Camping equipment

hairyslug · 29-12-2017 4:33pm #1

I'm posting here cause chances are people here will have a better idea of what I should take cause I'll be limited for space.

I'm planning my trip for next year, this year was a trip up the Welsh coast, over to the Peak District, down to Beacon and home, a quick 3 1/2 day trip.

This year, I'm off to the Cotswold's, Peak District, Yorkshire dales, Pennines, North York Moors and Snowdonia. 6 days/5 nights in total in May

There's massive savings to be made by camping but I like my comfort but I'm willing to sacrifice that if I can save 50e a day on camping.

I'm on a cbr6rr with decent sized tankbag and 45l of panniers.
Can anyone recommend what I need (makes/brands etc) that'll fit in or on the bike, it's been maybe 20 years since I was camping so it'll be all as good as new to me

Del2005 · 29-12-2017 4:48pm

Don't. The amount of gear you need to hual to be get even close to comfortable will make the trip no fun. You'll need a tent, sleeping bag, airbed at least, (sleeping on a ground mat is OK for a weekend on the p1ss at a festival not for a week of riding) , and if it's raining you'll never dry off. So you'll be on a heavily loaded bike on great roads which means that you don't enjoy the road properly.

You can get hostels or B and B for less than 50 a night, where you'll have a bed and seat.

CJhaughey · 29-12-2017 5:32pm

Have a look at this motocamping page, its interesting to see some of the calculations albeit mostly based on the continent.
http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/deauville/touring/

frozenfrozen · 29-12-2017 8:07pm

https://www.reddit.com/r/motocamping/

two wheels good · 30-12-2017 2:56pm

I'm a happy camper on the 'bike - when the sun shines! A drybag on the pillion seat is enough to carry the camping gear.
But .. I doubt it's the best plan for your short trip. If you're moving on every day striking camp is a chore and time consuming. If you "like your comfort" you'll want a proper bed.

A better solution might be youth hostels. YHA has good hostels in all those areas, probably in great locations. Join An Oige here and get a discount over there. The access to a kitchen can give you better savings than camping.

Cienciano · 01-01-2018 7:51pm

Just think of how miserable it'd be if its raining and your cold and you have to pitch a tent. I know guys who camp, but they bring minimal gear and do it maybe 1 in 3 nights if the weather is good.

frozenfrozen · 01-01-2018 8:07pm

Cienciano wrote: »

Just think of how miserable it'd be if its raining and your cold and you have to pitch a tent. I know guys who camp, but they bring minimal gear and do it maybe 1 in 3 nights if the weather is good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI0MRyUFIXU

Lumen · 02-01-2018 5:40am

Staying warm while camping is a solved problem.

You can get sleeping bags which go down to -20C, tents which pitch in seconds, and airbeds/mats which self inflate.

Noise is a problem on campsites but earplugs work.

I camped outside under a suspended tarp in the Wicklow mountains last "summer" in the pissing rain and didn't get cold. We don't live in Alaska!

Del2005 · 03-01-2018 12:30pm

Lumen wrote: »

Staying warm while camping is a solved problem.

You can get sleeping bags which go down to -20C, tents which pitch in seconds, and airbeds/mats which self inflate.

Noise is a problem on campsites but earplugs work.

I camped outside under a suspended tarp in the Wicklow mountains last "summer" in the pissing rain and didn't get cold. We don't live in Alaska!

You'd get a lot of nights in a B&B or hostel for the price of decent camping gear.

hairyslug · 03-01-2018 1:26pm

Del2005 wrote: »

You'd get a lot of nights in a B&B or hostel for the price of decent camping gear.

This is my main problem, will I use it again, I only get 1 decent bike holiday a year so the chances are that even if I do use it, it will be on the odd occasion.

A quick search gives me a rough estimate of €300 for my accommodation for the 5 nights, if i go camping the cost of the sites comes in at around €60, that's (gets calculator out) €240 to spend on tent, bag, blow up, cooker, gas, cooking utensils and whatever else I need.

I'm not to concerned about the extra baggage, I always take to much so it will give me a kick up the hole to pack less.

I also don't want to be stuck in some Welsh field when its pissing down when I could be in a decent bed.

Lumen · 03-01-2018 1:38pm

Do the thing you will enjoy most. If you hate camping don't camp.

Del2005 · 03-01-2018 1:46pm

hairyslug wrote: »

This is my main problem, will I use it again, I only get 1 decent bike holiday a year so the chances are that even if I do use it, it will be on the odd occasion.

A quick search gives me a rough estimate of €300 for my accommodation for the 5 nights, if i go camping the cost of the sites comes in at around €60, that's (gets calculator out) €240 to spend on tent, bag, blow up, cooker, gas, cooking utensils and whatever else I need.

I'm not to concerned about the extra baggage, I always take to much so it will give me a kick up the hole to pack less.

I also don't want to be stuck in some Welsh field when its pissing down when I could be in a decent bed.

Do you usually camp? If you have never camped before I wouldn't spend a week on a bike as my 1st time. If you usually carry too much gear adding camping gear is going to make it worse.

The self inflating air beds are usually very slim, the thicker ones are very bulky and will require a 12V compressor as the last thing you want to do is use a manual pump to inflate one. For your gear you need at least a 4 man tent, choose bulky or expensive. Sleeping bags while you can get 4 season ones they again are either very bulky or very expensive for non bulky. You'll also need something to sit on and the 3 legged camp chairs aren't comfortable for long times.

Final issue is security. You will be leaving several hundred Euro of motorbike gear in a tent. So you'll need to be close to it at all times.

While €300 seams a lot you will be getting a proper bed, seat and shower every night without having to do anything. When camping you have to get the tent up, inflate airbed before you can shower. Then in the morning you need to carefully pack it all back up before you go. That's without even thinking of rain. Which means that you will be getting into wet gear the next morning after setting up and packing up in the rain.

Shoog · 03-01-2018 2:03pm

B & B's are no longer a cheap option so you might be lucky to meet your budget but probably not.
Hostels have to be planned out well since they vary in price a lot depending on their intended market, not all are that cheap and the few simple ones are well spaced out at this stage - booking aherad is advisable as they are limited in peak seasons.
Travellodges are probably the cheapest and most convenient options where convenient.

Camping can be fun, but as I got older I started to need a mattress of sofa cushions, a sleeping bag and a duvet to achieve the comfort levels I wanted - that meant the car was full just of bedding. I eventually traded up for a basic camper arrangement which the wife finds acceptable.
Midrange Vango is the lowest I would go to get acceptable quality camping equipment - a tent will be about €120.00

If it rains and your moving camp every day it can be miserable.

Shoog

Camping equipment

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