TRAVEL

IT’S THAT TIME OF DAY TIME TO SET UP CAMP

WORDS THE BEAR PHOTOS VARIOUS

I heard it even before I woke up – a sort-of mechanical grinding noise, with kind of moist overtones. Sort of like the sound of meat being ground up and put in cans. Not something you want to hear as you drift back to consciousness in your flimsy tent in the morning. I could see vague but huge shadows like some kind of processing machinery through the thin fabric, surrounding me. After extracting myself from the sleeping bag and screwing my courage to the sticking point I threw open the fl y and found myself facing ruminating cows. They were looking at me with that polite composure they do so well.

In Bill Bryson’s opinion, “To my mind, the only possible pet is a cow. Cows love you. They will listen to your problems and never ask a thing in return. They will be your friends forever. And when you get tired of them, you can kill and eat them. Perfect.” And in the meantime they will give you milk – but also another product, which is rather more malodorous than milk. I inadvertently stepped in some of that while disassembling my little camp in a paddock in County Limerick, and fell over.

Not all was bad, however. I also scored a free sample of the first cow product (or the second, if you count meat), a half an hour later. Intent on breakfast, I asked a milk-bottle-toting local in the otherwise empty main street of the small town up the road, where he’d bought his prize.

“Ah, ‘tis from the shop down there and there,” he replied, indicating a turn of the road. “But ‘tis the last bottle. Here, you have it.”

No matter how much I refused, he would not take no for an answer and also refused payment. Country people are the salt of the earth anywhere, but especially in Ireland.

This little tale is not to demonstrate how weird your imagination can be on waking up, nor yet the lubricity of cow manure or the hospitality of the Irish.

It is intended to illustrate some of the many advantages of camping. Here I was in a strange country, without much money – and I had just spent a comfortable night in the familiar surroundings of my own tent, all for free.

The cows were a bonus.

The Frog, Bertrand Cadart, when camping used to erect a huge structure commonly called the “Cadarj Mahal”, which accommodated his not inconsiderable bulk with enough room left over for a fair-sized poker party complete with bar and pool table, but I have usually found it more appropriate to carry a small hiking tent or my swag. You’ll be able to see just how well you can manage with that kind of equipment if you take a look at Kinga Tanajewska’s “Tour de Oz” story – part 2 in the next issue. Although admittedly she found picnic tables to be more use than any kind of tent, a lot of the time!

“Okay, we’ve got these bloody bikers surrounded now!” Photo Colin Whelan

GETTING GEAR

Choice of camping equipment is almost entirely common sense. It needs to pack down small, it needs to work and it needs to be affordable. The first is easy.

Not so the second, necessarily. You can buy a tent from the same dollar shop where you get those $5 wet weather outfits that almost last for the duration of the first thunderstorm, but I’d suggest you pay a little more.

Steer away from some of the extra-tiny hikers’ tents, too. They can be simply too small (I use a two-man tent) and they aren’t always rainproof. As with outdoor clothing, anything made in New Zealand is probably going to be a good bet. I have a lot of faith in Kiwi products, and that includes Ventura motorcycle luggage.

The thing is, you see, UnZud is a small country and any unhappy customer can always find the manufacturer…

One of my favourites at the moment is my OZ Trail Biker Swag. Roll it up with your sleeping bag already inside, and you have a one-stop residence that takes only minutes to erect. It is still a swag, though – don’t expect tent-type spaciousness. The OZ Trail swag is terrific if you’re travelling and moving every day, especially in uncertain weather. Although it is not small, the rolled-up swag is easily strapped to the rack or the back seat of your bike.

Now hold onto your helmet. I reckon that a good tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat should set you back about a gorilla. What, you cry, a thousand bucks? I can stay in, err, 20 pubs or a dozen motels for that! Well, yes. But only that many, and only if you can find one that has a room. The camping gear, looked after properly, should last you a lifetime and is always available.

Mrs Bear and I travelled by bike for seven months once and spent only seven nights other than in our tent (and that was not our choice); we were very happy with our canvas accommodation. I can’t tell you how much the tent cost because it was part of a sponsorship deal, but it wasn’t cheap.

Some  ps for Riding the Big Country

Colin Whelan is the man who does the most bush miles among all our contributors. Here are some suggestions about riding in the Outback, garnered from personal experience.

LIQUIDS

Riding up there can be a tale of two liquids; petrol and water. The distances are vast and hours of headwinds can seriously affect your bike’s range. Don’t go past any fuel outlet unless you have at least 5 litres more than you need to get to the next certain bowser. Each morning I leave with 6 litres of water, three in my Camelbak and another three in bottles on the outside of my top box. If I’ve been in a pub, I leave the bottles in the fridge and the Camelbak bladder in the freezer. That way I’ve enough water until the ice brick melts around midday.

If you are riding in any season other than summer, you’ll be surprised at the coolness of the nights. Daily swings of 30 degrees are not uncommon. Riding out there then, I still chill the water bottles but I fi ll the bladder with hot tap water in the morning. This way when I sling it into the Camelbak in the cold mornings, I have a hot-water bottle running down my spine for the first few hours. On very cold mornings, simply strap the Camelbak onto your front! (I’ve spoken with Camelbak about this and they confirm that their bladders will not release anything harmful through being filled with hot tap water. Don’t do it with cheaper bladders.) By afternoon when the water bottles are running low, the contents of the Camelbak will be cool enough to be drinkable.

GPS

I use and am very happy with my Garmin Zumo GPS and I tend to plug in the day’s target as my destination and the next fuel as the via point. If you do this be careful: If you are on, let’s say, the Gulf Development Road and you input this road at Georgetown as your destination or via point, the Garmin will tell you it’s some 50km closer than it really is.

This is because it calculates the distance to the beginning of the Georgetown Shire or Local Govt Area and not the town itself. Much better to input some small street in G’town and you’ll get a true reading.

WILDLIFE

Spurred by the recent death of one of his colleagues, Andy the cop at Mt Surprise is trying to get funding for a safety booklet explaining what to do when you encounter wildlife on the road. His mate ran off the road in his police vehicle when swerving to avoid some animals.

This is what he believes: If you are travelling at speed and encounter wildlife hit the brakes as hard as you can but do not deviate from your path. Keep to the road, do not try to swerve around the beasts. Andy reckons that in his time in the outback the most serious injuries and most of the deaths in wildlife and stock related accidents are from drivers and riders who’ve left the road when trying to avoid hitting animals rather than those who’ve actually ploughed into them. Am sure this’ll start a debate but I’m just throwing it out there!

While on wildlife, a few tips that I’ve been hit with from an array of very experienced bushies:

Hoppers: Roos and wallabies tend not to turn when they come to feed on the green verge. When startled they tend to flee back to whence they came meaning that they usually turn and then fl ee. So, this bit of bush wisdom goes that the ones you have to be very careful of are the ones with their backs to the road rather than the ones facing it. Since I heard this a coupla years back I’ve taken great notice and though it’s not foolproof, it works in 90% of cases.

Pigs: Wild pigs run in groups. If you see one crossing your path, you are probably going to see a few more behind and you won’t be able to split through the line. Give ‘em right of passage!

Cattle: A lot of cattle grazing on the long paddock are used to the traffic and hardly look up, but if you come between a cow and its calf, she’s not going to like it and is likely to cross over in front of you without warning. You have no way of knowing if the calf crèche is in the long grass but treat every beast with caution. They are big, solid and can make a severe mess of you.

Emus: These dopes make Roos look like Rhodes Scholars and can turn 90º fast and without warning. I hate these buggers and have no tips whatsoever!

CARRYING GEAR

Some people do need a lot of luggage space. One mate of mine used to have a pannier full of pre-prepared meals on tour, supplied by his wife in Tupperware containers. Another one habitually filled a pannier with drugs – legal ones – both prescribed and over-the counter. One never knew when one might contract a nail fungus, or find oneself far from a chemist without Panadol… Both of these blokes had only one pannier for all the rest of their stuff, but that didn’t faze them.

After all, there are tank bags and top cases; on BMW airheads there is room above the cylinder which can be pressed into service as luggage space. And so on.

Please, apply the steps that any traveller should use while packing: put out everything you might need, then halve it and halve it again. If that’s still too much for a pannier , halve it again. You will almost certainly not regret it. I mean sure, if you have diabetes you might want to make sure you do have your insulin and your test kit…

It ain’t heavy…

Rocky Creek’s Spider Web is only one of three styles available.

It’s packed properly. Yes, I know that bungy straps were a vast improvement on rope. But although nozzle carburettors were a vast improvement on surface carburettors, fuel injection is better yet. And there is something vastly better than bungy straps, too. In fact there are now two products that each have their own advantages over the old straps.

You are probably familiar with the two inch wide elastic Andy Strapz. They are available in lengths from 750mm to 2500mm in various configurations and cost from $29 to $42. New on the market are the Rocky Creek Straps which look a bit like bungies but are made of modern material, as well as being far more versatile and safer. They include the $25 Spider Web (see photo), the $10 Loop End Cord and the $12 Adjust a-Strap. We tested them in issue #25 and thought they were terrific. See www.rockycreekdesigns.com.au or call 02 6689 5703.

Andy’s Strapz. We’ve long forgotten how many times we’ve used these.

On a bike, the packing rules are simple. Balance right and left, pack heavy stuff low, make sure you can find everything you need to pitch camp even in the… pitch dark. I have travelled with loonies who considered that it was still daylight if there was even a blush of light on the western horizon, and who refused to camp until it was “dark”. Kangaroos and other wildlife make this inadvisable, of course.

We’re lucky in Australia; theft from bikes is relatively rare. It still happens, though, so it pays to keep the possibility in mind. On long trips I try to have soft panniers (you can re-attach them more easily than hard ones when they’re torn off as you drop the bike) and a hard, lockable top case for camera and other valuables. This has never served me badly, except the one time when my mate Geoff made it across a flooded river because he had buoyancy from his aluminium panniers, while my bike with its fabric bags sank.

WHAT, NO GEAR?

The last time we did a camping special we introduced you to a lot of useful equipment, sourced from the likes of Paddy Pallin, Andy Strapz and OZ Trail. This time we’re just going to give you a few people who specialise in motorcycle-friendly camping gear, to get you started. I’m sure you will have no trouble deciding what you need!

ANDY STRAPZ www.andystrapz.com

You’ve heard salespeople say “I use it myself, mate.” Well, Andy goes one better – or maybe even two. He also designs and makes it himself.

Andy’s range of touring equipment is unmatched . We give away one of his AA bagz for the best letter of the month in each issue, and we have had nothing but enthusiastic thanks from the lucky winners. Andy also sells products sourced from other manufacturers; take a look at his website or check him out at one of the many events he attends, such as the World Superbikes and the Ulysses AGM.

OZ TRAIL www.oztrail.com.au

Among the extensive range of camping gear that OZ Trail sells, the Biker Swag stands out as an excellent compromise between a tent with all the ancillary gear and a standard full-size swag. It packs relatively small, but still allows you enough room to turn around inside, even in the rain. The mattress is included in the swag, and if you roll it up with your sleeping bag inside, it holds your entire accommodation package in one, well, package.

It’s a mat, mate, for your back, buddy.

 exception proves the rule

I’m sure you are aware that saying there does not need to be an exception somehow demonstrates that something is true. No, it means nearly the opposite – that it “proves” (ie tests) the rule – and in this case, it demonstrates that the rule is wrong.

I said I wasn’t going to feature any equipment , but I’m doing it anyway.

Why?

Call it personal, because it is. I’ve just spent a couple of nights away camping, and my self-inflating air mattress wasn’t. As a result, I slept – well, I was going to write that I slept badly, but I hardly slept at all. I am not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that’s for sure, and it’s most obvious in my bones. They do not like to sleep on the ground, tree roots and such.

Damn bones.

So it was timely that I came across one of Andy’s offerings, the Exped DownMats. Andy claims (and I have no reason to doubt him) that they will even serve for sleeping on snow.

They are filled with “IDFL-certified goose down” (and no, I don’t know what that is) and on top of that are inflated with an integrated pump ensures swift and intuitive inflation of the mat.

Intuitive! Like those computer programs I can never work out…

Still, how hard can it be? The toughest thing about these mats (apart from the seams which are high frequency welded for durability) is finding the readies; they cost between $180 and $255 plus postage, which means I will be patching my old air mattress a few more times. But Christmas is coming… If you can afford them now, get them now for a good night’s sleep – Andy Strapz can be reached at info@andystrapz.com or on 03 9770 2207.

PADDY PALLIN www. paddypallin.com.au

There are PP shops all over the place, and there is a comprehensive website as well. Paddy Pallin possibly has the greatest range of camping gear in Australia; just make sure that you check out the bike-friendliness of any product before you order it. The shops are wonderful for browsing.

If you must travel at night, make sure your lights are up to it like these Xenonoz units.

AEROSTICH aerostich.com/AUS

Although it is best known for its clothing, mail order supplier Aerostich also offers some excellent camping gear. The biggest advantage is that it is all carefully selected to be useful to motorcyclists. The company is American, but we’ve used their mail order service ourselves and it is quick, reliable and cheap.

Camping near running water is terrific, but keep a few checks in mind.

CHAIN REACTION

Our Aotearoan brothers and sisters have something we could do with in Australia: the Queen’s Chain. Folk tales have it that this is a stretch of 20 metres (a chain) inland from the high water mark which is accessible to the public – including campers. That’s not quite true, but there are many stretches of waterside land which are publicly owned land – as much as 60 per cent nationally – and you can camp there. As well as that, most towns in NZ have a Common, a patch of often quite beautiful and well looked after land where you can also camp.

NEWNES IN THE WOLGAN VALLEY IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO CAMP, QUITE CLOSE TO SYDNEY.

Jet-powered cooking

Here’s an alternative to a wood fire, saving precious Outback timber. This cooker from Andy Strapz comes recommended by the man himself.

“We have been using the Jet Boil Personal cooking system for a couple of years… and love it,” writes Andy. “What makes it stand out from the crowd is the special “Flux Ring” arrangement on the base of the cooking cup. This not only shields the flame from the wind (we have used it in howlers) but increases the surface area available to the heat. This jigger will boil a cup a minute!

“Cook noodles or a full one pot meal, drink from the sipper lid or just use it as a hi tech billy. The gas and stove base slip neatly into the cup and uses an auto igniter. Coffee plunger and pot/frypan adaptor kits are available.”

The price is $155, not counting the gas or postage. See www.andystrapz.com .

The closest Australia comes to these kinds of official camp sites is the council caravan park.

Many towns have them, some are free but some cost a few dollars, although generally far less than commercial caravan parks. And yes, the Australian term for “campground” is usually “caravan park”. Even Australia’s biggest cities have campgrounds… err, caravan parks.

Wild camping, on the other hand, is free and is also very popular. You might – well, you will – miss out on showers and toilets, but you gain freedom. Ever since the swaggie camped by the billabong, setting up camp alongside water has been considered ideal. It’s possible in many places, especially along inland rivers, but while it is picturesque it also has a few drawbacks.

In the far north, this includes saltwater crocodiles. To avoid becoming an item in a croc’s larder, just camp well away from water.

Everywhere else, the dangers are somewhat milder – in descending order they are trees that drop limbs, flooding and mosquitoes. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how to avoid these. Mozzies are becoming a, pardon the expression, pain because with the warming climate, afflictions which are carried by mosquitoes, like Ross River Fever, are moving south.

Andy only has these in black. Cool, eh. Err… hot, I mean.

The closest Australia comes to these kinds of official camp sites is the council caravan park.

Many towns have them, some are free but some cost a few dollars, although generally far less than commercial caravan parks. And yes, the Australian term for “campground” is usually “caravan park”. Even Australia’s biggest cities have campgrounds… err, caravan parks.

Wild camping, on the other hand, is free and is also very popular. You might – well, you will – miss out on showers and toilets, but you gain freedom. Ever since the swaggie camped by the billabong, setting up camp alongside water has been considered ideal. It’s possible in many places, especially along inland rivers, but while it is picturesque it also has a few drawbacks.

In the far north, this includes saltwater crocodiles. To avoid becoming an item in a croc’s larder, just camp well away from water.

Everywhere else, the dangers are somewhat milder – in descending order they are trees that drop limbs, flooding and mosquitoes. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how to avoid these. Mozzies are becoming a, pardon the expression, pain because with the warming climate, afflictions which are carried by mosquitoes, like Ross River Fever, are moving south.

It looks like a snack, but check water crossings on foot before committing the bike.

While we’re on the subject of dangers: Australia isn’t really the hellhole that many travel writers try to make it out. For instance, I’m told that the world’s most venomous snake, our inland taipan, has never been known to kill anybody. And the only really dangerous spider, the funnel web, occurs not in the outback but in… Sydney.

Back to camping. As usual with government regulations, the official rules are different in every State and territory. I would advise you to check them, especially where national parks are involved, with the particular tourism information service. They’re pretty helpful.

A few basic rules, apart from the above, are worth remembering. If you’re camping near a track, put up your tent well off that track; not everyone sticks to the established wheel ruts and you don’t want a Landcruiser using your good self as a piste in the middle of the night.

Keep fires small and contained; partly because many plants and small animals flourish under the protection of fallen timber, and partly because bushfires are no fun for anyone.

Leave gates the way you find them – open or closed. If you know you’re on private land, and you know where the farmhouse is, ask for permission.

Otherwise just be as clean and considerate as you can. Leave only wheel tracks. Don’t spook stock!

And just a free plug for one of my books: wherever you go, take a copy of the Hema Maps Australia Motorcycle Atlas & 200 (actually 227) Top Motorcycle Rides.

Available from map shops and larger newsagents or direct from us at $39.95 plus $10 postage (info@ausmotorcyclist.com.au).

Happy camping!

An  Expert Speaks

I’ve learnt through lots of trial and error the do’s and don’ts of camping when you’re on a motorcycle adventure.

Over the years I’ve skimped and scrounged to buy the cheapest tents and sleeping bags I could find, and while they suited my budget at the time, looking back, I wish I had bitten the bullet and purchased quality products from the start.

A tent needs to be light, durable and easy to erect. If it isn’t any of these things, then your camping experience will be compromised.

Similarly, your choice of a sleeping bag will impact greatly on your fun factor. Getting cold is a miserable feeling, and I know this from experience, both in the outback and up in the high country. When I finally purchased my current sleeping bag, which has a comfort rating of -10 and a survival rating of -20, my camping enjoyment was transformed.

No longer was the weather a factor, and I could get on with enjoying what I was there to do.

You’ll probably spend plenty on upgrading your bike for your trip, so ensure you get the right camping gear as well, and you’ll never look back.

Robin Box, Touratech Australia

Touratech Australia offer a wide range of camping equipment for adventure travellers at www.touratech.com.au

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