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Two up with camping gear

you can also use some well placed bungie Buddies. you can use them with straps instead of bungies if you chose. their about $ 2.50 apiece. I put a set on my RT just before Gillette last year, and found them very handy...
 
Two up camping is a labor of love. My advice is to get a copy of Ray Jardine's book "Beyond Backpacking".
 
Credit Card camper

Hey thanks for all the help I have a few ideas now to research. I like the comment "A very understanding wife".
My wife is a credit card camper and roughing it would be an outdoor pool...
So I have to do it right the first time!

Thanks again.

If the wife is not a camper A long day in the saddle plus an uneasy night in a tent could mean a shorten trip. May be a good thing to try camping before you invest in a lot of money in expensive camping gear. Maybe borrow a tent and camping supplies to try camping.

You might think about getting a motel after a long days ride and camping after you get where youÔÇÖre going and have shorter sight seeing rides. If thatÔÇÖs your plan.

My ex announced after the first days ride and first night in a tent that she was not a motorcycle rider and not a camper. She was however a bus rider as I put her on one and sent her home. Had a great trip..:clap
 
We're using a Mag's Bags Ubag. We didn't get the gigantic one, but the "regular" sized one. We carry two Big Agnes 15F bags, two Big Agnes sleeping pads, a Mountain Hardwear Haven 3 tent, a set of cooking gear, an MSR Whisperlight stove, a couple pairs of shoes, two Kermit chairs, a lantern and we still have room for the random stuff you pick up on the road like stray beers and the like.

One of the things we like about the Mag's Bag is that it has stretchy cord on top, which is handy for stashing layers as you peel them off during the day. It also has some clips on the side, which allows us to clip a Camelbak 100oz Unbottle to the bag. Neither of us have to wear the Camelbak, which is nice on long days.

We organize our stuff this way: she gets a sidebag, I get a sidebag. The tankbag carries the stuff we use on the road and in the tent. The big Ubag holds the bedroom and the kitchen, along with the patio furniture.

To protect the tops of the saddlebags, I took them down to the local auto accessory joint, where they put some of that clear stuff on. It's the same stuff they use on the front of cars nd it nicely protects the bags from scuffing and the like. As an added bonus, it protects the tops of the bags from random boot kicks.

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If the wife is not a camper A long day in the saddle plus an uneasy night in a tent could mean a shorten trip. May be a good thing to try camping before you invest in a lot of money in expensive camping gear. Maybe borrow a tent and camping supplies to try camping.

You might think about getting a motel after a long days ride and camping after you get where youÔÇÖre going and have shorter sight seeing rides. If thatÔÇÖs your plan.

My ex announced after the first days ride and first night in a tent that she was not a motorcycle rider and not a camper. She was however a bus rider as I put her on one and sent her home. Had a great trip..:clap

:thumb :thumb :thumb
 
ditto. Same sort of experience here although on older technology. I like your GS set up very much. -Bob

Thanks Bob, although your set-up was even more impressive given the steed. The GS is a pack mule when it comes to hauling stuff, but lordy to goodness it does it with aplomb. If I ever were limited to only one BMW, it would be the R1150GS. :bow
 
Two Of You Fit On That

WOW! :lurk

Glad that i didn't have to drive it...... :bolt



:jawdrop This might qualify for the thread What's Wrong With This Picture but we made this rig successfully manage 11,500 miles in July-August of 2001. We had a ball!! Even the Black Sheep were impressed that we had the gumption to carry this caper off! -Bob

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No prob, if you have a frugal nature and a cooperative partner. Look for backpacking stuff. Here's my '03 RT, from Duluth, MN to the BRP and back, about 4K, all type of weather. Kelty tent, Helen 2 Wheels compression bags, GIVE E52 topcase, tank bag. Later added the bigger case lids... Plenty of room. Down or similar bags, Therma-Rests, lots of other stuff goes in the H2W bags, held on with web straps. Small stove, minimal cooking/eathing gear in the GIVI...
 

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ditto. Same sort of experience here although on older technology. I like your GS set up very much. -Bob

:thumb I purchased the small j-bag in 2000 and I'm still amazed at how much it can carry. When I got rid of the RS I kept it for use on my RT as they both have the same rear rack. 100% satisfied with the quality and durabality of the bag. For the price, one of the best after market products that I have purchased over the years.
 
WOW! :lurk

Glad that i didn't have to drive it...... :bolt

well you know, it was much easier than you might think.... especially once you got rolling. People would wait to watch how we boarded the critter. Comfortable though. All kinds of things that I could say about that particular adventure but will save that for another trip report. Suffice to say that some safety stuff was sacrificed (uh.... where'd the brakes go?) but that sort of foolishness is behind us now. BTW, we took that trip almost immediately after tearing the motor apart in my basement.

We're much saner now. Really. -Bob
 
One more important point - if you start to really load stuff on there, make sure you don't exceed GVWR. You'll most likely benefit from a shock with a spring that will cope with the added weight of a passenger and gear as well. We went with Ohlins this time and worked with Ted at The Beemer Shop to get the right springing. It really, really makes a difference in handling. Tina and I can get down the road at a pretty sprightly pace, even loaded up.
 
I couldn't find an easy way to fit tent poles into our hard top case, and it didn't seem as useful for handling camping gear. I bought a Mags Bags U-bag last spring, and highly recommend it. My wife and I each get one side case apiece for clothes (mine has some tools as well). The Mags bag sits on top of the luggage rack and the top of the side cases and I use a couple of Aerostich straps to snug it down. It contains our three person Eureka tent with poles and rain fly, one compressed LL Bean sleeping bag (we're cozy with one very warm bag as a cover), two Thermarest pads, a Jet Boil stove, some freeze dried meals, camp towels, water container, etc. We also keep our extra gear, e.g., heated vests, jacket liners, waterproof liners and gloves, in the Mags bag. The bag is easy to pack and get into, with one big zipper along the top.

Jerry Holtz
Maplewood NJ
 
Dry Bags

I borrowed a friend's backpacking tent, etc for an overnight to try it out, and it worked great.

So, I ended buying my own. I recommended backpacking quality for weight and compactness. You can buy some stuff sacks for the sleeping bags to get them small. I stuff all the gear into a 35L, you might want to use a 40L for 2 people, drybag and strap it onto my cargo rack....it serves as a backrest too.. :)

let us know what you try out....and what works for you..
 
I couldn't find an easy way to fit tent poles into our hard top case

tent pole length is a key measurement for me in packing up the gear. I don't like having related gear such as the tent body, poles, & fly packed in different areas on my bike (due to fitment) as I've found that it can lead to leaving a key component behind :blush

If too long there are several suppliers that can build replacement tent poles that break down to your desired length.

Here is one that I've had success with:

TentPole Technologies
8212 NE 99th Circle
Vancouver, WA 98662
www.polesforyou.com
(360) 260-9527
FAX (360) 260-9937
 
It Can Be Done

I have a R1150RT and am thinking about camping with my wife. Can you get a tent, two sleeping bags, and two sleeping pads along with the normal overnight gear on the bike? A trailer is out of the question.
Anyone have pics with all their gear loaded up?


My wife and I rode up to the Wisconsin Rally back in 07. This was my/our first two-up, out of state ride to anywhere on a bike, despite being a motorcycle rider since 1986. We only had the 04 RT for a few months, nothing prepped for such a trip.

We had some camping gear already, but in general had the following in about a week prior to the trip: Bought a "Big Mamu" U Bag, I think it was from California ?

Got hold of a used best-rest from a local BMW owner, then ordered the fit kit for the RT. The Best Rest rack is really nice to have, do get the larger "T" version

We packed a small two-three person tent, still just large enough for a blow-up queen mattess with a battery pump (two roll-pads took up too much room). We used one sleeping bag that would unfold as a large blanket. We utilized bed sheets also. If it's warm, the sleeping bag goes on the bottom and sheets on top. If colder, that arrangment gets flipped. Two sleeping bags was out of the question for this arrangment.

Enough clothing for two days plus what we were wearing was also packed in the U-bag.

Cooking gear (one burner unit, plates, utensils, etc) and minor tools (air compressor, tire plugs, allen wrenches etc) for the bike went into the saddle bags. Tried to leave one saddle bag somewhat open for any nic-nacs picked up along the way.

Last big of space was a nice large tank-bag that could be expanded to fit other stuff as needed. Mostly it held maps, notebook, camera, bottled water and other immediate need items. Bag was by Marsee, magnet mount, but as I understand it, they do not make that all-fabric expandable bag anymore.

Main suggestion is to get smaller bags and isolate clothes, cooking gear, other items, especially if your worried about anything getting wet. If the bag falls out of saddle or U bag, everything stays in little bags, rather than scattered about.

Pillows and towels were small, pocket-size, non-cotton type that would compress easily, locate at REI or other similar camp-supply outlets.

We attended the Helen-2-Wheels seminar at the Rally. My wife and I were impressed with the system and bought some of the bags, plus the tips on packing items in an unconventional mannor as presented by Helen herself. We ended up sending the U bag home from the rally (you usually have to mail stuff home to "make space" on a long trip). Used the Helen 2 wheels system on our way back.

That trip was 4000 miles in two weeks..two up. It can be done, but it was a bit insane. My wife and I now ride separate bikes and I utilize a Uni-go trailer for the RT now. But I hope these tips will work for your current situation.

I have one good pick of that U bag on the RT, but its on another computer, I'll look it up when I get home later.

Good Luck...
Bryan & Lori
04 RT
05 CS
95 R
 
random thoughts

I'm a proponent of two up travel with camping. As a strictly money comparison:
two up travel = $20K vehicle that gets 40 mpg.
two mc travel = $40K vehicle that gets 20 mpg.

can add up over 4000 miles or so.
 
Whatever you pack, make sure itÔÇÖs well secured on the bike.

When I was about 19 (ÔÇ£back in the Stone Age of MotorcyclingÔÇØ) I was riding some twisties home from a weekend at a friends camp when the small backpack I had strapped to the seat behind me worked its way into the rear wheel of my Yamaha RD250. Fortunately, I was on one of the few straight-aways on Rte. 160 (East Parsonfield, ME - middle of nowhere) when the rear wheel locked up solid at 80 mph. I rode it out in a nice straight line and ended up coming to a stop at the side of the road with a cloud of blue smoke and a black line of rubber behind me that looked like it went on forever. It seemed to take a long time to stop and the tire made a shrilling screeching sound all the way. Wore a relatively new Dunlop tire down to the canvas . . . just short of popping it. I yanked the remains of the backpack out of the wheel and rode on home . . . about another 50 miles (probably wouldnÔÇÖt chance that today, but I was young and foolish). I could feel that flat spot every time it went around. The funny part was I had come to a stop in front of an old farmhouse where a couple who looked an awful lot like Ma & Pa Kettle and a ragged bunch of country kids were outside grilling up lunch ÔÇô they all just stood there staring at me like I was from Mars. Probably the biggest thing to happen around there in a long time!

Once again . . . the moral of the story is MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS SECURE! If that had happened to me on a curve or in traffic somewhere . . . who knows?
 
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