uptoblackwood
02-01-2009, 05:49 PM
This past month, I bought a Northface Vario 23, 2 man tent, at the REI January clearance sale. This tent retails for $299....I bought it for $74 and change. A very good deal! I also purchased an Exped Downmat 7 DLX and paid $60 for this $130 retail mat. Very good prices on some excellent equipment.
I had a few days available to ride this weekend...and decided on a short bike camping trip to Fairfield Lake State Park. The park is just east of I45, about halfway between Dallas and Houston. Fairfield is a nice park, wooded, well maintained and good facilities. The Texas park system closes parts of each park in the winter months, as the traffic is way down seasonally. There were still plenty of choice spots available without reservation.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/f...airfield_lake/
The town of Fairfield is not far away and has many dining opportunites...starting with the semi-famous Sam's diner.
The Farm to Market roads in this area of east Texas are nice to ride. Nothing particularly twisty or hilly....but good scenic routes with lots of small towns with good food and lots of history. More of the ride and park in another post....
Here's a link to a review of the tent. http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-north-face/vario-23/
I've attached some images of my use of the tent. The first image is of one of my sidebags...with the Vario 23 and my REI down bag. I also back 2 fuel jugs, and not shown...my flat tire kit, extra gloves, liners and electric glove liners. I notice now...that I took the images before I pulled the center of the tent to give it more loft...and to open the vented area. Oh well.... I kept everything zipped up while camping this weekend....'cause it was cool. 28 degrees F on Saturday moring. There was some condensation in the tent that morning...but nothing I'd say wasn't normal. The Vario 23 is a great tent for motorcycle camping. Lots of room inside and great areas for storage outside, as it has two doors and two vestibuls. In the images, you can see that if you are camping a single rider....you've got a ton of room in the tent, as well as lots of room on both side vestibuls. If you're taller than 6 feet....this isn't the tent for you. I'm 5'11" and I think the tent would work for (max) a 6' tall person....no more. It was perfect for my height. It would easily sleep two w/gear on a road trip. I have the long/wide Exped Downmat 7 DLX and it would fit two of these side by side perfectly. Wow...very comfortable mat and WARM. This mat was amazing. That's all I can say. Warm, comfortable...
http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped...E?openframeset
DownMat 7 DLX
Size: 193x65 cm / 76x26“
Thickness: 7 cm / 2.8“
Weight: 1050 g / 37 oz
Packsack 150 g / 5.3 oz
Packed: 30x15 cm / 12x6“
Fill Weight**: 220 g / 7.8 oz
Temperature: -24°C / -11°F
Great camping this weekend...and the riding was perfect.
Forest
I had a few days available to ride this weekend...and decided on a short bike camping trip to Fairfield Lake State Park. The park is just east of I45, about halfway between Dallas and Houston. Fairfield is a nice park, wooded, well maintained and good facilities. The Texas park system closes parts of each park in the winter months, as the traffic is way down seasonally. There were still plenty of choice spots available without reservation.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/f...airfield_lake/
The town of Fairfield is not far away and has many dining opportunites...starting with the semi-famous Sam's diner.
The Farm to Market roads in this area of east Texas are nice to ride. Nothing particularly twisty or hilly....but good scenic routes with lots of small towns with good food and lots of history. More of the ride and park in another post....
Here's a link to a review of the tent. http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-north-face/vario-23/
I've attached some images of my use of the tent. The first image is of one of my sidebags...with the Vario 23 and my REI down bag. I also back 2 fuel jugs, and not shown...my flat tire kit, extra gloves, liners and electric glove liners. I notice now...that I took the images before I pulled the center of the tent to give it more loft...and to open the vented area. Oh well.... I kept everything zipped up while camping this weekend....'cause it was cool. 28 degrees F on Saturday moring. There was some condensation in the tent that morning...but nothing I'd say wasn't normal. The Vario 23 is a great tent for motorcycle camping. Lots of room inside and great areas for storage outside, as it has two doors and two vestibuls. In the images, you can see that if you are camping a single rider....you've got a ton of room in the tent, as well as lots of room on both side vestibuls. If you're taller than 6 feet....this isn't the tent for you. I'm 5'11" and I think the tent would work for (max) a 6' tall person....no more. It was perfect for my height. It would easily sleep two w/gear on a road trip. I have the long/wide Exped Downmat 7 DLX and it would fit two of these side by side perfectly. Wow...very comfortable mat and WARM. This mat was amazing. That's all I can say. Warm, comfortable...
http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped...E?openframeset
DownMat 7 DLX
Size: 193x65 cm / 76x26“
Thickness: 7 cm / 2.8“
Weight: 1050 g / 37 oz
Packsack 150 g / 5.3 oz
Packed: 30x15 cm / 12x6“
Fill Weight**: 220 g / 7.8 oz
Temperature: -24°C / -11°F
Great camping this weekend...and the riding was perfect.
Forest