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I’ve added a set of panniers (luggage bags) to my trike. I hope to go off and do some camping/touring with it. Along with the bags, I picked up some camping gear.
The panniers are made by a company called Arkel. They’re in Quebec, but have a U.S. office in Vermont. I ordered them online and they arrived in just a few days. The model I chose are specifically tailored for recumbents and are lower and wider than traditional panniers. They are also angled to fit behind the slope of the recumbent seat. With only a couple minor adjustments, they fit perfectly and very securely on my rear rack on the trike.
I hated to have to buy them, but I got a tent and sleeping bag. I already have a tent and we have a closet full of sleeping bags. I have one I really like that I bought a number of years ago, but is still in great shape, but it’s just too big and heavy to put on the bike. Same thing goes for the tent, a 3 or 4 person tent that I’ve used both alone and along with the pop-up camper we have.
Touring on a bike, recumbent or regular, is like ultralight backpacking. There is a limit to how much you can carry. The backpacker just has a smaller number, but the same principles and a lot of the same equipment apply. I’ve been doing a lot of research and reading online about it in preparation. Continue Reading…