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In happy California the weather is starting to warm up to "70% of the year" levels, and I really want to do a few camping trips on my bike. I currently ride a DRZ400SM and have some soft tailbags and saddlebags that fit pretty decently on the back and with room to spare on the OEM rear rack. **WHAT DO I PACK?** I was thinking that a 2-3 person tent would probably be the best idea so that I can dump a shitload of the gear inside the tent + myself since a 1 person is probably way too small. The concern of course is that a big tent + sleeping back + everything else is tough to pack on a bike which leads to my first question. Is there a site that specializes in camping gear that's extra efficient or designed to be strapped to a bike rather than tossed into the back of a car? Next step would be food equipment, when you all do camping on bikes do you bring any sort of cooking setup or just go with prepackaged stuff? Again size being the issue I'm curious on how people go about this stuff. **WHERE DO I GO?** Lastly where are some good places to go in Southern California? When I was a kid I did a huge road trip with my dad in an RV to visit a shitload of national parks in the 4 corner states I'd love to recreate one day, but I'd like to keep it really basic the first couple times. (Babby's first camping trip) If you have camping advice or stories I'd love to hear them as well!
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Jan 30, 2012 20:31
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Thanks for the links, stuff like that really helps out. Last time I camped was well over a decade ago, and I think people always bring *too* much than too little. I ride a DRZ400SM right now, street tires but I plan on getting those distanzias so I dont topple over in the slightest amount of dirt. Do you look for state/national parks and find camping areas in there or do you just ride till you find a secluded area in wherever the hell and set up camp? I've read a few Adventure rider threads where the guys are in wherever the hell nowhere mexico and pitch tent a hundred meters off the road but that's perhaps a little hardcore for me right now. 
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Jan 30, 2012 22:12
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I have only been riding for a year, so i havent done any long distance stuff, I usually camp in the state parks around here because they dont hate motorcycles. From what I understand there are a lot of camp grounds that dont allow motorcycles because they are too loud.
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Jan 30, 2012 22:32
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BotchedLobotomy posted:Thanks for the links, stuff like that really helps out. Last time I camped was well over a decade ago, and I think people always bring *too* much than too little. State and National parks will have campgrounds with services, if you want to go more posh than that a KOA will have showers, laundry, wi-fi, snacks, etc. Tents are the hardest thing to pack on a bike since many of them don't have poles which fit well into a pannier. Big Agnes tents tent to have poles with a shorter minimum length, I've also had some good luck with older North Face Designs like the Slick Rock. Deal sites like departmentofgoods.com, steepandcheap.com etc are great places to find cheap gear. REI Garage Sales where they sell returned items are also good spots to score cheap, high quality stuff. A down filled sleeping bag is great and will save you LOADS of space. Some of them get down to the size of softballs but most are in the half-loaf of bread size. For a sleeping pad look at Big Agnes air core line, they're about the size of a can of soda. There are a lot of fancy backpacking stoves out there, however most of the time you just need to boil water/make coffee, etc since restaurants are usually not all that far away for proper meals. The esbit stove is 11 bucks and is stone axe simple. You get one heat setting (fire) but you can blow on the cubes to put them out if needed. 1 cube boils about 3-4 cups of water. Wrap it in aluminium foil for a windbreak. Also if you suck at lighting fires you can use a fuel cube for a fire starter. Bring a book/journal, light, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cookpot, and eating utensil. Socal has a lot of cool camping especially if you like the desert. You could head out to the mojave and live out your fallout new vegas fantasies. Visit the valley of fire north of Las Vegas. Camp out by the black (actually white) mailbox near Area 51 off the ET Highway near Rachel NV. Visit Death Valley and camp there, check out the Salt Flats, Scotty's castle, etc. Or ride into Mexico and head toward San Felipe and camp on the beach at Gonzaga Bay. If you want trees there's some strange ones in Joshua Tree National Park, or head north into Sequoia national forest. State parks litter Highway 1, just take your pick.
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Jan 30, 2012 22:44
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PlasticSun posted:Good Info I absolutely agree with the Agnes insulated sleeping pad, and a down bag. I bring both of those camping with me and they're great. I've got an REI quarter dome 2 and it has really really short tentpoles, so it's easy to pack I also loved having a camelbak with me, and now that I've figured out how to lock the nozzle I don't think I'll have to worry about pouring cold water down my pant inseam anymore. Also a headlamp seriously that was one of the most useful things I brought with me last time. I highly recommend it. State parks/forests are great places to go, it's usually what I look for. You usually pay a bit for the camping spaces, but sometimes it makes life a lot easier.
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Jan 30, 2012 22:50
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Having actually done this last year, here's my 2 cents: Tent: A simple backpacking tent is plenty. Its compact, lightweight, and still big enough for you and plenty of your crap. Whatever specialty camping equipment exists will be way too expensive. Bring a sleeping pad. A simple inflatable one will do. Also compact. Single-person sleeping bag, obviously. Bungee cords are great for securing these to your bike, though you can always shove the sleeping bag into a saddle bag. Food: I picked some stuff up in town after setting up camp. I did have the advantage of a 46-liter Givi case though, which makes that super easy. If you want to skip that, MREs (you can buy them cheap on ebay) are great since they're compact and require no equipment besides a spork, bowl and water. Not the finest cuisine, mind you, but it'll get the job done. Trail mix works great as a snack. As far as where to, it depends on what you're into and where you've been. Joshua Tree is kind of interesting, the Salton Sea area is worth a look if you're into that whole "poverty tourism" thing. Its a bit early for the mountains, I'd say. redscare fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Jan 30, 2012 |
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Jan 30, 2012 23:03
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I've done a little bit of camping, just on my lonesome. So far I've only ever really camped in provincial or national parks. All the extra poo poo I bring along varies, but the core stuff is: Mec Tarn 3 tent A Mec hybrid bag (half down, half polyfill, cause it tends to rain when I'm camping). Doesn't pack down as small as a fully down bag would. A Thermarest sleeping pad A Jetboil water boiler All of which is probably more gear than i will ever really need a headlamp (beats the poo poo out of a handheld lamp for night setups and eating) a hatchet a fork, knife and spoon some prepackaged food camp soap & scrubbing pad two pairs of clothes rain gear Pretty much everything fits into my sidecases except for the tent, which I bungee down to my backrest/cargo rack.
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Jan 30, 2012 23:06
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PlasticSun posted:You could head out to the mojave and live out your fallout new vegas fantasies. Haha, this is it, this is why I want to go camping. Already working on my YesMan sticker for the front of the bike. Thanks everyone for all these tips, keep them coming!
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Jan 30, 2012 23:06
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I stumbled on the hammock thing when I was looking at Kriega bags. Some people get pretty serious about it. Lots of pictures here: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=631074&page=58
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Jan 30, 2012 23:10
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PlasticSun posted:There are a lot of fancy backpacking stoves out there, however most of the time you just need to boil water/make coffee, etc since restaurants are usually not all that far away for proper meals. The esbit stove is 11 bucks and is stone axe simple. This is good advice. Nothing bigger than a Jetboil is really needed. I brought a Coleman Exponent stove that fit nicely inside a pair of small pots, and wasn't much bigger. It ran on petrol so I never had to worry about running out of fuel, and with an adjustable burner I had visions of cooking rice and veggies and making a meal. I only used it once or twice to cook anything, and I burned the poo poo out of the food anyway (nonstick on camping cookwear is bullshit). Keeping water around for cleaning your dishes is another burden. If you're a gourmet camper or have a bigger bike, the Coleman may be a good choice. In any case, having something to heat water can be a lifesaver. My sleeping bag got soaked at the bottom once and it was very cold the next night so I filled a stainless steel bottle with hot water, wrapped it in a towel, and put it at the foot of my sleeping bag. The bottle pumped heat all night and was still warm to touch in the morning. PlasticSun posted:A down filled sleeping bag is great and will save you LOADS of space. Some of them get down to the size of softballs but most are in the half-loaf of bread size. Down sleeping bags are a must-have. PlasticSun posted:For a sleeping pad look at Big Agnes air core line, they're about the size of a can of soda. I can't recommend the Big Agnes Air Core unless they changed their design. The single inflation/deflation valve is horribly slow to inflate and deflate. I can puff my Exped Synmat Basic up in under minute, and have it deflated in the same--with ease. It has separate high-volume inflation and deflation valves. No huffing and puffing, no endless rolling and folding to get them deflated properly. Wasting time breaking camp every morning was a big frustration for me on an extended trip, especially in poor conditions (hot/mosquitoes, etc). BotchedLobotomy posted:I was thinking that a 2-3 person tent would probably be the best idea so that I can dump a shitload of the gear inside the tent + myself since a 1 person is probably way too small. I started a long trip with a 3-person tent (Nemo Losi 3P), and while it was nice to bring everything inside, and heavenly to sleep in, it was again frustrating to set up and take down alone, and even a light model will be quite heavy and long. I think a 1P or 2P is the right way to go. 1P if you set up a tarp outside to protect your poo poo. 2P if you have a small vestibule. I bought a Nemo Espri 2P with vestibule and I think it will be much better overall. It's quite small and can be stuffed rather than folded.  I'd only go back to the 3P if I had a passenger. Edit: The frustration I'm talking about isn't so much impatience but rather the long series of senseless random motions required to get several big pieces of fabric folded properly into a small space while battling the elements (dirt, wind), or the endless rolling and squeezing and folding needed to get the air out of a big old inflated mat through a wheezy air valve. MotoMind fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Jan 31, 2012 |
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Jan 30, 2012 23:41
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Make sure that when you pack your poo poo, you keep stuff that you might need during the day/before you set camp at the most accessible places. You don't want to have to unpack half of your stuff to get at your wallet or tire pressure gauge or what have you. You can save some space and money by making your own camping stove which uses denatured alcohol. People typically make them out of tuna fish cans, soda cans, and similar objects. Here's a frighteningly-encompassing website full of ideas: http://zenstoves.net/LinksGeneral-DIY.htm. Wear as much synthetic clothing as possible for ease of washing and drying. Military MRE's are good for dense meals and are cheaper than equivalent civilian products, but you will probably get constipated if you eat them more than a couple days in a row. If you got the hookups and can get the legit military versions, they come with pre-packaged burners which heat the food up with the addition of water. I find books to be my favorite way to unwind after camp is set up and my food is eaten. Bonus points if you read Jupiter's Travels or another moto travel book while moto camping. If you want tips on getting compact gear and traveling light, look up ultralight backpackers forums for info. Most guys can get by with way less than they think. Having a motorcycle is a luxury compared to the dudes who hike the Appalachian Trail with one backpack containing their life. Another good option is for info on bicycle camping, which is pretty similar to moto camping but with more focus on keeping the weight down to make the ride as enjoyable as possible. I've only done camping by bicycle so I don't really have much moto-specific advice. FuzzyWuzzyBear fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Jan 31, 2012 |
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Jan 31, 2012 03:07
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Here's my bike loaded up from last trip Here is the tent and my travel buddy (I'm a dork)  hooray fog 
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Jan 31, 2012 04:00
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If you don't have bags on your bike and bags bungee'd to more bags you're doing it wrong. I've got a magnetic tank bag, soft saddle bags, tail bag, and a few kayaking roll top dry bags that attach amazingly well with bungees and nylon straps. This was on one of my trips over the summer. Clothes, a tarp, sleeping bag, camera, food and tools. Put your sleeping bag behind you so your comfortable on the long stretches. Its pretty awesome. I HIGHLY recommend getting the dry bags at a place like REI where they accept returns 100% because its not worth the hassle of trying to make it waterproof again. Especially if you melt a hole in one or go down and rip it or whatever. But duct tape will hold it together well enough till your trip back in town.
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Jan 31, 2012 05:55
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BAM. Pro traveling rig 
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Jan 31, 2012 16:28
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2up camping setup:  
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Jan 31, 2012 16:31
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MotoMind posted:Exped Synmat Basic I love my Exped, only regret I have is not buying the wider model right away.
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Jan 31, 2012 17:25
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This is my camping solution, I use it instead of a tent: http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/double-nest-hammock.html I'm partial to camping where there are tree's which is why this works wonderfully for me. A single double nest will sleep 2 people or a person and a dog. It takes nothing to fold up and folds into an attached bag so you never have to worry about losing it. I've folded it in terrible ways and it always fits, it has a compression strap for the bag so it fits in like a 4x4x3" space. They make bugnets and rainfly's for them, I've never used a rainfly (I use a tarp) but the bugnet is *amazing*. If you get one get the extra big slap straps (slap straps pro) and you can set it up with tree's as far as 20' apart. Bugnet + hammock + slapstraps are under 1lb combined. Add in a tarp a few cheap plastic tent stakes and some nylon cord and you have an all weather solution that's compact, lightweight and bug-proof. I've used this set up in pouring rain with 40 mph winds and stayed high and dry all night. (protip: To hang the tarp I run a line between the two tree's my hammock is attached to and drape the tarp over it. Stake the tarp down at the corners and tie both sides off to the tree and you're all set. You can hang your shoes off a carabiner on the line you used for your tarp and you can de-shoe/re-shoe while sitting off the ground so you never get your socks/feet dirty and you never lose your shoes.) Sorry desert dwellers, this'll only work where there are tree's.
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Feb 3, 2012 23:38
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aaaaaarggghhh spell trees the right right way what the hells up with that apostrophe aahhhh
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Feb 4, 2012 00:37
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I'm partial to camping where there are tree is which is why this works wonderfully for me. fixed
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Feb 4, 2012 03:26
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I've done a few camping trips on my bike, both on my GS500 and the KTM. I usually am going camping with friends so can rely on them to carry most of the larger stuff that I can't be bothered with (camping stoves, esky's, chairs) but am looking to get together a comprehensive set that I can easily take by myself. I currently have a Kriega R35 and US20 which can carry most things, then I can strap a small 2 person tent to the US20 using the straps that it attaches with. What I really need to get is a down sleeping bag (I've got a small one at the moment that's rated down to 5 Celcius but is kinda cold below 10) and a bunch of cooking and eating equipment. Bonus pic of the KTM loaded with stuff (also my gear all over it)
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Feb 4, 2012 03:32
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Any tips on packing stuff on the tail when you've got high-mount pipes?
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Feb 4, 2012 06:16
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Snowdens Secret posted:Any tips on packing stuff on the tail when you've got high-mount pipes? Hope the heat shielding actually loving works. 
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Feb 5, 2012 06:26
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Snowdens Secret posted:Any tips on packing stuff on the tail when you've got high-mount pipes? On me and the wife's drz400sms, I made a little heat shield out of bent sheet metal to prevent the plastics from contacting the exhaust. It worked fine for the long trip, eventually it bent down enough that the bags contacted the exhaust and my wife ended up arriving to a clients house on fire. 
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Feb 5, 2012 08:02
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Heat shield design: http://i.imgur.com/NpFq2.png Affix with hose clamp passing through a slot in the base.
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Feb 5, 2012 08:32
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IHatePancakes posted:If you don't have bags on your bike and bags bungee'd to more bags you're doing it wrong. There's only one way to rock  Tent/Sleeping Bag/Tools&Fluids for the POS TransAlp. Bungee nets and zip ties own. EDIT: Bungee nets also work for food. 
blugu64 fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 07:41
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 Bags on bags on bungies. There's no one right way to pack a bike
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Feb 10, 2012 19:28
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I ride a vtr250, '07, and I can get by with no panniers by strapping a 40L bag down on the pillion. I carry an Exped Venus II tent, a small sleeping mat and a down sleeping bag, a few tools for firemaking/cooking, tying/cutting things, first aid blah, and the rest is food. The tent is great, I'll happily recommend it. It is fairly expensive however.  Having said that, I'm looking at going to a Triumph 800xc / BMW f800gs with Caribou panniers in the nearish future... *drool* And I'm looking at maybe moving to a hammock tent so the tent+mat+bag malarky can be compressed down to one item.    Everywhere ruralish in Australia the road can be flooded over by creeks quite easily, so you're going to get wet. fun though. No pics of me with gear on the bike from that trip, after the first few days we had drunk enough of the booze to make room, got lazy and ended up throwing all our gear into the support car, heh. devians fucked around with this message at 13:09 on Feb 12, 2012 |
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Feb 12, 2012 12:47
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I've been out a couple times, though never alone. Last year we camped in the Monongahela with 8 of us. We had a chase car, but I'm all about getting what I need on my bike. We sort of go all out, so last year we packed a cooler of meat, but we may not have the luxury of a car this year. We'll probably buy our food locally. We do prefer to cook over the campfire than eat at restaurants, but we do it right. Last year we had filet mignon one night. You can cook just about anything with a cast iron pan and a campfire. That was my setup. I have an over packing issue that I'll be working on this year. I also need a smaller sleeping bag (the white bag). I've since replaced my ground pad with a smaller (and more comfortable) one. Trash bags go a long way for water proofiness. I'll probably be adding a venture rack this year to give me some more room. I find myself fighting all my stuff for seat space on the ride. Edit: Can someone recommend a reasonably priced compactly packed sleeping bag? I don't like mummy bags, and I don't camp in overly cold weather, though I wouldn't mind the option if the bag can handle it. orthod0ks fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Feb 15, 2012 |
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Feb 15, 2012 15:58
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Any down bag in a compression sack is fine. Just shop around for a good deal.
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Feb 15, 2012 17:20
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orthod0ks posted:I've been out a couple times, though never alone. Last year we camped in the Monongahela with 8 of us. We had a chase car, but I'm all about getting what I need on my bike. We sort of go all out, so last year we packed a cooler of meat, but we may not have the luxury of a car this year. We'll probably buy our food locally. We do prefer to cook over the campfire than eat at restaurants, but we do it right. Last year we had filet mignon one night. You can cook just about anything with a cast iron pan and a campfire. If you can find a surplus store you can bags really cheap and they work well. Unfortunately they are fairly heavy for what they are.
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Feb 15, 2012 17:25
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orthod0ks posted:I've been out a couple times, though never alone. Last year we camped in the Monongahela with 8 of us. We had a chase car, but I'm all about getting what I need on my bike. We sort of go all out, so last year we packed a cooler of meat, but we may not have the luxury of a car this year. We'll probably buy our food locally. We do prefer to cook over the campfire than eat at restaurants, but we do it right. Last year we had filet mignon one night. You can cook just about anything with a cast iron pan and a campfire. The Marmot Always Summer is only rated to 45 but if you wore a sweater/fleece pants while sleeping you may be ok down to the mid 30s. Thing packs down to about the size of a softball. http://www.departmentofgoods.com/marmot-always-summer-sleeping-bag-45-degree-down-mar1624
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Feb 15, 2012 20:19
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I've always been told (and tried with success) that the less you wear in a sleeping bag, the better it works.
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Feb 15, 2012 20:47
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SaNChEzZ posted:I've always been told (and tried with success) that the less you wear in a sleeping bag, the better it works. This is true if you're within the temperature range for the bag, but you can extend the range of the bag with lose additional layers. You can also opt for a sleeping bag liner for colder nights as well. If you're already within the temp range of a bag it's better to wear lighter layers or none at all.
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Feb 15, 2012 23:45
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Woah, how has this thread eluded me? Perfect timing as I'm just about to get into bike camping. I never did camping as a kid, but the past few years I've gone with friends many times, usually using a lot of their gear. After a weekend in the woods at the end of the season last year I decided it was time to do some touring/camping. I've been planning it now and just started buying some kit. Has anyone been anal enough to make a list of their gear? I've been compiling what I think I'll need based on everything I've been reading and my own plans, but to see what other people here take would help as well. For me it should mostly be weekend trips either just me or with others in a car. I'll edit into this post a list of stuff I need/have so far. I just opened it up and I need to add a few things and remove the stuff I've bought and put on the bike already 
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Feb 16, 2012 02:17
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They also make silk sleeping bag liners that are phenomenal! keeps you from having to wash your bag as often as well.
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Feb 16, 2012 05:40
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Too bad these are partially sold out this season, if you want to be super-efficient you could pair a midweight/lightweight sleeping bag with a goose down mid-layer repurposed for night use: http://www.cabelas.com/ensemble/Clo...erwear/4377.uts
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Feb 16, 2012 07:33
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I love how they've labeled the top and bottom of the outfit on that dude, as if we couldn't figure it out, heh. For the guy who asked for the comprehensive list, here's a quick attempt at what I tend to do: 1x Venus II Tent 1x Full length sleeping mattress 1x Down sleeping bag 1x Gerber multitool 1x Quark AA^2 Flashlight 1x 700ml enamel mug 1x enamel plate 1x spork eating utensil whatsit. 1x Tarp 1x Billy 1x cheap light frying pan. 1x roll of garbage bags. 1x length of paracord, depending on how much I have handy 1x Camelback Various sized Aloksak bags containing:
Things missing:
Like I said before, I'm probably going to look into a hammock tent soon, because it means i could potentially drop 3 bulky items into one small item, win. I haven't mentioned obvious things like clean clothes etc. Having said that though, I try and pack in a way that _everything_ fits into a 40L bag/pannier etc. Putting that space requirement on yourself makes you better at packing I feel.
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Feb 16, 2012 12:29
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nsaP posted:Has anyone been anal enough to make a list of their gear? I've been compiling what I think I'll need based on everything I've been reading and my own plans, but to see what other people here take would help as well. Here's a list of all the stuff we packed for a year of living off the bike: http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14612199&postcount=79 For just camping for a weekend or a week I bring: Either 2 Person TNF Slickrock bicycle touring tent or if 2up 3 Person Black Diamond Skylight Tent - The TNF tent goes up in less than a minute which is great when setting up in the rain, while the BD tent is huge for it's packed space it's a bitch to put up but it holds 2 people plus gear. REI Sub Kilo down 30 degree Bag Big Agnes Air Core Pad 2 L Cook Pot and Esbit stove or Jetboil GCS, if I'm planning on cooking fancy food or if group camping I'll bring my Coleman Xponet 2 burner Black Diamond Spot Headlamp Tindersticks - Sawed down firelogs about the size of a pen Book or Journal I try to keep all of my camping gear and tools in one 35L luggage case so the other can be used for clothes, spare set of shoes, souvenirs, and food. Tank bag holds bad weather gear, charging equipment and chain cleaning stuff. A top case on the back carries camera gear and other electronics if I opted to bring them. I pick up water at gas stations along with salt/pepper (although I often bring cayenne and lemon pepper from home), forks, and other consumibles. PlasticSun fucked around with this message at 17:10 on Feb 16, 2012 |
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Feb 16, 2012 16:57
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I dont have any photos of my bike set up for camping but it looks a lot like my buddies here BIG rear end SISSY BARS FTW!! edit: also to answer the obvious questions internal throttle no front brake suicide shift foot clutch
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Feb 16, 2012 18:47
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