Good on ya Joe

[number9]

Big thumbs up for putting this site together. I am actually in the process now of researching / shopping for camping gear to use on the bike. I have never really camped before (or really wanted to) but am excited about the idea of camping on bike trips.

I am currently looking at the Eureka Apex 3XTA tent and Slumberjack Ultimate 20 or Super Guide 30 sleeping bags. Haven't decided yet if I will go with a sleep pad or air mattress. Got an Ortlieb dry duffel (medium 11"x21") for Christmas to pack camping stuff in. Thought VERY hard about the dry bag you have from Cabela's, but the wife ordered a pair of Triple Digit rain covers for Christmas also so she got the dry bag on the same order.

Looking forward to seeing this site grow.

[Mellow]

Thank you sir...

I go back and forth on the whole Air Mattress/Sleeping Pad thing.

To me, there's nothing more comfortable than a nice thing 6 inches of air under you at night. But, the pads are better for cold weather. Also, my experience with the air mattresses is I always have one that leaks and I end up on a cold ground in the morning. Seems to happen every year. But others have had them for years with no problems.

I like the thermarest I have but it just takes up too much space.

My latest thing I'm trying is the smaller air matterss you can get at wal-mart that is only about 3-4 inches of air and a twin size. It packs up super small and is under $10, at that price I can pack an extra one on the bike just in case. I'll post a review on it once I actually use it on a trip.

Welcome to the site and feel free to contribute any info. or ask any questions and I'm sure someone will respond.

Joe

[Mellow]

I have never really camped before (or really wanted to) but am excited about the idea of camping on bike trips.
Once you do, you'll be hooked so be prepared.:D

I am currently looking at the Eureka Apex 3XTA tent and Slumberjack Ultimate 20 or Super Guide 30 sleeping bags.
I have the 3XTA tent and it's great but I think it's discontinued and all I've seen are the 2006 models w/fiberglass poles. I'd go with the aluminum ones myself, I've never known anyone to break the fiberglass ones but it just seemed like a good idea to go for the aluminum ones.

Haven't decided yet if I will go with a sleep pad or air mattress. Got an Ortlieb dry duffel (medium 11"x21") for Christmas to pack camping stuff in. Thought VERY hard about the dry bag you have from Cabela's, but the wife ordered a pair of Triple Digit rain covers for Christmas also so she got the dry bag on the same order.

Looking forward to seeing this site grow.
It seems, for me anyway, that finding the right luggage is always a dilema. Getting something that is very waterproof, durable AND cheap is near to impossible. Then, when I found the
http://www.motocampers.com/forums/geek/gars/images/1/2cabelasboundduffelbag.jpg
Boundary Waters II Duffel (http://www.motocampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13)

at $40 I jumped on it.

It's been a good duffel so far and I wanted to try something different so I ordered the backpack version and it sits on the back seat of the Wing much better, allowing me to not need to remove the backrest.

Those that have bikes w/back seats that are similar to the Wing might consider the backpack version over the duffel.

The key is to get what works for YOU. Everyone has some basic advise that applies but when it comes to what fits on your bike or makes packing/unpacking quick for you then that's something you'll just have to learn over time. What we try to do here is get you over the learning curve quickly and save you some time/effort so you can enjoy camping on the bike rather than look at it as a bad experience you tried once.

[PhoenixRising01]

Has anybody tried one of these? http://www.junglehammock.com/index.php. They're a little pricey but sound good. I've read good reviews also. If you've tried this, did you experience any back problems? Any other difficulties? I did the whole tent thing last year, using a Thermarest. I'm a restless sleeper, and always woke up on the tent floor in the middle of the night. And cold. The hammock would not allow that, but I'm concerned about spending 6 or 8 hours in that position.

[Mellow]

Has anybody tried one of these? http://www.junglehammock.com/index.php. They're a little pricey but sound good. I've read good reviews also. If you've tried this, did you experience any back problems? Any other difficulties? I did the whole tent thing last year, using a Thermarest. I'm a restless sleeper, and always woke up on the tent floor in the middle of the night. And cold. The hammock would not allow that, but I'm concerned about spending 6 or 8 hours in that position.

Yeah, seems like you might have some back problems with those...

How big is your tent? Have you tried the twin sized air mattresses, if you fill it up then let just a little air out it will cause you to stay in the middle. The thermarests can be so thin that you can't tell the difference between them and the floor. I've woke up half on and half off before as well. The twin-sized thick air mattresses do a good job of filling up your tent floor.

[Trailace]

Has anybody tried one of these? http://www.junglehammock.com/index.php. They're a little pricey but sound good. I've read good reviews also. If you've tried this, did you experience any back problems? Any other difficulties? I did the whole tent thing last year, using a Thermarest. I'm a restless sleeper, and always woke up on the tent floor in the middle of the night. And cold. The hammock would not allow that, but I'm concerned about spending 6 or 8 hours in that position.
I like my Thermarest but also fine myself sleeping half on and off most nights. Thats why I use an twin air mattresses. I sleep better in my tent with an air mattresses than I do it home.

[number9]

I have read a couple guys say they use the Sevylor CMR20 camping mattress with very good results. It is reported to be tough and durable. I am going to buy one of these and see how it works out.

http://www.sevylor.com/camping.html

Cabela's has them for $25 but I have seen them around $20 other places (can't remember where now) http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0013104513723a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=hasJS=true&_D%3AhasJS=+&QueryText=Sevylor+camping+mattress&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.22&Go.x=25&Go.y=6&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=Sevylor+camping+mattress&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

[Trailace]

Hey they look nice, let me know what you think after you get yours. If you like it I might have to try one.

I have read a couple guys say they use the Sevylor CMR20 camping mattress with very good results. It is reported to be tough and durable. I am going to buy one of these and see how it works out.

http://www.sevylor.com/camping.html

Cabela's has them for $25 but I have seen them around $20 other places (can't remember where now) http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0013104513723a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=hasJS=true&_D%3AhasJS=+&QueryText=Sevylor+camping+mattress&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.22&Go.x=25&Go.y=6&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=Sevylor+camping+mattress&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

[Gold Rush]

Yup -- Looks like this is gonna be a well traveled site. GREAT JOB GUYS!!! :) :)

[Trailace]

Welcome RRainman and Gold Rush!:D