Best of Pedalshift 295: Making Your Tent Stealthier
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Release Date: 10/16/2025
Live From Seattle
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Our very first live show of 2026 is also the inaugural live show from Seattle! On this episode we chat more in depth about Seattle biking adventures to come, both locally and launched from here, give a quick Brompton update, an even briefer ACA update, and then a bunch of questions in the live show AMA! Live from Seattle Thoughts on Seattle as a bike launching point Local trails Gateway to multiple adventures Vancouver crossing loop Pacific coast Washington Parks STP SEA direct flights Year round cycling Brompton update ACA Building Sale Seems like the sale of the building is serving as a...
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All Who Wander Are Not Lost
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
We've often talked about how slow travel by bicycle helps you see your adventure with far more detail than by car. But can we slow it down even more and reinforce that lesson? On this episode, exploring the parallels of exploring a city by foot and how that proves the point! All Who Wander... Exploring Seattle without a car Using walking as a way to scope neighborhoods Slow travel lessons from bike touring, applied to everyday life What you notice on foot that you miss by bike or car Sound, sight lines, and the feel of a place Low-friction wandering and following curiosity Inefficiency as a...
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Rightsizing Your Bikes for a Move
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
So you’ve decided to relocate - congratulations! Now you have to figure out what to do with all of your bikes. Do you just move them all or is it time to rightsize your fleet? On this edition, we take a long hard look at my situation with a cross-country move. Do I move them all or is there a better solution? • Moving long-distance as a forcing function for downsizing • Applying “does this still serve me?” to bikes • When sentimental value isn’t the same as utility • Overlapping bikes and letting go of duplicates • Keeping the most flexible, all-conditions bike •...
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Best of Pedalshift 310: Offseason Training for Bike Touring
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
You know you’ve got a bike tour coming up this year, so you want to make sure you’re ready for it. What are some things to do to make that easier in the bike touring offseason? On this episode, some insight into my plans this offseason plus tips from ACA, REI and other experts! ALSO... Pedalshift SEATTLE Live will be Friday January 16 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Check out the details in your email, YouTube and pedalshift.net/live.
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The 2025 Holiday Spectacular
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Shifty the Elf returns for the annual holiday spectacular! 2025 was... a year. And as Shifty and I pack up for Seattle, there's a bunch of things we're going through and boxing up as we bid adieu to the year! Happy Holidays and see you in 2026!
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Honolulu and Seattle
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
A walk along Elliot Bay to discuss the short trip to Honolulu and more on the transition to Seattle and all the bikey adventures to come. Honolulu and Seattle A walk along Elliot Bay Honolulu thoughts More Seattle impressions N+1 thoughts on bikes
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Pedalshift's New Basecamp
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Big news for the show: The Pedalshift Project is setting up camp in a new city! This episode breaks down what that means for future tours, how this opens up brand-new riding possibilities, and why the destination may be a bit of a surprise and also not a surprise at all. My new home: Seattle! Why? This move is all about geography, access, and expanding the Pedalshift touring sandbox. Seattle places world-class touring terrain right outside the door and increases the show’s ability to cover more routes, more often. And yes—this is a return to the broader PNW. Think of it as a new...
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Best of Pedalshift 291: Working Remotely on Bike Adventures
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
It used to be that a bike adventure meant taking paid time off or quitting your job. Now that remote work is a reality for many of us, there’s a new option. But is bike travel while working remotely right for you? Originally podcast July 28, 2022.
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Thanksgiving Eve Live
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
A repodcast of our Thanksgiving Eve live show: following up on your comments on the state of bicycle touring, plus a bunch of great questions in an Ask Me Anything segment! Followup: Is Bicycle Touring in Decline? More emails on this than any topic in a while. Some selected thoughts from listeners: Regarding ACA Multiple listeners: Could ACA be losing older members in its attempts to expand into younger audiences, but worse… might not be succeeding on either front? It’s hard to do both, and that’s the challenge… you need to find what drives your constituencies and sometimes you...
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Is Bicycle Touring in Decline?
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Bicycle touring numbers feel like they’re down—fewer loaded panniers on the road, Adventure Cycling Association facing major financial headwinds, and a lot of long-time tourers quietly aging out. But is touring actually in decline, or is it just shifting into something that looks different—like bikepacking, gravel, and shorter, more flexible trips? In this episode I dig into Adventure Cycling’s recent membership and financial update, talk through generational and economic trends, and explore whether we’re seeing the end of an era… or just the end of one version of it. Is Bicycle...
info_outlineStealth camping is a great skill to develop and a fantastic option to have for emergencies or maybe even your main overnight plan on a bike tour. But what if your tent is so bright it can be seen from miles away? On this episode, we talk about what worked for my last tent and what I’m trying on my newer one. Originally podcast September 8, 2022.
Making a Tent Stealthier
The old tent – ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2
Spray panting the tarp
Tarp was orange so it needed full coverage
Used a matte forest green
Took 3 full cans to cover (more than I expected)
Then covered with a waterproofing spray (think KIWI brand)
Tarp worked like a charm – water beaded off just like before
Was stiffer and heavier than before
Tarp has finally failed at the zippers so it needs to be replaced
Color has also worn off over time, although it still is predominantly well covered
The newer tent -ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2 (again)
New tent is blue and very light gray, tarp is mostly the light gray
Better than orange, but still needs stealthification
Redditor recommended Rit dying
I was a bit skeptical but decided to go for it
Got 2 dark forest greens and 1 chocolate brown that was designed for nylon
A lot of boiling water (9 gallons!) and a big bin
Let it get in there overnight and…
It sort of worked. It’s super brown on one side, but perhaps predictably the back of the tarp, not the water repellant side
So, dye job is not recommended
Before, during and after shots:
What am I going to do?
I have one tarp that is forest green but not terribly suitable for heavy rain
I have another tarp that is very light gray and perfect for rain
The reverse side is dark brown and not suitable for anything but dry weather
I’m bringing *both* tarps for my next tour
I can see where a brown tarp and a green tarp could help depending on where I’m tucked in
I need to know I have a good rain option
I don’t always need to be stealth
The lineup
No need for stealth? Use the new tarp in the normal position regardless of weather
Stealth and dry? Use green tarp for tent and brown side out tarp for the bike (or maybe vice versa)
Stealth and rain? Use the green tarp over the proper-side-out gray tarp. This is the least likely scenario in a way… if it’s really storming would people be out?
Takeaways
Folks, best bet is to get a tent with a slealthy tarp. They are weirdly hard to come by
Dye? Not recommended
Spray paint? Effective, but with its flaws.