That really is an impressive and interesting contribution, Sprid. What an excellent glimpse into history! Thanks for posting.

I've never had a touring bike per se, but comparing the amount of stuff I take to rallies now - as opposed to when I started attending the damn things in the mid-1970s - I wonder how I survived as a teenager.

Postcards, address labels and stamps (as recommended on the 19th Century list) are essential to me these days, as I send messages back to my daughter and a few ex-rallyists to prove I'm still out there in a tent at exotic places like Belper, Keighley, Saltburn-on-Sea, Odiham, Ripley, Falkirk, Ashton-under-Lyne and Kettering.

It may be worth pointing out that they don't think I'm sane.