EJ's Motorcycle Pages
My thoughts on Motorcycle Camping Gear
I have a growing interest in motorcycle touring and
camping. I will probably attend several bike rallies in the western US this
year. I attended the Airheads Death
Valley Rendezvous in 2002 and had a great time, and the BMWMOA Nationals in
Redmond, OR in 2001.
At my first rallies, I was impressed by people who can
pack all their gear in their saddlebags, so I've been on something of a quest to
find the best way to do this. In my opinion, motorcycle camping gear should pack
small, and not be outrageously expensive. Light weight is nice, but your bike is
unlikely to notice 5 extra pounds, though your back certainly will on a long
hike!
So where do you find suitable motorcycle camping stuff?
Well, start off with the usual backpacking-oriented places.
REI is a good start.
Campmor is a good place to save some money
too. But there are places that specialize in motorcycle camping - check out
Aerostitch and
Whitehorse Press. Also look at
bicycle shops - bicycle touring has many of the same requirements.
Performance Bike is one of my
favorites.
The biggest space-wasters are the tent, sleeping bag,
sleeping pad, and stove with fuel. Here's what works for me:
Tents
The problem with most tents on motorcycles is the pack
size is so long, because the poles are in such long segments. This is
true even with the ultra-small bivy tents. I wanted to fit the tent inside
my saddle bags. I also wanted something with strong aluminum poles. At a
windstorm in Death Valley, I just heard way too many fiberglass poles break.
And, of course, I didn't want to spend a fortune.
For
around $120, Eureka's Mountain Pass 1XT
seems like a winner of a tent for solo use. It sports a 3' x 8' floor plan, has
sitting headroom, is somewhat storm-worthy, has two large vestibules for gear,
and packs to an amazing 5.5"x12". It is freestanding if you don't want to bother
with stakes, yet has plenty of tie-down points when you need them. Eureka makes
a smaller packing tent with the same footprint, but it has a much less
substantial rain fly and doesn't have the vestibule space. They also make some
that can accommodate 2 people.
I'm really happy with this tent so far. My only complaint
is that the stuff sack that is provided is much larger than it needs to be. I've
hemmed mine to pack the tent tighter.
Eureka makes a few other suitable tents. Also, check out
the Coleman Peak 1 Aries. They don't
advertise the pack size, but after I bought the Eureka I noticed one in a store.
It packs extremely small (comparable to the Mountain Pass), but sleeps two
people. If I had known it packs so small before I bought the Eureka, I may
very well have picked up the Aries instead. Either tent should perform well.
Sleeping Bags
I wanted a sleeping bag that would be comfort rated to around 32 degrees
Fahrenheit / 0 celsius. I figure I am unlikely to camp with a motorcycle in
colder conditions, and I find myself too hot in most bags anyways. I also wanted
the bag to be synthetic - Goose down is nice, but I don't want to worry about it
getting wet (and worthless). And as always, money is a factor.
I found several winners - the "Exponent by Coleman
Canyon 32" sleeping bag and the Slumberjack
Denali Super Guide Long +30 are each inexpensive (under US$80) and pack very
tight (6x16 and 6.5x15 inches), and tighter yet in a compression sack.
I
went with the Slumberjack based on the recommendations of a retailer who carries
both, and the Slumberjack is available in a long version. I'm about 6'0" and
find most sleeping bags a little short, but the long Slumberjack is a real
treat.
I couldn't be much happier. In a
Granite Gear Round "Rock Solid"
Compression Stuff Sack, I can get it down to about the size of a cantaloupe.
It warms up FAST if you close up the mummy top around your head, yet by playing
with the drawstrings and zippers it can adapt to a wide temperature range.
Another bag worth researching is the Kelty Tourlite 40
degree bag, available only at Performance Bike.
Sleeping Pad
I am using a simple, cheap ($5) inflatable air mattress. it packs to about
the same size as a paperback book. When it wears out (and I expect it to), I'll
spring for something like a Thermarest Ultralight 3/4. It packs to a tube 11"
long by 3.5" in diameter.
Stove
There are today a number of extremely tiny, yet affordable
stoves that attach to butane/propane cartridges. I bought a
Markill/Vaude Hot Shot that was under $30 and
has piezoelectric (push-button) ignition, and packs to approximately 4"x2"x2".
But there are many like it of similar size - the MSR Pocket Rocket, the Snowpeak
GigaPower, and the Primus Alpine. They can take a variety of cartridges -
not the big 16 oz. Coleman-style propane, but the smaller butane/propane mixes
sold under many brand names. Snowpeak makes a very tiny cartridge (GP-110) that
will work. Note that the Campinggaz cartridges are NOT threaded and won't work
with all stoves like this (but will, of course, work with a Campinggaz stove.)
End result:
I can fit ALL the above, plus some other stuff, inside the small
left-side BMW GS Touring Case. This leaves the large right-side case available
for clothes, etc. And the rear rack is completely available for a duffel bag,
collapsable chair, or anything else that will fit.
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