MC Camping on the Cheap

I only use the duct tape to repair tears and holes since I use the jacket hiking and bicycling too.

Check out this cool tent.

http://killeen.craigslist.org/for/4589781480.html

Based on that really detail sketch, it looks like a pup tent. Spent too many nights in one of those when I worked for my rich Uncle Sam. If they have the tent, why on earth wouldn't they post a picture of it -- or at least the box? Anyway, you can buy pup tents new for about that price.

Time for a new bed. I just bought a Coleman Slim Twin airbed (see link below). One of the guys at the StromaThon had one, and I finally decided to pick one up for a trial. Dimensions are 75" long x 26" wide x 5" deep if fully inflated. Walmart price was only $19.99 - cheaper than Amazon, plus I would be able to return it easily if I pulled it out of the package & didn't like it.

[ame="http://smile.amazon.com/Coleman-QuickBed-Lite-Single-Airbed/dp/B00FF3AMAK/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1408652281&sr=8-8&keywords=coleman+air+mattress"]Amazon.com : Coleman QuickBed Lite Slim Twin Single High Airbed : Camping Air Mattresses : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]


Full disclosure - I haven't slept on it - only inflated it & spent a few minutes lounging on the bedroom floor. Observations, likes, & concerns are:
- Bigger & wider than my old Stansport. There's room for all of me plus a pillow on this beast. And I can actually roll over without ending up half on the ground. On the downside, at 75" long it's the same length as my tent, meaning my head be will crowded under the slope of the end.
- Thicker. Not fully inflated, it's still thicker than the old one. I think I can sleep through the night on this without my arm going to sleep every hour.
- Easily inflatable. A pump would be nice, but I don't need one. Unlike the old one that Superman couldn't budge, I can inflate this one on lung power without exertion, meaning I don't have to carry an electric pump anymore.
- Deflates really easily. No more hooking it to an electric pump and sucking for 10 minutes. Unplug, walk away for a few minutes, then finish the job by rolling it.
- Folds up into a 12" x 12" x 3" square, or rolls into a 12" x 5" tube. A little larger than the old Stansport, but still not bad. Plus, I'm recouping some of that space by not having to carry my air pump. The pictures below show it both folded & rolled.
- Unknowns: Is it durable? Like all products, reviews show a lot of fans who love it and a few haters who swear it will fail on the first use. But that could happen to my old one, too. I need to buy a patch kit and tuck it away.

That going to take up a bunch of space. You going to put it in the top case? Let us know how comfortable it is. Won't have to carry that noisy air pump any longer but that is still really big,but comfort is what it is.

More space than the old one, but not enormously more. And I just bought back several cubes by being able to ditch the air pump. As far as carrying, I have several options. One is to tube-roll it (see picture) and tie it lengthwise along the left pannier. That way I don't lose any internal storage space, and it adds precious little frontal area to my overall packing rig when I go camping. If I do that I'll probably buy a small compression bag from Academy, more to protect it than to compress it.

anxious for bearable weather so I can start doing more mo-camping. Does anyone recommend one sleeping bag liner over another? Ive used a cotton sheet and a USMC poncho liner for cold weather. Wool is alot warmer, but I am looking at the $10-15 range microfiber ones at academy. Can anyone vouch for their quality, waste of money, added comfort?

Aren't we all anxious??!! I just bought this one (link below) for $20. I have no idea how it'll work in practice, but just looking at it, it appears to be reasonable quality. Like you, I wanted something that could be a cover-up in moderate weather, but also something to add a few degrees protection to those cold Colorado nights.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009PUQM8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]Amazon.com : Coleman Stratus Fleece Sleeping-Bag Liner (Color May Vary) : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

I'm eager for bearable weather just because--camping or no camping.

For real. I'm tired of getting drenched in sweat just riding home from work.

I can't wait for proper camping weather. I'm caging up to the Whichita mountains this weekend and "camping" at a Hilton garden inn just to be outdoors. Hopefully I'll recreate this trip actually camping this fall. I have some new gear that needs a good shakedown trip.

Now that I'm entering my sixth decade (sixty years old...older than dirt...ろくじゅうさい) my "toughness" level seems to be receding. The clip-on handlebars on my motorcycle have sprouted risers for a more upright riding position. I have also changed the saddle to a Corbin that increases the "miles before pain" coefficient.

I also find myself turning into a "comfort camper". I was craving a tent in which I could actually stand up to get dressed, so I switched to a Eureka Copper Canyon 4.



Roomy! Sort of a "Tent Mahal". The ventilation is outstanding for warm weather camping due to the large windows on all sides. (Problematic when it is cold, though. Nearly the entire roof under the rainfly is mesh.) It actually packs in no more room than my previous tent. The upright poles, being steel, are heavier but that is not really a problem for motorcycle camping.

I was also tired of getting up and down from the floor, so I invested in a Roll-A-Cot. http://www.camptime.com/roll-a-cot.htm When packed it is 36" x 5"...about the same size as the typical folding camp chair. I gave up carrying one of those chairs in lieu of the Roll-A-Cot. The cot is super comfortable and the Mesh fabric tension is adjustable.



The mesh bag case becomes a very handy storage pouch on the side of the cot when assembled. Great for keeping glasses, flashlight, teddy bear or anything you want easy access to while on the cot. Also, because of the height, you can store lots of treasures under the cot, leaving more tent floor space available. I was worried a bit about the point load of the cot legs on the tent floor fabric, so I use sofa slider coasters under them to spread the load. The coaster discs take up nearly no precious packing space.

Poor Guzzi does look a bit like a Pack Mule when loaded out. Is this any way to treat an Italian motorbike?



Tent and sleeping bag are in the Ventura Rack Packs on top, heavier items are in the saddlebags to help keep the CG low. Roll-A-Cot and tent poles are secured under the Ventura rack.

I realize that this may not be 100% in keeping with the thread title regarding camping on the cheap, but I thought the info might be of interest. While not exactly cheap, these aren't break-the-bank type items, either. The Roll-A-Cot is available for about $100, and the while the Copper Canyon 4 tent typically sells for $160 to $180, sales are not uncommon. I found mine on ebay for $139, shipping included.

If that's what your Guzzi looks like fully loaded for a camping trip, you're doing fine - and you probably travel otherwise light. That is one big honkin' tent. I'll have to look it up; I want to see what it looks like packed down for travel.

tshelfer said:

That is one big honkin' tent. I'll have to look it up; I want to see what it looks like packed down for travel.

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The factory square duffel the Copper Canyon 4 comes in is 26"x9"x9", but that is loosely packed. It weighs 22 pounds, with poles.

In the motorcycle photo, the tent, fly, tyvek ground cloth and some odds and ends are in the forward pack of the two pack Ventura setup. Look for the zipper that connects the two and you can get an idea of how much space is being used. As I recall, the bag is 30 liters capacity. It is an older one that Ventura no longer sells, so I can't check the official specs.

I may try a compression bag for it. I'm guessing a 15 liter bag might do (not including poles, of course). I'm almost certain a 20 liter bag would work. I don't have any that size right now, or I would test the theory.

Been a while since anybody's posted on this thread. I want to mention a new camping mattress I bought. It's a Coleman air mattress, as depicted in this link:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-QuickBed-Lite-Single-Airbed/dp/B00FF3AMAK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415072671&sr=8-3&keywords=coleman+camping+mattress"]Amazon.com : Coleman QuickBed Lite Slim Twin Single High Airbed : Camping Air Mattresses : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

I bought mine at Walmart for $22, and used it for the first time camping on my Talimena trip a couple of weeks ago. I loved it. It's not quite as compact as my old Stansport, but plenty compact enough for bike camping.

Inflating is easy; no pump required. I can inflate it to the max with 60 easy breaths. Once inflated, it's about 5" thick, maybe 26" wide (wide enough to roll over without ending up on the ground), and 73" long.

Two nights on this mattress, and I can tell you I haven't slept better in a tent in years!

I love my camp cot from WalMart. It's 28" x 8" x 2" folded and makes a great 6" high cot that fits my tent. I sleep like a log on it, and a rainy night is not gonna get it even if the tent floods.
$28

veriest1 said:

One of my favorite purchases off there is the often overlooked down vest (also check Cabela after Christmas). Packs small and adds lots of warmth on and off the bike but since there's no sleeves a lot of people some people steer clear of them. They typically layer really easy with MC gear since they don't have sleeves. For example in sub 20F weather I'll wear my heated liner jacket with the vest over it and the MC jacket over that. Works a treat even at highway speeds.

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I have really taken to insulated vests since I started riding in the cold. Less fabric to bunch up under the armpits when worn under a motorcycle jacket, and keeping core temp up is important. I just layer mine over or under something with sleeves.

tshelfer said:

Aren't we all anxious??!! I just bought this one (link below) for $20. I have no idea how it'll work in practice, but just looking at it, it appears to be reasonable quality. Like you, I wanted something that could be a cover-up in moderate weather, but also something to add a few degrees protection to those cold Colorado nights.

Amazon.com : Coleman Stratus Fleece Sleeping-Bag Liner (Color May Vary) : Sports & Outdoors

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The price has gone up to $60 on this. For $20, a 200-weight fleece bag was a steal.


I did fine a probably-decent bag liner for $20:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-MicroFiber-Rectangle-Sleeping/dp/B0026JELLW/ref=pd_sbs_sg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1H9114KN317XE8M3EEQY"]Amazon.com : ALPS Mountaineering MicroFiber Rectangle Sleeping Bag Liner : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]


Last year I picked up a Big Agnes insulated air core mattress. Got it for $53, combination of sale + 20% off coupon at REI. While it is not self-inflating, it is so much more comfortable at 4" than my thermarest self-inflating one at 3/4". I'm a side / stomach sleeper, and while it's a bit narrow for that, I'm never sore in the morning. Packs down to probably less than half the volume of the thermarest, but I do also use an air pump (coleman, walmart, $10-12 I think) because I don't have much of a set of lungs in me. And because the volume is distributed in two different short pieces (the mattress is about the size of a quart bottle), it's easier to pack than the long skinny thermarest.

For car camping so far I've been using an el cheapo blue foam pad underneath it, just to protect it from anything that might have wound up inside the tent.

Deflation is a snap; unscrew the valve with your sleeping bag still on top and it gets out 95% of the air in a few minutes. Rest of the air is removed during the folding / rolling process.

I should caution that the reviews of this seem to indicate quality problems; lots of folks with leaks. Supposedly Big Agnes will replace? Especially relevant now that REI has completely gutted their guarantee of satisfaction. I've used mine probably a dozen nights at least, and no problems yet. It's a year old.

I've got a little slime powersport air compressor for tires; I should probably figure out if I can find an adapter that will work with the mattress.


That coleman slim twin looks nice; weighs less than 5 lbs, too.

Kat013 said:

The price has gone up to $60 on this. For $20, a 200-weight fleece bag was a steal.

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I have no idea why outside retailers do what they do with prices on Amazon. Yes, inexplicably, the merchant I bought mine from for under $20 is now advertising the same liners for $59.22 . But another merchant is advertising exactly the same ones for $14.98.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000008063-Stratus-Sleeping-Bag/dp/B00NSF9Q90/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1415280031&sr=1-2&keywords=coleman+sleeping+bag+liner"]Amazon.com : Coleman 2000008063 Stratus Sleeping Bag, Polyester Fleece, Orange/Teal, 33 x 75-In. : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

tshelfer said:

I have no idea why outside retailers do what they do with prices on Amazon. Yes, inexplicably, the merchant I bought mine from for under $20 is now advertising the same liners for $59.22 . But another merchant is advertising exactly the same ones for $14.98.
Amazon.com : Coleman 2000008063 Stratus Sleeping Bag, Polyester Fleece, Orange/Teal, 33 x 75-In. : Sports & Outdoors

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I got a similar one in blue at Walmart and it was around $15-17. Easy to run over there and just pick one up. Makes a great summer sleeping bag. Will be toting it this weekend for camping at the 40 degree level at night. The one I have has straps to keep it bundled up.

Not surprised, Drew. Academy Sports has them too. But if you can sleep in just that thing on a 40ish degree night, you're a better man than I am.

Just the thread I needed, going to start building my camping gear. I'm cheap so it'll be a long road.

M@! said:

Just the thread I needed, going to start building my camping gear. I'm cheap so I should be right at home on this thread.

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Fixed it for ya.

tshelfer said:

Not surprised, Drew. Academy Sports has them too. But if you can sleep in just that thing on a 40ish degree night, you're a better man than I am.

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Oh no it will be a extra in case I get chilly. I do use it normally only during the summer. I think it would not be wise to use by itself during the winter.

M@! said:

Just the thread I needed, going to start building my camping gear. I'm cheap so it'll be a long road.

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The best way to get honest advise on camping gear is to come to a pie run or Meet and Greet camp out. There are a half dozen or so folks that will be glad to share with you and show you their camping equipment. You can see and "test drive" the stuff that way you can figure out between all the sources which product will work best in your application. This thread is also a fantastic way to hear about gear that has worked for campers and discount items that might work in your set up. Tim is our local cheapo deal finder he does more research than the NSA. Read the whole thread you will get 20 different responses. Tim you might even put up a question about gear on here. Something like what sleeping bag,tent,sleeping pad,and so on you use? We do have a good amount of campers on here. I am a restart on camping but a one time many moons ago I camped a lot. Just started back in 2011 with TWT.

Campmor has Kelty camp pillows on sale for about ten bucks.