Archives: SwiftCampout

“Wait a minute!!! This is on your handlebars!!”

Yes… yes it is. As you’ll read from my post below, I participated in the #SwiftCampout and couldn’t have done so without the Zeitgeist Touring “Saddle” Bag.

Let me be honest, this is the first long ride x camp trip I’ve taken on primarily gravel roads. I needed to utilize every ounce of usable area that I could for my camping gear and food. Originally I had the Zeitgeist set up on Bagman QR Expedition support via my saddle but had no room for my tent and other goods. So… I got creative and decided to give the Zeitgeist a go on my handle bars. I knew I needed extra support and Swift Industries had enough insight to throw a couple clip-able rings right where the hoods of my Gevenalle shifters are. I found some nylon webbing and BAM… a solid sturdy four point handlebar bag was born.

Although I’m relatively new to the touring game, I know that weight in the front is the way to go. I did ride with the Zeitgeist on the back and found that fully loaded the bag overtook my balance when I stood to peddle. This is more so because I didn’t have anything balancing my bicycle up front; AND when touring I’m sure slow and steady wins the preverbal race. Regardless, I moved the saddle bag to the handlebars and immediately fell deeper in love with the Zeitgeist.

The Zeitgeist rode amazingly. The nylon webbing didn’t get in the way of my grip at all; it actually provided me with a wider grip that was quite comfortable. With all that said, I did use the Bagman QR Expedition support to hold my tent, sleeping mat, Kammok, and coffee mug. It served its purpose very well!

The only downside (if you can call it that) is that the side pockets on the Zeitgeist are hard to access (hard, not impossible), but I used those for items I’m not going to need until I’m either at my destination or need to fix a flat.

Swift Industries… always one step ahead of the game!

RIDE x CREATE

DOODE! I’m still physiologically digesting this weekend. It. Was. Amazing!! Although I would have loved other folks to participate; getting out by myself in nature on a camp overnight like this is something I will do more often. It’s freeing on all levels.

I wouldn’t have picked this weekend for a bike overnight if it wasn’t for Swift Industries, their worldwide coordination, and support with gear/info sharing. I’ve only rode out in William B. Bankhead National Forest twice before this “event”. I have a new found love of the area and the gravel road riding/camping environments it offers. Look forward to more rides this fall out in similar areas.

One thing that was mind blowingly sad is the amount of trash at prime locations in the Forest. How people can choose to trash such beautiful places makes no damn sense to me. On my list of things to do is contact the US Forest Service and coordinating a site clean-up. It is needed.

The final destination was Kinlock Falls. I’d never been there but figured what better place to go after a solid ride?! The water was cold and refreshing. Perfect after a fun hot ride. Now… when I say hot it really wasn’t bad at all. I started at 5 in the afternoon. Most of the route is covered in shade and I knew that whatever amount of heat I was about to endure would immediately be diminished by the cooling waters of Kinlock Falls. I was absolutely correct! Got to Kinlock, found a beautifully perfect rock overlook, set up the tent and jumped in!

The next morning I got up, made coffee, took a deep breath, and started the day. To get down to the rock over look I had to hikeabike down a pretty steep rooted section. It was sketchy going down and took a He-Man effort to get back up. Nevertheless, I grunted up the trail and away I went!

The morning was WAY hotter than the evening. By 7 it was not all that pleasant. Really it wasn’t bad until I stopped for a breather and checked the map. Instant downpour of sweat. This wouldn’t be that bad but all I kept thinking was the limited water supply I brought with me.

In my lack of route knowledge I ended up taking a wrong turn on the way back out of the Forest. It ended up being a good detour; took me to some solid paved country roads where I found Hand’s Grocery. This place is legit! I originally stopped because I spotted some shade. Hand’s looked abandoned. I stop, look at the map, and hear voices inside the grocery. I look in the window and see some fresh goods to purchase. Walk up to the door, turn the handle, and am greeted by an old man sitting behind a dilapidated counter with a very small older television showing the news. It feels hotter in the “grocery” than it does out in the shade. Stale air with flies freely flying around the older gentleman was the scene. I politely ask if he had water on tap. “There’s water from the sink over yonder”. I walk to the back to find an old woman washing dishes. She moves aside to let me fill my bidon. As I’m walking back to the front of the store I spot a small glass bottle of cold Coca-Cola. Bring it to the counter, “That’ll be a dollar”, hand the man a $5 and he pulls out a wod of cash from his pocket, licking his finger and counting out $4. Normally this wouldn’t be a strange thing, but the entire vibe was so amazing that I noticed everything that was going on. One of the coolest experiences of the trip. I love diving into other cultures and experiencing something very different from my day to day life.

BIG thank you to Swift Industries for hosting a worldwide bike and camp event! Without their invite, gear, and cycling comRADery, this weekend wouldn’t have happened. Cheers to that and cheers to rad folks everywhere!

RIDE x CREATE

Enjoyed a handful of hours riding gravel roads and exploring nature searching routes for next weekends #SwiftCampout Bike-Overnight. Get pumped for that!

YES! YES! YES! I’m so completely amped to be a part of this!

Swift Campout

Swift Industries launches global call-out for a bike-overnight on June 20th and 21st, 2015.

Seattle, WA–Bicycle bag manufacturing company Swift Industries announces Swift Campout, a branding event calling adventure seekers to participate with hundreds of localized bike-overnights on a Solstice weekend.

Swift Industries will be mapping participant locations, celebrating with prizes and gathering Camp Journals, adventure short films, and route sharing through the company website (builtbyswift.com) beginning on April 5th, 2015.

Swift Industries is appointing twenty-five Navigators, influential individuals or shops, to lead and document a Swift Campout. The role of the Navigator is to band together a group of riders, create a route, and stoke the event. 

LETS DO THIS!!!!!

I will be working with local bike shops to rally the troops and put together a rad bike/camp trip the weekend of June 20th – 21st.

More details on that soon. Make sure to follow along on our Instagram page for updates on #SwiftCampout . This is gonna be so good!