R1200GS - Tent - carrying and recomendation

[ianwalberg]

Hello,

I am looking for a 2 person tent and was looking for any recommendations, I am based in CA and will not need much weather protection so packing size is the most important factor.

Next questions is I have a 2012 GS with Vario cases and top box, any recommendations or photos of how you carry your camping equipment and passenger.

Thanks

[Newstar]

Hi Ian,
I pm'd you. This will give you some extra packing space.

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/mot...50213-214.html

[ianwalberg]

Look interesting, how do the attach to the top of the Vario cases?

[jstrube]

You can't go wrong with the REI offerings. Stop into a store & check them all out. I have Mountain Hardware, but Marmot, REI, etc all work great.

[cchoc]

I haven't got mine yet but I like the looks of the Big Agnes Seed House 2 person and amy going to get that one from REI. I've had a number of tents over the years but my backpacking ones are all about 30 years old so I figured it was time for a new one. I'll strap mine to the top of one of my panniers (I have the BMW aluminum ones on my 800GS).

[braddog]

Do a search of this forum for "tents". There's got to several threads about which tent to buy, which ones people use, etc. etc.

The major camping retailers like REI will certainly be able to provide you with the best options.

However, there may just be less expensive options out there that will server you well.

[Lee]

Hello,

I am looking for a 2 person tent

You may need a three person tent so the two of you have room for your gear or get a tent with a decent vestibule.

[OfficerImpersonator]

You may need a three person tent so the two of you have room for your gear or get a tent with a decent vestibule.

ALWAYS buy a tent with room for one more person than you plan on needing. Will you and your passenger be riding naked, or will you have helmets, padded gear, gloves, boots, etc.?

Once you've made room for the poles, ground cloth, tent body, and fly, adding a little extra fabric and going with the 3-man (or even 4-man) tent is a no-brainer. In bad weather, it's your only shelter, so you might as well have some room to be comfortable.

REI was mentioned earlier, and it's a far better choice than Wal-Mart, Cabela's, or some other place that emphasizes low prices and dumb employees over smart employees who use the gear, quality and integrity. REI prices on REI-branded gear are comparable, and REI offers a life-time warranty on EVERYTHING/ANYTHING they sell.

I use a thick self-inflating sleeping pad (Cascade Design "DreamTime"). I lay the tent ground cloth out on my living room floor/picnic table/etc. and then lay the sleeping pad on top of the groundsheet. I then layer the tent fabric pieces on top of the pad. Finally, I use the tent poles (in their stuff sack) as a spindle, and I roll the entire sandwich up into a cylinder.

If I'm traveling solo, this bundle sits on the rear seat and across the tops of the side cases. If I'm traveling with my son, the bundle sits on top of the top box - although in this position, it's subject to some buffeting and it's more exposed to the weather - which is why I started by putting the ground cloth on the outside of the roll.

[EvryDayRide]

[QUOTE=OfficerImpersonator;833351] Will you and your passenger be riding naked?

Funny, I never thought of that as being an option? Any personal experience? I guess you could down size your tent if only wearing a safety thong? Please, no pictures......LOL.
John

[montauk]

Other than what OfficerImpersonator mentioned, I would concur on 3-people tent. I always ride solo, and store my stuff inside the tent.

When it rains, you want to make sure that nothing is touching the side walls, other wise with capillary action, you could induce water inside the tent.

Lastly when you put up the tent you not know the finer details on the level of the ground until you lie down. If you have a big enough tent, you could change which way you want to position your head.

The difference in packing in my opinion may be only 1.5 inches more in width/length.

[rdalland]

I bought what I would describe as a tent system this past summer to replace an aging tent. It is a three person tent and footprint from Marmot. I motorcycle camp alone and enjoy the extra space of the three person tent. Modern materials mean that the new tent packs smaller and lighter than the two person tent I replaced.

When I am in a hurry and weather permits, I will lay just the footprint on the ground.



In fair weather, when there are bugs or ground critters and I am not concerned about privacy, I set the tent up without the fly.



When there are no bugs or ground critters and I want privacy and rain protection, I set up the fly with the footprint (the footprint is designed to accept the tent poles). This turns the two vestibules into additional "floorspace". If I am setting the tent up in the rain, I set up the fly first, then add the tent afterward. This keeps the tent dry, a nice feature of the "system".



The tent has a larger vestibule in the front that I use to store gear, and a smaller vestibule in the rear. With both vestibules open, there is a lot of air circulation.

[lkraus]

Reid, do you recall which model Marmot tent you have? I'm having trouble matching your pictures to their current offerings.

[rdalland]

Reid, do you recall which model Marmot tent you have? I'm having trouble matching your pictures to their current offerings.

The photo of the tent alone is the marmot aeros 3p. The tent with the fly is the marmot astral 3p. I have both tents, the astral 3p is what I am using now. I didn't have a photo of the astral 3p without the fly so I used a photo of the aeros, sorry for the confusion.

[lkraus]

Thanks. Apparently the aeros is out of production, but the astral looks close to what I'd like.

[Rpbump]

A two wall tent does not weigh or pack much larger than a single wall tent and offers significant advantages when it rains. I bought a Redverz tent as the older I get the more I appreciate being able to stand in my tent. It has a very large vestibule with room for several to sit in thier chairs out of the sun/weather and a small vestibule as well. Catoma offers several tents that are easy to erect and have 1 or more vestibules. REI, North Face, and Coleman are some of the more popular tent manufacturers. RIDE SAFE