The next morning we spotted a better place for the tent, as I had noticed a very tall beetle kill pine tilting our direction just as we went to sleep the night before. We managed to drag the assembled tent across the field, then as I bent to hammer in a stake at an odd angle my back went into spasm. I could barely breathe, let alone move and felt like a fool watching Kim assemble the camp mostly by herself. I did manage to get my bike moved to the new spot, but getting my leg over and then getting back off was quite the painful effort. The skies were overcast and threatening, and I didn't want to ride around looking at scenery in the gray anyway, but my back sprain ended any chance of that.
The day was spent much in chairs and a hammock, both of us literally lulled into senselessness by the sound of the water. The Butterfly is not one to sit around, and as she said, it must have been something about the sound that was like a drug. Twice when camping, it has been as if our bodies found something they desperately needed and we've been able to do nothing but sit an entire day.
About all that was accomplished during the day was building a temporary tripod to hold the MSR water filter bag, as well as having to add a bunch of new guy lines to the tent after a hard wind slammed it around, bending a pole in the process. We've been flying a big tent on this trip, a decision I made after spending years crawling around in backpacking tents with wet, smelly gear laying next to me. Knowing we would be camping 90% of the time, I wanted to be able to have room to stand and get dressed, as well as have room for gear inside. I'd planned on getting the Redverz Atacama, however REI had a great sale on the Kingdom 4 and Garage combo at about half the cost of the Atacama. Repacking the Kingdom reduced the carry size substantially and a dedicated duffel on the rear seat holds the tent and related, as well as a couple of Eno Hammocks and spare stuff. So far it’s been great, making camping in one spot much more comfortable for extended periods. Whether the tent will survive in the long term with winds we will inevitably experience is a question, but if not there's always a smaller tent option.
MSR Gravity Filter worked well
Speaking of camping, most of our gear has been working well. Water on the road and when camping is a huge concern, and my solution has been to use an MSR Gravity filter that holds about 5 liters when full, along with Platypus pouches that collapse when empty, and two collapsible Platypus bags that hold about a gallon of water each at the site. We also use two nalgene bottles that the MSR filter adapts to for filling. This has reduced or eliminated having to buy and carry large water bottles on the bike for camping. So far so good.
As previously mentioned, the two Helinox Sunset chairs were worth every penny and more. The higher backed Sunset version fits my 6'4" 250+ body very well and we can lounge in them for hours comfortably. They fold into small bags which easily fit in a very small duffel on Kim's back seat.
Helinox Sunset High-Backed packable chairs under the REI Garage attachment
This is the first trip to use the Sea to Summit collapsible pots made of silicon with a metal bottom and they work really well, folding flat for packing which is awesome. We are mainly using the kettle and two folding cups, but also have a second pot for cooking up our own stuff.
Kim has done a great job of handling the food for the trip - improving substantially on my previous solo trips menu of tortillas, jerky, Power Bars and instant oatmeal. In the few times we've stayed in a place with a kitchen, she cooks substantial foods and freezes them in Ziplocks, which double as ice in the soft cooler. We can get a couple or three days of eating well before having to default to backpacking pouches or dry foods to cook with water. Supplementing is with Kind Bars, Power Bars, nuts and dehydrated fruits.
Sleeping while camping is a huge issue for me, and after buying and trying so many different pads over the years I finally just bit the bullet and went with the large Exped Synmat - 4" thick, 30" wide and plenty long. It has a stuff sack that doubles as an inflator and works well. Packed size is reasonable.
Kim snagged a Klymit pad I'd bought and loved it. It packs smaller than any pad of its size and I decided to buy a second one as a backup in case of failure. Two Klymit pads rolled together are still smaller than my Exped and that offers her comfy sleep, as well as having a spare pad in case one gets ripped or fails while on the road.
Sleeping bags are Marmot Maverick 40º bags - chosen for their pack size and supplemented with liner bags to make them a bit warmer if needed. So far we've been good in mid to high 30's in the tent with them and can layer up if needed.
All our gear, tools, accessories, clothing, camping stuff and food fit well, though snugly, in our cases, with just tents, chairs and hammocks needing to be in rear seat duffle bags. It makes travel much simpler and I prefer to not have bags strapped all over the bikes. We've passed some adventure bikes on the road that have so many bags strapped on them I can't imagine trying to ride with the bulk and weight. One pain I wish I could remove would be the need for electronics and cameras - especially the need for constant battery juicing. Between my Mac, cameras, GoPro, cell phones, Cardo headsets and a Samsung tablet as backup GPS, the necessary cables and chargers are a pain. I've simplified as much as possible with a couple of 4 port USB chargers but it's laughable to see all the devices plugged in at once. I've layered my charging as much as possible, some done while on the bike with USB and some with 110 wall plugs.
When we eventually hit Mexico and South America, the plan has been to leave the camping gear behind and go strictly hostel/hotel. Being able to reduce the load would be great, however Kim and I have been discussing whether we should take camping gear for emergencies. We'll figure that out later...
