Planning for the TAT

[SteelRain 0]

My thoughts exactly. I am supporting two other riders but carrying all of their camping gear, clothes and tools on an upcomming ride that we are doing (Grand Canyon Loop then the CDR) and we have less than is on even one of those bikes on my GSA.

You're really carrying less than is on one bike for three people camping? Three compressed sleeping bags alone would take up a fair amount of space.

I have my BMW System cases and a tail bag (with my tent under the tail bag). I am even carrying fuel for those two riders. Your sleeping bags must be huge, each bag with a "bivy bag" packs into a space smaller than a basketball.

If I get a chance I will post pics.

I would seriously re-evaluate what I was carrying if my bike looked like yours.

[paulmbowers 236]

[paulmbowers 236]

[paulmbowers 236]

[paulmbowers 236]

[paulmbowers 236]

[paulmbowers 236]

But seriously, folks.

That's a LOT of gear to wrestle around for many thousands of miles.

[Covered in Dust 163]

I wouldn't be as concerned about the volume of your load as I would be about the weight. If each bikes is carrying more than 60 pounds I would consider this to much. As for the volume, my tent is about the size of one tennis shoe and the sleeping bag is a little smaller. And there are lots of micro fiber clothes available that rinse out and dry easily and take up very little room.

All that said if you ride the bike and are comfortable on it then go for it. But in camping less is usually better.

Covered in Overload

[piratemonkey 0]

I would seriously re-evaluate what I was carrying if my bike looked like yours.

Well, that's the point of these shakedown rides -- to see what we really want/need to take. Maybe we'll whittle it down, maybe we won't.

Besides, Simon demands his crystal food bowl, goose down bed, and array of toys... you can't travel light when your dog is a prima donna. I blame my maternal side for letting him get away with it. It is my cross to bear.

[kkug 147]

Last year I did a three day memorial day ride with my stuff.that would be a good test also.

Have fun and report back.

[Uncle Champ 116]

Holy Cow! I had one ur two of them little cattle chaser dogs, he would love it if you just let him ride on top of the luggage, heck get him declared a service dog and take him in restaraunts with you.

Call him a balance aid dog.

I know I'm a jerk.

Unc.

[SteelRain 0]

I would seriously re-evaluate what I was carrying if my bike looked like yours.

Well, that's the point of these shakedown rides -- to see what we really want/need to take. Maybe we'll whittle it down, maybe we won't.

I just to be clear; I am not trying to be an arse. Here is a suggestion based on what I do:

Go to your backyard, setup camp, live there for a 24 hour period.

No going in your house!

If you don't use it, leave it at home (with the exception of tools/spares)

If you "must" have it determine if there is an alternative that is lighter/smaller. ie: I was planning to use "Ranger Rolls" for camping but it was going to be below 30 degrees on many nights so I had to go with a similar sized "sleeping bag" that offered better insuluation at a higher weight. This was still lighter that a backpacking bag, but not as warm, yet warm enough.

In the recon community we have a saying "Pack light, freeze at night" I am often a little cold at night but can sleep in my riding pants and jacket liner. I may look like a moron around the campfire in me river shoes, knee high socks and jacket liner but I am using items for many purposes.

Sorry I don't have pics of the bike, but P1's truck has the bike blocked right now.

[Bagstr 288]

Zina,

Write to us when you finish the move to your new home.

You did a great job breaking down the 950 and Ducati, to fit the tail bags.

[Mistress of the dual 1]

Excellent to hear Simon is having fun riding. Have you seen all the cool stuff REI has for camping with your dog? I wanted to buy most of it even though I don't need any of it. I can't wait to read the RR on your trip. Keep us posted.

[piratemonkey 0]

Okay, Wayne went through my stuff and here's what he wants me to get rid of:

1980's era cell phone. He doesn't realize it's not just a giant cell phone; it's the telecommunications version of the Hot Tub Time Machine. I could transport us out of trouble with just a phone call.

Bidet. I know Simon is going to get dirty and bidets clean not only people, but pets.

Oxygen tank. But aren't we going to be above 7k?

Spurs. Whatever!

Artsy espresso machine. Possibly not negotiable; I need my coffee.

Touchscreen photo frame. I get fairly melancholy without having important memories flashing constantly in front of my face.

Some tough calls will need to be made...

[paulmbowers 236]

I vote to keep the spurs. Jettison food if necessary, and most clothing.

Just the spurs.

[piratemonkey 0]

We headed out Friday around lunch time. We slabbed it up to Lost Valley, where we got our first taste of dirt while loaded up.

Initial thought after getting through a couple of the rockier patches: "30 days of bloated yak wrestling? Well, let the crying begin!" After our recent relatively unladened trip to the Grand Canyon on the KTM and Husky, the packed-up DRZs were an abomination. Wayne had to carry Simon in all the dirt sections because I was sure I was going to pitch sideways at any time. I knew I was being mental and I knew the bike would turn if I would just quit stiff-arming it. After the miles went by, the yak and I eventually came to an agreement that if I would quit squeezing its horns like I was trying to get milk out of them, it would stop thinking about laying down on me.

The road up the Santa Rosa mountains was a typical occasionally rutted mountain road. We went up to Toro Peak to check out the view. We weren't sure what we were looking at until we saw the north end of the Salton Sea through the haze.

We camped at Stump Spring camground (7,710 ft). The campground had about five concrete picnic tables scattered throughout a fairly level area. Although stretches of road that we had traveled on en route to our destination had the smell of fresh rain, we never saw a drop. The threat of rain could be why nobody else showed up while we were there.

Wayne boiled water for the dried tortellinis while Simon ate his kibbles.

The two-man tent went up easily. With the Thermarest pads thrown in it looked snug but not overly tight.

But when we brought in the rest of the stuff we didn't want to get damp overnight, the joint was crowded. Simon is the white spot in the middle of the picture.

I was reacquainted with my tremendous distaste for mummy bags. It's not that they're just claustrophobically uncomfortable, but my legs need to be in goofy positions to keep a couple of pinched nerves from killing me. So I ended up unzipping the bag to accommodate my legs, which meant less warmth. This will need to be addressed since the TAT trip will run into mid October and there's a good chance we'll see much colder nights. Honestly, I'd rather be in a motel every single night, but most places don't allow dogs and, frankly, even if we stayed at places running about $60 a night we'd be spending almost $2k by trip's end just for soft beds, hot showers, uncramped comfort, total climate control and buffet-style electricity. Compare that to the character building from pissing in the early morning cold and darkness, night after night... priceless, I say!

The memory of one of the worst nights of sleep I've ever had was dismissed by a rejuvenating cup of instant coffee. I can put up with a lot of sh!t as long as it all ends with a cup of coffee. Here's Wayne, a non-coffee drinker, summoning his riding mojo in his own way before a new day of dog-toting and yak wrestling.

The weather was still looking good as we came down the mountain. Getting an early start with blue skies and a pleasant view is hard to beat.

After dropping down from the mountain we headed over to Bautista Rd and then up Thomas Mountain Rd. A few riders passed us. We thought maybe they were SDAR folks. Then a few more passed us. While taking a bio break, a couple of more riders came along. They also stopped for a bio break so we asked if they were part of a group. Turns out the OC dualsport club had a ride going on and if we didn't get a move on, we'd be on the trail with many, many more people. We got off Thomas Mountain as quickly as we could so we wouldn't get caught up in a rolling clusterdoodle.

After lunch in Idyllwild, I took over the dog carrying duties. By now I was feeling pretty confident on the yak and adding another 20 pounds didn't seem beyond my scope. We dropped back down into Hemet via the San Jacinto Ridge Truck Trail.

The ride down was filled with undulations so I stood most of the way, using my legs as another level of shock absorption to keep Simon from getting "car sick." Wayne said Simon didn't look the least bit distressed so next time I'm going to alternate standing with sitting so my knees can get a break. During the times I was sitting I felt like I had Simon in a rock tumbler, but maybe I was being overly sensitive.

After turning onto Bee Canyon Truck Trail near the bottom, we came across some stopped vehicles. They were towing a US Forestry truck from the trail. We asked what had happened and some folks who had been waiting a couple of hours said the sport ute had flipped. The ranger had been badly hurt and airlifted out. We were lucky enough to pull up shortly before the trail reopened.

Down in Hemet at the Shell station we ran into Rexr and Ben (did I get that right?). It's always fun to run into SDAR people in out-of-the way places.

Wayne and I agreed that the hardest part of the ride was the long slab back from Hemet. The DRZs are running with their stock gearing, so the bike is not fun for long, straight pavement stretches. As we neared Mataguay, the wind was ripping, the sky was overcast, and we were getting cold. We made one last stop at Dudley's to let Simon relieve himself and for us to scarf down some snacks. In this shot, Simon is desperate to get at my trail mix.

We had a great shakedown ride and came away with some good ideas on how to improve both the bikes and the camping experience. I've also come away pretty sure I can handle the yak in rougher conditions, which is a big load off my mind. Wayne has extensive training on a true barge of a bike -- a KTM 950 Adventure -- so if that bike is his version of a yak, then the DRZ must've been like a gazelle.

And as for the most important part of the test, Simon ended the trip upbeat. He never threw up and his enthusiasm never waned so he passed his third test as a passenger. Next hurdle: a multi-day camping trip and more backpack prison time for the hairy rapscallion.

[Bagstr 288]

Zina,

If these quality Ride Reports keep up, we will need to report you to ADVrider.

Dave

[kkug 147]

Thanks for taking us along on your ride ( with your report ) Check out the Big Agnes bags-they have more leg room and the pad slips into a pocket. I got two of them if you want to try them out some time. They could be a bit warmer but I use a bag liner and you could us Pj,s.

On your ride you may not encounter any tougher terrain than you rode this weekend. Also being able to slide back on your bike and move around is very important. I see people trapped in one place on the bike and I cringe !

I can,t wait for more reports.

[kkug 147]

P.S. I wounder if you could get some type of mini tent-Vestibule thingy to put next to your tent to store your gear out of the weather . Like a Dog House !

[piratemonkey 0]

If these quality Ride Reports keep up, we will need to report you to ADVrider.

I joined ADVrider back in 2006 and have a total post count of: Z-E-R-O. Perhaps this trip will be worthy of a first post.

Check out the Big Agnes bags-they have more leg room and the pad slips into a pocket. I got twoof them if you want to try them out some time. They could be a bit warmer but I use a bag liner and you could us Pj,s.

Just looked into the Big Agnes bags -- very cool. At the moment my plan is to sew an elastic panel into my bag where it opens so I can move around. It won't be as warm as the rest of the fabric, but it'll at least close the air gap an unzipped bag would create. If my sewing project is a failure, I'll look more into the Big Agnes bag.

As for the "vestibule" idea, it's got me thinking about how I might be able to utilize the rain fly from another tent I no longer use. For sure we're not going to be able to tolerate 30 nights of crap everywhere. I had my helmet by my head and bonked myself more than once during the night. A camping veteran I most certainly am not!

[Crawdaddy 96]

Just looked into the Big Agnes bags -- very cool.

Zina - your great wit always cracks me up......thanks for the report.

The Big Agnus Bags that would interest you are the "Park" series.......bigger/wider than most.....be advised that you MUST have a quality sleeping pad if you go the Big Agnus route......there's NOTHING underneath you with their bags......

[paulmbowers 236]

P.S. I wounder if you could get some type of mini tent-Vestibule thingy to put next to your tent to store your gear out of the weather . Like a Dog House !

Ever seen those little demo tents in the outdoor stores?