Day Seven: Size Matters

Several days have passed in Florida as I clean and repack my gear for the journey back to California. My plan was to leave Monday morning but I may delay a day as a tropical storm is passing by which will make the first day of the ride absolutely miserable! I will check the weather again along my route to finalize that decision – trusting in the NOAA.

Several people have questioned how I carried enough gear for my trip. Well, I actually travel with a pretty large load because I enjoy the luxury of good tasting food and comfortable sleeping. Essentially I have one case which I consider my “Bedroom /Office” and a second bag which serves as my “Kitchen / Pantry.” Tools, clothing, electronics and navigation are in the side bags. Repacking seemed to provide a good opportunity to show the basic stuff and discuss how I made the choices.

Let’s begin with a quick look at the concept of gear by looking at the two extremes: Expedition versus Ultra Light. Expedition gear could be viewed as the classic safari camps of old movies where huge, heavy canvas cabin tents are packed with travel desks and cots with linens. The tent may have a full wood stove/heater and kitchen. These are very comfortable but require a lot of space to transport and time to set up. The other end of the spectrum is the ultralight hiking world where everything is minimal and made of modern, lightweight fabrics. This gear is meant to be easy to carry while meeting the most basic needs. Everything else falls somewhere on a continuum between these ends.

My prepping mindset has forced me to address these ends continuously as the ultralight gear is perfect for carrying in a Bug Out Bag for quick escape, but tends to be less durable than full car/truck camping gear. As a compromise, I have solid gear that is available for a “bug in” situation, compact/lightweight gear for a quick motorcycle run (or hike) and a more comfortable compromise when traveling with my cycle trailer or in a larger vehicle.

Here is the extent of this journey’s housing (from left to right):
·         Silver / OD Survival Blanket wrapped around a full Mosquito Net
·         Self-Inflating Sleeping Mat
·         Condor Jungle Weight Sleeping Bag (for perspective, this is about the size of a coffee can).
·         10’ x 12’ Poly Tarp
·         100’ Paracord
·         Several Tent Stakes
·         Wiggy’s Bivy Bag (the black surface the other pieces are laying on).

Here is a photo of the Bivy all set up. Think of it as a full tent (including rain and bug shield) which is about the size of a sleeping bag with a couple extra feet added to stash some gear. In this photo, the sleeping mat and sleeping bag are already inside. I now have the three pieces rolled up as a single unit which forms a single bundle about 1/4^th the diameter of a normal sleeping bag. For dry areas, I can just unroll the combined set up and crawl inside. The mosquito net can be added for buggy areas and the tarp flown overhead in case of rain.

The bivy can be a bit confining at first if you are claustrophobic, but the size to carry and ease of set up is incredible. It really excels when setting up camp in remote areas where there is limited open space. The foot end of the bivy can easily extend into the area under low hanging trees where a full size tent could never fit. Yes, that provides some degree of stealth also if needed…

Several times I have found myself camping in areas where there are few trees available to tie the mosquito net and/or tarp to. Hikers often use a hiking pole as a support. No problem for this trip – the high end of the GS’s handlebar has provided a perfect tie-off point with the opposite end of the cord staked to the ground!

These two small units are the core of my kitchen.

Packed inside the pot is a Crux Lite hiker’s stove which literally folds in on itself. The set is made for a small gas canister to fit inside the pot with the stove. I have chosen to carry a fuel canister separate from the pot which allows a light and lighter all fit inside the one-person pot and pan/lid. This set up has worked very well for me for about 5 years now. Most people I know have purchased the Jet Boil stove instead and love it – it is rated as the most efficient of this type stove. I chose this unit from Optimus because it is so compact and simple.

I love a good cup of coffee. OK, it doesn’t have to be that good! For this trip I am using (clockwise from the top):
·         A stainless water bottle (which could be used to cook directly in a fire if needed),
·         Stainless mug which fits nicely around the base of the bottle,
·         A filter insert which can screw between the bottle and lid for a coffee filter or tea strainer, and
·         A case from Camelback designed to carry any standard water bottle.

Here you can see how nicely the units nest for insertion into the case.

I mentioned I like good tasting food. My standard is Mountain House freeze dried foods. Most of these simply require you to pour 2 cups of boiling water in the bag, stir, wait 10 minutes, and enjoy a great meal. There are some really good dehydrated foods available now also which are lighter and pack smaller. However, dehydrated food needs to cook longer to soften up – often up to 20 minutes of simmering in a pan after the water boils. For simplicity of use, the freeze dried food is my first choice after a long day of riding. Note the Millenium bars at the right of this photo. They are great snacks – in fact provide a great lunch on the road when it is just too hot to enjoy a full meal.

The kitchen bag is packed and goes on the highest tier of my motorcycle. This light, bulky pack adds very little weight to the bike and keeps the center of gravity low in spite of the appearance. In addition it is very easy to just pull the top case off when I stop at a rest stop picnic table along the way…

Hmm, is this weather going to let up so I can hit the road again?