Motorcycle Camping

[Shawn]

Here's some thoughts from my limited experience.

Pack everything you think you'll need then cut it in half.

What you take with you depends entirely on how filthy you can stand to get.

This summer I rode from Calgary to the Gypsy Run then to Ground Zero in Alb. New Mexico and then home.

Here's what I took:

Light weight Down filled sleeping bag-spendy at just under $200 but it keeps me warm down to about zero and in a compression sack gets as small as a football.

One man tent-super cheap one just in case it slips off your sissy bar into your chain, I'm just sayin'

rain suit-get a good one because sometimes you have to wear it for five days in a row

tools- I can get away with a very small tool kit because when I built my bike I tried to use the same size fasteners on everything.

one pair of jeans
one tshirt
two pairs of socks
two pair skivvies
one flannel shirt
shoes
one pair shorts

camera
phone
chargers for both
first aid kit
small camp towel
toothbrush
toothpaste-the real stuff because as neato as they are, those disposable preloaded tooth brushes just don't cut it.
three weeks in the same clothes is rock and roll, not brushing properly is rank and wrong.

All of that fit in a solo side bag that I made for the trip

A note on the clothes.
Yes I wore the same pair of jeans everyday for three weeks.
I changed t-shirts three times.
Thanks again to Walter at Kickstart and George and Wendy from Spartan for the clean shirts!
Socks I would wear for a couple of days then use them as a rag and toss them out and buy new ones. Quicker and cheaper than doing laundry
I also stopped in a few small towns and went to thrift stores to buy warm clothes when I cou

I figured the bag I mad would be waterproof and it was.
Just happened to be the wrong way. All my shit in my bag was floating in two inches of water.
Ziplock bag your important stuff.

I don't worry about a camp stove because I don't drink coffee in the morning and even if I did there's coffee shops everywhere.

Don't let me fool you into thinking I totally roughed it though, I agree on a long trip with Flatironmike, hotels are pretty nice at the end of a long rainy day.

[Rudehog]

"small as a football"

Dude, thats easy for you cuz you fit in a football sized bag!

[Shawn]

"small as a football"

Dude, thats easy for you cuz you fit in a football sized bag!

Hey man, I'm a grower not a shower.

[onesickrace]

or you could go this route...

but really well thought out post bill.

[nocoast]

Wow, this is a great thread. Thanks Bill.

I did a little camping on my bike this summer and plan on more next summer.

Bill or anyone else have any recomendations on tents? I'm looking for a 2 man thats small, quick to set up and doesn't cost too much.

[edward]

good stuff. i like the dry bag idea as well. camping and motorcycle fashion don't mix so just pack your stuff up.

dry bag love

[rus]

or you could go this route...

ive always wished i could be that dude. im all fucking 'high maintenance' needing a pillow an shit.

[Guest]

Bill or anyone else have any recomendations on tents? I'm looking for a 2 man thats small, quick to set up and doesn't cost too much.

As many opinions as there are tent manufacturers for this great question. Here's what I think Billdozer agrees with me on the subject of tents:

Buy the absolute cheapest piece of two-man shit you can find from your favorite discount retailer or sports specialty store. Why? because every tent you strap to a motorcycle with bungies and ride down the road like a bat out of hell WILL get torn, pinched, ripped, dropped, pissed on or shived eventually.

I've seen Caleb Owens brand-new tent get a dozen holes from the springs on his springer fork as it worked up and down on a 100-mile ride. Cro took the tent out of its tidy sack and it looked like a dozen cigar burns up and down the side of the tent. Weird. We didn't chase down the problem until we saw how Cro stored the tent on his bike: with bungies on the handlebars, right above the springs on his fork.

Moral of story: if that was a 200 super tent, he'd be pissed. When I saw what can happen in transit, I started buying $39 My Pretty Pony tents at Kmart and I've never been happier. If it gets thrashed, tear it down and throw it away and buy a Hulk tent next time.

Just a thought…

[AfterHours]

We use a $200 tent and I have an expensive sleeping bag. For me the investment was worth it as my body is a mass of worn out parts. I got everything on sale and the tent is very easy to use,it holds in body heat/keeps out water very well. I've built racks for both our bikes and they are the shnizzy~del~shnizzit when it comes to long trips and our gear is safe & easy to get to.

The pic is from our 13 day southwest tour to Trent's Ground Zero,it was a complete blast.

[sumo]

my favourite little self made camping friend - patent pending mugstove, matches, coffee sachets and dried milk fit under the fire gel tin. boils a big mug of coffee in 3 minutes, and its that new fandangled ecogel made from aloe or something so it doesnt hurt the planet...





as for loading - a military roll bag shortened by my local cobbler. small sissy bar and its 2 bungees and im loaded solid. it fits:

1 man tent
3/4 length self inflating sleeping mat
sleeping bag
2 spare shirts
shorts
skivies n socks
flipflops
medi kit - include diarrhea tablets - one thing you really can not deal with on a road trip is the shits
bog roll
axe
wash kit
seatowel

tank bag [new this year and love it, not all that gay making your bike more useable is it..] for:

map
camera
cash
phone
sunscreen
lollipops

and if its nice weather and im going to be lounging about outside my blanket tied on top.

EVERYTHING goes in small separate drybags so i dont need to unpack everything in the rain to get my tent out of my bag and pitch it - wet sleepingbag sucks. drybags are fairly cheap from here:

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16316&category_id=250

i just unpack all my camping gear into a large box so its all there ready to pack straight up without thinking. i got off a fair bit on weekend trips so its handy just knowing its all there and not having to think

[redsox716]

Bill or anyone else have any recomendations on tents? I'm looking for a 2 man thats small, quick to set up and doesn't cost too much.

In preparation for 2 months on the road, I bought a really nice one man tent that was pretty expensive. Within two nights I realized that it was way too small to fit any of my gear and the floor was too thin and would let water seep through (not even through the seams). I switched to a cheap Sears tent that was easier and quicker to set up, had a bigger rain fly, and a floor as thick as a heavy duty tarp. It was a bit bigger to pack but totally worth it in the end. Price doesn't always dictate quality.

[dirtyd]

Im with you Bill on the 550 cord (parachute cord) for the non military types. Here are a couple things I make sure of and may or maynot have been mentioned. I take two small flashlights both surefire, an exec that clips on my pocket, ya never know. And a regulat sf4 that I may need at night some time, this fucker will blind people animals etc, and it freaks the man out when he shines his flashlight at you and you bounce back with a blast from the surefire. I also take about 10 feet of duct tape rolled up on a pencil and throw that in my sack. trust me when your 25 dolla tent gets skewered and you need a quick fix the magic duct take is always there. The absolute best shit on the planet, Bd already mentioned ( heat tabs) those fuckers will burn under water if already lit. half a capsule will heat up a standard canteen cup o joe or top ramen, both good for the morning after. Here is another tip if you get soaked, throw your poncho oever you tighten down the drawstring around your neck, sit on your helmet legs cocked and light one of those heat tabs between your legs. the heat will dry you out by the time the tab is burned out. Try to keep your neck area as airtight as possible the gas is like tear gas, but it wont hurt cha. It works!. The trash bags are the shit ! i wrap my clothes and what not in em and stick em in my leather saddle bags that way the rain dosent get yo shit all wet. and if you are in your sleeping bag and you are still cold, take one of those trash bags and slide it up your bag over your feet as high as it will go, instant toastiness. oh and all those extra bungee's work great for slingin a hootch up out of that poncho of yours to cover your bike and gear when the rain is fallin or you need a dry spot to wrench or.... after dinner activities ( )

[Motorcycho]

campin

I LOVE packing a bike for camping.... Tank bags are my favourite... last trip I took with my son and a friend all I brought was a Snugee!

[BolliverShagnasty]

Just went this past weekend. In the back of this pic you can see my awesome hammock tent from Blue Ridge. It rolls up tight and straps right to my bars.

[bwleather]

Here's another multi use item. I used 2 old belts & just punched holes all the way down each to make adjustable straps.


BW Hand Tooled Leather

+BLACK FUZZ+