I've seen quite a bit on the forum in regards to type of bags etc. guys are usng for trips. I was figuring on doing some touring this summer and thought it'd be nice to do some camping at the same time. Any suggestions for lightweight compact tents and sleepbags and where to get them.

 

First ask yourself why you want to camp. Is it because you want to save some $$$ while enjoying your ride...I can totally understand that. My wife and I do a lot of touring and if we can save a few bucks here and there that's great...but at what price? My point is we found that traveling all day we want somewhere comfortable to lay our heads...with a shower...but to each his own. I know some riders like the feeling of sleeping out under the stars during the riding season and I appreciate that...but its not for us. I was going to go down the camping route when we first start touring...but its just to rough of a riding season where we live. Weather can be bad from start of the ride til the end....and the last thing I think we need is trying to setup and take down in the rain..besides not having a good night sleep. I wouldn't go crazy buying equipment til you try it a few times (if you haven't already). ..try it in bad weather as well as good weather. Best of luck on your touring and the whole point is to enjoy it no matter where you rest your head.

 

If you are looking for quality gear...two words. North Face. Not cheap, but definitely high quality. Others to think about, Marmot, Mountain Hardware, Sierra Designs.

I have used North Face tents for a couple of decades and as mentioned, not cheap...but I have never gotten wet in one, nor have I had the wind blow one loose.

Sleeping bags...I like Marmot better than North Face...but that is personal. Others Sierra Designs, Big Agnes, Mountain Hardware and the higher end ones from Kelty.

If there is an REI close to you...check what they have. They usually carry all the brands above and their own. I actually have ordered from Campmor on the web, as they have all these as well, and are usually priced about as low as anyone around.

Having said all that...I usually don't camp out unless it is a place where I don't have a choice or it was an overnight camping trip. I must be getting old....as my idea of "roughing it" these days is the Hampton Inn.

 

We always say that" roughing it" is a hotel without room service

 

ya a quick trip to REI and they can hook ya up, my buddy is a avid mt. hiker and i know he paid a pretty penny for his little 2 man pop up tent cause of the weight it is, but for a bike weight prob not so much a issue id think.

 

+1 on the backpacking type equipment. My 1 man tent/sleeping bag and pillow can fit in 1 saddlebag with room to spare.

 

I use a Big Agnes Hog Park sleeping bag it's the most comfortable sleeping bag I've ever slept in other bags might pack smaller http://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Bag/hogpark20 , I have this Eureka Tent which is recommended by a lot of the adventure riders. http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Apex-Ad...6150159&sr=8-1 but I never use it.

 

Big Agnes, Sierra Designs, Marmot, Mountain HardWear, Northface...all make great products, many carry lifetime guarantees. Among our 4 tents, I have a Sierra Designs Electron (3 could fit in one saddlebag) that was purchased on sale for 50% off, and deals like these are available new-in-the-box on Ebay. If you want to save some $ and plan on camping in mild conditions, Eureka! carries many lower-cost tents like the Tetragon series (we have a Tetragon 7) that are of decent quality and design for motorcycle camping at half the cost of the others listed above. Remember that 1-man and "bivy" tents aren't much smaller or lighter than 2-man tents and give you no room for extra gear of a "friend"...

 

We did a lot of camping on our Goldwing but we pulled a trailer behind it which helped. We always used backpacking equipment were we could. Our tent however is a small 3-4 person tent that has a little more room. We have a single burner propane stove and a small battery powered lantern. As far as comfort we carried a single height full size inflatable mattress and a foot pump. We bought freeze dried food which is pretty good. We also had a small cooler that fit into a bracket on the trailer and we would wait until we got where we were going before filling it. We always bought just enough to last however long we were going to be there. We didn't want to have to carry too much on to the next destination. Our water bag was filled at the campsite and emptied before we moved on. I also carried a small hatchet for firewood and a small grill rack in case the campground had no firepits. Usually we stayed there for a week and did local touring and then went home. We still have the trailer and plan on using it for the Harley as soon as I get a hitch to fit the bike. We had no trouble pulling it loaded with a 1200 cc Goldwing so I don't think we'll have a problem with a Ultra Classic. With 2 of us it was impossible to get it all on the bike.

 

what is a good rccomendation for a substitute for a air mattress? I heard that they have some type of foam to put under the sleeping bag but don't want nuthen REAL big.