Camping

[santa]

I am thinking of using a tent this summer to save money and get more miles for the Buck. Do any of you camp, looking for ideas.

Santa

[tank_post142]

NEVER set your tent up on a fire ant mound!!! 

[sandy]

I've camped all over the US. Get a campground guide and plan your day's ride. National Forest campgrounds are cheap and have clean toilets but no showers. Alternate between these and private campgrounds to get showers. Rand McNally road maps have Nat Forest campground sites on them. If you're cooking, a backpackers stove works and is small and light. Have fun.

[santa]

how much gear do you carry with you? and what

Santa

[Clark]

how much gear do you carry with you? and what

Santa

yikes

[fudgie]

We camp when we rally. We sleep in a back pack type tent. They are small and light. Ours is 9x7 and 4' high in the middle. Fits a queen air mattress and room to put our stuff. Changing is a bitch cause of the 4' high ceiling but we usually pull our pants up and put boots on outside. If I'm solo I use a smaller tent, also a backpack tent, about 6x7x4 and a single mattress. We also use a small travel pillow. Normal sleeping bag. We also use a small fleece blanket if its a warm night or need more cause its cold. They make fleece sleeping bags but they will pick up alot of dirt and grass. Matress pump is a must. Air compressor will take forever! Blue tarp and extra stakes are good if your out west.
If you cant find camp grounds, sleep at rest areas. Throw out the matress and sleeping bag. No tent. Camping is illegal! 
I've also just used a sleeping bag and matress out in the open. I do lay a tarp down 1st, s/b & matr and the tarp, and then throw the tarp over me. It keeps the morning dew off of you and the bag. If you get a black tarp, carefull where you lay. Dont want no chic pi$$in' on ya.    I've hauled all this and more for 10 days on the road, 2 up.

[Black Pearl's Captain]

http://www.motocampers.com/

[santa]

All this fits on your bike and room for you?

Santa

[santa]

GREAT WEB site Thanks

Santa

[Gunslinger]

We looked at camping as an option on the two week ride through Colorado last year. It depends on where you go. Most of the places we looked at (Private and public) had charges per person AND per vehicle. When adding 4 people and four bikes it was not much cheaper than the cabin we ended up choosing.

One or two people, on one bike and camping makes sense. Travel with a group and sometimes it's cheaper (and easier) to split the cost of a cabin or hotel.

[Dan Manko]

Like Gunslinger said:
Last ride to Canada with my son, camping and hoteling.
One night it was a choice of primitive camp $25, or a newly remodeled older hotel [really nice]
$40. Check prices. You might be surprised.

[santa]

I'm thinking of camping at Stugis this summer $105. for the 10 days no bike charge nice campgrounds. Woundering what I should bring on the bike for camping with some comfort.

Santa

[Jeff K]

Camping sux when you have to get up in the morning and roll up a wet tent.
Camping sux when it's raining and you can't even stand in your tent
Camping sux when you need a CPAP to sleep

[Mickey Runie]

Camping sux when you have to get up in the morning and roll up a wet tent.
Camping sux when it's raining and you can't even stand in your tent
Camping sux when you need a CPAP to sleep

Another one:
Camping sux when your wife has a bad back and can't get up & down from a bed on the ground.   

Thus, we've "evolved" from tent camping to pulling a 33' 5th wheel Rampage toy hauler and unloading the bikes when we get there.

I'll admit, it has it's +'s, but a heck of a lot more expensive than packin' a tent on the bike.

[fudgie]

I'm thinking of camping at Stugis this summer $105. for the 10 days no bike charge nice campgrounds. Woundering what I should bring on the bike for camping with some comfort.

Santa

All this for lest then $100 and will fit nice on a bike.

Air matress- smaller the better. twin or single works well
Air pump
small pillow-travel pillow
back pack tent
flash light
camp towel- bought mine from REI.com. Small as a pack of cigs
Small hammer

Since you are going west, get a tarp big enough to cover your tent and extra stakes. Do not face the tent door to the north or west. East is better.  Forget on bringing a canopy, you'll find it in NE after a storm. 
Since your going to Sturgis you can get a cooler anywhere.

Where are you staying and when are you going?

Most camp grounds offer shipping, make sure you do it 2 weeks out tho, it is busy. Might have to ship it back yourself tho. Most also have washer/dryer. No need to bring alot. Bring throw away clothes to, you can always get another shirt in town.

Heres a pic with way to much for 10 days. Shipped it all home but a change of clothes.

[stormrider]

Santa, I'll send a pm to you. I've taught camping skill for 34 years. Be glad to share some ideas. And I know all the National forest campgounds I've stayed in have hot showers. Some even have water and electric at the sites. Varies. Standing Indian between Murphy and Franklin is one of my favorites. Also, Indian Boundry Lake, TN side of the Cherohala is awesome. Call me.

[Molasses]

Provincial Park campsite in Ontario, morning after a nice little thunderstorm overnight:


This was at a little county park somewhere in Saskatchewan:


We seem to split about 40/60% staying at park campgrounds vs KOA and other privately owned ones, like this one in the Black Hills with the Crazy Horse monument in the background:


Or here at the Klamath Falls KOA:



A campground guide is VERY helpful or you can research what's available along your planned route in advance on the web.  It's good to have primary and alternate sites in mind; sometimes places get closed, filled up or you just end up not anywhere close to where you intended to be late in the day.  That's when having the guide book along comes in handy.


Your needs may vary from ours, but what I remember us packing for our camp trips off the top of my head is:

*  Kelty Gunnison 2 backpacking tent (we went with it because of its' size, light weight, it takes down small and has two entrances/vestibules and didn't break the bank) + an additional small tarp that gets used as a groundcloth and goes in the tent's bag
*  Coleman air bed (forget the model or dimensions, but it's like twin or queen size and takes up nearly all of the tent's floor) w. powered inflator
*  2 sleeping bags (zip together to make a two-person bag)
*  camp pillows
*  two campsite lights: one freestanding little LED lantern and one LED "dogbone" that plugs into the cigarette lighter outlet I wired onto the bike)
*  small cooler for pop, gatorade and perishibles bought during the day for snacks/cooking
  >  (these last ones all fit together in a kid's school-sized backpack) <
     - Single burner stove
     - bottle of extra fuel for the stove
     - cook pot
     - spatula, lexan eating utensils, cooking knife, tiny bottle dish soap
     - two sets of "Origami" fold-flat plates, cups and bowls
     - about 4 two-serving dehydrated backpacker dinner/supper meals, another 3 or so breakfasts


Then there's the bike cover, rain gear and etc.
My duffle of clothes and stuff.  Including at least one book.
On top of which, I can't get Sweet Tooth on a trip without a big duffle of clothes, another small(er) duffle of toiletries (yes, that does include a blowdryer) and some other stuff like tennis shoes to change into, etc.

I know there's probably folks that are howling with laughter or making noises like a hen laying an egg over all our junk, but at our age, the comforts are nice and pay off the next morning when trying to get up and back on the road with a miminum of pain, creaking and whining...

[santa]

Fudgie
I'm looking at staying at the Shady Valley campgrounds it looks nice from the web site. I will try to be in Sturgis on 1 Aug. don't know how long I'll stay, want to do alot of ridding. I had a GREAT time last year and saw alot of things and places.I plan to leave from Inzane and head west taking my time. Are you going this year?

Santa

[fudgie]

Fudgie
I'm looking at staying at the Shady Valley campgrounds it looks nice from the web site. I will try to be in Sturgis on 1 Aug. don't know how long I'll stay, want to do alot of ridding. I had a GREAT time last year and saw alot of things and places.I plan to leave from Inzane and head west taking my time. Are you going this year?

Santa

Yep, we will be there this year. We are leaving Aug 4th and get there the 6th.
We did shade Vally in 08. It was fun but had to many negatives to stay there again. To far outta town -8 miles- at night, and its dark! Long dusty ride to your spot and other amenities. They wash your clothes, for a fee. Not to bad till it rains and they get back logged. 2 days out at one time when we were there.  Cant swim in the pool, at least that year. Ground is cow pasture 50 weeks of the year so it can get ruff. Food is good but a tad pricy and the lodge is great esp with the bands. We do miss waking up early to ride and see Bear Butte in the mornings and watch the sun set over it.

We are staying at camp Rush-no-more again this year. Closer to the riding and the I/S. Its a year round campground and everything is very close in walking distance. It has a quiet hour after 11p but thats cool with us since we did alot of parting in town. Plus you can hop on Da Bus and leave your bike at camp.
http://www.rushnomore.com/

Heres another link thats useful for campgrounds and other stuff. I'm on it all the time.
http://www.sturgis.com/

[santa]

Fudgie
 1.Do you think that Camp rushnomore is worth twice the price?
  2.How far is it to the showers at camp shady?
  3.How are the camp sites at camp shady?
  4.I plan on coming in on the 1st of Aug and staying at least a week.
  5.On a scale of 1 to 10 between the two camp grounds can you rate them?
 a) showers and bathrooms
 b) camp site
 c) aminities
 I don't plan on going into town to much but do plan on doing alot of ridding of the area, thats why I'm coming early to avoid some of the crowds
Thanks for the in put

Santa
P.S. how hard is it to get a spot??? am I to late??

[fudgie]

 1.Do you think that Camp rushnomore is worth twice the price?
I dont think its twice the price. We paid $20/day this year. I believe we paid that at SV also. Like you said you are riding. SV maybe just what your looking for, esp if its cheaper.
  2.How far is it to the showers at camp shady?
Depends where you put your tent. Anywhere from 100' to 100 yards. Your a 15 min walk to the lodge.
  3.How are the camp sites at camp shady?
Its cow pasture. Kinda ruff esp under the trees.
  4.I plan on coming in on the 1st of Aug and staying at least a week.
  5.On a scale of 1 to 10 between the two camp grounds can you rate them?
 a) showers and bathrooms
10
 b) camp site
SV-5   RNM-10
 c) aminities
10
 I don't plan on going into town to much but do plan on doing alot of ridding of the area, thats why I'm coming early to avoid some of the crowds
Thanks for the in put
Santa
P.S. how hard is it to get a spot??? am I to late??
You should be great on getting a spot. It really dont start filling up till that mon/tue of the rally. Of coarse the shade areas fill up 1st. SV was good about going around telling you a storm was coming. The bathrooms is where most hung out during the storms. Another thing about SV is the mud after a rain. Esp if your off the road into the woods. RNM is paved, at least the main area is. The lodge at SV is cool to go up and unwind. Good bands and cold drinks. Check that Sturgis website out. Alot of talk about different campgrounds hi's and low's.
If we didn't find rush no more, we would be back to Shade Valley.
Let me know what you decide and maybe we'll get together. We usually meet other VRCC'ers. Plus Kit just loves your beard!

[Sodbuster]

I'm in the same boat as Mr Molasses. We've been bike camping/tenting since the eighties and because of our age have been migrating to use of a cargo trailer to haul all of our creature comforts.

One thing I learned when camping out west is to bring a stocking cap. It can be 95 deg during the day but can easily drop into the low forties at nite. Bring sunscreen. Also be ready to stand in long lines for EVERYTHING.

Other than that it's a hell of a good time .... check out "The Dungeon" in Sturgis.

[Misfit]

If you are going to Sturgis for the riding you would be way ahead to go when no one is there. Sturgis is a great place for motorcyclist's anytime before or after the rally. Sturgis is a great place for bikers during the rally.

[PJR]

Santa;  If you are going for the riding and want to miss some of the crowd, check out Bobby Whiteakers campground in Belle Fourche. It is about 25-30 miles west of Sturgis, but is a nice year round campground. I stayed there 2 different yrs. that I went to out and enjoyed it.

[fudgie]

I'm in the same boat as Mr Molasses. We've been bike camping/tenting since the eighties and because of our age have been migrating to use of a cargo trailer to haul all of our creature comforts.

One thing I learned when camping out west is to bring a stocking cap. It can be 95 deg during the day but can easily drop into the low forties at nite. Bring sunscreen. Also be ready to stand in long lines for EVERYTHING.

Other than that it's a hell of a good time .... check out "The Dungeon" in Sturgis.

+1 on the dungeon!  Dawn the bartender is very nice. We were there so much she had the drinks on the bar by the time we hit the bottom steps! 
We never did take the liners out of our coats last year. It was a perfect temp year.

[fudgie]

Sturgis is a great place for motorcyclist's anytime before or after the rally. Sturgis is a great place for bikers during the rally.

Huh, never looked at it like that!    

We talked about going in the fall instead but it wouldn't be the same. We'd miss the atmosphere.  

[santa]

Thanks to all for your comments. They have been very helpful. Know I need to make my decision on going from Inzane to Sturgis or doing the Blueridge parkway????? It's hard to be retired and time on your hands, but before you say it the wife needs to go on a trip too. Balancing that is the trick there are only so many pennies in the piggy

Santa
  p.s. Fudgie you have been a great help.

[Sodbuster]

Sturgis is a great place for motorcyclist's anytime before or after the rally. Sturgis is a great place for bikers during the rally.

Huh, never looked at it like that!    

We talked about going in the fall instead but it wouldn't be the same. We'd miss the atmosphere.  

Fudgie - You'd be surprised how many bikes are still around the week after Sturgis .... I've been out there several times after the Rally with quite a few bikes around.  Obviously not near as many during rally but it is SO MUCH MORE laid back and you still have the atmosphere of bikers and it's a heck of alot cheaper (rates go way down).. Alot of the locals won't ride during the rally cause it's so crazy.

[fudgie]

Sturgis is a great place for motorcyclist's anytime before or after the rally. Sturgis is a great place for bikers during the rally.

Huh, never looked at it like that!    

We talked about going in the fall instead but it wouldn't be the same. We'd miss the atmosphere.  

Fudgie - You'd be surprised how many bikes are still around the week after Sturgis .... I've been out there several times after the Rally with quite a few bikes around.  Obviously not near as many during rally but it is SO MUCH MORE laid back and you still have the atmosphere of bikers and it's a heck of alot cheaper (rates go way down).. Alot of the locals won't ride during the rally cause it's so crazy.

Maybe someday we will. But then I hope to live out there by then. Crowds never bother me cause we ride early in the morning. We would still camp so price is not a problem. Hell, we're young! It would be nice not to have a $120 bar tab tho. 

[Scanner]

Fudgie, that is one impressive array of gear stacked there!  Is it an adventure passing the big rigs with that tower?  Seems like it would stay interesting during strong winds too.  Nice bike tho 

[fudgie]

Fudgie, that is one impressive array of gear stacked there!  Is it an adventure passing the big rigs with that tower?  Seems like it would stay interesting during strong winds too.  Nice bike tho 

Thx! It was a 1 year use only HD trunk. We took to much stuff that year.  I dont remember it being bad with the winds. It did stress crack my aluminum angle pcs from all the weight. Had to make new ones at a hardware store in Deadwood/Lead. What we didnt throw away, we shipped it home. Only took a set of clothes and the helmets. Alot lighter going home! lol We got a system down patt now that worked well last year. Sold the trunk that fall.

[Hoser]

I'm thinking of camping at Stugis this summer $105. for the 10 days no bike charge nice campgrounds. Woundering what I should bring on the bike for camping with some comfort.

Santa

All this for lest then $100 and will fit nice on a bike.

Air matress- smaller the better. twin or single works well
Air pump
small pillow-travel pillow
back pack tent
flash light
camp towel- bought mine from REI.com. Small as a pack of cigs
Small hammer

Since you are going west, get a tarp big enough to cover your tent and extra stakes. Do not face the tent door to the north or west. East is better.  Forget on bringing a canopy, you'll find it in NE after a storm. 
Since your going to Sturgis you can get a cooler anywhere.

Where are you staying and when are you going?

Most camp grounds offer shipping, make sure you do it 2 weeks out tho, it is busy. Might have to ship it back yourself tho. Most also have washer/dryer. No need to bring alot. Bring throw away clothes to, you can always get another shirt in town.

Heres a pic with way to much for 10 days. Shipped it all home but a change of clothes.

How come your bike's so purdy and yer so ugly?      Hoser

[Wewaman]

not really sure about the bugs where your going but here in North Florida ALL the bugs bite.   My solution is a Thermacell they work great and you can get one for around 25.00 at Walmart you will need some refills also. It works on everything from Mosquitos to biting flies to biting knats.  good luck and have Fun..
Wewaman

[santa]

Won't be camping or going to Sturgis this year. I'm going to take my wife out west in the car, she doesn't ride.

Santa

[fiddle mike]

Look for backpacker equipment. It's small and light.

 Tents are rated like this:

a.   “2 season” (good weather only).

b.   “3 season” (Provides some protection against cold weather and light rain).

c.   “3 season convertible” (Comfortable in warm weather but with a heavy fly to keep out thunderstorms, snow and very cold weather.

d.   “Expedition” (The name of the rating reflects the use.  You cannot reach places an expedition tent is needed by motorcycle).

“3 season convertible” is the best tent for protection, size, weight and price.

[fudgie]

I'm thinking of camping at Stugis this summer $105. for the 10 days no bike charge nice campgrounds. Woundering what I should bring on the bike for camping with some comfort.

Santa

All this for lest then $100 and will fit nice on a bike.

Air matress- smaller the better. twin or single works well
Air pump
small pillow-travel pillow
back pack tent
flash light
camp towel- bought mine from REI.com. Small as a pack of cigs
Small hammer

Since you are going west, get a tarp big enough to cover your tent and extra stakes. Do not face the tent door to the north or west. East is better.  Forget on bringing a canopy, you'll find it in NE after a storm. 
Since your going to Sturgis you can get a cooler anywhere.

Where are you staying and when are you going?

Most camp grounds offer shipping, make sure you do it 2 weeks out tho, it is busy. Might have to ship it back yourself tho. Most also have washer/dryer. No need to bring alot. Bring throw away clothes to, you can always get another shirt in town.

Heres a pic with way to much for 10 days. Shipped it all home but a change of clothes.

How come your bike's so purdy and yer so ugly?      Hoser

The bike made me this way.