Camping gear

Part of the ‘adventure’ of the upcoming trip is going to be camping in various places on the way up.  Have I planned where I’ll be camping?  No.  But that’s part of the fun, right?

A number of my mates who have been camping with me know that we tend to go “car camping” – in other words, let’s see just how many luxuries we can take away with us.  On a couple of these trips, as the person providing the 6 man tent for us all to use, I’ve been known to completely fill my car with only one extra passenger and their gear, plus my gear and the big tent.  Extravagant?  Yes.

Luxury.  You were lucky to have a car!  We used to have to put all our gear on our bikes!

I’m not about to get all four-Yorkshiremen on you all, because relatively speaking, I’m not doing it tough.  Want to know the challenging way?  Find out about Tim’s trip all the way around Australia on his learner-approved road bike at his blog, “Riding the Reverend”.  (OK so you can tour around on smaller bikes, but his was not exactly a big touring bike).  In contrast, my bike is better suited to carrying gear and doing long days on the road.

Tim has since upgraded his bike to one more suited to touring – a Yamaha TDM900.  I call it the “tedium”, although the reality is far from it.  In fairness, the name was probably just me retaliating to Tim referring to my bike as a Bison with a BMW badge, or a tractor.  The Rev hasn’t been forgotten; a few issues have been sorted out and it is now in service as my brother’s learner bike.

Back to the gear.  Your standard $30 department store 2 man dome tent may be fine for “car camping”, or even at a pinch, high school camping trips.  But when working with the physical constraints of the bike, it just didn’t cut it.  As a result, my sleeping mat, sleeping bag, pillow and tent are all more specialised hiking fare – chosen with physical dimensions in mind.

For cooking, I’ll be working with a Jetboil Sumo – perfect for hot drinks on the side of the road, or reheating dehydrated meals, or whatever else I see fit to use it for.  My testing certainly shows it is has earned the “Jetboil” tag.  The heat exchanger on the base (they call it the flux ring) certainly does a good job.

Between all of the camping gear, changes of clothes, phone, charger, and all the other bits and pieces I have on the bike, space will be at a premium.  That said, there’s certainly no shortage of space.  The lockable luggage (panniers and top box) add up to around 120L of storage space.  If I need more than that, I’ve also got a waterproof duffle bag that goes over the back seat, and a tank bag for personal effects that I want within quick reach.  It may not be excessive like a Goldwing (particularly with a trailer!), but it is very good.  I’d describe the panniers as having Tardis-like internal space.  It really is amazing what you can fit into them when you pack them properly.

Only one more week to go!