one for the campers....as i'm thinking about it..
what do you do if you've been riding a few hours in heavy rain, then get to the camp site, is it a total drag putting the tent up in the rain.... what do you do with all your wet gear (especially putting it on the next day still soggy wet, how do you cook ?
any info gratefully received....
camping advice
Re: camping advice
Wet gear, wet tent, suck it up, its not going to dry any time soon mate :dry:
Use a tarp, its much better to be dry looking out at the rain than rain getting in your pans.
Camp near a pub is my advice!
Use a tarp, its much better to be dry looking out at the rain than rain getting in your pans.
Camp near a pub is my advice!
Dave
Re: camping advice
If it's been raining really heavily I find a pub or b&b to stop in then dry my gear out there and have a good nights sleep.
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Tour Monkey
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Re: camping advice
Get a tent with a big porch.
I have a wet area (porch) and a dry area (bedroom). I get naked in the porch, towel off my hair and get in a nice dry sleeping bag.
Ideally your skin should never get wet nor your inner clothing layers. A set of 20 quid water proofs from sports direct will make even the worst gear water proof.
Vango Omega 250 or 350 are ideal tents.
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I have a wet area (porch) and a dry area (bedroom). I get naked in the porch, towel off my hair and get in a nice dry sleeping bag.
Ideally your skin should never get wet nor your inner clothing layers. A set of 20 quid water proofs from sports direct will make even the worst gear water proof.
Vango Omega 250 or 350 are ideal tents.
Sent from Tapatalk
Re: camping advice
I like a tent with a decent porch
I choose one where the groundsheet is not fixed so I can pull it back, cook on the grass & stay dry
If you had a tarp, you could hang it up with a bit of ingenuity
I choose one where the groundsheet is not fixed so I can pull it back, cook on the grass & stay dry
If you had a tarp, you could hang it up with a bit of ingenuity
living an ordinary life in a non-ordinary way
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Brenhden
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Re: camping advice
Not easy, especially as waterproofs make me hot and sweaty.
Pub is a good plan, tarp is great if you have room in for it along with everything else. If camp has trees you can set it up above you and hide under it watching the world drip by. Put a fire next to it and it will do wonders for your spirits and slowly dry things.
Campsite with a shower is a must so at least you can get warm and damp.
Tent you can pitch outer first is cool.
Ultimately you have to either suck it up, go to a B&B (which I would never do because I am an idiot) or wander to the pub and stagger back not caring...
Eat hot food, drink tea, real ale whatever.
Pub is a good plan, tarp is great if you have room in for it along with everything else. If camp has trees you can set it up above you and hide under it watching the world drip by. Put a fire next to it and it will do wonders for your spirits and slowly dry things.
Campsite with a shower is a must so at least you can get warm and damp.
Tent you can pitch outer first is cool.
Ultimately you have to either suck it up, go to a B&B (which I would never do because I am an idiot) or wander to the pub and stagger back not caring...
Eat hot food, drink tea, real ale whatever.
And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.
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92kk k100lt 193214
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Re: camping advice
Been there many times over the years. Camped in the wet last week!
Always use a tent you can pitch flysheet first and which has a decent porch. This will take bike gear and give you space for cooking inside if its wet outside. You can also take off wet gear and boots in the porch so your sleeping space and everything in it stays completely dry. If you have panniers you can just take them off the bike and put them in the porch.
Your tent choice determines whether the camping is misery or a reasonable experience so do a decent amount of research. I personally use a 2 man tunnel [Outwell Tunnel 2]type tent with three poles, a dome will stay erect without any pegs or guys on a calm night but is slightly more fiddly to erect. Forget 1 man tents for bikes, no space so you share your sleeping space with wet bike gear. Lots of 3 man tents are good too, essential if there are two of you.
Good cook gear is essential too, the little Vango micro stove and stainless steel cookware are a great combination and will cook anything or brew up coffee/tea in 5 minutes. On a cold wet night that is especially welcome. A chair is very useful, not just to sit on but in wet you can hang wet bike gear on it inside your porch.
When you camp you pitch the flysheet first then lay a groundsheet just smaller than the tent [so no water runs in but you get some air circulation to help dry gear] inside it so you have a dry surface, then your inner tent. Then you can bring in all the gear and keep it dry. The wet bike gear will stay in the porch so you don't soak everything else. Leaving camp in rain is the reverse, all is packed away into the panniers dry and the only wet thing is the flysheet. Bring a plastic bag for the flysheet so you don't soak everything else on the bike. Arrange everything so you can pack up all the gear and back on the bike so you are only left with flysheet and poles to be sorted out in the rain and you do that quick so you stay dry.
The only unlucky part is that if your bike gear is soaked it won't normally dry overnight. However, if you have a bike cover use it, put your gloves on the engine and they will be dry in the morning. If you have a screen to keep the bike cover up high you may put the gear over the petrol tank and the engine heat/air circulation will help dry it. I find with the RT I don't get wet even in torrential rain, otherwise a rain suit is an essential. Always have good thick socks and spare socks. Even if your boots are damp fresh thick socks make a big difference.
Always use a tent you can pitch flysheet first and which has a decent porch. This will take bike gear and give you space for cooking inside if its wet outside. You can also take off wet gear and boots in the porch so your sleeping space and everything in it stays completely dry. If you have panniers you can just take them off the bike and put them in the porch.
Your tent choice determines whether the camping is misery or a reasonable experience so do a decent amount of research. I personally use a 2 man tunnel [Outwell Tunnel 2]type tent with three poles, a dome will stay erect without any pegs or guys on a calm night but is slightly more fiddly to erect. Forget 1 man tents for bikes, no space so you share your sleeping space with wet bike gear. Lots of 3 man tents are good too, essential if there are two of you.
Good cook gear is essential too, the little Vango micro stove and stainless steel cookware are a great combination and will cook anything or brew up coffee/tea in 5 minutes. On a cold wet night that is especially welcome. A chair is very useful, not just to sit on but in wet you can hang wet bike gear on it inside your porch.
When you camp you pitch the flysheet first then lay a groundsheet just smaller than the tent [so no water runs in but you get some air circulation to help dry gear] inside it so you have a dry surface, then your inner tent. Then you can bring in all the gear and keep it dry. The wet bike gear will stay in the porch so you don't soak everything else. Leaving camp in rain is the reverse, all is packed away into the panniers dry and the only wet thing is the flysheet. Bring a plastic bag for the flysheet so you don't soak everything else on the bike. Arrange everything so you can pack up all the gear and back on the bike so you are only left with flysheet and poles to be sorted out in the rain and you do that quick so you stay dry.
The only unlucky part is that if your bike gear is soaked it won't normally dry overnight. However, if you have a bike cover use it, put your gloves on the engine and they will be dry in the morning. If you have a screen to keep the bike cover up high you may put the gear over the petrol tank and the engine heat/air circulation will help dry it. I find with the RT I don't get wet even in torrential rain, otherwise a rain suit is an essential. Always have good thick socks and spare socks. Even if your boots are damp fresh thick socks make a big difference.
1992 K100LT June 2010 110,000 miles
1984 K100RT July 2013 36,000 miles, 90,000
1983 K100RS Nov 2018 29,000 miles, 58,600 miles
1996 K1100LT Oct 2020 37,990 miles, 48,990 miles
1984 K100 Sprint March 2023 58,000 miles, 62,000 miles
1984 K100RT July 2013 36,000 miles, 90,000
1983 K100RS Nov 2018 29,000 miles, 58,600 miles
1996 K1100LT Oct 2020 37,990 miles, 48,990 miles
1984 K100 Sprint March 2023 58,000 miles, 62,000 miles
Re: camping advice
I always put a tarp up first then pitch the tent under out of the rain
Cheap waterproofs over your bike gear - stay dry
No problem
Cheap waterproofs over your bike gear - stay dry
No problem
Re: camping advice
thanks for all replies,
I don't drink, so usually avoid pubs like the plague :laugh: , part of the camping plan is to be able to cook my own food, and not have to look around for restaurants etc.
I suppose some of the downsides do just have to be sucked up on occasion...not end of the world
@AndyB
this is what I was thinking, i'm not out to be Bear Grylls, if its bad, just stay somewhere.
I just really want to widen my options really, possibly a combination of camping/hotels if its worth carrying the camping gear, and its nice to spend some time camping (used to years ago)if you find a great place and weather is good, saves hotel money so you can stay away longer.
Got my eye on the Vango 250/350, if i'm going to do it, I want some space and to be able to cook decently, tarp seems a good idea if not too bulky to carry around.
Called in Go Outdoors this morning.....bewildering array of stuff, and then stuff needed to carry it all and keep it dry, suppose you can always buy what you realise you havn't brought....
I still use a 2 piece over rainsuit anyway, and usually have spare gloves, so theres ways around most of the problems
I don't drink, so usually avoid pubs like the plague :laugh: , part of the camping plan is to be able to cook my own food, and not have to look around for restaurants etc.
I suppose some of the downsides do just have to be sucked up on occasion...not end of the world
@AndyB
this is what I was thinking, i'm not out to be Bear Grylls, if its bad, just stay somewhere.
I just really want to widen my options really, possibly a combination of camping/hotels if its worth carrying the camping gear, and its nice to spend some time camping (used to years ago)if you find a great place and weather is good, saves hotel money so you can stay away longer.
Got my eye on the Vango 250/350, if i'm going to do it, I want some space and to be able to cook decently, tarp seems a good idea if not too bulky to carry around.
Called in Go Outdoors this morning.....bewildering array of stuff, and then stuff needed to carry it all and keep it dry, suppose you can always buy what you realise you havn't brought....
I still use a 2 piece over rainsuit anyway, and usually have spare gloves, so theres ways around most of the problems
Re: camping advice
Just had this a few weeks ago going through the Black Forest.
Short answer, it gets wearing!
We did the 4th night in a pod, my wife saw them and said f@?%k this we're getting one of them!
It did wonders as we got to dry most of our wet gear and didn't have to piss around with the wet tent.
From this experience I can say make sure that the porch ground sheet is not built in as it just fills with water from your wet gear.
Waterproof over suit is better than any bike jacket, just a pain to get into.
Carry spare gloves.
No matter how water proof you think your luggage is it'll leak so put your clothes in bags, even your dirty ones as you might need them if everything else is wet.
Heated grips, ohhh... heated grips.
Plenty of coffee stops to warm back up, we call it T&P Tours :cheer:
Going to add a tarp for next time as I'd not thought of that one.
Steve
Short answer, it gets wearing!
We did the 4th night in a pod, my wife saw them and said f@?%k this we're getting one of them!
It did wonders as we got to dry most of our wet gear and didn't have to piss around with the wet tent.
From this experience I can say make sure that the porch ground sheet is not built in as it just fills with water from your wet gear.
Waterproof over suit is better than any bike jacket, just a pain to get into.
Carry spare gloves.
No matter how water proof you think your luggage is it'll leak so put your clothes in bags, even your dirty ones as you might need them if everything else is wet.
Heated grips, ohhh... heated grips.
Plenty of coffee stops to warm back up, we call it T&P Tours :cheer:
Going to add a tarp for next time as I'd not thought of that one.
Steve
