Camping Again

[Rednaxs60]

Spent three days in Strathcona Park. Hadn't been through that area since 1977 and there were dirt roads. Only way to get up island by road back then. In the winter had to take a ferry from Kelsey Bay to Port McNeil - roads were snowed in. We had the car, but have a trailer for the motorcycle so can be a bit extravagant, and prepping for next year. I'm not much of a photo bug, but Sonya is. Will get some pictures of our trip and post.

I am perusing the different forums and threads on camping and camping gear. Lots of good information from austere to extravagant, but the important point is that there is a wealth of information out there to choose from, just have to do your homework. Looking at camping and camping gear for solo or two person camping, using car or motorcycle. Going to come up with a compromise between the two for each application.

It was a good experience and relaxing. Have a list of items I think would enhance the experience. Will be looking at a bigger tent for two. Have found that the 2 person tents, used one when I camped with the guys in Big Sur a few years back, are not quite long enough for a proper sized sleeping mattress - it was an inexpensive amazon purchase. Now have a Big Agness Tumble 3 mtnGLO that is much better:

but still not enough room for for two air mattresses - thermorest and Nemo, and personal affects. Be a good tent for a solo camper, but is still usable for two person camping.

Now looking at 4 person tents paying attention to the interior height. Lots of choice out there. Make my own tent "footprints" out of Tyvex.

We must be getting shorter/smaller and manufacturers are stuffing more into less. Expect over the next few years to do more camping so this would be a good investment.

Have a JetBoil that is good for boiling water, but for cooking has limitations. Will be looking at the single burner butane stoves:

Checked with the local outdoor store(s) and the pickings were slim. Seems people have got the camping bug and have bought up what was available. Dried food packs were non-existent as were the various levels of pots/pans for camping.

Have camping chairs that pack quite small - 15 inches by 5 inch diameter - quite comfortable.

Our sleeping bags are rated for just below 0 deg C. My first sleeping bag was rather confining so Sonya now uses it. I bought one that I tried out first to make sure I could move around in it.

Very aware of weight and size issues. Seems the lighter the equipment the greater the price. Quality comes with the price, generally.

Camping gear has evolved significantly since my younger years. It is extremely diverse and has camping items for all levels of camping and budgets.

Thought I'd throw this out there. It's not a thread about what is best or not, but our experience, how it was, and what I have learned from it. Still fairly young so I want to keep all my travel options open.

Cheers

 

[wilcoy02]

Camping is a great way to see the land. Since you are just getting back into camping, Make a list of what you pack. Staple it to your garage wall before you leave.
When you get back check to see what you actually used AND would have been nice to have had.
After 3-4 trips you'll get your pattern of what to pack in the future.

What ever you do you must have a good time.

 

[desertrefugee]

I love motorcycle camping. I've been doing it for the better part of 4+ decades. I have it down to a science And rarely do I get out there and find I don't have something I need. If it happens, you just make do.

I did have a pretty major snafu earlier this year. On a trip where I was forced, don't ask me why, to take my GL1000 and load it up with bungies, I lost a tent that was near and dear to me. If you know the form factor of my 78GL, you know it in no way was designed to pack camping gear. My mountain smith tent at some point on the road decided to part ways with me. So i slept under the stars for 2 nights. To be honest, i really enjoyed that. I did not enjoy losing that tent - it was a darn good one and cost me a pretty penny.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Just went and read the "Big Sur Ride October 14-15 2017 thread again. An interesting read and was a great adventure. Started me down this motorcycle camping road. Be great to do another one.

Using the 1500 and towing a trailer, can do justice to the motorcycle camping aspect of retirement. Only need a few more items to make it rather comfortable. First search and purchase will be a 4/5 person tent that has good head room, and as light as possible. There are 4 person tents out there that come in at 10 pounds give or take an ounce or two. Need a few attachments for the JetBoil specifically for a pot/frying pan, and the pot support. Pic with pot/skillet support attached:

This is a good unit for evening/morning coffee. Using Tasters Choice instant coffee, definitely not Tim's or McD's coffee but does the trick. Will be stocking up on dried food when it comes available.

 

[mcgovern61]

I customized the Slug just for towing a trailer and motocamping! I also enjoy camping. I used to pack up the Slug with all of my gear on the bike and, well, that just started getting dangerous. :hihihi:

I was using a 4 person tent, but with my back condition, it was brutal getting up off the ground and trying to get dressed when I could not fully stand up in the tent.

After that trip, I built the Tag A long trailer and shifted the load into the trailer:

Still, the tent was too short to stand in so I bought an Ozark Trails 8 person instant tent:

The Instant Tent was perfect! Two rooms, plenty of room for a queen size blow up mattress that is like a bed, literally can be setup on 2 minutes. I even put my camping chair in there with a footrest and table to have coffee in the morning. The trailer and tent made all the difference in the world!

 

[Rednaxs60]

The trailer does give a lot of options. Tent internal height for us older gents is a must. There will be a balance between size, height, weight and cost. I have viewed a couple that were some 70 to 75 inches internal height. Don't mind sleeping on the Thermorest mattress, quite comfortable, but want to be able to stand up to get dressed. I will use the Big Agnes 3 person for solo camping.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Found a tent on the Wayfair site - Outdoor Life Bunk House 4 person tent - $207.00 CDN free shipping. Dimensions 72HX90WX96D inches, good size for stand up. Weighs in at 16 lbs:

Here's a video of setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l19lJKCZxvQ Poles are aluminum, and comes with rain fly. One door only but can live with that with the extra room. There is a 6 person that is 18 lbs, same features for $249.00 CDN. Size is 78HX96WX112D (inches).

Have compared these two tents to the Big Agnes equivalents, and there is approximately $400.00 CDN difference. Here in lies onbe of my compromises. For a couple of times a year, maybe more - who knows, the Outdoor life ones even if on clearance, are a better value. The other compromise would be the height difference between the 4 and 6 man tents. $40.00 CDN - 6 inches of height - bit wider and longer, and 2 lbs heavier. Thinking about the trailer I have and it has a recommended weight limit of 100 lbs - either would be acceptable. Going to chew on this for a bit.

When we went to the Yukon last year, stopped in Hinton, Alberta for the night. There was a couple who had been camping, it was a rainy time of the year, and they were laying out their camping gear to dry. This is not how we envision camping, going to rain - hotel. If the weather is nice, restaurant next door, pitch the tent. We have tried some dried foods and the packs from Alpineaire are pretty good - liked the Creamy beef and noodles with mushrooms. Liked the Stroganoff Sauce, egg noodles, beef & mushrooms from Backpackers Pantry as well. These work well with the JetBoil unit and pack nicely. These are expensive, but $12.00 or so CDN for two is not bad.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Camping pots/pans and accessories are needed as well. Found a set on Amazon:https://www.amazon.ca/Bisgear-Cookware-Carabiner-Backpacking-Non-Stick/dp/B07GZHPDGD/ref=sr_1_63?dchild=1&keywords=jetboil&qid=1599579671&sr=8-63&th=1 What I like about this set is the small mini stove and canister stand tripod. These two items are worth the price. Will be able to use the canisters from the JetBoil. The pot and pan will be good. The remainder of the items are nice to have but probably won't get used. The bowls definitely not as I have 2 silicone collapsible bowls - like these products - pay a bit more but well worth it.

 

[kerryb]

I started camping with boy scouts, then backpacking, then the kayak, added a canoe to the kayak to take more gear! ( and a sail for less paddling). Built a trailer for the bike to fit my cot. Bought a bigger tent to stand up in, a North Face Wowona at 11lbs. I use a styrofoam shipping box for steaks as a cooler, keeps ice for two+ days. Now I have progressed to my ultimate setup, a Leesure lite popup that the '83 Aspy pulls with ease and it sets up in one minute. Still use lots of my backpacking gear and make up lightweight one-pot meals that I like from regular ingredients.
More details on request.

 

[Winger 82]

:good: :good: :good:

 

[mcgovern61]

I love the Leisure lite pop-up camper trailer. If I was going to be able to keep riding and camping, that was on my list.

 

[desertrefugee]

You guys apparently never did a lot of backpacking. When you’re backpack camping, you truly learn very quickly what you need to survive and what you don’t need. And really, at the end of the day, on the road, what more is there than just getting from home to where you’re going? Yes, it’s the journey, but you don’t need every comfort of home.

I guess you can tell I’m not a trailer guy. But if I was, I would get a Unigo. My friend has one. It is very cool and the only one I would even consider. Also, it has far more capacity than you would think just looking at it.

 

[Rednaxs60]

There is a lot of room in these uni wheel trailers. We have an N-Line that is similar to the Unigo:

Both are about the same dry weight, about 80 pounds, and have a payload of approximately 100 lbs. I like the N-Line, it was available on short notice, the Unigo was not. The N-line is the same width as my 1500 so it goes where the bike goes. It was well received by the Mrs on our trip last year even though she was not in favour of a trailer before I bought it. We kept the weight and what we took with us to a reasonable amount and were able to have everything we needed for the trip in the trailer. The bike saddlebags and trunk were practically empty.

Still looking for a 4/5 person tent that meets our requirements. Have looked at the North Face Wawona 4 person. Fairly tall inside at 68 inches.

 

[kerryb]

desertrefugee » Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:58 pm[/url]":27q2gki9]
You guys apparently never did a lot of backpacking. When you’re backpack camping, you truly learn very quickly what you need to survive and what you don’t need.

I backpacked enough to know just what I had to have for three days, including water. I don't climb mountains just for the view anymore. Now I go to ride, relax, and visit with friends, so a comfy chair and a percolator are now considered necessary. The comfy bed, room to stand up to get dressed...now I'm glamping!
If I was still in backpacker mode, the unigo would be just the right setup to attack the twisties along the way.

 

[desertrefugee]

I should probably add that my wife doesn’t go on long motorcycle road trips with me. If she did, that might tip the scale toward the Unigo. So, our “glamping” is done in an ‘83 VW Westfalia...with a 4ft Yakima rack. Compared to what I can carry on the Valkyrie, that is Glamping. I go into the field quite often to do astronomical observing… another of my passions. The Westy is my home away from home during those times.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Back a few years, in the early '90s, had a park model mobile on a lake outside Ottawa. Pull in, on water and propane water heater, then beer and relax. Had a neighbour who had a mobile that rivaled a small home. I would get up early and with coffee in hand visit. we would sit by the fire pit and Gerry would mention that the younger folks did not know how to camp like he did. Kept reminding him that his mobile was not camping, just a home away from home.

 

[kerryb]

Yeah, as I get older and lazier, the line between camping and something else has gotten quite blury. I ussed to camp out of my kayak, and that was just a step away from backpacking. But when I added a canoe and sails ( reduced paddling) I found I could take everything! I only had to carry it from the truck to the boat, much closer to glamping...now if I could just figure out a solar powered microwave, I'd be really set.
Pics are a campsite on an island in a lake with limited powerboat access. No bears on this island and only two other campsites 200 yards away.

 

[desertrefugee]

A kayak outrigger on a wooden canoe. It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

[kerryb]

When the wind is right and the spinnaker is flying, it can be quite the ride. The kayak comes off in 6 minutes to go for ice cream a 22 minute paddle away.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Went kayak (Necky Arluk III - sold this one to my late friend Dave in Ottawa, his son has it now) camping with my brother a few years back. He had a 12 foot canoe, rather tippy. Had lots of ballast for both at the start of the weekend, by the time we came home had everything in the canoe to keep it from capsizing. Now have an Arluk III and a Current Design Solstice ST. Thinking a kayak camping trip in the Chained Islands north of Quadra Island might be a good trip. Going to talk to Sonya about this, and if not her cup of tea, talk to my riding friend Dave about doing this, one of those bucket list items.