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Camping Lantern - You can find a compact camping lantern at Target, K-Mart or any decent sporting goods store. These things are great. They are compact, rugged and really throw out some light. We have one no taller than 4-5 inches, shaped like an old Coleman lantern. It's one bright SOB and we stole a spare hook off of our cargo net and hang it from the center hook in our tent. 2 Pole Tent - There are a hundred varieties of tents to choose from but, if you've been to at least one rally, you already know that 99% of all folks attending have 2 pole tents. 2 pole tents are simple, you can put them up in the dark and you can probably even put them up drunk. You can get a 2 pole tent about anyplace and they are pretty cheap. You can spend a lot of money on a tent, if you try hard enough, but we have not found reason to, at least not yet. Size does matter, when choosing a 2 pole tent, and we have learned that a 6'x6' tent does not take up much less room on the bike than a 10'x10' so go with the 10'x10'. You want to have enough extra space, in your tent to drag in all your gear, including chairs, in case you get caught in a major downpour. Also, you want a tent large enough so that nothing touches the canvas sides as if it is damp out at night, the condensation will get on anything that comes in contact with the sides of the tent. If you're a modest person, it's much easier to change inside a 10'x10' than a 6'x6', as well. We've never spent the money on a "rain proof" tent, always gone with water resistant but we don't rally where we are subject to rain all the time. If it's the first time you've taken your tent out of it's handy little carrying case, pay close attention how they got it all folded up and stuffed in there because you'll have to put it all back, at the end of the weekend. Tents are a very inexpensive luxury so don't be afraid to toss it when it gets a rip or the zipper gets messed up or something, it just ain't worth the headache it will cause down the road. Air Mattress and Pump - Camping on the ground was fun when you were a Boy Scout but it sucks as an adult. If you've got room on the bike for an air mattress then I suggest you get one. It's the difference between a great night sleep and walking up feeling refreshed verses almost no sleep and being a grumpy SOB in the morning. A queen size fits easily inside a 10'x10' 2 pole tent and sleeps 2-3 people without a problem. As for air pumps, we use the off brand battery operated (4 D cells) kind. Had a foot pump, threw it away after the first rally, too hard to use and took up way too much space. Some folks have an electric pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter (if you have one on your bike). The problem with this is, the mattress won't fit through the tent door once inflated and you can't always get the bike over to the tent, plus the fact that the mattress usually needs to be firmed up right before you go to bed. The battery operated pumps are great but always be sure to bring fresh batteries for it. Folding Chair - Just like sleeping on the ground sucks, so does sitting on the ground all weekend, plus it's hard to get the gals to bend that far down so that you can put a strand of beads around their neck when your ass is on the ground. Folding chairs are cheap. We have the kind with no arms, so they are pretty compact. You do need to be sure you're not getting real cheepo chair however, as some have really poor stitching in the corners and will not withstand the weight of any lap dance action. Check out your chairs before you pack them up. Make sure all the corner stitching is still good, there are no tears in the fabric and put a screw driver to the fasteners as they are known to come off only in the darkness of night, never to be fond again. At night, don't forget to fold your chairs up and lay them down someplace as if you leave them out and it is damp outside, you'll wake to a pool of water in the center of your chair. Collapsible Cooler - These things are just too damn cool. The one we have holds an 18 pack plus ice with no problem. It folds up nice and takes up very little space on the bike. Gone are the days of searching for a Styrofoam cooler just to have someone stumble over it and break on day 2. 12' x 12' Tarp - Can be used for so many things. We lay ours on the ground, under the tent to keep a barrier between the ground and us. The tarp is bigger than the tent so it gives us a little patio area, at the front door, so as to be able to step outside w/o getting our socks dirty and give us a place to put our shoes on and off. If rain is getting through the tent, it can be thrown over the top in a pinch, if someone needs a shelter you can use it to make a "lean to". One other cool purpose it serves is to protect the air mattress while stuffed inside the saddle bag. Burner and Coffee Pot - Some folks just can't live w/o that first cup of coffee in the morning. You can get a single burner that screws right on top of those small propane gas canisters. The burner don't take up much space and you can get a propane canister at the local hardware store probably. Wipes (towelettes) - A great way to get a little of the road grime off of our hands and face. They take up no room and sure can make you feel better. Baby wipes are another option and are great for camping showers (tent shower). Bug (citronella) Candle - Great to have at camp if you're in a bug prone area. Beach Towel - Lots of the rally sites have hot showers, in the form of a portable shower trailer and some event sites even have shower facilities. One beach towel per household so don't forget to hang it out to dry after you shower. A beach towel also comes in real handy when trying to dry out your cloths after getting caught in a downpour. Lay your wet clothes between the beach towel and press firmly to help the towel absorb the wet from your clothes. Tennis Shoes, Flip Flops - Kinda self explanitory. Toiletries and Make-Up - What ever you need and can fit on the bike. The more you camp the more shortcuts you will find and things you'll learn you can do without. Digital Camera - For taking pictures of the animal life and the beauty that surrounds all things at the rally. Oh, and for the wet t-shirt contest, too. And please remember, respect others and their privacy while taking pictures at a rally. Just because some pretty scooter gal is letting her hair down don't necassarily mean she wants to be your office computer screen saver. Ask before you shoot, please. Deck of Playing Cards - A relaxing game of cards is always nice. We have a camping cribbage board that gets packed with our stuff. Also, a deck of cards gives you something to do when you're stuck in the tent waiting for the storm to pass. Mini Kleenex Packs - That leather sleeve don't make for a good place to wipe the snot off of your nose. Stuff a mini kleenex pack into one of your jacket pockets. Ball Caps & Hats - For the guys, a ball cap just keeps the top of ones balding head from burning. For that gals, they just look hot wearing a hat. You can find some really cool hats that do not wrinkle when stuffed in the saddle bags, or you can always find a vendor peddling cheep straw hats. Oh yea, hats keep the sun out of your eyes too! Coozie Cups - They keep you're beer cold and helps you identify which one is yours. You can stuff a couple of these in any little nook or cranny you can find left on the bike. |