I am Ally Burns, welcome to my channel. Interests include road/gravel/mountain biking, BMX, productivity, minimalism, essentialism, intentionalism, decluttering and smart homes!
I don't know what these people would do in the 60 70s when real cyclists got on the fully loaded bikes and road across Europe,they never had a silly pair of scales. To day there pathetic babys. Just get on your bike and ride,I never weighed anything in my life 😅
Theres many caves in ayrshire . But theres one that is not very well known. Mainly because of location. Its so hidden that it has remained reasonably unvandalised till this day. I went last week. See it in my channel videos
35 minutes of very good and practical info, Ali. Very much appreciated as I've never done bike packing. Safe and happy travels. I'm from Manchester but i love Scotland so may even bump into you and share a brew with you. Stay safe pal, I've subscribed and hit the like button👍
Thank you very much, It's always nice to hear that someone finds the content useful. I know almost everything I know from RU-vid, so like to give back knowledge when I can. I used these on a very wet trip - video to be released in 2024, and they did a stellar job. Everything was bone dry the whole trip.
Having watched another review X Vs X2 I was convinced the X2 was what I wanted but the speed of the Max is appealing as our EXPED mega mat duo takes quite a while to fully inflate and perhaps more importantly it takes ages to deflate it so the deflate is as important as the inflate for me.
Weight is rarely a big factor in cycling (unless it's a lot of weight). Aero matters more. If I'm intending to carry heavy luggage, eg tools to work on daughter's house, I want a heavy duty rack to cope with it, even if I usually don't need that strength
Had the non-disc brake version for many years. Gave that bike and my Topeak back away in first lockdown to people who needed it. Just ordered this disc brake version for the urban bike that replaced the Specialized Tricross I gave away. Perfect for heavy shopping and, with the quick rack system, good for quick shopping or trip to gym
Sorry to hear that. I wonder if the quality has changed since I got mine, I'm still using it without the coating coming off. Hopefully you can get a replacement or refund? I'll update my description if the same happens within an unreasonable amount of time :(
Great comparison, I need the smaller one for my backpacking setup after seeing both side by side! I've been optimizing my setup for many years and smaller usually wins. I used to carry a large 10'000mah power bank and rechargeable flashlights but I changed that recently. I now carry a Wurkkos WK15 flashlight that has a really efficient XHP50.2 led and has 5000mah battery and one of the only flashlights with many lower modes, it has power bank built in and it can charge all my other items. I also got the Wurkkos HD15 headlamp and while not the lightest in weight its another redundancy for light and it supports power bank also. With both that gives me all the light I need and total 8000 mah of power bank which is plenty on trail.
I picked up the Tiny Pump X from Fextailgear and it's brilliant. The only problem is I needed to make a housing for it so it wouldn't turn on accidentally in my pack. It fits perfectly inside a toilet roll and with the help of some duct tape for strength and a cut out for the nozzle to allow it to slide in, all was sorted. Did a test and it ran for 15 minutes before dying (my mat takes 1 minute to inflate, thinner by quite a bit than the one in the vid) which is plenty of time for my normal trips and it's rechargeable with a power bank. Light is really soft, even spread. Great bit of kit.
Is it REALLY useful for camping? Not so much if you go for multiple days and change camp each day, or several times. Why? because you'll need a power bank. You can build a DYI system with a garbage bag and a soda bottle cap.
Particularly useful if you're using a bivy or small solo shelter. I have a Sea to Summit pump-sack that only really works if you're standing up. Almost impossible to use the thing inside your shelter, so in the rain it's difficult to inflate a big mat without getting everything wet. This little pump solves the issue - though as you say, I'll still carry the pump-sack as a failsafe and use it as a dry bag.
I also ended up having both pumps. And found that the perfect pump is actually if there was a hybrid between the pumps. The pump is used for airmatress and pillow for two person for one to five nights. I've ended up liking the little pump the most, even if it needs recharge from my powerbank on the multiday trips. Its mainly the integrated light that makes bring the little one. The light function is miles better than on the big pump. The light on the little pump starts in low mode when turned on. And that is normally ok to use. The big pump starts the light on full blast and always has to be dimmed. Well there is always the option to ignore the light option or get the pump without it. On trips with three overnighters I bring the big one, but I just love the little form factor of the tiny pump. Oh and I find the litte exhaust pipe very flimsy and are afraid to break it one day. It does not really integrate well with the nozzles.
Haha, she told me she's been sending people to my RU-vid, I never imagined anyone would find me 🤣 I tell her I'm not a big star but it's lovely that she's proud of me!
A better, newer one always comes out! Still happy with this one though, it gets the job done, so I won't replace unless I loose it or it breaks, to help the planet a little, as much as I love new gear!
thank you, it was very entertaining. The videography was terrible though. Going to subscribe, i like the humour. "35 minutes of my life gone" How did it take so long??
Thank you 😀 Agree on videography, sometimes I just fancy reviewing something and go for it. Perfection is the enemy of progress! I know what goods videography look like, and that sometimes stops me from filming stuff!
Glad it was helpful! Still really happy with the smaller pump, used it all last weekend (my mat has a slow puncture I think so topped it up each evening!)
Really happy with all my gear now, nothing super expensive, except my sleeping bag which was a gift. Love the Sota Windmaster stove, still to decide on a smaller titanium pot, but the fake Jetboil pan really efficient for boiling water, if a little heavy and bulky! The coffee grinder is the most extravagant item to carry, but probably the most satisfying!
Thanks for taking me on this journey with you! Just bought the pan and came here to look for reviews, watched the entire thing! Very soothing voice keep up the great work
