Camp Gear

[Lapchik]

My $1.99 pool floatie and $15 WalMart tent aren't working for me. The tent takes up too much space and the floatie is not comfortable. For 2014, I am getting all new camp gear. Everything needs to pack reasonably small and not cost a fortune. Looking for suggestions on tents, sleeping bags, and mats for under the sleeping bag.

[TBONE]

Hi Kory
I bought my tent used on geartrade.co. I knew I wanted the Nemo tent with the air beams so I looked there until I found it used. This tent packs very small (6x18x6?) and is kind of expensive at new prices. I bought the Big Agnes down sleeping bag cheap on ebay and washed it in hot water in my commercial washer and then dried it (for about 8 hours!) with a couple of tennis shoes. Big Agnes (and others too) have a sleeve in the bottom so you can stuff the Big Agnes air mattress in there and never roll off your mat. Watch the dimensions on sleeping bags, you'll wouldn't want one too short. This sleeping bag/air mattress stuff into a bag that's small, about the same size as my tent. I don't camp very much, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I'm very happy with both of these used purchases. Together they take up very little room.

[Frump]

I would spend the $100 to $200 for a good sleeping air mattress. Young guy like you could probably do the thermarest thing, been there done that, wouldn't do them anymore. Big Agnes is fine, I have a Exped SynMat 9. Comes with lifetime guarantee and the video of a Humvee driving over 4 of them sold me. Packs down to nothing. Some of the guys I camp with use the Walmart specials, replacing every few trips. That ends up costing more then the good ones and don't take up near as much space.

The filling air bag Sleddog is talking about is real cool, I have seen them in use.

I have 3 different tents, small Eurkeka 2XT, an old Eurkeka Timberline, and a giant Eureka oct-a-something-or-other which I can stand in. The 2XT packing size is good for the cost. I have been using Eureka tents since about 1978. I have gotten good deals on tents at Dunhams.

[paper]

I'm a Big Agnes tent fan, but also like Eureka..

As far as sleeping, I carry a Cabela's down bag, and a Walmart fleece bag.. I have a lot of choices that way as far as comfort and temp ranges. On one with the other over me, or when really cold, both over me.. REALLY cold, I can actually be in both..

As far as mattress, for 20 years I've just used a Walmart twin size $15 air mattress.. I have a small blower that I plug into the bike and it'll inflate a mattress in a minute or less. With that, I'm just as comfortable as I am at home. Toss in ear plugs, and I'm sleeping like a baby. The Walmart mattresses last about 2 years.

Back to tents. If I'm camping at a different place every night, I use a 2 man. If I'm at a rally where I'm only setting the tent up, and then tearing down when I'm going home, I use a 3 man for extra space.

Guzzi Rally Eureka 3 man..



BMW Rally Big Agnes 2 man..



Quick set up Eureka Zues II tent..



And sometimes I use this one.. Comfortable, but campfires suck..

[paper]

(09-23-2013 11:10 AM)Sleddog Wrote:  I like how you switch things up by riding BMW's to a Guzi rally & of ALL things, a KLR at a BMW rally, I'll bet the Squirrel's gonna like running those roads at Falling Leaf

I get shit at the Wisconsin Guzzi Rally because I never ride the same bike to the rally, twice.. This year I broke the rule and rode the R80.. And I left the V7 Guzzi at home only because I was selling it.

Falling Leaf.. That will depend on weather.. If it's going to be majorly crappy I'll skip it.. The GS is one good ride away from a tire change, so it'll either be that or the Majesty, simply because I haven't ridden it to a rally.

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My favorite was when I rode the Helix to the Wisconsin Dells BMW Rally last year.. It's always been a bit of a snooty BMW event (or at least I've always felt it was)..

Anyway, I had my Helix parked by the vendors and Tony D. grabbed me and pointed.. In his words.. "Look at that!! $20K after $20K after $20K BMW's and everyone's standing around your Helix, pointing and gawking!!".. He was right.. There were a bunch of folks standing around it, looking at the seat, GPS, and of course, the stickers.

[Frump]

(09-23-2013 11:10 AM)Sleddog Wrote:  I like how you switch things up by riding BMW's to a Guzi rally & of ALL things, a KLR at a BMW rally, I'll bet the Squirrel's gonna like running those roads at Falling Leaf

From my understanding, about half the folks going to Guzzi rallies are really BMWs riders. Rumor is that they have free beer at Guzzi rallies and most of the BMW riders are on Social Security or plan on kind-of-retiring sometime soon.

If you go to most BMW Rallies, you will quickly realize a lot of people aren't riding BMW's. This is because generally most BMW rallies don't offer free beer anymore, so most of the BMW riders go to Guzzi rallies instead.

If you go to a major Honda Rally, you will notice that there are a lot of Guzzi and BMW riders riding on various bikes. They are easy to pick up because they have camping gear strapped on and are trying to figure out where the designated cheap campground and free beer is at.

Just saying.

[paper]

Hence the reason I ride a KLR to a BMW rally.. I'm not afraid to prove that I'm cheap..

And you're spot on.. The Wisconsin Guzzi Rally is at LEAST 50% BMW riders, and not only is the beer free, it's high quality micro brew stuff, all weekend long!!

The IL Guzzi rally is free beer too...


Back to camping gear..

Screaming DEAL!!! Today only!!! 9-23/13

http://www.rei.com/product/851741/big-ag...pecial-buy

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I was informed to recommend that any sleeping pad you buy, make sure it's insulated.

[StarWolve]

For gear, I use what Uncle Sam issues me, and a cheap 2 man tent from Walmart.

The ECWS sleeping bag is nice, but bulky. However, I don't normally bring all 3 layers, usually just the light layer and the goretex shell. Even in a light rain, the shell keeps me dry:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.net/product/Z...4AodWU4ANA

Most of the time, a bottle of Jack Daniels is enough to make up for the lack of a ground mat or air mattress. If the weather is nice, I don't even bother with the tent, just sip on some spirits until the ground feels good in the sleeping bag!

Although, now that I have a bike with some storage (Buell Ulysses) I might have to look into some better camping gear.

[Scot229]

This is the only picture I have of my tent. It's a Fleet Farm special, think it was $39. I have enough storage in the Electraglide to use the regular air matresses they sell at walmart, but when I am on a sportster I use the inflatable pool toy.

I have a small 12v air compressor that I soldered a battery tender pigtail on. It has a needle adapter for blowing up the pool floaties and I can also use it to pump up a flat tire if needed. I also carry a tire plug kit.

The pool floaties seem to work better if you put a thin flannel blanket over the top of them. The sleeping bag doesn't slip so much.



Traveling 2 up camping on a Sportster, my sleeping bag is strapped to the fork.