and here I am with Karen who rode her Vstar from Kingston, Ontario. While it was my first time camping I was trying to look like I knew what I was doing
My new Marmot tent is on the right. I like to have facilities (ie water) so I can gently ease myself into enjoying it. The next night I moved over to the Hotel to be with the others but all the time I was thinking that I should have stayed at the campsite and had company, rather than be alone in my room
I also bought an MSR Whisperlite International gas stove so we would be able to have warm beverages
It wasn't long ago that I would spend my time looking at electronic stuff at Best Buy or Future Shop but now I seem to be more obsessed with looking at Tents, stoves, sleeping bags, folding camp chairs and other outdoor stuff at places like REI or MEC.ca I've even started scanning Craigslist ads and bought a backup MSR whiperlite just in case my other one fails
With Spring upon us my thoughts have turned to camping and riding and even though I have no plans to go anywhere I have already gone into the MEC retail store several times during the past couple of weeks looking at "stuff". I dug out my cooking kit and spread it out on my kitchen counter
Inside my cooking pot I have instant: cup of soup, instant coffee, instant oatmeal and a Cliff bar. These items I carried across the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic and back home and here they are ready to use in case I need to have something hot to drink. I love my MSR liquid fuel stove but I bought a cheap stove on the internet
It is very small and uses small gas cannisters and folds up into a small plastic case.
Here it is mounted onto an MSR ISOPRO gas cannister. It seems well made and for the price it is a bargain. It also has a self igniter so you do not have to use a lighter
You turn on the gas (valve) and then push the button and the spark ignites the gas and you get a flame
Then all you have to do is to dial up the gas until you get a blue flame and then it is ready to heat your pot of water. It is very fast to set up and the water boils really fast
It cools down fast and then you just fold it up and put it into its plastic container. The cannister is probably 4x larger in comparison. I also got hooked on alcohol stoves and last year I bought a couple of different designs
Since this stove is so small I was going to include it into my cooking kit but my MSR Whisperlite is more versatile as I can use different fuels, which includes pump gas. It may not be so easy to find an ISOPRO cannister whilst on the road.
I mentioned that my tent was bought new in 2012. It is a brand name, Marmot so I thought that it would be leak proof. Well it was until we made it to Bar Harbor, ME and we got rained out
It was clear and not raining when we arrived but that night the heavens opened up with flash flood warnings the next day, so we had to cancel our plans and hang around the town
This is where I noticed that I was getting a bit of water inside my tent. Not a lot of water but I wasn't sure where it was coming from but I used my camp towel to soak it up. I think my rain cover was not long enough and not covering the bottom few inches of my tent
The weather on PEI was not that great. Everyone told us that the previous 7 weeks was Hot and sunny but when we arrived it was always threatening rain and coolish. Notice that I used the stakes to ensure that the rain fly covered more of the tent
When I got home from my cross country tour I decided to seal the bottom seams
and here is what it looks like after my "not very professional" botched job of sealing the seam
I hope this works. But in the meantime I had been looking at new tents. Not because I need one right away, as I'm not camping this year but I want to be ready for my next trip. I was thinking of a larger tent, perhaps a 3 season, 3 Person for more room inside. For some reason I am going to miss camping this year even though I am thinking about it all the time and wishing I could ride somewhere, if only for a couple of days.
Scenes like this make me happy and brings back many memories and I'm looking forward to the day I will be able to do it again
Nice that you sealed the seams. No such thing as a leak-proof tent unless the seams are sealed at the factory. Appearance isn't as important as thoroughness when it comes to seam sealing.
ReplyDeleteOn my last trip, I didn't spend much time packing and forgot a handful of stuff (tent stakes, hammer, coffee cup) but nothing really critical. I'm looking forward to a handful of short trips this summer but nothing long enough to feel good about.
Richard:
DeleteI know it doesn't look good but I hope that the seam is now sealed. I think the rain was coming through the threads as I noticed that's where the drops were coming from but now I try to extend the fly to cover more of the tent and I stake it out farther using the pegs
I am thinking that with a longer trip I should get a 3 P tent as long as it packs down not much more than my current one. I thought you were going to the MOA in MN this year ? I have no plans for any riding but I was hoping for an extended weekend somewhere. My next bike trip will be summer 2015, this is a year for 4 wheeled touring to PA, TN, KY etc
I was originally planning on the MOA in MN this year but not enough annual leave for everything that I had wanted to do. So just some local trips within Alaska and the Yukon Territory for this summer.
DeleteRichard:
DeleteI don't have enough leave either, that's why I am taking more time off, without pay. I did the same last year. I am booked this year and next year but then I could put Fairbanks on my 2016 radar. I've been to Bella Coola but not north of Prince George. Soon I will have more time than $$
Bob, during our Italian trip I had often thought about camping again. The weather was nice, it was warm but not too hot. It would have been perfect. However, we got some heavy rain falls in Northern Italy, Slovenia and Austria, and during those heavy thunderstorms we were very happy to have a (real) roof over our heads.
ReplyDeleteSonja:
DeleteI find that I actually like it better than being in a Hotel. You get to park your bike/scooter beside your tent, watch the stars and use your stove to heat up a meal. You feel more connected to the journey and you feel more self sufficient. The only problem is packing up in the rain and then everything is wet when you put it away.
But we did it last year on the Atlantic coast and the rain drops hitting the tent had a hypnotic feeling.
Have you considered washing your tent with Nikwax TX Wash-In? It work great for jackets, I imagine it would work well for tents and similar fabrics too. http://www.mec.ca/product/4003-388/nikwax-tx-direct-wash-in-waterproofer/
ReplyDeleteHowever, the best waterproofing I have found is my visa card and a Best Western.
Troubadour:
DeleteI suppose it's too late for the Nikwax treatment as I already ruined the surface with my treatment. The Nikwax is probably intended to soak into the fabric.
If your Visa card works better than mine then "send it up" and let me try it out. I could test the waterproofing qualities all over the country and then give it back when I swing back west on the way home. My next trip will be longer than the one last year so I may buy a 3P tent for more room
Bob, to work well the fly shouldn't touch the tent, otherwise you lose the benefit of the fly. When I was in the Scouts, we used those traditional canvas prospector tents, and there was no waterproofing at all. In a pounding rain, the fly takes the rain water and the water runs with the canvas and keeps you dry inside.
ReplyDeleteWe're planning to fly to Vancouver in August, then drive to Banff. I was thinking you could ride to Banff and camp there and we could grab a bite. Unfortunately my conference keeps me really busy and I won't be able to break away. We might stay overnight in Kelowna though and you could camp out overnight there.
I'm just trying to give you excuses to camp out, really.
David:
DeleteI thought you were going to mention the stove, which we lit up in the restaurant when you were here last time. It made such a loud noise I had to shut it off. This is for heating up our beverages the next time we order those Deli sandwiches and then head up to Mount Royal to have our lunch.
I was in Cubs but we didn't do any camping, except one time I went to Cub Camp where they had permanent canvas tents set up on wood platforms. Now you tell me about the Fly but I know now to extend it past the tent so the water doesn't hit the tent underneath.
Don't forget I am leaving mid August on my Eastern tour so you had better get here early in the month. Except for Andrew, you should really fly into Calgary, AB and rent your car there. You have a leisurely 1 hour drive to Banff and then you could go to Canmore, AB. I really like Canmore. Why torture yourself with a 1,000 km drive from Vancouver when you don't have to do it. Come to Vancouver after your conference.
Good review of camping and the requirements thereof, I like that whisperlite stove, should find myself one locally if I ever go on another camping trip.
ReplyDeleteDom:
DeleteI like the MSR Whisperlite the best because you can use gasoline from the pump, so you could fill your fuel bottle when you get gas for your bike. This small ISOPRO stove I bought is handier but then cannisters may be hard to find when you are in unfamiliar territory. I bought one new, and then bought a used one off Craigslist, so now I am saving the new one
BTW, this is an interesting post. What is that tiny stove on the IsoPro canister? It looks ideal for short trips especially if you are strapped for weight. I must admit that I still prefer my old MSR GK stove as it is more stable due to the rigid fuel pipe and actually produces more heat than the newer MSR Whisperlight stove and has a built in flint igniter. Though the newer Whisperlight packs a whole lot smaller.
ReplyDeleteI just picked up a larger tent (REI InCamp 4) though it is more suitable for car camping and way too big for solo trips. I used to have a NorthFace VE24 which was a 3-person 4-season tent but at 10 lbs it was too heavy to carry but it was very well made and stood up to high winds pretty well. I ended up trading it for a rifle…
BTW, I could spend way too much time looking at gear at REI. Until two weeks ago I was safe but they just opened a store in Fairbanks. I'm doomed…
Richard:
DeleteThose small ISOPRO stoves are very small and I bought 7 of them (copies from China). I have given 4 away so I still have a few. They are handy as they require no priming or much set up. Just thread it on and use the self igniter. I like the MSR better but more messy. You have to pump up the pressure and then ignite while the flame preheats the coil and turns the liquid to gas before you can use it. Plus the Whisperlite sounds like a jet engine
I have my eye on a 3S, 3P new design from MSR but I don't need it this year. Perhaps I'll buy one in the fall so I will have it for next year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc_I159KPxg
I've already been dreaming about it. Our REI equivalent is MEC.ca and I can't keep away from it either. Good decision to have an REI in Fairbanks for all the people passing through. Too bad you may be passing through their store too
I had also picked one of the tiny stoves up. An MSR MicroRocket. (See the problem with a local REI!) I figured that for overnight or short trips it'll be ideal. Save the liquid fuel stove for extended trips.
DeleteRichard:
Deletethe cannister stove is so convenient so I too intend to use it until the cannister runs out, then I'll switch to the multi fuel MSR
One of the fun things about motorcycle camping are the variety of approaches. Back in the old days I used to carry cooking stuff (sterno anyone?) but these days I'm into KISS. I look for a store on the way that has some really good whole grain bread, really good cheese and good beer. The Romans built an empire on the stuff. It works for me too. Unless I'm in Bear country.
ReplyDeleteMy 3 man tent is barely big enough for just me. I used to go to the fancy Outdoor supply places; now I just go to Wal-Mart. I've camped in places where I didn't want to attract attention. Fancy $300 pack tents and expensive bags can do that. It's even more likely that camp stuff can become damaged carrying it on a motorcycle. Been there, done that. The cheaper stuff isn't quite as convenient, but I was in a serious mountain storm on my last trip and it did the job. The extra spikes I took to hammer my tent and fly into the ground did the job. It's all good.
David:
DeleteI am done with cheap and not well made unless you have no other choice. If the tent is going to be my home for weeks at a time whilst on the road I want something a bit better. I generally only tour in the summer. Last year I was in 100°F heat for what seemed like weeks. Liquids are very heavy so I only bought a bottle at a time and of course dairy products don't do well in hot side cases.
I have a hard time trying to find grocery stores when trying to put on the miles. The stores at gas stations only carry the junk type of foods so I like to have my own food which I can add water and heat up. Superstore has those which you can just add boiling water into their own foil bag and you have a meal in a few minutes. Plus I now carry instant oatmeal for breakfast and meal supplements for emergencies
Inexpensive doesn't have to mean poorly made; but it likely will mean a couple of pounds heavier. The expensive stuff is lighter but in my experience more easily damaged. I prefer sturdy gear that I can use and not worry about, but that's just me. I've seldom had a problem with provisions. In backwoods Canada truck stops will have a cooler full of subs; I pick up a small carton of chocolate milk and i'm a happy camper. In the US in the heat I like McBloaters salads for road food. The portions of salad that you would get for your money are much more generous that what we have in Canada and I don't have to worry about food poisoning which can be an issue in isolated establishments with few customers, If I'm chilled to the bone, give me a big bowl of Wendy's chili. Heck, if nothing else, I can usually find some decent trail mix to sustain me. Cooking to me would feel like I was back at work. Nooooo thanks!!!!! Different strokes for different folks:)
ReplyDeleteDavid:
DeleteI'm not sure how healthy it is to always have fast food. Last year I tried to buy apples and bananas. Things that need refrigeration are a problem in hot weather. I was in 100°F heat all across the mid-west last summer so I don't want to carry milk or cheese. I also started to have sit down meals in restaurants. I only buy stuff that can be prepared by heating up with water. At the end of the day I am more interested to find a home for the night, instead of food so when I eventually stop for the day I don't feel like going out again to find a meal
Ah, camping! I remember the last time I went camping. It was at a recumbent bike rally near the Finger Lakes in New York. Beautiful little sites surrounding a lovely natural pond. Trouble was, all the sites were on a slant!
ReplyDeleteSo in my tent I either rolled downhill, slept with my feet in the air, or slept with my head and the air and a permanent "night wedgie" in my shorts!
I do have a tent, mat, sleeping bag, etc. and some day I am going to ride off on my scoot and camp somewhere. But forget the stove, etc. I will hit a local cafe or Micky D's for my morning java and vittles.
Deb
DeleteYou're going to have fun when you camp again. I met all kinds of nice people who all came over and started talking. This didn't happen in the hotels. I was alone for most of my trip and I really liked to have the company. It was really nice to be able to heat up water and have a hot beverage in the evening. I also liked to find a McD for breakfast in the morning
You know what else those little stoves are good for? Starting campfires. Brad has used the flame from our Jetboil to do that before.
ReplyDeleteTrobairitz:
DeleteWe never had a campfire. I guess it was too hot during the summer and everywhere we went they had wood for sale, usually around $10. so it just didn't seem worth it. Perhaps later in the year when the evenings are colder . . .
Camping sounds like a fun adventure, but I'm with Brad on the perfect weatherproofing solution. Visa card and hotel for me!
ReplyDeleteKathy:
Deletethis year we are credit card camping on 4 wheels. but next year I have to find a way to cut down costs and camping is the only way, cause you can't cut down on gas nor food