Roaming Rally 2013

link 2nd post of this thread.

Looking for a team to join or form

Give me a shout!!

Did the front list in post 2 get reverted back to an old list by chance? Only reads 92 riders now and I'm not one of them
We were to form a new team Explore the Bruce.

Its almost June right?

Do we need to start a group buy for
Giant loop bags for this event?

just got a new one on ebay for 235.00

pics? What type of bag? I need some soft luggage.

I am still trying to decide if I should just bring the aluminum panniers or go with the mil surplus bags from last year again. They worked great but the panniers make it easier to pick the bike back up. They are also great for setting the bike on to change tires. I seem to be able to carry more with them too.

In the end I wil probably go with the soft bags to keep from breaking an ankle but I do love the stickers

I like the soft bags. Are the mountings universal? I have the KTM racks.

May I suggest you consider the Wolfman Beta bag too. I had a Giant loop and I hated it - its heavy, stiff, hard to get into. The zippers are hard to pull. There are no outside pockets. And its not the slightest bit waterproof.

The Wolfman is also not waterproof but it has two easy to access outside pockets and is way easier to mount on the bike and deal with. And its a lot cheaper.

Random photo of a Wolfman:



Ours:

I agree - the Wolfman Beta or Beta Plus are great bags. We have one of each, Stephanie and I. We paid $170 from DualSportPlus back in March of this year for one of them. Included with these bags is a complete set of straps and instructions on securing the bags properly. You can get into the Beta without dismantling the straps. There is also a rain cover available for these bags but we use a bunch of dry bags inside the Betas.

The GL comes with a tube of seam sealer, but it's really tough to apply it everywhere in the bag. There's no doubt it's a rugged bag, but it's not the bag for us.

Dirt Bagz work well to, but like the Wolfman are not water proof. I use a light weight dry bag from MEC to line them.

The bags are just short but wide Swiss military packs. Fully water proof, even a roll top under the flap. I passed strap through the drings where the shoulder straps used to be back and forth between the bags. That sits on the rack. The bottom drings have straps holding them tight to the pannier frame.

I did this last year since I smacked my ankle on the hard panniers the year before, shouldent try to keep up with Ted in his own turf!. The bags were $36 for two I think from Major Surplus. You need some sort of frame to do this.

There are bunches of photos in this gallery about strapping them to the bike
https://skypilot.smugmug.com/Other/cheapo-saddlebags/21243638_Npbscj

I've been using a GL bag and have had no issues with water getting in. I think it's a very serviceable bag..little pricey, but serviceable.

Nice new wheels.
If I recall correctly that shot was just before the Fat Pig took a nap.
I'll be riding the 690 on this trip. Ultra light style.
I may need to carry some extra gas. Need to know distances between pit stops.

+1 on needing to find some bags. I make bags, like the crash bar bags, but I'm still looking at options for side bags. If I could find a reasonably price set of bags, I could easily modify them to attach to the rack system. I too prefer a soft bag over the hard aluminum boxes or the large ammo cases.

I've been considering the fabric options for making a custom set, ideally a silicone coated cordura. We had a fabric coating manufacturer in CT (Amerbelle), but sadly they went out of business recently. I plan to make some calls and see what I can come up with for material. By year's end I'd like to decide which direction to commit to and get moving on making it happen.

I'm still pretty new to this "adventure camping" business and there's quite a learning curve. Camping for days on end with minimal supplies is hard enough. Combining that with long distance off road (international) motorcycling certainly presents another whole set of considerations.

+1 on all that. I have both the GL Coyote and the Wolfman dry saddlebags. The Wolfman bags are absolutely waterproof and a little easier to pack and unpack, but I think I'll run the GL, since I don't have racks to put the Wolfman bags on the bike I'll be riding in the RR, and if I did, they would add 6-8lbs of extra weight. June is a long way off, and I'll probably change my mind several times by then.

If you want to see the waterproof backpacks they are in Canton CT although I work in Hartford and can bring them there if that is easier. . The packs were exactly the right size, waterproof, very durable and dirt cheap. some one inch web strap from ace hardware is all you need to add. If you have racks already this is the best cheapo option. At least until you have enough experience to know you want to keep doing this

cross posting this since it is a reasonable price and is usefull for what we do.

Vendor Friday: Lightweight Alcohol Camp Stove Package <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

Fri Dec 14, 2012 6:51 pm (PST) . Posted by: <o></o>

"Tengai Mark Van Horn" elevengai <o></o>

Pics can be seen at
<http://s227.<WBR>beta.photobucket<WBR>.com/user/<WBR>RandomTask_<WBR>EHE/media/<WBR>DSCF2065.<WBR>jpg.html >
<http://s227.<WBR>beta.photobucket<WBR>.com/user/<WBR>RandomTask_<WBR>EHE/media/<WBR>4Stoves.jpg.<WBR>html>

As some of you may know, my 15 year old daughter
Evy, is an elite Junior Whitewater Slalom Kayaker.
She is currently a member of the 2012 US Junior
Team. At this year's Junior World Championships,
she had the highest finish among all American
paddlers (girls and boys). She also earned the
bronze medal at this years US National
Championships race, sharing the podium with this
year's US Olympic Team member and a US Senior
Team member.

As a fund raiser to cover her travel expenses for
the upcoming 2013 season, we crafted limited run
of lightweight camp stove kits, with stoves
manufactured from 20oz aluminum water bottles.
While this technology is now new, we have done
MUCH R&D to create a lightweight, durable stove
with known performance characteristics in a
variety of operating conditions.

The kit includes:
Stove (available in 4 colors- red, blue, green and pewter)
Durable 4oz fuel bottle with child-proof cap
Sturdy, mill-finished aluminum wind screen
Cold-weather performance kit: kevlar priming
wick, reflective heavy foil square and insulating
stove base
3mm neoprene drawstring carry pouch with
belt-loop & hook, and enough room for additional
accessories (matches, drinking cup, etc)
User's manual

The price is $25 per kit which includes postage in the US (($30 to Canada).
Funds can go via PayPal to evy (at) vanhornwhitewater.<WBR>com

If you'd like to pay by cheque, send us an email for our mailing address.

A demo video of a simple tabletop "baseline" test can be seen here:
<http://www.youtube.<WBR>com/watch?<WBR>v=d1ddTbkcxPA >

I also have an outdoor demo (around 41ºF with light drizzle) here:
<http://www.youtube.<WBR>com/watch?<WBR>v=nbtprADPkFo>

Note, because they are made by hand, you may
experience *slight* cosmetic variations from kit
to kit. However, all kits function 100% and will
provide years of productive use.

Thanks!
Mark<o></o>