I am looking into purchasing some camping gear to use on long rides. Does anyone have any input on tents, sleeping bags, mats, etc.? I'm interested in hearing about quality products as well as products to stay away from. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

I equipped my bike for camping this summer. It seems you can either buy high qualitity backpacking equipment and pay a lot for it or go to Walmart and go cheap. If you are going "fair weather" camping, go cheap. I got a 9' x 9' tent for $29. It was fine even in light rain but I would not want it in a wind storm. It rolled up really small. My sleeping bag is rated for -10 F and it compacted nicely. I bought a single burner stove that fits on top of small propane bottles. It was fine and only $20. My only luxury item was a cooler bag insert for my saddle bag. It costed $70 but held ice and stuff cold for 2 days. It did not hold as much as I wanted.

If you want to go hardcore, invest $3K and buy a pop-up tent trailer that will hold everything.
Shop around.

 

Check this site. Great prices and good details on all the equipment, including weights. If you are going alone, get a 2 to 3 man size tent so you can stow your gear inside. If you are two up, 4 to 5 man tent. I tried the self inflating Thermarest pad, did not like it. I use a Coleman blow up. Fits fine in the side bag and I get a good night sleep. Get a good sleeping bag (20 degree) and add a fleece inside. This will be good down to less than 15F. If you are two up, get the Lid Haulers. Great way to carry the sleeping bags.
campmor.com

 

Camping products made in USA; http://www.americansworking.com/camping.html.
Any Army Navy store can gitter done & will last longer than wallyworld crap.

 

Go with quality gear such as Mountain Hardware, The North Face, Eastern Mountaineering, etc. Yeah you can go cheap but in the end you will regret it. The gear from reputable backpacking/outdoor retailers will
a. stand up to any weather you may encounter
b. last a very long time (I've been using a Mountain Hardware tent for backpacking and bike camping for 15 years)
c. pack smaller than the "cheaper" brands

My sleeping bag is rated for 20 F. I'm fairly certain that I will not be bike camping when temps fall below that.

Check these sites.....

http://www.campmor.com/?source=GAN&c...%20More-_-Text

http://www.rei.com/?cm_mmc=ps_google...FQUUswodT1tmIQ

http://www.ems.com/home/index.jsp

 

Hre is a thread of mine from my last "camping" trip. Suggest you go cheap.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...ak-report.html

 

I camp off my bike all the time.
I really suggest REI. I have a duffle I strap to back of the bike. Duffel holds a tent, a pad, a pillow a small stove, a backpacking chair, everything.

 

+1 Liz... REI is some quality stuff!

 

REI & Adventure 16.

 

I use my hiking gear.

This tent, it is large enough on inside so I do not feel cramped and it has covered space on the outside for storage of boots, helmets etc. Mine is an older model, but same design. It has been through many a mountain storm including huge hail in Sturgis last year. Very easy to set up and does not take up much room on the bike.

http://www.rei.com/product/794294

A standard old hiking sleeping bag will work. I have two, one which is a light weight summer bag, and a mid weight bag. When it is real cold I use the summer weight bag inside the mid-weight bag.

I can sleep anywhere so I just use a simple of mat, not one of the inflatables. I understand the inflatables are more comfortable.

If you need a stove, pick up one of these:

http://www.rei.com/product/791308

Simple, easy to operate, does not get clogged easily etc.