• Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

    We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides. Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?

    Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

  • NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

Camping Gota Have Gota Leave

As a solo rider and being 70+ years of age I like my comfort when camping. Removing the top case on my CLC and using the rack and pillion for a u-bag and Ortleib dry bag allows me to carry a Redverz tent. twin size air mattress, sleeping bag, (1) microfiber blanket, 12x12 tarp, Jetboil, Dragonfly stove, 2 gas canisters, Kermit chair & table, 3 clothing changes, meds (I'm diabetic and have glaucoma), 1 pr Croc's, and many items others have mentioned. A roll of toilet paper and pee bottle are always carried. I can charge my phone from one of the (2) 12VDC outlets on my bike and carry spare batteries for my LED lamps in my tank bag. My Camelback not only serves my hydration needs but its 70oz capacity provides water for coffee, tea, etc, and the occasional hot meal. There are many additional small items of course but the items listed above are important to me.

RIDE SAFE
 
Zipoff Pants

I found some lightweight "fly fisherman" pants at sporting good store. The pants have built in mess "undees" and zipoff pant legs. They pack real small, make instant swimming shorts, and dry very quickly. They just been added to my packing list.

-Chris Skor
 
Yikes, wool boxers...no thanks:laugh

You obviously haven't tried merino wool. All day comfortable as a base layer or an outer layer. Warm when cold, cool when hot, dries quickly, and doesn't stink after a few hours of wear like most, if not all, of the synthetics.
 
TAPE your Pee Bottle

Waking in the middle of the night it is sometime hard to tell Pee Bottle from Water bottle. I would recommend wrapping your PEE Bottle with a strip of Duct Tape. When you hold it in your hand you'll know for sure which bottle your holding.
 
Electric Camp Stove

Okay, not really a camp stove, but all I need in the morning is hot water for oatmeal and coffee so I picked up couple of Immersion Coils. One I can plug into an outlet, the other I can plug into my bike. Later for dinner I'll heat up water for pre-packaged, freeze-dried camping meals. On my next trip I'm trying dinners from Mountain House.

CoilHeaters.png
 
Five Fingers shoes. I was skeptical until I tried them. They make for great camp shoes and shower shoes. After a hot day of riding, they are a welcome change from the boots.
 
Big Agnes tent, B.A. sleeping bag, ThermaRest pad.
Microfiber and wool undies and clothes.
travel sized toiletries. Deoderant is a 'Crystal' stick. It doesn't melt like regular ones do when it gets hot out.
Microfiber camp towel. one washcloth sized, one small bath sized
Mesh bag to keep wet clothes in, strap to outside of bag, they'll be dry by lunch.
1 ltr Platypus bag with water
Mio water flavoring stuff (for when the only water to be had tastes bad)
thin cord, to string between trees. Nice to have a clothes line.
sharp knife. We carry one or two, plus a medium sized Leatherman
two or three light sources. Petzl Zipka type
toilet paper
titanium flatware
foldable bowl, plate, cup (Orikaso brand)
small cutting board (the white plasticy kind)


Spouse carries a stove and basic titanium cookware. Not sure what brand his is. Needs to be replaced, we're thinking about a Whisperlight Int'l. The one that'll burn just about any liquid fuel. I'm thinking a BioLite would be kinda handy, if only for the cool factor of charging your cell phone while you cook dinner.

For us girls only:
feminine products and one of these:
http://www.go-girl.com/ Cause sometimes you really, really don't want to squat.

Things on the get list for this year:

Kermit chair
RMJ Tactical tomahawk

There are other things we carry, I just can't think of them off hand.
 
Laugh if you want...... but a pop-up shower/toilet saves a lot of midnight hiking to the facilities
200792_ts.jpg

A good groundcloth for the site and a footprint for the tent will keep the dirt in the tent to a minimum

A shade tarp for those sites with no shade....
216628i_ts.jpg

I also carry a 10' garden hose with nozzle and a 20' extension cord..... Sometimes the campsites just don't put the utilities in a convenient spot
 

Attachments

  • 200792_ts.jpg
    200792_ts.jpg
    52.5 KB · Views: 862
Sometimes the campsites just don't put the utilities in a convenient spot

Convenient utilities? The white rotopax in the pic is the only drinking water for miles. It's in about as convenient a location as it gets. :)

And that adds another thing to to the gotta have list assuming you camp where there is no potable water: a way to filter water. My water "system" is a collapsible bucket for the unfiltered water, an MSR mini-works pump filter, and a nalgene canteen that attaches to the bottom of the mini-works. It doesn't take up much space... a small corner of my tank panniers. I don't use it often, but am very glad I have it when I need it.

p-20110826-1818-0132.jpg
 
Tilley T4 hat: packs okay, works even if it's a little crooked from being packed, great in rain, and necessary in the sun.

Harry
 
I recommend taking a small tent to the rally so you can have privacy if you need it, whether you use it getting there or not.

I have to double-ditto the "real bag" comments. I know the rally is in July but you are crossing some mountains and you may be surprised at how cold it gets. I wouldn't go zero-degree unless you already have one but perhaps a 15 or 20 degree bag would keep you toasty. In Charlotte you may never again need a zero bag... If you know ahead of time it will be colder than 20 just get a room. I really hate having to abandon camp in the dark, in the rain, because it got nastier than I prepared for. Last trip I made in the spring I took just a flannel bag good to maybe 45 degrees and wound up wearing everything I had brought with me before the sun came up. I would recommend a synthetic insulation in the bag, not down. You have to be a bit obsessive about keeping a down bag dry. Speaking of dry, very often if it gets cold during the night you'll get condensation on the bag and on the tent, and it is best to get them dry again before packing. If you can't, you can't, pack them anyway and if the weather cooperates on your lunch stop you can spread them out then.

Packing food can get out of hand. Remember that Breakfast on the road is the cheapest meal, and those items typically need refrigeration, and the fact that you need breakfast can provide motivation for breaking camp and getting a move on. I wouldn't bother with coffee fixin's and pots unless you're just obsessed. Wait till you can get to a breakfast spot (preferably a little blue-collar cafe) and have the waitress bring you some coffee.

I carry a partial roll of TP on EVERY trip, camping or not. I have never needed it myself but I have come to the rescue a couple of times.

The Kermit chair is the only one I know about that is small enough to be practical. Not worth the bother in general. There is usually a picnic table to sit on.

Pack some Powerbars or trail mix or something to substitute for supper if you get lost and really late finding camp. Or if you are setting up in the rain. Just further morning motivation...

Always try to have drinking water with you. Start out with water from the house and replenish where you find water that tastes ok.
Pint bottled waters pack pretty well too.

Don't count on being able to have an open fire. Burn bans are quite frequent as you go west. Stoves are usually allowed. I have a small dual-fuel stove that can run on the same stuff the bike does. You can buy dehydrated meals at WalMart now, but I haven't tried them. I'm just saying if you have a hankering to grill a steak, check the camp rules and then go to the store.

I have a twin-sized air mattress that is very comfortable, but you may already know that an air mattress will suck the heat right out of you in the cold. The Thermarest is a better solution when you can't predict the temps. I also find that I am no longer happy using my rolled up jeans as a pillow and bought an inflatable pillow that is also filled with memory foam. Works just like the Thermarest.

Wear PJs or have something handy that is easy to get on if you need to get decent before leaving the tent. Slippers or flip-flops.
Soap and shampoo and the usual sundries that make you comfortable. I always forget to pack a razor.
A towel.

If you are in bear country... Are you going to be in bear country?
 
Back
Top