Tent Camping on your bike

Show me your set-up....

This is my last overnight set-up using a lean-to.

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Set up at the Big Sioux River in Trent, SD.

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Ten minutes to pack, set-up and break down.
Fast and Light.
What does your's look like?

 

just made me laugh, seeing all that strapped all over the bike, but i guess ive never attempted it, so i guess its to be expected if your going camping on a bike.

Looks like you got a comfy setup there with the tent

 

Slightly less comfy set-up with the seat on your bike!! My a$$ is sore from just looking at that!

 

I think I need a bigger bike to haul my 15X20 cabin tent and king size camp bed

I am glad you posted this. My friends and I are thinking about doing a lap Lake Superior trip next summer.

 

I would love to do that. I think I would have to fit everything in a backpack, but it could be done.

I think this would look "sweet" on my back:


Although this is what I actually have that would work and not result in me ending up like Jack Nicholson ended up in Easy Rider.

 

Here's me over-pack job from a couple years ago (weekend of remote primitive camping plus another several days worth of clothes - you'd think I was going to two months). And there isn't even a tent in there! It wouldn't have been so bad without the cooler and camera bag on the tail. Also note the 'backpack tank bag.'


IMG_9898 by oblivion9999, on Flickr

 

Oh man one of my favorite subjects. I have to see if I can dig up some of my photos, but I rode from Albuquerque, NM to Boston, MA. Took me 8 days (you could do it faster, depending on the material your butt is constructed from) and I camped almost the whole way.

I used one of those 1 or 2 person pup tents with a single pole, from Coleman. Although better stuff is most definitely nicer (and I would recommend it if you can afford), it worked and it only cost $40. It is a lot of stuff to put on a bike though.

Bike camping is worth every second.

 

In this case, I was lucky that someone in the group volunteered to bring a tent for me. And I could have ditched the cooler due to the kindness of friends, but I went for it. Note, had it rained, I had bags for critical stuff, but the bulk of my gear would have gotten wet. This is not ideal.

I've now got a WR250R I'm kind of jonesing to take on long camping weekend. I'll definitely need to learn to downsize!

 

would love to do something like this, but i dont know anyone else that has a bike. and camping alone is no fun, much less convincing my wife to let me go away wont happen as she doesnt approve of my new purchase (my xj), she works in medical field and hates cycles with a passion because shes ALWYASE sees the after math of what happens when people dont repesct riders, or the rides dont respect there machines.

 

This is the most I've slapped on the Seca -- saddlebags mounted precariously, and then my rear luggage.

Not the greatest picture for an example. I have more somewhere. This was on the trip from Atlanta to Gettysburg over two days.

 

I need to replace my sun baked saddle bags that are as large as the big leather cruisers, but are made of Cordura. One side of mine is insulated for ice/drinks/whateva. After exhaustive searching, I still haven't found a good replacement. I visited one of our local cycle accessories shop. They now feature Bilt gear that I think has a lot of quality for the $$. I found a pair of Bilt Cordura saddle bags that aren't as big, without the insulated side - $99.
Went online and found them for half-price.
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=50 ... Saddlebags
Not bad - will probably order.

 

this is from the Wisconsin trip i took about a month ago. Luckily I didn't have to bring food! It was about 320mi each way.

 

A few months ago I thought up some designs in my head on a small trailer for my bike. It wouldn't be a significant load so I think my 650 could handle it. Anyway all this talk of camping makes me want to build one and go camping. I have always wanted to ride cross country with a tent and clothes. I like this thread. OH and that seat can't be to bad. I had doubled up those blue yoga mats for a seat once, and there Not bad at all.

 

Well, on this trip up above, I used a Nelso Rigg trunk that gets swapped from bike-to-bike as needed. I use the red camera bag on the tank full-time with it anyways. My lean-to is a wood-pile tarp (4'X18') with two portions of rubber door mat and parachute cord rolled-up in it on the headlight in front of the gauge cluster. On the Rigg trunk is my sleeping mat (another 3'X5' rubber floor mat with fabric tread). In the trunk is my Canon camcorder w/camera bag and a insulated vest I use as a pillow this time of year. The backpack held a change of clothes, some small kitchen utensils, a "Coke" 6-pack collapsable can cooler with 2 frozen steaks and a bottle of water for cold retention, a bottle of powerade, two small bottles of water, two cans of beans, tent stakes and swimming trunks. A couple gallon size freezer zip-lock bags for the dirty stuff. I took a nice camp knife and other small essentials in my red camera bag.

The seat is unfinished, but the bike is set to ride soft. The blue material is a knee-pad from the garden center and is the same stuff that flip-flops are made from, just thicker. I'll finish the seat this winter I suppose. Been riding it instead.

So, overnight for me to sleep and for two to eat. I met-up with a bunch of others. Nothing fancy. No rain forecasted, 99°F, 77° dewpoint w/heat index of 115°F. No closed tent for me. I wanted the most air-flow I could get.

Bug spray was already there. ... ..

I've more trips planned in the upcoming weeks. I'll post more as the weeks go on. Unusually hot right now with a Heat Advisory. Just gotta keep the air moving.

Fast and Light.

 

This is how I had my 1200 Bandit set up when I went to the MotoGP in Indianapolis a couple years ago. Pretty much everything except the kitchen sink and it handled like it was on rails.


Even hooked up a power outlet by splicing into my permanent connection for my battery tender, threw in an inline 10 amp blade fuse just like an auto aplication. It also has an on/off switch just for the hell of it.
I was quite popular at the camp ground when I pulled out my airbed inflator, plugged it in and had the bed inflated in just a few minutes. A few people thought that was cool and then I had a small line up!!

 

That is awesome.

 

A three day trip.

 

Great pictures guy's, with some nicely loaded bikes. My SECA can sport/tour with the best of 'em, running 6K rpm @ 70mph all day long. With my mufflers, it's just starting to breath nice @ 6K. Yamaha made that YICS motor to do what it does very nicely.

Another shot of the river (running a little high right now):
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I plan to do some weekend camping this fall. Not on my XJ. Since I have the Venture I figured it will pull a trailer. This is what I came up with.

 

Man, carvall, I don't even know if I need to upload my pics now, you have the same tower of stuff situation I had, lol. Same bag and everything.

Funny story--when it was windy, I ended up wearing the straps from that bag to keep the load from shifting. I was worried about what might happen if I crashed and had the bag straps around my shoulders/waist, but I figured it's better not to crash in the first place due to a load shifting around...

 

mlew, I've an old single-carbed GL that I take as well. I can really load that bike. Haven't yet gone to a trailer, but like the single wheel trailers.

 

I was at Cape May Point, in Cape May NJ and met a nice West Virginia man riding an old Goldwing with a trailer. I asked how much stuff he could pack in there n told me in his southern drawl "that's a pop-up camper!" Looked just like mlew's setup. Told me he was with his wife and they were making it all the way to PA. He didn't pop it, but he told me it fit 3 people enough and 2 comfortably and a full grown man could stand up in it. Needless to say I was impressed ...and further more... he got it off a guy on a Goldwing forum. All hail the forums!

 

...probably the Steve Saunders Forum. I hang-out there often. BIG camping following there. Quite a few have the campers. Most just load their bikes but many pull trailers as well. MANY. The Harbour Freight trailers with car-top carriers get their share of use from 'Wingers.

When I go to a trailer (probably soon) I'd like to try a single-wheel set-up with a Thule top. The ones that are used for ski's. Keeps it narrow so I can somewhat stay with the "Fast and Light" thought pattern.

Many of them Guy's (and Gal's) over there put some serious mileage on their bikes. They'd appreciate this thread and how you all here do the same. I know I do...

 

I like the rack on your seca! where did you find that?

 

Every year in September my riding buddy and I go on a camping trip. Our bikes are loaded to the max, with tent, chairs, sleeping bags and mattreses. We're too old to be sleeping on the ground anymore. This is a trip I look forward to every year.

 

What a awesome way to go. I might just bend and build me up a sissy bar for my gear.

 

Wow, i'd so love to do this sometime!

 

Thats exactly what mine is...
Trailer cost 100$ at a yard sale, it was new in box
Car top carrier was 75 off Craigs List
Spend another 100 for extra sheetmetal and paint.
The trailer is "convertable" meaning I can raise and lower the box to put a small picnic table under it. Also have a cooler rack on the front.

 

"Motel" Camping allows you to pack a tad lighter for a 3-day trip...