question about camping.

[bpg]

Check out this site - makes it VERY easy to print out your own customizable gear checklists.  It will only print out a checklist for the stuff that you specify - and you can add 2 checkboxes per items, add blank lines and/or additional items, etc. - awesome for us high IQ-yet-no-short-term-memory types!

http://www.micapeak.com/info/mclist.html

MC camping is da bomb!  One of my favorite trips was an 8-day jaunt a few years ago on my ol' trusty Magna.  On the first night I made it a little further than expected into South Carolina (by riding well past midnight in the rain ), but I couldn't find any campgrounds in the area...  Soooo, I just started taking isolated backroads, then dirt roads, then eventually an old logging road carved into the side of a mountain, which I rode/duckwalked in about a half mile until I found a level spot:



Got absolutely hammered by thunderstorms that night, but stayed dry inside the tent.   Funny how smug, giddy, and content you can feel inside a warm dry tent when the weather just outside is miserable!

A few days later on the way back home, decided to check out a campground in Kentucky that I spotted on the map.  Another excursion WAY deep into the hills, couldn't wait to get there and chat with some folks!  Ended up the place was abandoned (i.e. weeds growing up through the concrete at the entrance building, rusted out fire-rings, small saplings growing in the sites, etc.!  Still had a good (albeit kinda creepy!) time!

     

[R.Markus]

  Yea right, you got kicked out also. In fact you were the main reason except for those routy Canadiens.  

My mouth does get me into trouble on occasion.

[lionlady]

It doesn't look like anyone mentioned how important it is to pack your tent separate from your clothes and sleeping bag.

Check out www.helen2wheels.com I've got a cord close sack that holds my entire tent (either a 2 person or 3 person), poles, ground cloth and Noah's Tarp 12 plus poles. You leave the stuff sack that came with the tent, etc at home and put everything in a cordclose sack. This way your tent is all together. You can also pack the tent if its wet without getting water, mud, crap on your sleeping bag, or clothes. Saves space too.

Use another H2W bag for sleeping bag and pad and a spare sweatshirt, etc.

+1 on the JetBoil system for morning coffee or instant oatmeal on site. Don't bother with the french press that is available. It is made of flexible plastic and will twist as you press it down...

P

[sagerat]

Probably the best thing about motel camping:  The Weather Channel.  

Still, I've really enjoyed motocamping off of the Ural.  I've also used a bivvy sack when rally camping from the GS which kept me dry as a bone during several t-storms in NM.

[R.Markus]

It doesn't look like anyone mentioned how important it is to pack your tent separate from your clothes and sleeping bag.

I didn't read a lot of this thread, but this is pretty important. Put the tent in easy access location that does not require you to open anything else to get to it. When you need to set it up in a storm it is nice to have the tent up without having to expose your dry gear to the weather.

[st2sam]

I have one question.
Which type of matress is better, foam, self inflating, or air-pump?  

[RickC1957]

I have one question.
Which type of matress is better, foam, self inflating, or air-pump?  

I found the ones in hotels very comfortable, I like Holiday Express rooms with the jacuzzi, beats camping all to hell, especially after riding 700 miles, and it's raining enough to build an ark  

[goodhawk]

ST - mattress - as mentioned, hotel mattress ( assuming decent hotel !)
cycle camping gear is somewhat similar to backpacking - not as much emphasis on weight, but still, small is better. All depends - I use a 2" thick 3 /4 length air mattress plus an underlayer of 1 /2" thick semi stiff foam 24" square, both to protect the air matt. and extra pad. Some people get by with the ultra compact 3 /4" thick backpacking air matt., that's too much , err, little, for me.

[Albie]

I have one question.
Which type of matress is better, foam, self inflating, or air-pump?  

Steer away from plain air mattresses. They offer no insulation. When temps drop down they will actually rob your body of heat. Go with foam or the insulated self inflating ones like Thermarest.

[bikerfish1100]

I didn't read a lot of this thread, but this is pretty important. Put the tent in easy access location that does not require you to open anything else to get to it. When you need to set it up in a storm it is nice to have the tent up without having to expose your dry gear to the weather.

i've gotten to the stage where if i have to open anything up in a storm to go to sleep- i'm opening my wallet, pulling out the credit card, and asking for a room with easy ground access to the bike.
however- i always pack any rain gear in a way that allows easy access without exposing dry stuff to the elements.

[Phanatik]

I'm switching hobbies: from backpacking to motorcycling.  I have been away from motorcycles for 29 years. I intend to do some camping from the bike, also.
Sounds like some of you have gotten very soft, heading for the first motel when the going gets a little tough. (I may turn out to be a softy too, though