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TOPIC Hijack ;-) MC camping secrets

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skiphunt

skiphunt

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What are some of your best motorcycle camping tips and secrets? ie. most efficient packing.. clothing choices that cover you in multiple climates without taking up too much room, etc.

One thing I don't have covered myself is that I like to have coffee in the morning and always have to just drive off somewhere nearby (if not TOO remote) to get coffee. It would be nice to have a compact way to heat up water for coffee or soup without having to buy specialized fuels or need electricity. Tips?
 
skiphunt said:
I like to have coffee in the morning
Click to expand...

Jetboil! I'm wanting one myself, but haven't dropped the cash yet.
Great for ramen noodles, soup, coffee, tea, cocoa... anything you can just add hot water to.

Jetboil-s.jpg
 
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I use an MSR Whisperlite Multifuel Stove, it will run on the same thing the bike does. I just fill up the stove, when I am filling up the bike. I also bought a plastic thing at HEB that holds the triangle type coffee filter and sits on top of my coffee cup. Heat water, pour into filter, drips through coffee right into cup. Simple, small and lightweight.
 
Squeaky said:
Jetboil! I'm wanting one myself, but haven't dropped the cash yet.
Great for ramen noodles, soup, coffee, tea, cocoa... anything you can just add hot water to.

Jetboil-s.jpg
Click to expand...

Is that cannister a standard size? How would you know how much fuel you have left before a trip?
 
Big Bandit said:
I use an MSR Whisperlite Multifuel Stove, it will run on the same thing the bike does. I just fill up the stove, when I am filling up the bike. I also bought a plastic thing at HEB that holds the triangle type coffee filter and sits on top of my coffee cup. Heat water, pour into filter, drips through coffee right into cup. Simple, small and lightweight.
Click to expand...

Nice! I'm a little lazy.. and have got used to having to drink Nescafe in Mexico. So just getting the water hot would be all I'd need to do. I even premix the Nescafe with sugar so that I only have to carry one container.
 
skiphunt said:
Is that cannister a standard size? How would you know how much fuel you have left before a trip?
Click to expand...

The canister is specific to the Jetboil, but they say it lasts a while. I would just always have a backup fuel cell with me. They are selling them in so many stores now, you could probably just pick up another backup once you swap over (assuming you're still in the U.S.).

What I like about it is the size and ease of use. I often go for cocoa and tea on a trip, so I'm carrying an insulated mug anyway. All the stuff this comes with fits inside the mug when you pack it up.

Head over to an REI and play with one. They usually have one out for demos.
 
Squeaky said:
The canister is specific to the Jetboil, but they say it lasts a while. I would just always have a backup fuel cell with me. They are selling them in so many stores now, you could probably just pick up another backup once you swap over (assuming you're still in the U.S.).

What I like about it is the size and ease of use. I often go for cocoa and tea on a trip, so I'm carrying an insulated mug anyway. All the stuff this comes with fits inside the mug when you pack it up.

Head over to an REI and play with one. They usually have one out for demos.
Click to expand...

I think I DID see that at REI and was either put off by a high price, or the specialized fuel cell. Will check it out again though. Thanks!
 
Another tip... I have one of those plastic inflatable coolers. It packs down to about the size of a softball.. then you just air it up and it becomes a decent cooler that'll hold a couple bottles of wine ;-) and perishables for two.

In a pinch... I'll just turn my raincoat or rain pants that are made of that rubberized fabric.. inside out and tie-off the sleeves or legs to hold in the water, dump a bag of ice inside, and hoila.. instant cooler. When finished, dump out the water and shake it dry.
 
skiphunt said:
Another tip... I have one of those plastic inflatable coolers. It packs down to about the size of a softball.. then you just air it up and it becomes a decent cooler that'll hold a couple bottles of wine ;-) and perishables for two.

In a pinch... I'll just turn my raincoat or rain pants that are made of that rubberized fabric.. inside out and tie-off the sleeves or legs to hold in the water, dump a bag of ice inside, and hoila.. instant cooler. When finished, dump out the water and shake it dry.
Click to expand...

I use a dry bag. It folds up small but you can put ice and whatever inside. Because it is not insultated the ice usually melts in 4-6 hours. I normally do this when I go for a day ride and return to the same camp. I stop by a store and pick up supper and drinks, ice it down and it keeps everything cold until bedtime, by which it has all been consumed anyway. Where did you buy the blow up cooler? That would offer some insulation.
 
Squeaky said:
The canister is specific to the Jetboil, but they say it lasts a while. I would just always have a backup fuel cell with me. They are selling them in so many stores now, you could probably just pick up another backup once you swap over (assuming you're still in the U.S.).

What I like about it is the size and ease of use. I often go for cocoa and tea on a trip, so I'm carrying an insulated mug anyway. All the stuff this comes with fits inside the mug when you pack it up.

Head over to an REI and play with one. They usually have one out for demos.
Click to expand...

Other companies make canisters that will work and you can pick them up at any outdoor store like REI, Academy, etc. I believe that they are a propane/iisobutane mix. They are standard and I use mine for my camping light and jetboil. The jetboil canister is nice because it fits in the cup for storage and I dont think the other brands will (too wide).

You can shake the canister and get an idea how much is left.

I use folgers coffee singles because they pack themselves and they will not spill or make a mess and they taste better than star$'s (imho)

I timed my JB this weekend and it took under three minutes to boil 2 cups of room temp tap water in under three minutes. Nice.
 
We used a fold-up insulated cooler on our trip. The idea was to make the last stop before making camp at a gas station or convenience store where they'd allow us to fill our Camelbaks with ice fromt he fountain machine. Put the ice-filled bladders in the cooler, add whatever food & drink we wanted to keep cold for the night, and go. By morning, we'd be eatig the last of the food and the Camelbaks would already be filled with clean drinking water from the melted ice.
 
Here's a fair weather sleeping tip. I have a nylon mesh hammock that rolls into a fist size ball. Sling that between two trees. Tie off another rope a couple of feet higher and flip a tarp over that line. Tie out the edges of the tarp giving you a nice shelter peaking over your hammock. Throw the sleeping bag up into the hammock and sleep in comfort, off the ground and away from those pesky ants. The tarp will keep the dew off of you.

Dave.
 
I enjoy cooking while camping and consider a good set of nesting pots an essential item. The air pocket in the center of the very compact GSI non-stick set that I found at REI is just large enough to cradle my MSR Superfly adjustable cannister stove. Folding utensils stack on top just inside the drawstring mesh bag that holds the pots. The bag is great after clean up for hanging up the utensils to air dry.

Flatworld folding mugs, plates, and bowls are awesome, too. They clean up easily and fold completely flat. They're also kind to the environment:no paper plates to haul or packaging to throw away. Available at Whole Earth Provisions and REI.

A collapsible thermal-lined plastic lunch bag (zippered) becomes a cooler in no time. Just add ice (or pack with blue ice and perishables for short weekend trips).

A collapsible 10-liter water jug with a spigot and handle packs down to the size of a Frisbee.

Packing tip: roll clean clothing into your sleeping bag along with a pillow case or draw string cloth laundry bag. Put the clothes in the pillow case/laundry bag when you unroll the bag. Instant pillow. Swap out with dirty clothes. Instant laundry bag.

Big splurge item: plunge pot for coffee in the morning. Yeah, hubby and I are particular about our coffee. This is the one luxury item that we afford ourselves on a camping trip. The one big justification to carrying it along is that you can pack a lot of stuff in it, like plastic utensils, coffee, and other nonperishable items.
 
Nice Hi jack Skiphunt

JETBOIL stove

I took one on my last MC trip. It lived up to all the hype. I did learn two things about the Jetboil the hard way ( didn't read the directions).
1. Light the stove before you put the cup on.
2. When storing, put the fuel can inside the cup upside down.

Last time I went to Arkansas I took a lot of pictures of camp grounds and their facilities with the intention of starting a "cheap places to motorcycle camp in Arkansas" thread. Unfortunately my pictures are too big I guess to upload. Maybe I'll figure out how to resize them. A good camp I found was Haw Creek Falls on 123. Only $3 to camp and I was the only one there.

+1 on the folding cups.
 
Hairsmith said:
Boiling water the old fashion way.
Kelly Kettle

kk_pint.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice! I like my canister stove, but the Kelly Kettle appears to be really cool to have because of fuel versatility. I've underestimated cooking times with my canister stove and come up short on fuel a couple of times when trying out new recipes, especially when cooking dried beans/legumes. This takes care of that problem and eliminates a prep step (buying a fuel canister) during packing. I've been entertaining the idea of getting a second stove because I really like to cook outdoors and often need to have two burners going at once. Looks like I just found the second stove.

The accessory kit packs inside the 2.5 pint version. Sweet!

Thank you for sharing this!

Thanks for starting this thread, Skip!
 
Big Bandit said:
I use an MSR Whisperlite Multifuel Stove, it will run on the same thing the bike does. I just fill up the stove, when I am filling up the bike.
Click to expand...

I use the same stove for the same reason. I always am aroung gas when on the bike.

Personally, I like it much better than a Jetboil. It just seems like it can do more.
 
Or go with a $35 integrated solution; a military hammock. I have one of these that is perfect for warm/hot weather.

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/jungle-hammock---olive-drab.htm

mlinkibikr said:
Here's a fair weather sleeping tip. I have a nylon mesh hammock that rolls into a fist size ball. Sling that between two trees. Tie off another rope a couple of feet higher and flip a tarp over that line. Tie out the edges of the tarp giving you a nice shelter peaking over your hammock. Throw the sleeping bag up into the hammock and sleep in comfort, off the ground and away from those pesky ants. The tarp will keep the dew off of you.

Dave.
Click to expand...
 
- A CD make a good signal mirror and shaving mirror.

- wrap duct tape around something flat, like a CD cover, and you can carry a lot in a small space.

- spend a few buck on a roll of 14 gauge wire a Home Depot. It is the perfect tool to use if a shoe string breaks, you need to wire a cup or something to your backpack, use as a bungee, make clothespins, blaugh, blagh, blaa...

- LED headlamps and flashlites rule the word of darkness when small and light is key

- carry a pair of cheap flip flops will make the end of the day, bathroom trips at night, and getting ready in the morning a lot more fun.
 
Well, I am going to add a ripstop military style poncho. It has eyelets in it so that you can tie it up and use it as a tarp. On our trip we tied it up to help block the wind.

I am sure you can find them cheaper than this site; it was just the first one I found that had a decent picture. http://www.armynavydeals.com/asp/products_details.asp?SKU=4865&ST=2

Also, don't forget the 550 cord.

Skid
 
As you can see, I don't have a clue about how to pack light:
:doh:

After a recent two-week trip, my suggestion would be to pack the lightest/thinnest clothing possible, especially if you can expect mild weather. For instance, work-out pants instead of jeans. A camping chamois towel packs a lot better than a regular bath towel too.

BTW, anybody here ever tried Esbit tablets for cooking?
 
We have a saying in the Army...

Pack light, freeze at night.
 
Here is a site that has loads of information on everything hiking related including building your own stoves, packing essentials, etc.

http://hikinghq.net/
 
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