Tell me something I don't know... convince me

Uncle Phil said:
Definitely the pegs, etc. If knees are an issue, get a camp cot that folds up and a tent tall enough to handle it. You would be amazed how much you can pack on the back of a ST ... :D
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Uncle Phil, I look forward to meeting you eventually! I joined the ST community this past summer and attended my first ST RTE event in Bay Minette and Stockton with Shuey. I'm currently getting setup to camp and planning to attend the Georgia event in Suches the end of April. I'm debating different ways to pack on the bike and still be able to see ok in the mirrors. I know your comment on this thread is old, but your pic looks like you have some obstruction to your rear view. If that is so, how do you handle that issue? I'm considering some extra mirrors that attach with RAM balls off the clutch and brake brackets. Thanks!
 
ratliffw said:
Uncle Phil, I look forward to meeting you eventually! I know your comment on this thread is old, but your pic looks like you have some obstruction to your rear view. If that is so, how do you handle that issue? I'm considering some extra mirrors that attach with RAM balls off the clutch and brake brackets. Thanks!
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Hope to see you on the road somewhere. I wanted to come to the Stagecoach this year, but when it was originally on Sunday, I bailed and setup a family get together on that Saturday. When they switched it, it was too late to change plans. Just keep coming to ST events and we'll meet up sooner or later. You can always come up to the BRG in October! ;)

I have adjustable spots on both rearview mirrors. With this setup I have no blind spots at all. If a vehicle is in the 'spots', they are too close for me to move over. Upcoming vehicles 'appear' in the rearviews first then in the spots. However, With that much stuff on the back, you are just going to have some 'blockage'. I've gotten a lot better at packing and figuring out how much much stuff is enough now. That picture was from a Canadian trip with BamaRider back in 2001. :biggrin:
 
ratliffw said:
Uncle Phil, I look forward to meeting you eventually! I joined the ST community this past summer and attended my first ST RTE event in Bay Minette and Stockton with Shuey. I'm currently getting setup to camp and planning to attend the Georgia event in Suches the end of April. I'm debating different ways to pack on the bike and still be able to see ok in the mirrors. I know your comment on this thread is old, but your pic looks like you have some obstruction to your rear view. If that is so, how do you handle that issue? I'm considering some extra mirrors that attach with RAM balls off the clutch and brake brackets. Thanks!
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You don't need better mirrors you just need less stuff. Really.

Camping at STOC events doesn't require that much.
Tent with ground cloth. No walmart tent. Eureka or similar small 2 man tent.
Sleeping bag or even just a blanket-sheet in hot summer.
Air mattress of Big Agnes Thermarest quality. Small air pump optional.
Small pillow. or use your jacket.
Battery powered fan is a great option in humid summertime.
In summer all this fits in one saddlebag. In winter a larger sleeping bag sits on the rear seat.

I always carry a camp chair on the rear seat.

You have another saddlebag free for clothes and go simple on that. The trunk is for hats gloves and drinks!

Anything clamped to the brake lever will not work in the wind unless you ride terribly slow. It will flash your brake light and cause brake drag.
 
As I get older I'm not as keen to be getting up and off the ground - so on extended multi-day camping trips I use a Helinox cot (Big Agnes) and a Marmot Limestone 4p tent. The tent is tall enough to walk into (slightly stooped) and is bomb proof and the cot lets me sit down or get up from a seating position. The side benefit of the cot is that you can also store stuff underneath it if space is needed. It all fits with room to spare on the back seat of my ST1100. The gear is a little pricey but I always buy on closeout, Ebay, Craiglist, etc to keep the cost down.
 
Well, if not already seen when I pull in to a STOC event here is a photo of how I packed my CTX1300. I have a very large dry bag for stuff that goes inside the tent and also my camp chair, since there is room for it in there. Another dry bag for my tent and tarp to keep those separate from anything else in case they get wet when packing up at end of trip. It also helps keep other stuff dry if it's raining when I set up since I only have to open that one dry bag to get the tarp out and then set up the tent under the tarp and end up with a dry place to unpack the rest. Note that I put the dry bags inline with the bike so there is nothing to block the mirrors and also there is much less effect the wind has against them.



I haven't yet sold the CTX but it is still available to be sold. Since end of last August I've been riding a 2013 Suzuki Burgman 650. This scoot has a huge storage space under the seat (50 Liters!) and 3 large glove boxes up front. On my last STOC event last year I used my older smaller yellow dry bag rather than the monster big one and added a dry bag for my sleeping pad (it's 25 inches wide so won't fit in the smaller yellow bag. I can still see past everything in the mirrors since nothing really hangs out the sides all that far.



Even though I can pack more in under the seat on this scoot than I could in the saddlebags of my other bike I still wanted fast easy access to my rain and other extra gear (liners, gloves, etc.) just in case so added a very small clear/white dry bag on the back. Everything is still relatively inline with the bike other than the sleeping pad dry bag, and that is high enough in the stack to be clear of the mirrors.

Anyone looking for a XLarge (110 L) Kwik Tek Dry Pak dry bag?
 
W0QNX said:
Anything clamped to the brake lever will not work in the wind unless you ride terribly slow. It will flash your brake light and cause brake drag.
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To clarify, I didn't mean the lever itself, but the reservoir clamp. Like this RAM mount.
Then attach a mirror like THIS.

Because I plan to camp a few extra nights on either side of the STOC event, I will probably pack a few additional items, but try not to overdo it. I'm looking at drybag choices for the rear seat, but don't want it's width to obstruct my rearview. When I carried my trombone to Miami in November, I started out with it across the back seat as you can see in the first part of this video and the attached photo, but I couldn't see anything behind me. I then stood it up and leaned it on the top box and all was good for the rest of that trip. The trombone case, at almost 36", is longer than any dry bag I'll buy, but just not sure yet what size bag I will be able to see past ok.

Thanks for your input from each of you!
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