John BraunPhoenix Wheels Examiner
As a boy, I had some of the best times ever camping with the boy scouts. I can no longer remember many of the details about those trips. For a number of years, until after I reached the rank of Eagle Scout, Dad and I averaged about one trip per month with Troop 301. A typical camping trip would involve meeting at the Scout House, mounting up in the vehicles, and driving to the middle of nowhere for two nights of camping. The basic gear was always the same. Backpack, sleeping bag and tent. I relished these trips. Camping offered so many magical moments.
Today, I'm a little more grown up. Since I began riding motorcycles several years ago, a plan had begun to develop in the back of my mind. Over time, my passion for riding grew. I began to research some of my ideas, hoping to eventually implement the plan that had haunted me since obtaining my motorcycle license. That plan was to somehow combine riding with another, older passion. Camping.
On the surface, combining the two shouldn't be too difficult. Strap a tent to the bike, and go, right? That's what I thought just before I ventured off the paved road on my BMW R1150R loaded down with all the gear I'd need to join my new scout troop (607) for a weekend of fun in Strawberry, AZ. One broken side case, some scratched body work and a severely bruised sense of confidence later, I decided this was going to require a bit more thought.
Thus began my quest to properly combine my two passions of motorcycle riding and camping. Succumbing to my analytical nature, I began to organize requirements, priorities and resources that would be necessary to avoid another grim failure.
First. The motorcycle. I admit it. I was biased. The blue and white roundel that graces all things BMW has really become comfortable to me. I've had several BMW automobiles, and even though the R1150R didn't do so well in deep gravel (it's not made to), I still loved the telelever suspension and boxer engine. Predictably enough, I was soon riding my new steed, a big BMW R1200GS.
Second. Training. If I learned anything when I dropped my R1150R in the gravel, it was that when the tires leave the black top, the motorcycle is operating under a whole new set of physical laws. Training was had at both the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC and RawHyde Adventures in Castaic, CA. The two training centers represent two of only eight BMW certified off road training schools in the world.
Third. Gear. After considering the requirements of camping from a motorcycle, as well as the remote areas that were likely to be encountered, I decided that it would be prudent to really think through my gear selection. Light, compact and reliable. Actually, I found that this was very similar to what a hiker would look for in their gear. A nice difference is that instead of a backpack, I had three hard cases, and room to strap on more gear if necessary.
McDowell Mountain Park is a very short ride from Phoenix, and really doesn't require much in the way of off road riding skills, except in deep gravel around some campsites. The location is perfect for a quick overnight or weekend getaway. Sitting by the campfire, under the stars, the only reminder that you're close to civilization is the flightpath to Sky Harbor Airport.
Arriving early, the plan was to chill. Completely. Work hard at nothing at all. I chose a spot next to a low mesquite tree. It was an overnight trip, but that doesn't mean that comfort was to be sacrificed. The first order of business is shelter. The MSR Hubba tent is so much more than just a fun name. The big news is its small size and light weight. Long valued by backpackers as a lightweight and versatile tent that is suitable for three seasons. I set the tent up complete, as a double walled tent. Alternatively, when the weather is expected to cooperate, the fly can be set up with the poles as a very lightweight shelter for minimalists.
As a single person tent, the Hubba had just enough room inside for my tall sized sleeping bag, and my motorcycle boots at the foot of my bag. One large door provided plenty of space to get in and out of the tent without looking like a gymnast. On the entrance side, the fly provides a nice sized vestibule inside of which was plenty of room for one of my large BMW Vario side cases. The other side of the tent also has a vestibule, and although there is no access from inside the tent, there was enough room for the other two Vario cases if one felt the need to cover them.
The tent went up quickly. This is a freestanding tent, so staking the corners will not be necessary in most situations. The fly does require two stakes to create the vestibules. CNC machined, and then anodized red, the stakes themselves are, dare I say, gorgeous. The tent poles are all connected by an internal shock cord. Simply unfold the poles, make sure they are inserted into each other, and then clip the six resulting corners into the four lower tent corners, and the two tent top grommets. Total time, about three minutes total.
Now that the tent is up, it was time to set up the sleeping bag. That's right, set up the sleeping bag. Most people now use some kind of sleeping pad in addition to their sleeping bag. Without this pad, small stones begin to feel like large boulders by 2am or so. Many popular pads today are self inflating. They tend to pack larger than I was comfortable with for the motorcycle. I found an innovative system by Big Agnes that incorporates a sleeping bag with an inflatable air mattress. Although the convenience of self inflation is given up for packing size, at 2.5â€, the pad is much thicker than a standard self inflating pad. This means more comfort.
I carry a 12 volt pump on my motorcycle. Off road, tires are deflated to 20 psi or so. Once back on pavement, the pump is used to re-inflate the tires. I used my pump to inflate the pad. Because the pump is so small, it doesn't deliver a high volume of air, so it did take about five minutes or so. Once inflated, the pad slides into a pocket on the bottom of the sleeping bag. The insulation on the bottom of a sleeping bag becomes compressed to the point where it loses most of its insulating effect. So, Big Agnes simply removed the insulation from the bottom of the bag, and created a pocket into which the sleeping pad goes. The result, much better insulation, and you never roll off your pad. Brilliant.
The Big Agnes Fish Hawk sleeping bag is rated at 30 degrees. With the insulated air core pad, I was snug as the proverbial bug in the 40 degree night. The bag is a rectangular shape, but it rolls into a compressed bag to a size of only 8†x 7â€. It also has a mummy style head so that you can cinch up the opening if it gets really cold.
Cooking meals and heating water was accomplished with the Primus Omni Fuel single burner stove. Fuel requirements for the stove was a big consideration for choosing the Omni Fuel stove. Unlike most other stoves, this one can burn any fuel from white gas to diesel fuel, unleaded or even jet fuel. Swapping out the jet (all three are included) is all that's required to burn different fuels. So, now I can fill up my cooking fuel when I fill my bike, or, if necessary, even siphon a bit out of the gas tank to cook an evening meal.
The stove itself is a fairly typical design where three legs rotate out to form both a base for the stove, and a platform for cookware. The materials are heavy duty, and built to last. As a result, the weight is a bit more than many lightweight, ultra compact backpacking stoves. The stove comes with a storage bag that has a zippered pocket into which you can keep the stove's multi-tool and fuel jets. I would recommend a small, laminated card listing the jet sizes and fuels for each as well.
Packed size is a consideration for all of this gear. My arbitrary goal was to fit the tent, sleeping bag, pad, stove and camp dishes into one pannier. This group accomplishes that easily. Other items that would be stowed in separate panniers include clothing, food, tools and other knick knacks specific to the trip, or picked up along the way.
At the end of the day, or trip as it were, I was very impressed with how all of this gear performed. Considering that as a boy, camping gear wasn't quite as sophisticated. Today, it's obvious that a lot of effort and resources have been applied to making our stays in the great outdoors comfortable and convenient.
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