Comfy Campers at Cycle Adirondacks
This past August, Evan and I followed Cycle Adirondacks for its second tour of the Adirondack Park, acting as the photographers, videographers, and social media team. Cycle Adirondacks is a unique event that offers riders with both rolling hills and some challenging steeps, all topped off by the small, but strong communities that the tour passes through. The scenic Adirondack vistas are in and of themselves a huge draw for riders, but having Wildlife Conservation Society scientists stationed along the route to provide insight into the environmental landscape of the Adirondacks, made Cycle Adirondacks so much more than your average bike tour.
The tour that bikes together, camps together! Each night of the tour, once dinner has been served and a visit to the beer tent has been made, riders migrate toward their tents to crash and rejuvenate. There are several options for lodging during the event, from hotels to bed and breakfasts, but the most popular option, by far, is tenting. Cyclists are given the option to bring their own tent or sign up to use the Comfy Campers service. The first year Evan and I brought along our own tent, setting up and breaking down at each camp. While the whole process takes less than 15 minutes, and we are plenty used to packing up our 2-person, dew-covered tent each morning, for this second year we decided to give ourselves a break and try out the Comfy Campers service.
Comfy Campers is an awesome business that offers tent set up and break down for their clients, mainly bike tours, like CycleADK. The Comfy Campers team is a well-oiled machine. To watch them break down the camp and then set it up again at the next location each day is like watching a well-choreographed dance! There are both standard 8x9 and deluxe 10x12 tents available to riders - the deluxe is definitely roomy! Evan and I were both able to stand up and walk around in our deluxe tent, an awesome feature for us since we were up late each night editing and posting photos and videos.
With each Comfy Campers package comes some great amenities, including an air mattress (single, double, or queen), a folding chair, and a fresh towel each day, something the riders definitely appreciate. These amenities are also offered to those campers with their own tents as a “Comfort A La Carte” option. Campers provide their own pillows and sleeping bags, which are transported from one base camp to the next by the tour volunteers. Tents are all numbered, so it makes it easy to find your personal space each day. Comfy Campers staff are always on hand for any questions or to help meet any needs you may have. They are also constantly restocking water and lemonade in their relaxation areas - perfect for those hot days riding!