S240 in bike parlance means Sub-24hour-Overnight
Ride-Camp-Ride Home in less than 24 hours. A single night with decent odds the weather prediction will be correct.
This gives a good chance to test gear in controlled environment and to practice skills.
I do this several times a year with some friends.
A rainy evening with a low of 48 gave me a good chance to test the
limits of my Enlightened Equipment Prodigy backpacking quilt. A 50F
rating on a sub 1 pound synthetic quilt. A minor mistake dampened the
socks in my campwear bag, leaving my feet cold all night, but otherwise
the quilt was adequately warm, though I wouldn't try it in any cooler
weather, and will likely opt to bring a slightly warmer baselayer to
sleep in for similarly rainy conditions near this limit. I plan this
Fall to pick up one of their warmer down quilts.
The evening also gave me a chance to test out my Swedish Hand Axe, a
Hultafors, while practicing my one stick fire technique. For such a
small, pocketable axe, it really does some work. I got to work getting
the fire started while my friends worked on getting their tents up. By
the time their tents were assembled and staked out, I had processed a
piece of firewood into shavings, matchstick, and chopstick sized pieces
and had the fire started with a single flick of the lighter.
Sub 24 hours, 2 pieces of gear tested, and a skill practiced, all while
getting in a nice bike ride, a night outdoors, and hanging with friends.
A evening well spent.
