Dorian
06-20-2006, 05:43 PM
nofinishline and I went motorcycle camping for the first time together and had a blast. The last time I had camped I was a pubescent Boy Scout. At least nofinishline had been camping more recently... 30 years ago. But things worked out perfectly thanks to advice from many motorcycling campers at this forum and others.
By far, the best investment we made was the sleeping bags. It took quite a bit of fortitude for me to fork out more than a hundred bucks on a sleeping bag, but it didn't take much to realize the $29.00 Kmart specials from my youth just weren't going to cut it when motorcycle camping... space is everything.
Due to advice from others we finally settled on the Campmor Goose Down Sleeping Bag. (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=86908&memberId=12500226) . Since we are pretty much 3 season campers (ain't sleeping in snow anymore) we figurd the 20 degree bag was good enough. I was amazed at how light and compressible the bag is, and how you almost feel naked when sleeping inside it... it has absolutely no weight to it. Yet the warmth is definitely there. It's not a mummy style bag so it does allow for more tossing and turning. It has two way zippers so you can open a couple of bags and zip them together (we still like to snuggle).
It comes with a compression pack as well as a normal storage bag that allows it to stay fluffed up when you aren't camping. Two bags in their compression packs take a little less than half the space available in a saddle bag. If you are using a camping/hiking backpack, two of these sleeping bags will fit in the single sleeping bag space of the backpack.
Anyway, if you are looking for a new bag for camping and are not a stickler for mummy bags, I believe this is about the best bang for the buck you are going to find anywhere.
Other recommended purchases that worked out well for us:
Javapress coffee maker (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=13635&memberId=12500226) - best coffee I've ever had. We have started using it at home on weekends.
Coleman F1 Ultra Light Stove (http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9741A700&categoryid=2005) - Smallest stove I've ever seen, and worked PERFECTLY for our dining needs. Small enough to fit in a side pocket in our backpack. The canister of fuel is the base.
By far, the best investment we made was the sleeping bags. It took quite a bit of fortitude for me to fork out more than a hundred bucks on a sleeping bag, but it didn't take much to realize the $29.00 Kmart specials from my youth just weren't going to cut it when motorcycle camping... space is everything.
Due to advice from others we finally settled on the Campmor Goose Down Sleeping Bag. (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=86908&memberId=12500226) . Since we are pretty much 3 season campers (ain't sleeping in snow anymore) we figurd the 20 degree bag was good enough. I was amazed at how light and compressible the bag is, and how you almost feel naked when sleeping inside it... it has absolutely no weight to it. Yet the warmth is definitely there. It's not a mummy style bag so it does allow for more tossing and turning. It has two way zippers so you can open a couple of bags and zip them together (we still like to snuggle).
It comes with a compression pack as well as a normal storage bag that allows it to stay fluffed up when you aren't camping. Two bags in their compression packs take a little less than half the space available in a saddle bag. If you are using a camping/hiking backpack, two of these sleeping bags will fit in the single sleeping bag space of the backpack.
Anyway, if you are looking for a new bag for camping and are not a stickler for mummy bags, I believe this is about the best bang for the buck you are going to find anywhere.
Other recommended purchases that worked out well for us:
Javapress coffee maker (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=13635&memberId=12500226) - best coffee I've ever had. We have started using it at home on weekends.
Coleman F1 Ultra Light Stove (http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9741A700&categoryid=2005) - Smallest stove I've ever seen, and worked PERFECTLY for our dining needs. Small enough to fit in a side pocket in our backpack. The canister of fuel is the base.