Camping with the FJR

Guys,

I am planning a camping trip with the wife and the soon to be new FJR (this saturday hopefully). I was wondering can i pack enough for two nights and two people on the FJR for camping? Has anyone done it and how did they pack? Did you take one sleeping bag or two, How big was the tent? etc. I plan on purchasing the sport touring rack and back rest from Premeir Cycle for sure. Should i get the rear box also? Any help would be great. The ride to the camp site is 3 1/2 hours. Does anyone have pictures of there bikes loaded with gear? Would like to get an idea how to pack the bike. Thanks!

Good thing today is not Friday......... you best search this site a wee bit........

B

Edit.......... and yes ..... you can camp with the FJR..... two up.

I don't have a handy picture, although if I remember I've got some on my PC at home...

But, camping for 2 nights should be easy. I've got 2 tents, one is a 'backpacking' tent and one is a larger 6 person dome. I usually take the 6 person tent, because when in it's bag, it is just a couple inches 'fatter' than the small tent.

I've got some small sleeping bags that are a little bigger than you could really consider 'backpacking' sized, the pair of them will fit in a side bag no problem. They are mummy bags, and I barely fit in mine, so the last 2 times I went camping, I took a more 'normal' size bag for myself, I stuffed it into a compression bag.

Tie the tent and any large items in bags onto the rear rack, that's easy. Clothes in a side bag...

The hardest thing to carry, for me, is food. Some food items need to be cold, which means you need a cooler. Bread and other things get squished, especially if you put them in a compression bag.

If you are going camping, the trunk may not be a good idea, as it is going to occupy the rear rack space you would normally need to attach the large items like the tent. I suppose you could put the tent on top of the trunk (which would necessitate a rack on the trunk) but then you are putting that weight pretty high, and when you combine the tent and the trunk and the contents, you are probably putting a lot of weight on that rear rack. Most trunk racks are rated only for very small amounts of weight for this reason..

Thanks guys. Good info. If you could post pics when you get home Chrisflock that would be great!

fjronamission i am searching right now.

As stated previously, it is possible, you just need to be pretty diligent and pack like it was a backpacking trip.

I find that it is (generally) easier to buy fresh food locally each day and then prepare it rather than try to haul it in, as space is at a premium. For only a couple of days you should be able to find space.

No pics, but I manage a 2-person backpacking tent, cooking gear and some food and such in a 52-litre Givi box (aprox weight is 15 lbs), we each get one side bag for clothes etc, and sleeping bags I put in dry bags and bungie them to the top of the side cases... it works, and makes convenient arm rests for the passenger.

Hope this helps, enjoy the trip

Griff

2 weeks worth of gear, but then again, I ride solo.

This guy, (yeah, and his girlfriend is somewhere on the sidewalk), drove thru Nakusp during CFR. They were on day 10 or 12 of a two week camping trip, headed back to Calgary.

If you look close, you can even see their weenie roast stick hanging out back of the bike.



...

Thanks guys,

We will not have to worry to much on food another couple is bring all the cooking and food supplies. We just need to bring tent, bags and clothes.

Thats a good idea to mount the sleeping bags to the top of hard bags.

The packing would be so much easier if i was going solo but having the wife along eats up the passanger seat for storage. Anyone have a picture with a passagner?

That last picture is great. I am thinking about getting one of those motfizz seat bags.

Packed for BC.

Clothes in right bag, bike stuff in left (rain suit, tire stuff etc), top box half empty, tent, sleeping bag, stove, pots, food.. hell all camping gear in the blue duffle on the seat, thermarest in the yellow dry bag, camp chair on in the black bag.



Camp setup:

Never done it 2-up, but set some rules. If you purchase down sleeping bags and get a decent stuff sack, they can be compressed down to smaller than a 1 liter bottle (for a 35 degree bag). REI, sierratradingpost, and campmor are some great resources for camping and backcountry gear (and all have online stores). Try to avoid hunting stores for camping gear. In general, the stuff is heavier and larger than stores that carry true backcountry gear. Give her one side case for her sleeping bag and all her clothes. The other side for the same for you. On the rear rack, pack your tent, thermarest pads (if used), and a duffel bag with your common supplies (stove, utensils, plates, footwear, rain gear).

Tie a bag to your rack, not a hard top case where everything has to fit inside. I'd forget food, stoves and cooking utensils; you just won't have room IMO; eat in restaurants or buy sandwiches and drinks at a store deli and have picnics, . Also see this recent thread about bungees; buy Rok Straps here or many other places (try a local BMW shop). Much safer and more secure. There's a lot of stuff you have to carry anyway--rain gear, another layer to put on if it's chilly, tire tools (and I always carry a first aid kit I put together myself) etc.--all that stuff is bulky but you shouldn't skimp on any of it. And have fun.

Oh, and I'm definitely with Bungie on the Thermarests, which can be top-strapped as they're light, although a little bulky on the bike (they don't even need to be in a bag). Most comfortable sleep pad ever.

No Feej here but I have moto camped on my Bandit several times. I would make one strong suggestion. Leave the bungie cords at home. Cinch straps or Rok straps are the only way to go when moto camping. Bungie cords are too unpredictable, stretching out and shifting at usually the worst possible moment. I only use my bungies for small stuff and short trips around home. For anything longer distance and larger loads, I break out the cinch straps. Make sure you check them for security everytime you stop for a rest break, fuel, food, etc. I haven't had one loosen up yet, but I'm a firm believer in erring on the safe side.

HTH,

Ray

Keep in mind also that if you have time, back rests and luggage racks are sold used all the time in the forum classified section. I bought the backrest from Premier that says it won't work with the luggage rack. <(Which is not true)For very little effort you can take the plate that comes with it and make what ever shape plate you want. Mcmaster Carr.com will sell you a small peice of Aluminum or even Delrin for cheap compared to the price Premier has on their luggage racks.

Good luck on the new bike and ride safe with mama on the back.

SacramentoMike said:

Oh, and I'm definitely with Bungie on the Thermarests, which can be top-strapped as they're light, although a little bulky on the bike (they don't even need to be in a bag). Most comfortable sleep pad ever.

Click to expand...

Thermarest in a dry bag for a couple of reasons; keep it clean and dry obviously, and, to stop it from making a hole in itself from flapping around - which happened to a buddies.

I ended up moving my top box back into the rear position (my Premier rack is adjustable) and moving the thermarest and chair behind and down from the duffle as the width of them REALLY obstructed my view through the mirrors.

As for the Thermarest - two thumbs up. Mine is actually 28" wide and is R 6.5 or some such. Nice to have some squirm room when your sleeping and keeping you warm when the temps drop. The morning the bottom pic was taken, you can see the dew on the bikes and I think it went down into the very low 40's. I was toasty 'n warm - I think Rob got up in middle of the night to put his riding gear back on.

Some good advice in this thread. If finances allow, spend the few extra bucks and buy good quality backpacking gear. It's durable, thought out, light and packs down really small. My favourite piece is my LED lantern

KhromalusionaL said:

Guys,
I am planning a camping trip with the wife and the soon to be new FJR (this saturday hopefully). I was wondering can i pack enough for two nights and two people on the FJR for camping? Has anyone done it and how did they pack? Did you take one sleeping bag or two, How big was the tent? etc. I plan on purchasing the sport touring rack and back rest from Premeir Cycle for sure. Should i get the rear box also? Any help would be great. The ride to the camp site is 3 1/2 hours. Does anyone have pictures of there bikes loaded with gear? Would like to get an idea how to pack the bike. Thanks!

Click to expand...

I have the rack and back rest from Premiere - very satisfied with it. I have camped but only single, wife won't camp. Singly there is ample room. The grocery thing, if possible camp and unload then go get groceries. We have done weekends with motel, again no problem - she will take up every cubic inch of room you don't, so you will always hear the not enough space story even if you had a lead wing <_<

Damn! I forgot my pics. Oh well, imagine the pic from Silent with the stuff where the top case is. And no silver graphics on the bike. No Grand Tetons sign, and a rusty Volkswagen instead of the 300...

On one of my previous trips, my wife had slipped our 2 sleeping pads into a stuff sack. They are some therma rest pads, they're too darn short (maybe they are kid sized? I dunno) and I looked at how big the stuff sack really was...

I realized a double sized inflatable mattress and battery powered pump we have is smaller, so I stuffed that into the sack instead. Now, we travel in luxury.

If it was just me though, a sleeping pad would suffice.

Also, as a side note, I've found that carrying all the necessities for camping (especially food)

You can easily pack enough clothes in a saddle bag. As others have said, your wife will want more just because wives are like that.

Might want to consider a tank bag.

I think my wife would shoot me if I told her she had to climb in and out over sleeping bags stacked on the saddlebags. Its kinda funny just with the saddle bags. We have a trunk but I think I would leave it behind in favor of a backrest if we were camping 2-up. Depending on how the gear fit in it.

I bought a pair of waterproof duffle bags from Walmart last month for $30. The large one is 14x14x28. I used it on the seat but thought it would work great on a rear rack strapped to a backrest. That would suck up some of the gear if it is appropriately sized. Especially if you only have to take a tent and sleeping bags. I'm sure others have experience with more motorcycle specific bags that serve the same purpose.

https://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...uct_id=10928114

# Large: 14" x 14" x 28.5" (5,586-cu. in.)

# Small: 11" x 11" x 19" (2,299-cu. in.)

Can't believe I'm advertising for Walmart...

I have bought a lot of gear on clearance from Campmor over the years at pretty good prices. Look for light weight stuff if you're going to be camping a lot. Without getting into expensive bags like down and stuff, the higher the temperature rating the lower the weight of the sleeping bag and more compact.

You'll probably want to locate what they classify as a 4-man dome tent. Not sure what those four men look like. Haven't looked at tents enough recently to make any kind of recommendation.

Good luck. I've always enjoyed camping on the bikes. Puts you a little closer to nature.

Brian

KhromalusionaL said:

Does anyone have pictures of there bikes loaded with gear? Would like to get an idea how to pack the bike. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Here's a pic of my bike fully loaded after stopping for provisions just before (12 miles) arrival at the campground. This is how I will pack to head to WFO in Idaho.



Forget the Beemer, he don't know squat about how to pack!