Trip planning

Hello Everyone.

As a family we have gone camping quite a few times each year for decades. We love going to DCR State Forests for camping and generally have a great time. As the weather starts to turn I want to start planning for next year. The kids are older, I am riding a ton lately, and the wife and I love the time out we get when we go two-up.. Of course I want to bring these together.

I need advice on gear to go camping for just the two of us on my Intruder 1500. I have saddle baggs and a tail bag (luggage rack on the way). we want to keep it minimal and practicle. I know its going to be a huge down size adventure, so I want your thoughts on gear and packing. We figure the first trip will be 2 days to test run all of the process before we go out farther.

sooooooo.. what do you suggest?

So you already saw what my fiancé and I just came back from... We had the luxury of having two bikes which means more than DOUBLE the carrying capacity ("more than" because no passenger), but it's totally doable on one bike if you're only going for a night or two.

I think the biggest piece of advice I could give you is just to minimize your volume... It really helps if most of your stuff is miniaturized, packable, and serves multiple purposes wherever possible.

Here was the ENTIRETY of our "kitchen":

BRS Ultralight Stove and the lighter of your choice.
Any Isobutane Fuel canister such as this one... bearing in mind the 3.5oz canister fits perfectly inside of the next item...
TOAKS Titanium 750ml Pot with Bail Handle
I stuff the Isobutane canister, BRS stove, lighter and a little dish towel all right into the TOAKS pot.

One set of eating utensils such as these was enough for us.
A water bladder or two.

That's it... that's literally all we really needed for the entire trip. We did also have one of these classic cook kit type things, but we only used it a small handful of times.

So that's the kitchen... For COOKED food we ate a lot of couscous with PACKETS (not heavy, bulky cans) of tuna that come with spices & flavors of whatever. Also had soups (packets again, not cans) and a lot of fruit & snack stuff. You CAN do those prepackaged instant camp meals, but MAN can they be expensive. They're really nice once in a while, but the price adds up if you're doing it often.

For the "bedroom" we had the:
MSR Hubba Hubba NX
A couple of Thermarest sleeping pads
A couple of Nemo sleeping bags
A couple of Trekology inflatable pillows, but if they ever deflate on me I think I might give these a go

Two USB rechargeable headlamps such as this one . (We actually have one model above this one and one model below this one. This looks to be their "Goldilocks" model.)


And that's about it... With kitchen & bedroom covered you'll be well on your way to having just about everything you need in a small volume package.


If you can strap a pair of camping chairs, cool... if not, a hammock, a pair of butt pads or a log usually does the trick. If you're camping at established campgrounds you'll almost certainly have a picnic table right there next to a fire pit.



But you said you go camping pretty regularly, so I'm sure you know most of that by now... Any specific parts you're looking for more info on?

Holy shit. I just found my sleeping pad, the one I was pumped to find on sale a couple years ago for 95 bucks (reg 130), is on Amazon right now for a SMOKIN deal :shock: ... Looks like Sylwia just got an upgrade :D

https://smile.amazon.com/Therm-Rest-...s%2C195&sr=8-3

Yes I love your thread!!! I have been thinking about this for a few weeks, but your post inspired my questions. (thank you by the way)

Well the sleeping pad and such is super helpful. I wil have to sort out how to bring my mini generator and my cpap machine or breathing is going to suck.. But I love the kitchen and i figure we can set camp and buy what we want to cook for the night near by. But i see how that will be an issue if we are spending more than one night in a spot. I will have to figure that part out. Perhaps a colapsing cooler that holds the days food and then empy and fold down for travel. Just have to plan very carefully.

What about clothing. I am a contingency packer. always 1 extra set of clothing and then one set of warm gear regardless of the weather. I am thinking for longer trips the plan would be 2-3 sets and then plan a washing stop on every 3rd day along with the warm set just in case..... as I write this I see that I may be able to skate by with a bit less than normal since I will be wearing pants and not shorts. Perhaps bring a cool set which takes up less space. hmmmmmm... .

Thanks for the tips on the cusion. I was wondering becasue I am not likely to bring the chairs with us. But a couple hammock style chairs with no frames may work..

Helinox Chair One Original Lightweight, Compact, Collapsible Camping Chair https://a.co/d/dI01J3S

We have these and I won't backpack without them anymore. After a few days of not sitting with back support I get sore.

OHHH I love that!!!

For food storage, we just bought stuff that didn't need refrigeration and kept it all in plastic bags.

For clothing, we were SMELLY... SMELLY BASTARDS!!! :lmao: You just gotta own it, man. :D LAYERS & MERINO WOOL ARE YOUR FRIEND!

We brought socks & underwear for just 7 days, expecting to stay in a hotel and do laundry half way through, but that never happened, so we wore EVERYTHING for two weeks straight and just rotated out. :lmao:
For mid-layers... same. Just a few t-shirts, a couple long sleeve shirts, one pair of sturdy "work" pants, one pair of lighter weight convertible shorts/pants, a couple warmer tops, then our riding and rain gear. That was it.
I brought a pair of sandals to wear around camp, but hardly used them... Just walked and rode around in sturdy hiking boots 99% of the time.
Sylwia had her riding boots for riding and sneakers for walking.

The one (premium priced) piece of clothing that blew me away were my Fjällräven Vidda Pro pants... I hardly took them off the entire two weeks we were gone. I cooked in them, made fires in them, hiked in them, bushwhacked in them, rode in them (with over pants most of the time), slept in them on colder nights... I beat the ever living crap out of them and when I pulled them outta the wash here at home they still look BRAND... SPANKIN... NEW.

The lightweight Columbia convertible hiking pants (legs zip off into shorts) that I brought were for warmer hiking days. Glad I had them but I used them as shorts twice for swimming and that was it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by obsolete

Helinox Chair One Original Lightweight, Compact, Collapsible Camping Chair https://a.co/d/dI01J3S

We have these and I won't backpack without them anymore. After a few days of not sitting with back support I get sore.

---

Yeah, we've got a pair of "helinox highback" knock-offs to try before we take the price plunge into the real deal. They're pretty nice. A tad bulky for backpacking, but they juuust squeeze into the outer pockets of the Atmos 65 that you & I both have.

I could list my entire gear loadout, but that would be exhausting and kinda pointless as a lot of it is not sold anymore. But I do have some recommendations:

Size your tent for your occupants + 1. Camping off the bike requires lots of gear, and you're going to want extra space to put that gear. Make sure the poles pack down to a small size (I'd recommend sizing to a tent pole bag). And get a tent with a vestibule. Having that space to keep gear out of the rain, but not in the main living space is an absolute must.

If you're a bigger dude, get a thick sleeping pad. At 6'2" 225lbs, even a 4" sleeping pad is not exactly what I'd call comfortable, but it's better than the 2" pads I used (and hated) in the past. And make sure you get an insulated pad if you'll be camping in the cold. This is the one I have (they go on sale every so often)

Make sure your sleeping bag comfort level is decently lower than the temps you plan to camp in, so if you'll be in the 50's, get a 30's or even lower rated bag. And use a compression sack for your sleeping bag, you'll be amazed at how small you can pack it compressed.

Merino wool is your best friend. It does thermal regulation phenomenally, is light and packs easily, doesn't stink and dries quickly.

Find ways to pack gear inside other gear. For instance a JetBoil packs fuel, tripod, burner and even french press in the main cup. I store my waterproof tin with ground coffee inside my coffee cup.

Amazon sells Helinox knock off chairs that work just as well for a fraction of the price. They may not be as light or quite as rigid, but that's not necessarily needed for occasional moto camping.

As for coolers, I use a Polar Bear soft cooler that I put under the beaver tail on my bags. I've got both a 6-pack for day/overnight trips and a 12-pack for multi-day trips. They do also make knock off versions of these as well, but I haven't tried one to know how they work.

If you're someone who needs caffeine to function throughout the day, these are great midway through a long ride.

I pack something similar to these when hunting. I'm not a fan of backrests on chairs, seats, couches, etc...

https://www.amazon.com/MingSo-Portab...s%2C89&sr=8-25

Ah yeah... or the OLLLLLD school design:
https://smile.amazon.com/Rothco-Fold...25&sr=8-4&th=1

Side note, use smile.amazon.com whenever buying stuff from Amazon, and set the charity to the Karen Hornbecker Memorial Fund to automagically support injured LRRS (now NEMRR) roadracers :twothumb:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by obsolete

Helinox Chair One Original Lightweight, Compact, Collapsible Camping Chair https://a.co/d/dI01J3S

We have these and I won't backpack without them anymore. After a few days of not sitting with back support I get sore.

---

Those chairs are awesome. It's what i use moto camping now. Perfect for chilling around a campfire.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

I brought a pair of sandals to wear around camp, but hardly used them... Just walked and rode around in sturdy hiking boots 99% of the time.
Sylwia had her riding boots for riding and sneakers for walking.

---

I always wanted sneakers or flip flops for off bike activities. Gave my feet a break from the riding boots. Much more critical on southern trips then northern ones, but it's a great feeling to take the boots off at the end of the day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

For food storage, we just bought stuff that didn't need refrigeration and kept it all in plastic bags.

For clothing, we were SMELLY... SMELLY BASTARDS!!! :lmao: You just gotta own it, man. :D MERINO WOOL IS YOUR FRIEND!

We brought socks & underwear for 7 days, expecting to do laundry half way through, but that never happened, so we wore everything for multiple days and rotated out. :lmao:
For mid-layers... same. Just a few t-shirts, a couple long sleeve shirts, one pair of "duty" pants, one pair of lighter weight convertible shorts/pants, a couple warmer tops, then our riding and rain gear. That was it.
I brought a pair of sandals to wear around camp, but hardly used them... Just walked and rode around in sturdy hiking boots 99% of the time.
Sylwia had her riding boots for riding and sneakers for walking.

The one (premium priced) piece of clothing that blew me away were my Fjällräven Vidda Pro pants... I hardly took them off the entire two weeks we were gone. I cooked in them, made fires in them, hiked in them, BUSHWHACKED in them, rode in them (with over pants most of the time), slept in them on colder nights... I beat the crap out of them and they still look BRAND... SPANKIN... NEW.

The lightweight Columbia convertible hiking pants (legs zip off and they turn into shorts) I brought were for warmer, active days. I used them as shorts twice for swimming and that was it.

- - - Updated - - -



Yeah, we've got a pair of "helinox highback" knock-offs to try before we take the price plunge into the real deal. They're pretty nice.

---

I think we have knockoffs as well but that was the first thing that popped up after a search.

Only thing I learned while motorcycle camping, is you want to bring too much, second time I went, I left out things I didn't use the 1st venture. 3rd time, I weeded out more

so much great information here!! PLease keep it coming. I am researching and making choices on everything!!

For a compressible warm mid/outer layer, the REI Co-Op 650 down jacket is a pretty smokin' deal if you don't already have something that fits that role. And at 11 oz, it satisfies the ultralight gram weenies. :P

The non-hooded version is on sale right now for 70 bucks if you like baby poop, uh, I mean "army cot" green.

I got the hooded version in Dec of 2019, wear it quite often & it's been holding up pretty well. Just took it outta the washer & drier last night. Fluffed it up nicely.


REI's got a bangin return policy and you can sometimes find KILLER equipment in their garage sale stuff either online or in-store. Def get yourself a membership if you don't have one already.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by e30addict

Those chairs are awesome. It's what i use moto camping now. Perfect for chilling around a campfire.



I always wanted sneakers or flip flops for off bike activities. Gave my feet a break from the riding boots. Much more critical on southern trips then northern ones, but it's a great feeling to take the boots off at the end of the day.

---

a pair of walking shoes was the first thing I didn't bring on my 2nd adventure, I wear wolverine work boots as riding boots, they are comfortable (for me) to walk in, although in any future adventure trip, I will bring my Vibram hemp 5 fingers, they take up virtually no space and I would be very likely to wear them, even if for swimming. I remember a few rides while staying near Deals Gap, the group would stop, and several of us would jump in

I've been looking at a Kermit chair (folds to 22"x 6" bag) and researching folding rocking chairs, ya, as I get older, I like to rock more

This spring I was looking up camping stuff online for my NEBDR trip and I got a targeted ad for the Cliq chair. Ended up buying one, got it on sale at Amazon for $85ish.
https://www.cliqproducts.com/products/cliq-chair
A couple of the older guys I went with had the helinox chair. They liked mine better since it wasn’t quite as low, easier to get in and out of, a little higher back support too. It is a bit heavier though, about 3.5 lbs, but about the same packed size as the Helinox. Quicker to setup the Cliq.

Well my Amazon list is freaking huge now!! LOL..

I have a ton of gear and now realize that some of the things we have may be usable for this project. but damn I am glad I asked. You all brought up a TON of points that I had not considered when starting this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

For a compressible warm mid/outer layer, the REI Co-Op 650 down jacket is a pretty smokin' deal if you don't already have something that fits that role. And at 11 oz, it satisfies the ultralight gram weenies. :P

The non-hooded version is on sale right now for 70 bucks if you like baby poop, uh, I mean "army cot" green.

I got the hooded version in Dec of 2019, wear it quite often & it's been holding up pretty well. Just took it outta the washer & drier last night. Fluffed it up nicely.


REI's got a bangin return policy and you can sometimes find KILLER equipment in their garage sale stuff either online or in-store. Def get yourself a membership if you don't have one already.

---

REI's branded stuff has worked out pretty good for the stuff we've bought. Amanda has 2 puffs she uses for ATing and is happy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

Ah yeah... or the OLLLLLD school design:
https://smile.amazon.com/Rothco-Fold...25&sr=8-4&th=1

Side note, use smile.amazon.com whenever buying stuff from Amazon, and set the charity to the Karen Hornbecker Memorial Fund to automagically support injured LRRS (now NEMRR) roadracers :twothumb:

---

I've been doing the Amazon smile thing for a few years now, supporting a local non-profit