. I’ve used everything from a “car camping” type of cookset you can buy at the outdoor sections of any Walmart, to a cast iron pan brought from home, to a minimal stainless pot/mug for boil-in-a-bag meals.

More on cooking and food prep gear is in this post. As to what to cook and how, here are some of my favorites:

• Real food camp food: top 10 “camp food” alternatives for outdoor adventures.

• Say no to freeze-dried: our favorite camp cooking methods.

Microescape Luggage

Alright. Now you need a way to carry all the stuff. I’m a big proponent of the “less is more” philosophy when it comes to microescape luggage. The more basic, the better.

1. Daypack: For day hikes, and even for short (2-3 nights) out of town trips, I use a variety of lightweight, inexpensive nylon backpacks that stow into their own pocket. I find them to be much more versatile and easier to pack than name-brand daypacks that come with unnecessary extras like hip and sternum straps. Unfortunately, I have not found a good wholesale source of these, and I admit to buying mine from Jeff Bezos 🤫.

2. Bike panniers: If you have a standard bike equipped with a rear rack, I recommend waterproof Ortlieb Sport-Roller Classic panniers as the perfect gear carrier for 1-3 day trips. These 25L (combined) roll-top bags offer open, easy to load compartments that will keep you from over-packing. If you require extra volume, the larger Back-Roller panniers have a combined volume of 40L, but personally, I find them too much for short trips.

3. Brompton bags: If your vehicle of choice is a Brompton, you will want to use the large Borough or Borough Waterproof front-mounted roll-top bag. These high-capacity bags will dependably carry all the gear you need for 1-3 nights of camping.

4. A hip pack is my preferred way to carrry items I need to have at hand. Unlike a handlebar bag, or anything else bike-mounted, it goes with me when I get off the bike. And —unlike a backpack— it doesn’t annoyingly tug on my shoulders when I ride.

More microescape luggage details are here.

Putting it all together

But of course, you may or may not need everything for every trip. To help you plan your packing, below are a few sample packing lists from actual trips I’ve taken, from shortest to longest.

• Packing for breakfast outside.

• Super-compact overnight camping trip by Brompton.

• Two-night bike camping trip.

And this post lists everything you need for a satisfying day outing.

Uncamping. Or microcamping. You decide.

Whoa! That’s a lot of links. No worries if you don’t get to it all. These resources live on our website (ooops! another link 😉), and you can refer to them as needed. Much more coming in the next installment, as I unveil the Lake Michigan Adventure Hub.

Stay tuned (and don’t be a stranger, OK?) —Justyna