Epic Road Trips (Help!)

[ccvsgod]

So, I am in the middle of planning about a month-long trip next spring/summer. I played music for a lot of years so luckily I have a lot of hookups to DJ some punk and soul nights in a lot of places along the way for gas money and places to crash. The rest will be some minimalist camping. We want to do some old-school desert camping. The plan is: from Toronto to NYC to meet up with my friend and road-mate, down the east coast, across the south, up the west coast from Tijuana to Vancouver, east across Canada to Winnipeg, back down via Minneapolis through the midwest US and back home.

A) Is this just plain retarded?
B) Has anyone done that kind of trip that could answer a few logistical questions?
C) Any DTTers out there want an excuse to join in the ride from one place to another or want to hang out for a night if we come through your town?

I mainly want tips on long distance driving, I'm trying to bring just a super small MEC hiking tent rolled up on the front and the rest I want to fit in either my saddle bags or tank bag so I don't have something on my back all the time. The bike is a '78 Yamaha XS750 Triple. Anybody's help or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Also, does anyone out there know shit about SWAGS? If not, they're an Australian kinda sleeping bag/tent/matress hybrid that you basically just crawl into. I fucking want one, they make them specifically for motorcycling. Check this out:

1. Burke & Wills Canvas Biker Swag (Aussie Lot Lizard Not Included) - $160AUS

http://www.camping-r-us.com.au/Items/burkebiker?&caSKU=burkebiker&caTitle=Burke%20Wills%20Canvas%20%20Biker%20Swag%20for%20Motorbike%20or%20Horse

2. 2008 Oztrail Canvas Biker Swag - $165AUS

http://www.camping-r-us.com.au/Items/12474?&caSKU=12474&caTitle=2008%20Oztrail%20Canvas%20Biker%20Swag%20New%20For%20Motorcycles%2cNEW

3. (I think the one I'm getting) Onland Biker Swag Compact With Self Inflating Mat - $199AUS

http://www.camping-r-us.com.au/Items/11681?&caSKU=11681&caTitle=Onland%20Biker%20Swag%20Compact%20With%20Self%20Inflating%20Mat

..anybody here ever used one?

 

[boingk]

Ah, was waiting for this to crop up! ;D

I think your plan sounds pretty good, I rekon you'll have a blast. If you can work along the way then that makes finance easier, plus it never hurts to have somewhere decent to stay for the night.

As for the swags, theres a few things to look for when you buy them. First off you'll want to have a decent weight canvas, usually 12 to 16oz sq/ft. Lightweight swags can be had but I wouldn't like to get caught in a downpour in one. Secondly, check the straps and fasteners. You DO NOT want plastic snap-buckles, you want double-dee rings fasteners. Why? Plastic buckles can snap easily when tightening and are prone to UV damage. Metal rings are indestructible. Lastly, a PVC covered bottom is a nice thing to have if you plan to use it a lot in the rain as it will stop water from soaking into the swag from underneath. This shouldn't be a problem unless it is really, really coming down hard. As for matresses, 50mm [2"] foam is usually the go and is nice and comfy. A good zip to have is usually a #10...the big, gnarly heavy-duty king of zips.

All the other stuff comes down to personal preference. Do you want one with poles or without? Headflap or not? Heavyweight or light? Box construction or flat? Long/short, wide/narrow, single/twin. Check around if you can in your area and see what fits you best. Make sure you get a sleeping bag to roll up with the swag. Hell, use a blanket and sheets if you want! Remember to bed the canvas in once you get your swag by setting it and spraying it with a hose, then letting dry. This expands the weave of the canvas and makes it properly waterproof, otherwise you'll find it might leak the first time you use it.

I used to have an Oztrail 'Cooper', which was really good until it got stolen. It had #10 zips, a half-metre headflap and box construction. No PVC or poles or anything, just a nice simple swag. I used it a lot, just threw it in the back of my car when we were having a camp, or even just a rowdy night at a mates place. It soon became second nature to just keep it in there most of the time. I'm 6'2" and about 200lb, and it fitted me well. I'd highly recommend this swag. Check it out here

Hope this helps you out some, cheers - boingk

PS: That last swag option sounds pretty sweet, and the flyscreen is a goood idea. Oh, and when I was looking around, the 'Biker' swag seemed way to small for me and wasn't very comfortable.

 

[ccvsgod]

Man, thanks so much. This is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm just 5'7", so I don't need a large one. I didn't think the Burke & Wills one looked very appealing, it looks like a rubber sleeping bag. I had my eye on the Oztrail one, so thanks for the tip - that one has #10 zips, heavey d-rings and 14oz canvas.

We have a place called Mountain Equipment Co-op where you can just nerd out on diminutive/lightweight but SOLID gear (www.mec.ca). I've got a small tent from there that folds up the size of a loaf of bread. Is there any Aussie Equivalent to that?

 

[boingk]

Size of a loaf of bread eh? Sounds good...whats the weight and dimensions?

For tents I tend to stick by a company called 'Outer Limits' - they do good stuff on the cheap and have nation-wide retail here (pricing is an issue seeing as I'm young and just now finishing uni). I own one of their 'Backpacker' tents, and have found it to be a great all-weather shelter. I've taken it to the snowfields here in summer, and it survived insane gales during the night with no worries. Check out their stuff here, although I'd budget maybe 200g over their quoted product weights. Still, its good stuff that'll last.

Loving the stuff at mec.ca, its the more high-quality 4-season stuff that I've always liked but not really been able to afford. Some of the things on the site remind me of MSR gear, which I'm a bit of a fan of. Also, if you're cooking on the run, have you heard of Trangia?

- boingk

 

[Darmstro]

Me and my buddy used a Trangia stove to cook all our food when we were on a 10 day interior trip in Algonquin. Very useful little stove and it just runs on Methyl Hydrate so you don't have to worry about using those heavy gas bottles. It's really lightweight too, so it'd be ok to carry on a bike.

 

[miss alliekat]

That sounds like a real adveture, my dream is to drive accross canada from Toronto to Vancouver. But it will have to stay a dream as things are tight money wise. Plus as i am single (split with partner a while ago) and all my friends are paired up at the moment i would have no one to go with, but its good to dream.
I have toured all around europe years ago. and did have habit of touring UK in a minimal way with friends going to all the bike rallys. I bought a army sniper sleeping bag, Waterproof, has a hood, a zip at the middle so that you can step out of it and wear it like a coat, so you never have to get out of bed !!!!! yay it was great in the summer but not in the ;D winter

 

[aaandht]

If I had something bigger than my 400T, and didn't have college classes year round + work, I'd love to go cross country.

I live just outside NYC, let's hear when you're around I'd love to take a ride south for a bit.

 

[boingk]

If I had something bigger than my 400T...[snip]

Whoa, whoa....whoa - bigger than your 400? So more than 40-odd horses to play with? Man, that'd be nice...but I'm sure you could do a pretty decent trip on that. Stick on 70 [or whatever crazy limit to various govt's enforce], cruise along nice and steady with no worries. I mean, as soon as I get something with more than 20 horses I'm going for a blast around the state. And when I talk about the state I live in, its about the size of Texas and Louisiana combined 8)

I can understand the work and uni [do I ever!], but when you can just go for a ride...maybe without a predetermined destination even. Just pack a map/GPS/what-have-you, some other necessities, and hit the road!

Cheers - boingk

 

[ccvsgod]

Boingk - What I have now is a MEC tent, the Tarn II:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442537445&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302702837

...it's great and I got it for $80 from an angry divorcee clearing out her ex's stuff. So that was sweet. See? Everyone wins with divorce, I don't know why everyone was so dramatic about it in the 80's. But those Outer Limits tents look awesome and sturdy, and small-packing most importantly.

Darmstro - Trangia, huh? I've got one, I think it's a Whisperlite stove, about the size of a hockey puck, screws onto a little can. Hey, this brings up a question:
where on your bike do you situate a can/bottle of flammable fluid? And what about backup gasoline if you're going through the midwest or anywhere with long rural stretches?

 

[aaandht]

I didn't mean it like that, ment it more like an uncomfortable ride. However I was just outside looking at my bike and noticed my left rear shock is pissing out oil....so that might be the reason. I was actually suppose to ride to Virginia this coming Saturday, guess that won't be happening.

 

[boingk]

aaandht - Fair call, I didn't think of it from that perspective at all. And this coming from somone who used to get around on a Suzuki dirt bike, haha! ;D Yeah, having a decent touring rig would be nice, I do admit. Now, where'd Dads old R80-GS get to?

ccvsgod - Good-looking tent! Mines all mesh inside so I can imagine yours would be a bit warmer. I think mine weighs 2.3kg [real weight for the non-foul coloured older model] and packs up about the same. The Trangias website is here. Mine is the 27-2, might look like overkill for a lone person but being able to cook flash stuff on a stormy day is awesome. As are those "just add water" pancake-in-a-bottle mixtures! I was considering the Whisperlite or the Simmerlite as they've both got a solid reputation, but worked out I wouldn't be saving much weight or usability by 'upgrading'. I did get a PocketRocket clone, however, which rocks!

As for the fuel on the bike, I'd go for a proper plastic fuel-can strapped onto the rear of the bike...the passenger seat I think. Basically anywhere thats secure and not close to the exhaust or engine. Whats your overall stratergy for packing, anyway? If you know where you are going to put everything, then placing other items becomes easier. You've got saddle and tank bags, and don't want a backpack, right?

 

[ccvsgod]

Well, if I get my hands on the swag I want, and it's a tent, sleeping bag and mattress all in one, I'm gonna try & strap it on the front, so then it's just down to the essentials. To be honest, I was going to try to get a bigger tank bag with backpack straps and stuff everything I can in there / keep it off my back. And failing that, the saddlebags.

Think that's realistic?

 

[boingk]

Sounds good to me. I reckon you'll need the saddlebags though. Chuck some clothes in there, plus some water bottles/cooking gear etc...and some other stuff in the tank bag like repair kit [if not under seat], phone, maps and other stuff that you might want easy acess to. Probably some water as well.

And definitely chuck the swag up front like Bubba and his gang do in Mad Max. Probably wouldn't be a bad windbreak either...

- boingk