Tents, pads and bags

[hppants]

^ true dis!

 

[erixun]

For the chair aspect I have a Kermit Chair (https://www.kermitchair.com/) and like it.

Agree on the posts above about taking a few clothes and finding a laundromat or like to wash when you throw in a hotel every few days. Usually they have a washer/dryer for guests, or do the extra cheap thing like I have done and just wash them in the sink.

As far as a small burner or cook stove, the back packing ones are great or so I have been told. I went with a single burner Coleman dual fuel stove. It is a bit bigger, but I can get fuel at any gas station and do not have to carry any other type or worry about running out. I carry a surplus mess kit that I also pack my coffee, utensils etc inside. Works for me.

My tent, chair, sleeping bag, air mattress, camp pillow, etc all pack into a water proof duffel bag that I strap onto the passenger seat. Leaves the saddle bags clear for the other gear.

 

[Yosemiterich]

REI is good but I've found that moosejaw has the same equipment for less, I work in Yosemite ntl park in spring I hike to all high Sierra camps as part of a maintenance crew for setups and in the fall for tear downs, I use a big Agnes lost ranger bag and sleep pad very comfortable while hiking I only use a bivy sack when out on the fjr I use a two man tent for gear it packs well on the bike,I've been in all types of weather rain,snow,and 80mph sleet don't buy cheep gear you get what you pay for, just my two cents.

 

[luvtoride]

While it is really good, REI is one of the most expensive places that you could shop. I'd find what you want & shop for it online. I once bought a tin cup from REI... probably all I can afford there.

Yes, while it is true they may be more expensive than purchasing online, there are times I place value on being able to evaluate the stuff first hand. If I recall when I bought my sleeping bag there was less than a 10 buck difference between REI and online.

I find what I want (which means putting hands on the item) & then shop for it online. Apparently I wasn't clear on that point.Your sleeping bag experience is the exception to the rule. That doesn't happen often. REI has 10' pole marks all over it in my eyes. It's somewhere I will not shop. You people with expendable income are lucky.

 

[Powerman]

I mostly shop REI sales, like last years sleeping bag model that they changed to different colors?

Went to the first store in Seattle in the 70's.

Those Moosejaw prices look pretty high also, they sell Yeti coolers?

 

[steveoreno]

It's cheaper to camp, period.
You can buy good quality everything (down to the sugar packets for morning coffee) for no more than $500.00, and very likely much cheaper. On a 3 week trip, if you camp 7 nights (1 out of 3), you will break even on everything. The next trip and any thereafter is gravy.

That said, don't do it for the savings. It's your vacation - you want to be comfortable. Do what works for you.

I like the woods, campfire, trail walking, cooking, adult beverages without a need to ride back to the hotel, etc.

Camping for me takes away a lot of the stress associated with planning. Since I've got the house and kitchen with me, I can always stop and sleep wherever I want to. If you are in a part of the country that has relatively few motel choices, and no reservations, that can be a real valid concern without camping gear.

If the trip is more than 4 nights, I usually mix in the camping with motels. After 3 or 4 nights in the tent, I'm usually ready for a proper mattress.

we like to use our REI Kingdom 4 when we camp but we will ship it to our "basecamp" and stay in motels on our way to and from our destination area. That way we don't have the daily stress of setup and teardown. It is a lot like the Redverz tents in that it's very roomy and the "tech garage" is a huge vestibule but we have never put the FJR in it and I'm unsure how well it would fit.

 

[steveoreno]

One thing about REI, it is a membership Co-Op. If you end up purchasing a lot of gear from them it pays to join, you will get money back at the end of the year on all the non sale items you purchase. The stores that I have visited were pretty well stocked and satisfied a good portion of my gear needs. And the knowledgable store employees are also a bonus!
They also have a 3 1/2 inch thick self inflating air mattress (foam filled) that rolls up pretty tight. The roll is as wide as the bike - saddle bag face to saddle bag face. As soon as the tent is up I release both air valves and let it deploy itself inside the tent. When I go to use it I let some of the air out for comfort sake, it's thick enough that my hips still don't touch bottom.

Brodie

I love REI! We try to limit our visits to every other month or I have to start eating ramen noodles for a while.

 

[RJAMT]

You people with expendable income are lucky.

Is it an excess of disposable income or an appreciation of quality merchandise or a preference for supporting a quality store or simply a different prioritization of resources than some others?

For me it's all but the first.

 

[s.ga.rider]

This topic is still open. I wont buy the gear for another couple of months. Been spending money on bike parts for comfort then going to pick up camping gear. So far im planning on a decent priced tent, sleeping bag, pad, dry bags, compression bag, rok straps, mini stove and pot just for coffee. Thats about all on my list right now. Trip leaves august the 8th and will be around 7k miles.

 

[El Toro Joe]

You can get a Jet boil stove, with a coffee press...works great, and very fast.

 

[RJAMT]

My opinion is not to scrimp on what you need to stay warm and dry or to sleep well. If you need to save money do it on all the other gear.

 

[El Toro Joe]

good sale going on now...

https://www.campsaver.com/camp-hike?narrow_by=7129&brand=13,60,117,5424,59,58,200,11,8,249,9,14,12,282,10&&trk_msg=H9R34RCE2QL417H16P1GB6QCO8&trk_contact=AH7D8LR257NMR62UHS7UN6OM2C&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.campsaver.com%2fcamp-hike%3fnarrow_by%3d7129%26brand%3d13%2c60%2c117%2c5424%2c59%2c58%2c200%2c11%2c8%2c249%2c9%2c14%2c12%2c282%2c10%26&utm_campaign=LST+jan+15+16a

Less expensive than Moosejaw

 

[steveoreno]

You people with expendable income are lucky.

Is it an excess of disposable income or an appreciation of quality merchandise or a preference for supporting a quality store or simply a different prioritization of resources than some others?

For me it's all but the first.

I like buying something that's high quality that I won't have to replace every 5 years if ever. That's why REI makes sense as a place to shop for gear, even their store brand gear is of the highest quality.

 

[SLK50]

I'm growing impatient waiting for that $99 Hilary tent I bought

at Sears in 1993 to fail so I can replace it with something better.

Same goes for the $20 sleeping bag that's at least 15 years old.

There's even an axe I paid $7 for that unbelievably keeps

chopping wood.

Inexpensive doesn't have to equal cheap. But a person starting

from scratch may be discouraged by the prices of "quality"

equipment enough to even try camping to see if they'll like it.

 

[MrZappo]

I'm growing impatient waiting for that $99 Hilary tent I boughtat Sears in 1993 to fail so I can replace it with something better.

Same goes for the $20 sleeping bag that's at least 15 years old.

There's even an axe I paid $7 for that unbelievably keeps

chopping wood.

Inexpensive doesn't have to equal cheap. But a person starting

from scratch may be discouraged by the prices of "quality"

equipment enough to even try camping to see if they'll like it.

Inexpensive didn't necessarily mean "cheap junk" in the 80's and 90's ... These days, everything is upside down ..

These days, "expensive" doesn't necessarily mead good quality ... But more often than not, and, more often than ever, cheap=crap ...

I understand where you are going and it is occasionally true but (IMHO), unless you get a good price on some sort of big sale, low prices correlate to gear that "looks" high quality but does not stand the test of time ... That $99 tent that has lasted 20 years = a $400 tent today ... But any cheap tent today and talk to me after the first rain ...

YMMV