Question?? Riding/Camping

What I take depends on what the plan is.........
If its me & mommy on a vacation/trip, we take standard camping items, Coleman stoves and lanterns. She insist on sheets and blankets. If we are staying somewhere for more than a day, we usually cook the meals, but if we are traveling hard, we eat at restaurants. Then again, we have been known to stop at a rest area or overlook and cook a meal..........

If I am going scuba diving, I have to make room for my dive gear, so I go a little simpler on the equipment. Super small, lightweight, multi-fuel stove & one of my diving lights. Some freeze dried or dehydrated meals, sleeping bag and a pillow. I have a really good small tent, but I am getting spoiled with the King size bed in my Aspen. So, now I stuff it full of dive gear and away-I-go........

Sierra Design Tengu 2-man tent w ground cloth
Big Agnes 15F down bag
Big Agnes Inflatable pad

MSR Whisperlite Stove [multifuel]
2 MSR 33-oz fuel bottle [I barely finished one bottle in 6 weeks so next time I'll take 1]
MSR Blacklite cook kit [1.5L & 2L pot, frying pan/cover, handle]
2 foldable .5L bowls w cutting surface
1 .6L dual walled titanium mug
1 MSR coffee screen
Lexan eating set [knife, fork, sm & lg spoon]
waterproof matches
3" folding knife for cutting and chopping
small hatchet [chopping firewood, pounding in tent pegs]
6L MSR dromedary
3L/100oz CamelBak
multipurpose detergent [body & cooking gear]
Scotchbrite pad cut in half

Spice kit [salt, pepper, hot sauce, sugar, olive oil, cooking oil]

Food for 5 meals [typically 2 lunches, 3 dinners]
coffee, tea, hot chocolate
instant oatmeal
Gorp

Clothing:

Full armored riding gear [removable rain and cold weather liners in jacket & pants] incl boots, helmet, Gerbing heated jacket & gloves, pair of lt wt gloves
1 pr convertible tan nylon pants [zipper at knees to make shorts out of long pants]
1 cotton t-shirt
1 collared permanent press shirt
3 pr socks
2 pr LD riding shorts
1pr LD longjohn bottoms
2 pr microfiber t-shirts
1 pr LD longsleeved t-shirt
sneakers
flip flops
hat
do-rag
medium sized microfiber towell

Tools:
Slime compressor
CO2 inflation system
tire plug kit [gummy worms & mushroom plugs]
tool kit
tire pressure gauge
Leatherman
duct tape
mil spec parachute cord
head mounted LED flashlight
handheld LED flashlight
Blue Locktite
cable ties
first aid kit
toiletry kit [toothpaste, toothbrush, shaving gear, baby wipes, floss, toothpicks, shampoo, hair brush, small sewing kit, suntan lotion, 100% DEET, OTC pain meds, Visine, spare sunglasses & reading glasses]

microfiber cloths [2]
diapers [2]
plexi and windshield cleaner
chamois


Canon G7 digital camera w 3 4GB memory cards & 3 batteries
charger for G7
small folding tripod for G7
iPhone w USB & DC charger
Zumo 550 GPS with USB cable for updates & charging & 4 2GB memory cards with POIs, music, photos, etc]
maps of states to be visited
notebooks w pens, highlighters
passport
National Parks Passport book & Annual Pass
couple of books to read at night

I look at the list and wonder how I got all this stuff on the bike but I did. The clothing and food went into colored waterproof bags that went into a heavy duty neon yellow waterproof bag [yellow so I couldn't lose it] that was strapped to the seat. The tripod and tent were also strapped to the seat with 1" wide bungee cord [very dangerous but the cords never failed although they can be deadly if not controlled]. Everything else fit into the panners and top box. Total weight was 40# with the heaviest stuff in the panners to keep the center of gravity where it belongs.

My pillow was the clothes bag. I kept the cell phone off most of the time [many places didn't have cell phone coverage and I wanted a charged phone if I had problems]. There was little radio or CB so the mp3 player got lots of use.

I washed the synthetic underwear and socks nightly and hung them on a line to dry. In most cases they were dry in the morning [you can't do this with cotton]. If I found a convenient laundry I'd wash everything once a week since the nightly wash wasn't as effective as the laundry. Twice I stripped out the armor in my Tourmaster Solution mesh jacket and Joe Rocket Alter Ego riding pants and washed them too.

I bathed every night either by shower or wipes. I wanted the down bag to be as clean and effective at keeping me warm as possible. It was also a great feeling after a long day in the heat.

I camped every night but 1 [a hurricane in the Gulf when I was a hundred miles away dumped so much water that my air filter nearly collapsed]. I camped either renegade, primitive, park, or campground. Most of the time I tried to stay in National Park campgrounds and never had a problem finding a tend space. Setting up and taking down took about half an hour.

I was on the road by 8am, stopped for lunch around noon, and rode until 5. Lunch was either leftovers from dinner [black beans & rice with canned chicken and a bit of Cholula hot sauce was a favorite], Subway's $5 sub, or a recommended non-chain place. Dinner was at the camp and generally consisted of an electrolyte drink, pasta/rice & meat [chicken, roast beef, corned beef, tuna, ham, steak, ...], and a treat of either gorp, cookies, or in some cases ice cream. And lots of water. Breakfast was coffee/cocoa, oatmeal, pancakes, french toast, eggs, or most anything I wanted. I tried most of the freeze dried foods before leaving and found none of them edible more than once [and many less than that] and more expensive than buying carbs and protein separately.

I would work on the days notes during dinner. After I'd consult the notes I carried and highlighted routes for the next day's ride. I talked with other campers about places they recommended and adjusted accordingly. I'd be in the tent around sunset, read for a bit, and then go to sleep.

I locked the bike's handlebars and luggage but never added a secondary lock or bike cover. I carried a 6' kevlar bike lock for times when I'd be away from the bike and didn't want my jacket or helmet to "grow legs". I never had a problem with theft.

I worked hard at making every piece do double duty if possible. I used my lungs to inflate the air mattress, made sure the ground cloth was under the tent, pounded in all the tent pegs every night, and got into a predictable routine setting up and breaking down the site. I never bought wood but looked in the forest and with my trusty, and sharpened hatchet, brought back enough wood for dinner and/or the evening.

Only once did I start setting up after dark and it wasn't worth the aggrivation. By getting to the proposed campground(s) when still dark, I could find the best available site, decide to look at another place down the road, and get set up before the sun set and the bugs came out. I lost a couple hours of daylight but after setting up I was free to get back on the bike and either ride, shop, or poke around and still have a good site for the night.

Most campsites had tables so I carried no chair. I carried no lantern as the head mounted LED flashlight did a fantastic job [the 3 AAAs lasted me 8 weeks]. I carried a 1 burner stove [the smallest multifuel I could find] and 2 folding bowls. When I cooked I could put one part of the meal in one bowl and it would stay warm until the other part of the meal was ready. I used the campsite grill for some meals. I couldn't find a portable grill that was small enough and strong enough to be worth carrying.

My cooking utensils were the eating utensils, a small nylon spatula, a can opener, and a 6" metal fork. I used diapers for pot holders or to keep contents warm and the cover to the pot to drain water.

I thought about carrying a cooler but decided it wasn't going to do what I thought it would. If I bought cold food I'd wrap it in a diapers or clothing to keep it cold until I could cook it. I'd buy frozen food knowing that by the time I got to eating it it'd be thawed out. I did miss cold drinks but many of the streams had cold water and I could always drop $1 into the soda machine for a cold water or beverage. I carried no alcohol but I'd probably find room for a pint of good rum on the next ride. Some of the sunsets begged for a sundowner adult beverage.

Next time I'd probably swap out the sneakers for a pair of hiking boots. I walked a lot and could have used the durability, support and protection of the boots. The sneakers compressed more than boots would but I still like the idea of boots.

Most useful:

[1] I'd have to say the tent, bag, and pad. Without a good nights sleep, riding would quickly degrade from enjoyment to pain. So that's a given.

[2] But I think I'll say this: tie between the MSR stove, 6L dromedary and 3L CamelBak. The stove meant that I could cook anywhere thereby freeing me to really enjoy the wonders of the day. The 6L dromedary meant I could fill it up with water late in the day and no matter where I camped I'd have enough water for the night's activities. The 3L CamelBak kept me hydrated in temps from 32F - 105F. I'd fill the CamelBak with water and ice at gas stops and sip from it all day. It kept dehydration and heat related problem at bay.


[3] The conscious decision to spend the money on high quality camping gear and forgoing the motel/hotel scene. There is simply nothing like spending the night in a National Park campground, enjoying the silence, view, and closeness to nature.

Looks like we have alot of camping riders here :thumbup: with alot of experience...Have really enjoyed all of the posts and pics. of your campsites cool!! :yes1: and camping gear lists

This winter I have been buying some extra camping gear that I haven't used yet and looking forward to trying it out
Even though I am trying to down size :shrug: I bought a North Face Trail Head 4 tent 8'x8' with 6' ceiling hgt. No more crawling in and out on the old knees 4: on longer camping trips...Also purchased a Hennessy tent hammock for ultralight and single over night stays
For ultralight cooking I picked up a jetboil personal stove,I have used this already out on const. jobsites cooking soups,chilli,hot choclate.I plan on taking this on my next Iron Butt.

One of these days I would really like to find a nice tent camper,those really look very nice and handy :thumbup:

Here are a few pics. of a few of my campsites

07' Grand Tetons Colter Bay



This is Yogi my camping buddy in the Tetons



IronHorse motorcycle resort located NC. Hwy 28 near Deals Gap



08' Bennett Springs Mo. one of my favorite trout streams



I guess I prefer the camping in the great outdoors,although I will stay in a hotel from time to time...Much rather enjoying the campground setting and nature :thumbup:

New tricks for me

I've looked over all your post and I've got to say I for one am impressed. We have just bought a Time out camper in Dec. and as yet haven't used it because of one problem or another. But soon to change that in the past it was a lean to and a sleeping bag and what you could cook in one pot or on the end of a stick. That also will be changing, since our purchase I've talked about 4or5 others in to these campers the price is good and the set up is quick. You may try Openroadoutfitters.com talk to Dale and tell him John told you. We have done alot of camping my wife and I over the years and we have even run a few camping clubs. Now were trying to interduce this to the bike club we belong back here in Maryland. I've got to be honest I spiol them first hand when we showed up with the family camper and they were on there bikes. First of the two trips I've talked them in to is Harpers Ferry, Virginia and those long rides down the those winding mountain highways and over to the race track at Charles town.