Noobie: Recommendations for Motorcycle-Camping Equipment List, please

[JJBrewbus]

Although this seems to be very much a hiking-oriented group, but now, due to injuries, I am unable to hike anymore . No worries, though -- I have a motorcycle. Maybe you have experience of adventure motorcycling and camping??? I'd just like to hear some of your thoughts on my little jaunt.

First, I'm a virgin hammock camper; so please go easy on me (nomenclature-wise) .

Secondly, I'm in Bali, Indonesia, where (due to crazy import taxes) it's financially prohibitive to import a HH or BBWB, or whatever. I'll be making most gear myself; so please don't quote " get it at Walmart" -- because it simply does not exist here. Think "home-made" "recycled" "re-used" "re-tasked".

So, here's the thing:

I'm sketching out some plans to make a journey across a few Indonesian islands in the dry season. I'll be traveling by off-road motorcycle, a tiny, spluttering KLX150, and sticking to the back roads, taking the scenic route.
While on a small motorcycle, I don't need to worry about ME carrying the weight, so much. So a few extra grams here and there will not be a problem.
Ninety percent of the time, I'll be camping in rainforest and bush with spitting cobras, giant centipedes and bird-eating spiders as my 'camp-side friends' .
In June the average maximum is 32°C (93°F) with a minimum of 24°C (75°F) and Humidity at 72%, but I may occasionally camp at altitudes of more than 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) on a some of the many active volcanoes we have, but still near the equator -- no snow (4°C at night / 39°F), but the pyroclastic clouds help keep you warm and toasty so I hear, )

If YOU were making this trip, 1) which hammock would you choose, and 2) what would be your 'essential' pack list?

I'd love to hear your ideas, but remember -- nothing too high-tech from the 21st Century, please.


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[oldbiker]

I motorcycle travel & hang quite a bit. Study the diy sections & youtube. Find material of polyester or ripstop nylon. Make a gathered end hammock your choice of length. Whip the ends. Suspension of your choice but make sure to use straps on the trees. Sew some netting over it or get enough to just sack it up. Tarp of any waterproof material you can find. The old blue polyes work fine. Should be plenty of those there. Pad from closed cell foam for higher elevations, sleeping bag & you should be good to go.

[CC_Cinci]

Based on your description and that first picture, I would DEFINITELY make a hammock with an integrated bug net! And that's coming from a guy who doesn't use a bug net from September through May (I also don't camp in a rain forest)!

[AA2FD]

Camera! Lots of pictures for your trip report.

oldbiker seems to have covered the basic 'hammock' list pretty well. Since you're new to hammocking, be sure to thoroughly test out your gear several times locally, before setting out on an extended journey. You may find your needs are slightly different than others, so find out what those needs are. They might not be specifically related to motorcycle camping, but hammock camping in general.

Examples:

• My first 'nap' in a hammock told me I needed a pillow of some sort, or I'd wake up with my neck too sore to ride. I use my hammock's stuff-sack, with some spare clothing inside, as my pillow.
• Can you keep your boots on the ground overnight, or will they become an insect nest by morning. (I keep my helmet indoors for this reason)
• If you might expect dew overnight, is your tarp long enough to keep you and sleeping bag dry?

Keep us posted!

...Bob

[JJBrewbus]

Oldbiker,

Thanks for the good advice.
I've found some ripstop, but no one can tell me what denier, etc it is. I've bought a piece to test: just a simple test to see the breaking strain in both weft and warp directions. I'm not sure what strength it needs to be, though, but I'll fish around in here and find out.

I found a good youtube video from Xtrekker, making a double layer hammock, plus an attached mossie net -- think I'll follow his advice (although, to learn sewing skills, I think I'll be making something dead simple, like a 4-pole camp chair, then the tarp, and finally the hammock).

I guess that the inner layer of a hammock should be something like polyester, right? As it is more 'comfortable'? And I guess that I don't need to have it silicone-coated??

Anyway, thanks again, Oldbiker. And have a cool Yule, if you celebrate it.

J

[JJBrewbus]

Thanks, CC_Cinci,

I'm considering whether to have just a simple, straight-forward bug net attached to a ridge line, or whether to make it with a wider headroom-width (allowing me to clip in a couple of sticks and hold the top of the netting apart). The reason being, is that in some camping areas with lots of dengue-and-malaria-carrying mosquitoes, I may be forced to stay IN the hammock. Hmmm... maybe a slightly larger sized hammock would also be a good consideration.

[JJBrewbus]

AA2FD,

Yup. Once I've got it basically made, I'll be testing it at low and slightly higher altitudes. And also finding my preferred hanging position, etc.

And that's a good point about keeping kit dry and bug-free. I've always been in the habit of shaking out boots since I found a big spider in my boots while bushwalking in Australia. So, I suppose I could make some camp kit bags from poly with mesh panels - allowing sweaty boots and gloves to dry out overnight without becoming some critter's new found home.

Thank you, Bob.

J