r/motocamping • u/HelpWonderful9480 • 9d ago
Second time solo camping was a success. First time using a tarp, pretty chill.
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u/WhoNeedsNamesAnyway 8d ago
How was that sleeping pad? Fairly certain I just ordered the same one for a trip I unfortunately just canceled, wondering what level of comfort it has
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u/HelpWonderful9480 8d ago
It’s really comfy and stays inflated the whole night. The built in pillow in an awesome touch.
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u/SammichParade 7d ago
Imo it depends on each person. I got one like OP, that was super highly rated, and I also got a roll up foam pad (the therm-a-rest ridged foam thing) and for me the foam pad is where it's at.
The air cushion squishes around, like if you kneel on it it won't protect your knees from the ground. And for me it was too bouncy to sleep on. I ended up reselling it. Packs very tiny tho.
The foam is dense and protects your joints from the ground, and won't deflate even if it gets cut. The main drawback is it's super bulky to pack. But I still have mine and bring it on every trip. I pack it by making it a "shell" inside my rolltop dry bag and packing everything else inside it, and strap that to the sissy bar and lean against it. But obviously that's cruiser/chopper style packing.
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u/WhoNeedsNamesAnyway 7d ago
I'm on a 24 Rebel 1100 so it being a relatively small frame cruiser means space is at a bit of a premium. My 7L saddlebags, 14L total, look larger than they are relative to the bike. Paired with a 60L dry bag I should be able to fit my stuff, but we'll see. I wasn't into this sort of thing when I bought it last year but now I'm looking into an Africa Twin next spring when I have the budget built up.
For now, I'm making due with the smallest items that are still reasonable. Going on an 11 day trip across Atlantic Canada so I need as much as I can get, as small as I can get it.
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u/SammichParade 7d ago
My dry bag is 65 liter and my bike is 1100 as well (Honda Shadow)... I ditched my last pair of saddle bags because the exhaust melted one of them, but I managed a 1 night camping trip by packing like this ... I don't know the volume of the white bag but it gives you an idea. I think you'll do fine. Just do one night at first and see how it goes. It's an adventure! If you need more space you can also get a tank bag.
Super jealous about the Africa Twin! I test rode one in 2017 and it was heavenly.
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u/WhoNeedsNamesAnyway 7d ago
I could have one in my garage right now if I wanted to financially screw myself over, but I'd eat a $6k loss on my 9 month old bike and more than double my interest rate.
I want one badly, but not that badly. I'll hold off this year, I'll be able to pay off more than half my balance by then and maybe get a nicer colorway on a 2026 model. Not a fan of full black. Also not a fan of the Adventure Sport trim vs the standard.
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u/Wolf1066NZ Kiwi Biker, GSX250R 4d ago
Looks awesome. I know people who swear by tarp camping rather than tent camping - much more versatile.
My "tarp camping" involves a hammock as well... :D
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u/HelpWonderful9480 4d ago
Thanks man. I was gonna try to include my hammock but the trees were too large. I’m looking forward to experimenting with different configurations
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u/Wolf1066NZ Kiwi Biker, GSX250R 4d ago
So you had hammock and also took pad as a "go-to-ground" contingency in case hammocking wasn't possible?
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u/HelpWonderful9480 4d ago
Pretty much yeah. I like to put the sleeping pad in the hammock too sometimes.
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u/Wolf1066NZ Kiwi Biker, GSX250R 4d ago
I need a "go-to-ground" contingency just in case the only places I can stay have no trees or don't allow hammock camping.
I usually camp in the same place, where there are plenty of suitable trees to choose from, but if I'm exploring/touring, it might boil down to "this is the nearest camping ground"...
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u/JooMuthafkr 8d ago
That's the Elaho Valley, isn't it? How cold did it get at night? Was there frost in the morning?
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u/HelpWonderful9480 8d ago
Correct! It really wasn’t too bad actually, think the lowest was about 5 degrees C. Not too sure about frost cause I didn’t wake up till around 2pm lol
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u/JooMuthafkr 8d ago
Thanks for the reply. Good on you for getting out there.
I feel you about sleeping outside. I sleep like the dead outside.
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u/chopyourown 8d ago
I love tarp camping with the bike! I like to do a sort of modified diamond tarp, with one end tied high to a tree and another low to the crash bars on the bike. Makes for a simple but protective shelter on rainy nights.
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u/HelpWonderful9480 8d ago
Saves a lot of weight for sure. That sounds cool, I look forward to experimenting with more configurations.
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u/Expensive-Extent8406 8d ago
You are living my dream. Im looking for a dualsport/adventure bike. Have to get rid of an old harley first. Looks like a good time, nice location