Camping and Backpacking with a Monster

[mbalmer]

I have done camping trips in Yosemite on the monster.  I pack a 3 person tent ( i am tall), an air mattress ( i am a wimp), sleeping bag ( i get cold), misc camp gear( i like to buy useless stuff that i only use once a year) , lots of food ( i like to eat well) , clothes ( i like nudity but there are kids around) and i ride with full gear.

Will be doing a 3 day camping trip this weekend around Russian river and again for a 4 day trip in Yosemite in June ( half dome hike at night) on the bike ( poor thing just got new clutch plates this week).
Mbalmer, when are you going?

I get out of school June 12 (YYAAAYYY). Summer school begins June 23rd (waaa). I'm hoping to go during that free week. I may go to Tuolumne Meadows as the valley is booked until late September. I know that half of Tuolumne meadows campsites are on a first come, first served basis. I'm not sure about the valley. I wonder how the high elevation would affect my motorcycle?

I like your idea of a late night hike up Half Dome. Do you already have reservations or do you show up and hope for the best?

[tallduc]

mbalmer,  i am going up with a group for a June 19th climb ( full moon). There are no campsites available in the valley so we are staying in groveland ( 25 miles away) at a commercial campground.  i am heading out Wednesday and returning Sunday. 
The elevation at the valley is about 4000 feet and the s4 did not seem to notice .

A tent will fit ( just put it parallel to the bike, the blue thermarest is actually larger than the tent).  Here is a pic of how i rode up ( on my return trip, i put the sleeping bag on the back, just makes it hard to swing your legs over)




http://lh3.ggpht.com/sri.saravana.muthu/SDtIe89calI/AAAAAAAAAF4/DBpVN4eQObM/sri_duc_camp.jpg

[Monsterlover]

Pic?

[Rod]

Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching and I have plans to go camping with some motorcycle friends.  I would like to know if anyone here has experience backpacking or camping while using their monster for transportation?  I already have a lightweight northface tent that I can easily bungee to the back but I am also going to need some sort of back pack that can fit on the back of the monster.  Also, i'm trying to think of what other equipment I might need.

If anyone has experience going camping on their monster and has some suggestions for needed gear, how they do it, or things to look out for or remember I would greatly appreciate the advice! 

Hi, I have the Ventura system on my S4, excellent piece of kit that fits securely to the bike and is a backpack when you're off it. Website and short vid here.. http://www.ventura-bike.com/videos.aspx?video=overview

HTH 

[swilly]

Here's the tent I have:  http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-north-face/spectrum-33/ 

My two cents is that a free-standing tent is a good idea.  Lots of times the ground is inadequate for staking...

[FortyTwo]

Might try this... good info, guys!

[CountGreffi]

I think it all depends on how big your tent is wouldn't you say? And how rugged of a man you are. I mean what kind of man needs room for soap, fresh underwear, or toothpaste. WTF is toothpaste. They have lakes in the woods, you clean off in that. Chew on mint to freshen your breath. Clothes...Adam and Eve didn't have any. Hahah all in joking fun. Let me know how that goes. I plan on going upstate (aka Upstate New York) with some buddies when they get off their ship (work in maritime industry as do I). I think for a weekend you can pack enough gear. But for a longer stay might require someone to take a car don't you think?

cg

[mbalmer]

Nah. I used to do a lot of bicycle touring (when I was young). I bought food along the way and did laundry every few days. One weekend, two weeks, or a month doesn't make much difference as long as you have money for food and gas (and potential breakdowns/upkeep). A car would be nice for bringing along a big fat Aero mattress. It's hard for me to be comfy on a Thermarest (sp?) now. Aging sucks, but camping is really fun.

[Crazy Canadian]

Forget the tent.  This is what I use:

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/sp-motorcycling.html

If you buy one of those car windshield reflectors they are super light and fold up tight and you can use this in the winter.  Of course you don't ride your bike in the winter, so leave it home on those days.  I have the ultralight version.  It's like 3 pounds and super comfortable.

[ltnuke]

Here's the tent I have:  http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-north-face/spectrum-33/ 

My two cents is that a free-standing tent is a good idea.  Lots of times the ground is inadequate for staking...

I have the same tent.  I highly recommend.

[mbalmer]

Forget the tent.  This is what I use:

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/sp-motorcycling.html

If you buy one of those car windshield reflectors they are super light and fold up tight and you can use this in the winter.  Of course you don't ride your bike in the winter, so leave it home on those days.  I have the ultralight version.  It's like 3 pounds and super comfortable.

But what do you do if there are no trees or anything to hook a rope up to? I like the desert and at times there is nothing to hook a hammock to. Sometimes campsites don't have trees located close enough for a hammock. Is there something else you can do?

[Tommy T.]

There are several questions here:  how to plan the backpack, how to load the bike, and how to secure the bike at the trailhead.

There are several good web sites devoted to light and ultra-light backpacking.  Both gear and techniques are at issue and a discussion would be long and redundant of information that is already available.  I can get by with 20 pounds including food, plus whatever water I carry, for two nights in warm weather.  Add perhaps 1.5 pounds per day for food beyond 2 days. That's right on the cusp between light and ultra-light.

Twenty pounds can easily be carried on a Monster but what to do with the backpack is the challenge.  I use a Ventura system, New Zealand made and imported by Cycle Venture  http://www.cycleventure.com/products/pack_system/index.htm.

I have a permanent mount system onto which can be fitted a grab bar, a short vertical section with a small rack or a tall vertical section with a small rack.  The Ventura bags come in several sizes and can be fit to the vertical section so as to sit on passenger seat or on the rack, or both.  I fix my open frame backpack to one side, upside down (to reduce wind loading), with about half of my load in the top compartment (which puts the load on the seat or rack since the pack is upside down) and the rest of the load in one of the Ventura packs on the other side of the vertical.  Including my hiking boots and some navigation and other on road stuff, the total weight is usually under 30 pounds, load low and tight (if a bit far back -- I have pulled an unintentional wheelie with 30 pounds on the rack). 

At the trail head, I stow my riding gear, including helmet and boots, in a large waterproof stuff sack and cache or bear-bag it at some obscure place, off-trail and out-of-sight of the trail head.  I write a note in my hiking notebook concerning where the cache is.  The bike, I lock with heavy cable around a sizeable tree or some immoveable anchor.  I do pay some attention to whether the trail head is a heavily used spot in a National Park or some remote BLM rut out well known to be used by coyotes and meth lab operators.

Tommy T.

[Adam in TX]

every time I've done it we've had at least one person whose girlfriend refused to ride on the bike... so we stuffed all the gear in her car and rode in comfort.

If possible, I highly reccomend this route.

[Tommy T.]

But what do you do if there are no trees or anything to hook a rope up to? I like the desert and at times there is nothing to hook a hammock to. Sometimes campsites don't have trees located close enough for a hammock. Is there something else you can do?

This is my Mountain Hardware Meridian tent.  Total weight with fly, poles and pegs is 2.5 pounds.



Tommy T.