NU.’S’. (male) - sent a-‘packing…

[Freeforester]

For some time I’ve been looking to figure out how I could combine my love of exploring the wilder parts of Scotland in combination with both camping and my passion for EUC. I’ve also wanted a seat that I felt suited me - so already, there’s a bit to ‘unpack’ in this here ‘post’ ( -  alright, I’ll fetch my coat, lol!).

I’m 6 foot and a little more (185cm), and weigh in at around 110kg geared up and ready to go.  My camping setup is fairly lightweight and basic, comprising a sub 500gr ‘trailstar’-type tarpaulin, camping mat, top quilt and the usual basic stuff for an overnight camp out. There are numerous forest ‘fire’ tracks, drovers’ roads, pony paths and trails all over the highlands, often as not accessing all but the farthest-flung carries, hills and lochs, many of them centuries old. With bike-packing becoming more and more popular, I have been contemplating how best I might kit out my Sherman ‘S’ for the possibility of combining these interests.    The other day I had a bit of a ‘Eureka’ moment when I spotted my former neighbour’s US mail postbox in partially hidden in the long grass - that looked like it might be adaptable, and being of the galvanised steel and coated variety (lightweight aluminium ones are also available, but may not pass my personal ‘crush test’!) seemed strong enough for the job also. ‘Here goes nothing!’ I thought, as I placed an order for one of the ‘Burg-Wachter’ variety, the US made versions not being available here.

 

Anyway, a little bit of joinery, application of original Velcro and general ‘fettling’ has produced some results, and so far I’m very pleased with the outcome.

 

The design of the postbox necessitates a wooden or plastic board some 21mm or 5/8” deep to fill the underside (or most) of the postbox, from there it was a simple task to make and fix another shaped board of the size of the stock trolley handle to this sub frame, and covering it with hook-side Velcro to mate with the ‘woolly’ skeletal Velcro already located for the second seat I’d tried but failed to really get along with.

 

From there, it was a fairly straightforward case of adjusting the box position so as to permit the opening and closing at the front (my thinking being that if it inadvertently opened facing the rear, eg when the ‘S’ was sitting on the rear stand, items could potentially slide out and land on the ground or get wet, etc), and I secured the front end of the box to the front handle/bumper using two strips of heat-shrink-wrapped steel builder’s strapping, see pic below. 

 

These are the only two semi-permanent fixings holding the box in place, the remainder of the job being that of the Velcro, though I decided to add a little ‘redundancy’ to the job by fixing removable decent strength bungee cord from unused fixing holes front and rear either side of the postbox. This bungee is stout yet able to fit in between the underside of the pedal bosses without pinching anywhere, with the protruding front Allen bolts helping ensure they stay in place. These double up as handy hold points for my collapsed walking poles which I use to set up my tarp, if not for actual hiking. 

 

A strip of Velcro was fashioned to both cover the fixing holes that would otherwise permit rain or water to enter the box, and was again deployed along the box top to secure some decent closed cell foam to afford a modicum of cushioning. 

 

As it is, when I stand on the pedals I have about 6” of clearance between my nether parts and the top of the seat, when I am standing with the wheel, I can just make contact with the cushion, the seat coming into play a little when not “in motion” 🤔🤣.

 

There will be occasions where it is my intention to hammock camp, and also doubtless there will be other times where a few streams which may be required to cross;  my plan to address both these eventualities is to utilise my ‘Bull-tape’ hanging straps, in the case of the fording water by means of fixing them to both front and rear handles and linking them behind my neck, the handles are still very much ‘in play’, but the added contact point behind the neck/over the top of the shoulders helping to take the ‘S’train, to ‘S’teady the ‘S’hip when one’s hands are full, ‘S’o to ‘S’peak!

 

I anticipate shortly fitting another front and rear light set to the postbox, to help with both visibility from the back and general illumination, using a spare lithium rechargeable battery for the front light, with the rear lights having in-built batteries.     Anyway, glad to report that the seat is sufficiently strong as well as very functional, if not so aerodynamic, but of course I’m not going to be doing much speeding on the type of trails I expect to be riding along,  and so, barring too many un-‘S’eatings, it’s pretty fit for purpose - the adventures await!

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Freeforester

[mhpr262]

Dear god, that thing is huge. And it will make an already very heavy wheel almost imossible to carry. Wouldn't it have been sufficient to roll up your tarpaulin/top quilt/camping mat and maybe sleeping bag into a tight bundle and strap that atop your EUC to use as a seat?

[Freeforester]

16 hours ago, mhpr262 said:

Dear god, that thing is huge. And it will make an already very heavy wheel almost imossible to carry. Wouldn't it have been sufficient to roll up your tarpaulin/top quilt/camping mat and maybe sleeping bag into a tight bundle and strap that atop your EUC to use as a seat?

Well, I’m still pretty fit, and am used to lifting dead weights for many years (being a retired deerstalker), and whilst it’s admittedly not much fun to lift the wheel around, the handles are still easily grabbed, and anyway it will only be for crossing small streams, anything bigger will be either bridged here and there, or the wheel may be left hidden if I intend camping a few km further away.     I’ll be carrying/wearing a very lightweight empty rucksack (800gr) into which I can decant the (very lightweight) contents of the mailbox. As to its size, I personally find it just fills a bit of the dead-space above the trolley handle, when I stand up on the pedals there are still some 15cm between the top of the box and my nether regions. The total additional weight will be less than 6kg, including the 3+ish kg of the box. To be clear, I’ll mostly be riding standing when actually on the trails, and only really be sitting when on tarred approach/exit roads closer to civilisation; the box is primarily there for ease of carrying a number of compact items without actually shouldering the burden myself.   As a seat I find It’s actually rather comfy, so far.

I wouldn’t personally want to use the ‘bed roll’ as a seat, as I find i) I’m uncomfortable with a low seat - my earlier one was two seat pads stacked upon each other, but was far less stable than my mailbox arrangement, and ii) in the event of wet weather I don’t fancy my goose down, supper and other items getting either wet or grimy from the trail. It’s just my own solution to get me and my stuff out there comfortably and without undue binding and  bundling, but I’m sure a waterproof stuff sack of suitable dimensions could do the same job for many, assuming some rearranging of any breakables or foodstuffs, etc, and almost certainly in a lower package. 
 

A chacun son goût!

Edited August 31, 2023 by Freeforester

[alcatraz]

That looks cool. I think that personally I'd get something lighter. Like some sort of abs shelled thing like those common suitcases.

[Freeforester]

14 hours ago, alcatraz said:

That looks cool. I think that personally I'd get something lighter. Like some sort of abs shelled thing like those common suitcases.

I can’t claim any ‘cool’ points really, it looks and indeed is big, as mhpr262 suggests, but I find it practical, and providing it doesn’t get overfilled with weight, the change in CoG should be manageable, the Sherman S is already a pretty weighty and thus planted wheel.

Maybe EUC Alexa market can diversify with their glass fibre shells, they’re pretty robust, if a bit more spendy! I did consider a length of 6” diameter waste pipe, but the box just seemed a better option for fixing in place with the flat bottom, and greater volume per given length.  I’ve also seen a number of ABS cases in need of the ‘suitcase infirmary’ post encounters with flight baggage handlers! 

Edited September 1, 2023 by Freeforester

[alcatraz]

It looks cool to me as I've never seen a huge addon like that.

It reminds me of those (manual) unicycle long distance travelers.

[MetricUSA]

Yes, others have tried to set up before, and you have a seat and a trunk all in one... 

[Cerbera]

Lols - the difference between standing and sitting must be all of 2 inches ! I like it though, in its own quirky yet practical way

Edited September 3, 2023 by Cerbera

[Freeforester]

 

5 hours ago, Cerbera said:

Lols - the difference between standing and sitting must be all of 2 inches ! I like it though, in its own quirky yet practical way

Actually I clear the top by 7”, I may have longer legs than yourself though. All them years tramping over tall heather (not a euphemism! 😄). Will post some pics in due course.

 

[mike_bike_kite]

Interesting approach but personally I'd put the light stuff (hammock tent and sleeping bag) on my back and heavier stuff in a canvas bag tied across the top of the wheel. With motorcycling, hard panniers can get punished in a fall but perhaps you don't off come off. Saying that, I don't ride off road and I certainly don't go on overnight trips with the wheel so what the hell would I know. 

[Freeforester]

Indeed, the lightest stuff has already been tucked into my rucksack, as you suggest, but as you may know, there are a number of relatively heavier and/or short but awkwardly shaped items such as cook system, inflatable sleep mat, etc which either don’t make for a comfortable seat in a soft pack - I did indeed consider this approach, but couldn’t figure out another method to easily achieve a comfortable,  protective and yet secure seating arrangement, especially one which wouldn’t either slide or roll off the trolley handle, though I suppose a suitably adapted bag with a Velcro-clad underside may have worked. If I hadn’t committed myself to the option to sit from time to time then this soft pack option idea would be fine, but now that I’m actually able to sit while riding on the smooth surfaces, well, tbh I’m rather keener to continue to do so!

My three shelter and sleep combination options available (tent, hammock and tarp or trailstar tarp and ground roll all weigh in at between 2.07kg and max 3,5kg, including any common components.

I'm sure the box may well end up receiving a few dings and scrapes, but for the relatively modest outlay (sub £40) I’d rather it took the hit than some of the more vulnerable and valuable/essential gear either got banged about or soggy. I’m looking to fit something akin to a short grab ‘master-strap’ type webbing loop from side to side and over the top, which via its handle loop will help retain a modicum of control in the event of an ‘unexpected dismount’, but the types of tracks I’m anticipating using will be within my own comfort limits, which themselves are pretty conservative - I ride for fun, and for the pleasure of getting out there, not for speed or daredevil thrills as such. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Freeforester