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Camping Gear Suggestions

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wczimmerman said:
It's a $350 difference in luggage from the 21's (which are sold in pairs) to the 36's.
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If I remember correctly, there are 2 varieties of 36es. The "deluxe" ones have a elastic strap and a paper pocket for storage. At one time these were like $165 each and the "bare bones" without the above were about $130 each.

I think I got talked into the deluxe ones but a good DIY guy could outfit the basic ones and come out a lot cheaper.

OK, I was close - Twisted Throttle has the E36N for $165 and the E36NJ for $138. Savings of about $55 for the NJ model.
 
REI is a great place to get started.
The REI-branded gear is good quality for much lower then North Face and other top-line brands. Quality seems to be just as good as the top line stuff too.

ThermaRest makes mattresses that are full length and 3/4 length that fold/roll up to a 8"x4" roll. Mine is older and doesn't fold that small so its the size of a tent. These small ones are higher priced, but sometimes ya gotta pay to get the size down.

Sleeping bags are going to be expensive to compress down that small. Most likely going to have to be down-filled (more $$). My North Face synthetic-filled bag does not compress to anything small enough for the small Givi bags. It usually lives on the back seat with the tent and mattress.

Stoves are going to be the easy part. MSR makes a huge line of stoves that are mostly affordable. I have the DragonFly (don't know if they even make it anymore). I love it, but it is really noisy. Very fine control of the flame though. Packs small and burns most any semi-flammable liquid
 
The E36NJ is a great case as Chuck mentioned. I'd save highly recommend them.
 
I use to be able to sleep on the ground and get a good nights sleep.
But that was long long ago in a far far off land.
Now I enjoy getting up off the ground, If I am going light weight I use a Hennessy Hammock Its great for quick and easy set up and tear down for solo use.
If I do go with a tent the thermarest just does not cut it alone. There are a couple of cots that pack up small enough to work on the motorcycle.
This is the one I have The UltraLite Cot
ulcinhand.jpg
 
Keep the information coming! We're going to make a run to REI tomorrow for ideas...
 
Tracker said:
Sorry ladies. One other essential item for the tent, especially if you're an older guy. Get yourself one of the wide mouth laundry soap bottles and remove the pour spout, but save the top to seal it. Put this in your tent--very handy on a cold winter night. :trust:
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Available from most any pilot shop...

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I like the Sterno that Bennett mentioned earlier in this thread. I just carry the can, no stove. Easy to find a few rocks or a BBQ pit to use it in.

Last couple of years I started using the 77c floats from Walmart for beds. It can be used as a float. Rather than fold it up when I break camp, I usually just give it to a nearby kid.
 
I have been thinking about tarps. Check out this site:

http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/tarp/TarpShel.htm

There are a lot of YouTubes on tarps. I am looking for overnight camping use in remote areas with my CT (padre fishing, big bend...). The small size of the ct and the difference between a small tent and a rope/tarp setup is huge.

If any of you do the tarp camping, how do you wash a filthy tarp?
 
Good information on tarps. I would like to add one to my camp set up just for lounging room and added shelter. To many bugs in east Texas for me to consider going tarp alone.
Washing one.... well camp in the rain ! :trust:

I just got a couple of these stoves the other day. Great product and great guy to deal with. Stever Stove
stovewithpot.jpg
 
What can keep a sleeping bag clean and dry while on the bike during a storm? Are there special waterproof bags for them?
 
I put all my camping stuff into a Cabela's dry bag (duffel style). My tent goes in there in it's own separate dry bag that way if it's wet when I go to break camp, it doesn't get everything else wet along with it.

When I get to camp, I unstrap the duffel from the bike, carry it over to where my tent will live, and everything is in there so I don't have to make multiple trips back and forth to the bike. Tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, pillow, and camp ax are all in one spot.
 
I use a compression stuff sack to pack my sleeping bag, then it can fit into one of my panniers and I can be sure it stays dry, out of the way, and safe from wandering eyes. I prefer to keep things off the back seat/rear rack of my bike when possible so I don't have such a hard time swinging my leg over. This only works when you pack light and/or have big enough panniers though.

If carrying it out is a must look into the dry bags (like Bill said) that are made to keeps things sealed away from moisture even when kayaking/boating.
 
Put a heavy duty trash bag inside your stuff sack before you stuff the sleeping bag in. Squeeze all the air out and twist the top of the trash bag before you cinch the opening closed. The bag will stay dry. Be careful not to rip the trash bag liner when you are stuffing and carry a spare just in case.
 
Jamie and I camp using a 2 person tent from REI. It cost more, but weighs nothing and is great for the bike. I also got small sleeping bags and two thermarests. I love moto camping. here are some pictures.

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We have done 3-4 long trips (1 week or more) two up camping and it has been awesome.
 
Dry bags are also available at Acadamy. There the way to go for keeping stuff dry on a bike. I found some that have D-rings and straps making them much easer to lash down on the bike. As Helen2Wheels is known to say "If its not tight its not Right" Her old company has some of the best dry bags for use on the bike because there is a tie down strap all the way down the side.
 
I would getting the dry bags that have the opening along the side, (or lenghtwise), not on the end. These are much easier to get into.
 
Hardie is correct the side opening is MUCH easer to get into and dig around in.

Wolfman Motorcycle Luggage does have an end opening dry bag that opens at both ends. I would not remember what end the stuff I was looking for was in but YMMV. It is a need idea.
 
Hairsmith said:
Good information on tarps. I would like to add one to my camp set up just for lounging room and added shelter. To many bugs in east Texas for me to consider going tarp alone.
Washing one.... well camp in the rain ! :trust:

I just got a couple of these stoves the other day. Great product and great guy to deal with. Stever Stove
stovewithpot.jpg
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That's pretty amazing! Have you used it much yet? Are you leaving the jetboil at home now?
 
dittos on the MSR. For me, I have to be able to quickly boil water for coffee and shaving, etc. Most of my camping is car and I like the Coleman propane stoves alot. They are fast, no pumping, priming, etc and the cannister lasts a long time . Just bought a cool, inexpensive single cup coffee maker from REI. It is a plastic funnel that sits on a coffee cup, has a little screened compartment to hold coffee(or you can put a small coffee filter in it) and makes a great cup of drip coffee.

Speaking as a retired soldier, I repeat the posted guidance about a down a mid to light weight down bag. I have never been uncomfortable in a decent down bag. I have been cold, clammy in NON down bags. You can always add a fleece liner(and it doesnt have to be a liner either- a light blanket thrown over the bag works also) to a light bag and be comfortable. I have one of the ultra thin self-inflating mattress pads that I bought years ago and is still going strong. Today, I generally dont sleep on the ground anymore but put the pad on a lightweight cot called a "Go Cot", I bought about 25 yrs ago and it is still working great also. I doubt if you would want to carry the cot on a bike but it is relatively small. I use to take it with me in the field on deployments when I had the luxury of a vehicle with a trailer.
 
For non motorcycle camping I also like Coleman. I have the old pump gas stoves and lights. The pumping is not a problem. I did buy propane connector for the stove but have never needed to use it.
 
I love sleeping with Big Agnes!!
Agnes is a sleeping bag/air mattress system that works fabulously! And is very comfortable. The air mattress slips into a cover on the back of the sleeping bag so you never have a problem with the sleeping back slipping off of the air mattress. I have never had a problem with the air mattress deflating even after many uses. I opted for the down bag since I am a bit cold natured. It all packs down very small. The system is a little more expensive but well worth every cent!
 
Kit_McConnico said:
That's pretty amazing! Have you used it much yet? Are you leaving the jetboil at home now?
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I have used it more at work for heating Water for coffee than any where else.
For camping I still need to put together a wind shield for it. Makes a big difference in how fast it has water boiling.
The JetBoil is still the best I have found. But this take up very little space and does not need a gas canister.
 
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