been looking at tents!!!

[melly 0]

well i enjoyed the biking weekend so much I want to do it again and go touring scotland or Devon (not really looked into it yet - just fancy touring on the bike). B&B'ing it will be too expensive though so managed to drag dave to look at tents big enough for the 2 of us and light enough for the bike - not bought one yet but have planted the seed.

[Stue11 0]

Thats it now Dave
















































only kidding Mel dont blame ya its nice you enjoy it

[dick65 0]

sounds good mel,this might tempt him


http://www.redverz.com/

[melly 0]

@dick65 wrote:

sounds good mel,this might tempt him


http://www.redverz.com/

wow i like that

[stantheman 0]

these are meant to be the best mel http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=force+10+tents&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1024&bih=661&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=394899455445879228&sa=X&ei=BesWUNTEGJP64QTI5oGQBg&ved=0CGYQ8wIwAg

[lee1 1]

Great stuff you will beable to have a nights stay at squires

http://www.squires-cafe.co.uk/

[stantheman 0]

then you could both stay at mine on the way to bonnie scotland and me mate has a caravan near the west coast of scotland he has people pitch tents next to it and ill bet i could get you free camping there this ones the cheapest http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/force-ten-vortex-200-tent.html

[Macie_UK 0]

@stantheman wrote:

me mate has a caravan near the west coast of scotland

The West coast is the *only* coast in Scotland

Good on yer Mel, glad you liked it. He'll get *no* peace at all now

[Macie_UK 0]

On second thoughts, if *you* did your test and got a bike, it would allow Dave much more room to cart all the gear around, while you went buzzing off

[melly 0]

already suggested that Macie - daves not keen - he says its too dangerous, i think hes scared i'll be better than him

[Neill 0]

Look at 3 person tents, they are small enuf to strap across the top box and large enuf to give you plenty of room when Dave gets in

[Oldfart 0]

Look at these as well
http://www.thebikerguide.co.uk/bikercampingequipment.html

[gravelrash 0]

Bloody hell! Dave I think Mels serious If seeing me and Dick riding down that hill looking like we could grow spuds on our coats didn't put her off nothing going to dissuade her great if the weather's fine a mud bath if not, whatever you decide I'm sure you'll love it
Dick those bike/rider tents look ace

[Macie_UK 0]

@melly wrote:

already suggested that Macie - daves not keen - he says its too dangerous, i think hes scared i'll be better than him

Good on ya keep plugging away it that's what you want. Just tell him that he is allowed to clean your bike as well and he'll soon cave

[Tony nitrous 0]

So which one's Dave ?

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

So which one's Dave ?

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

here is how I feel about not to keen on camping thats why we brought a caravan, But I do know if we want to go to some of the bike meets it is sometimes the only way , and realized after last weekend it cost us best part of £500 £200 of that for B&B 2 nights,
When I brought the king Mel had no interest in coming with me really , and if its just me going I can put clothes ,sleeping bag in my top box with my 2 man tent strapped to the back of the top box resting on the pillion seat ( could even have a bigger tent),
it was good taking Mel with me at the weekend and was surprised how much she liked it , But if we are going to do it with a tent , we are going to need a bigger tent , Now what I am thinking is the room and weight on the bike , clothes , two sleeping bags , and a bigger tent all on the top box

We had the top box full as it was and we was stopping B&B no tent, sleeping bags ,
Ideally B&B is the best option , but its the ££££

[Oldfart 0]

Looks like a set of Givi Panniers to go with the top box Dave. Dont forget that a lot of campsites now will let you post the bulky items in a parcel and keep it til you get there then just have the Royal Mail, UPS whatever pick it up and send it to your home when you leave. Did it lots of times especially for the TT.

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

TheBiker46 wrote:

Looks like a set of Givi Panniers to go with the top box Dave. Dont forget that a lot of campsites now will let you post the bulky items in a parcel and keep it til you get there then just have the Royal Mail, UPS whatever pick it up and send it to your home when you leave. Did it lots of times especially for the TT.

panniers no good with the cans on my bike and tes going to do that when we go TT

[Stue11 0]

@Davehutch wrote:

here is how I feel about not to keen on camping thats why we brought a caravan, But I do know if we want to go to some of the bike meets it is sometimes the only way , and realized after last weekend it cost us best part of £500 £200 of that for B&B 2 nights,
When I brought the king Mel had no interest in coming with me really , and if its just me going I can put clothes ,sleeping bag in my top box with my 2 man tent strapped to the back of the top box resting on the pillion seat ( could even have a bigger tent),
it was good taking Mel with me at the weekend and was surprised how much she liked it , But if we are going to do it with a tent , we are going to need a bigger tent , Now what I am thinking is the room and weight on the bike , clothes , two sleeping bags , and a bigger tent all on the top box

We had the top box full as it was and we was stopping B&B no tent, sleeping bags ,
Ideally B&B is the best option , but its the ££££

Its a tough one Dave, tbh its whatever your into, me personally only ride me bike once a week if im lucky what with weather and wifeys hours....but if its both your passion to travel by bike then camping is the way and that means more rack's and box's etc etc...back to the old joke of me and givi box's you all now i'd never be seen dead with one on any off my bikes but thats my choice as i'd never even been camping with a bike until last years camping trip..and tbh im not really into massive amounts of miles of riding and lugging wardrobes behind me, so good luck mate in finding a compremise for you both

[Macie_UK 0]

@Davehutch wrote:

Ideally B&B is the best option , but its the ££££

Unless you really 'slum it' in terms of camping gear and clothes or just do one or two nights away then you are gonna struggle without panniers as well, which as you say, is an issue with your particular bike - is that for both hard and soft bags? You can also get a rack for the top of the Givi top boxes that then allows you to lash more gear to the top, which is not an uncommon sight.

If you have a look here Here it seems that modding a Givi Wingrack for your bike is do-able.

Alternatively Hepco and Becker do some soft pannier holders Here

As for the whole touring thing, what you want to do and what you want to get out of it really dictates the amount of gear you need. For what it's worth, my take (these days - old bones and all that) is:


For 1 or 2 nights a tent will do at a push if the weather is on your side. Anything longer and the constant pitching and packing gets on your nerves, especially after 8 days of rain in a Scottish summer You can make it easier by taking the minimal amount of gear, but this is supposed to be enjoyable not an endurance!

To my mind, the whole touring thing can be split into 'getting there' and 'being there' elements - if you're doing the Norkapp or a lap of Spain or Scotland just to 'do it' then the accommodation arrangements become a secondary requirement and are entirely dictated by your budget - you will quite happily pitch a tent in a field in the same clothes you have worn for a week if it means achieving your trip. That said, kipping on a pallet on a cold spring night near the Portugese border, or in a field near Aberyswyth in a monsoon is in all truth, less than fun.

If you prefer the 'being there' kind of tour, with a static base then lugging a load of gear there and back isn't so bad, because the intervening days can be spent riding with all your gear left behind and you still get to see/ride the good bits. This, I have to admit, is my preferred way of spending a week or so away these days - for example you can base yourself around Fort William and do pretty much everywhere North and West each day and come back to the same place - and you don't mind having a long day on the bike if you haven't got to faff around setting up and the end of each day.

As for budget, well you're still going to eat, drink and use fuel whether you stay in a tent or in a Marriott, so those costs will remain equal. Assuming you don't fancy the slumming it in a field option, how much is it to pitch a tent at a decent site these days? I'm guessing at £10 to £20 a night (going on my last jaunt to Cornwall). So B&Bs aren't cost effective if there is more than one of you, so how about looking at the middle ground of various budget hotels? £50 quid a night for somewhere warm, dry and more secure than a tent to leave your gear in - as low as £20 a night if you hunt around for those occasional deals, and if cram 4 of you in a room for the odd night if you're travelling around it gets even cheaper.

Is it worth the hassle of camping? Only you two can say, but the difference in cost between tenting and a cheapo hotel is probably less than you spend on bike cleaning products in a month

Sorry for rambling, I'll go back out to the garage now..........

[Oldfart 0]

Or there is always this
http://www.beds4bikers.com/

[fr499y 0]

you wait, next dave will be buying a goldwing

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@fr499y wrote:

you wait, next dave will be buying a goldwing

Mel did say to buy another bike to use when we go away

[Stue11 0]

@Davehutch wrote:

@fr499y wrote:

you wait, next dave will be buying a goldwing

Mel did say to buy another bike to use when we go away

[fr499y 0]

go for a couple year old FJR, hold there money and are brilliant all rounders ST1300 is another but too big and bulky if your only going to use it every now and again

[dick65 0]

yamaha fjr1300 brilliant sporty tourer and shaft drive

[fr499y 0]

@dick65 wrote:

yamaha fjr1300 brilliant sporty tourer and shaft drive

And best in silver

[smilinjack 0]

@dick65 wrote:

yamaha fjr1300 brilliant sporty tourer and shaft drive

I'm going to disagree with that. Overweight and not a great seat, at least the one I rode wasn't. And if you consider I managed to run a 1200 Kwak for 47,000 miles on one chain, I'm less than convinced about the need for power sapping shaft drive.

[smilinjack 0]

....but back on topic, funnily enough I've also been looking at tents. I'm warming to the notion of some wild camping to extend the range of my walking. Now where did I put that Kendal mint cake...

[fr499y 0]

Yeah they are heavy, but most tourers are, ( 290ish KG ) but if i can manage one then i can't see anyone else having a problem lol. The 2011 are smooth as hell with the shaft drive, power delivery is also smooth ( and plenty of it!! at around 140BHP and 134Nm Torque )

Anywhoo!! some good tents out there for not so much money. Try and go for a 3 man tent for 2 people as it gives you that extra bit of room to cram bike gear in. Can't remember the make i've got but its a 3 man tent and you can fit 2 of them in a 2 helmet top box

[melly 0]

@Stue11 wrote:

@Davehutch wrote:

@fr499y wrote:

you wait, next dave will be buying a goldwing

Mel did say to buy another bike to use when we go away

lol this could be a very expensive tent

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

this is the one i used last year , i think its ok for me on my own

[Oldfart 0]

This will carry your kit Dave!

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

TheBiker46 wrote:

This will carry your kit Dave!

Haha thanks for the call today m8