Camping

Tent & tarp

For Africa we decided that we wanted to take something smaller with us, as we think we won’t be camping as often and not in such bad conditions as we did in the first two years. We really love our Hilleberg tent and it was perfect for the cold and rainy conditions we had in the first year and the extreme use in New Zealand and Australia, where we were camping almost every night, as accommodation was way too expensive.

With LoneRider coming up with a brand new tent, we found the perfect small tent that fits the two of us and our riding gear.

Check out our review above and let us know what you think about it! We love the tent so far and think its perfect for our year here in Africa. The weight and size of the packing is a big plus, as we can fit it into one of our panniers, which was not possible before. Therefore we carry two Enduristan bags less with us for Africa.

Our tent & tarp which was used in the first 27 months of our trip until we started our Africa leg

I took a while until we found the perfect tent for our motorcycle camping trips. Following must-haves have been important to us:

• Long enough to make sure we do not touch the outer tent while we are sleeping
• High enough to be able to sit inside in our chairs during bad weather
• As sturdy as possible
• As light as possible with a small packing size
• Enough space for our whole equipment
• Has to be at lest a three season tent

After we had a look at quite a lot of different tents we went for the Hilleberg Keron 3 GT. Even with a price higher than our monthly flat rent, a lot of factors convinced us to go with this brand and model.

Pro

We can sit with our Helinox chairs inside the tent and work or eat even in very cold and/or wet conditions.

Negative

One thing we did not realize before we actually bought it and used it during rain, is that the round door is not really a plus, because if you open the entrance you create a little pool of water inside of the tent. We therefore always use our tarp if it rains to make sure the inner tent stays as dry and clean as possible.

Details

• Pack size of the tent: Ø 24 x 50 cm
• Packed weight: 4900 g
• Dimensions outer tent: 505 x 200 x 110 cm
• Dimensions inner tent: 220 x 185 x 105 cm

Accessories

Food print
We first thought that we won’t need the food print but we have been proven wrong. The problem is that a lot of condensation forms inside of the tent without it and after all the equipment stays dry and clean if you use a food print.

• Foodprint weight: 740 g

Pole Holders

Extra pole holders are needed when you want to pitch the inner tent by itself. You can link these to the corners of the inner tent and place the ends of the poles into them. This way we can sleep comfortably even in very hot nights.

• 6 pole holders by Hilleberg

Tarp
As we like to stay longer in one spot and also camp when it is raining, we decided to buy a tarp to make camping more comfortable. Also in case we would need some shelter while working on the bike (like a flat tyre) in a place without shade or while it is raining, it is nice to have a tarp with us. Another point is that we can put only the inner tent up with the tarp if we are in very hot regions.

We went for the Voss Tarp by Nordisk and are super happy with it.

• Size of 300 x 450 cm.
• The pack size is 17 x 30 cm and it weights 600 g
• Two extra poles for the tarp by MSR (150cm long each)

Bedding

“As one makes his bed, so he must lie” and because we both are not without neck and back problems, it is this even more important to us that we have a good nights sleep while camping. We camp in very different conditions and temperatures, therefore it was important for us to have a solution for nearly every temperature. Regardless we only have 2.2 kg sleeping stuff per person with us.

We carry following things with us:

Camping mat

In cold temperatures air mattresses tend to get really cold and hard. The NeoAir Xlite by Therm-a-Rest can cope with cold temperatures, is light and small in packing size. The mummy form helps to reduce weight and space and it needs less time to fill it with air. Martin is still using his old NeoAir Trekker with which he travelled through South America and he is still happy with it.

NeoAir Trekker “large”

• R-Value: 3
• Width: 63 cm
• Length: 196 cm
• Thickness: 6.3 cm
• Packed dimension: 28 x 12 cm
• Weight: 670 gramms

NeoAir Xlite “large”

• R-Value: 3.2
• Width: 63 cm
• Length: 196 cm
• Thickness: 6.3 cm
• Packed dimension: 28 x 11 cm
• Weight: 460 gramms

Mattress Accessories

• Therm-a-Rest Universal Sheet (makes it more comfy and warmer)
  • Weight 145g
• Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Mini Pump (because we are too lazy)
  • With batteries around 65g
• Therm-a-Rest Universal Couple Kit (so no one has to sleep between the mats)
  • Weight 70g

Pro

They are really small in packing size and still have a great insulation

Negative

If it gets really cold at night the mats start to get pretty noisy as the aluminium foil inside the mats  starts to rustle.

Sleeping bag

First Martin didn’t want to spend too much money on a sleeping bag and nearly bought a synthetic one. Xenia could change his mind and now we have two great down sleeping bags by Highlight. The “Absolut -5” is a light weight 3 season sleeping bag with a comfort temperature around 0 to -5 degrees. It is soft and cozy and you can put it together in a small packing size. For cold times you can put the two bags together to one sleeping bag. With this technique and our inlets we had already comfi nights at -7 degrees.

Size L (Xenia is 173cm)

• Pack size: Ø 21 x 30 cm
• Weight: 950 g

Size XL (Martin is 183cm)

• Pack size: Ø 21 x 30 cm
• Weight: 1000 g

Pro

Super comfy, warm and lightweight

Negative

As they are with down feathers, they are a bit more sensitive to humidity and small packing than a synthetic sleeping bag

Fleece inlet

Well of course we could survive without them but sometimes it is either colder than our sleeping bags can keep up with or it is too warm to sleep in the sleeping bags, therefore we decided to buy this inlet. We chose the MummyLiner thermolite performer inlets by Cocoon. With them we can sleep comfy in temperatures between -10 and 25 degrees, because with the inlets you can improve your sleeping bag up to 5 degrees (Cocoon writes even up to 7 degrees but lets be realistic). A plus is also that the sleeping bag gets less dirty, as we often are not able to have a shower when we wild camp.

• Size: 241 cm x 90/56 cm
• Pack size: Ø 9 x 14 cm
• Weight 280 g

Pro

Easy to wash, dry very fast and therefore ideal to protect our sleeping bags as well as sleeping in dirty hotel beds

Negative

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Pillow

Because we both have often neck problems, we really need a pillow for a comfotable sleep. After trying different ones we found the perfect travel pillow by Therm-a-Rest, the “Compresssible Pillow”, with foam that is sourced from upcycled foam from their pad manufacturing. Its soft, foam filling packs small and expands big.

• Size small: 30 x 41 cm
• Pack size: 29 x 10 cm
• Weight: 198 gramms

Pro

• Washable
• Feels like a pillow from home

Negative

It is a big bulky to pack

Camping Furniture

There are some luxury things we treat our self with, even if they are not really necessary. For example our comfy camping chairs as well as a camping table. Of course we tried to find something light and small in packing dimensions therefore we bought the camping furniture of Helinox.

We have the chairs since 2013 and are absolutely happy with them. They are sturdy, light, don’t need much space and you can quickly put them together. In 2014 we bought also the table and we are happy with it as well. It is handy to prepare meals or put the beer bottles somewhere safe (there are extra bottle holders in the table).

Chair One

• Pack size: 12 x 35 x 10 cm
• Weight: 850 g
  • Accossories: Ground sheet

Pro

Very light and suuuuper comfy

Negative

If you don’t buy the extra ground sheet you would loose the feet in soft ground and make holes into the foot print of the tent

Picnic Table by Metal Mule

Since Africa we have the aluminium tray by MetalMule with us and we love it! It uses up much less space than the Helinox table, which we used before and is only slightly heavier.

It can be used between two panniers, or with included telescopic legs and one pannier, leaving your other pannier free to use as a seat.

As the tray is heat resistent we can also use our stove on top of it and it is very durable and sturdy. A great addition to our camping kitchen!

Stove

The choice of the stove was a little easier: It has to run with petro, because that is something we always have with us (or at least we should otherwise we have a problem) and has to have a small and compact packing size. The green color tipped the scales and we decided us for the Optimus Nova.

This is a sturdy little stove was already driven over by a car (do not ask…) but it still looks like new and runs as good as before. We already are in use of the 3rd bottle (it did not survive the car) but this stove is still perfect for us. It is sturdy, compact, light, reliable and works not only with petrol but also with other kind of fuel.

Kit includes: Stove, pump, wind shield, multi tool, stuff bag, spare parts and lubricant, user manual

Details

• Pack size: 14 x 9 x 6.5 cm
• Weight stove: 460 g
• Weight bottle 1L: 162 g

Pro

Works also in very cold temperatures or great hights (we camped several times above 4000 masl)

Negative

It is quite loud and can be sooty if the petrol is of bad quality

Kitchen

On most of our trips we cook most of our meals by our self. Of course you can do that as well with very simple and few equipment, but as Xenia loves to cook, we carry quite an arsenal of cooking equipment. Following things are part of our camping kitchen:

•  MSR Quick 2 System including following parts:
  • 1 1.5L hard-anodized nonstick pot
  • 1 2.5L hard-anodized pot
  • 1 aluminum strainer lid
  • 1 pot handle
  • 2 plates
  • 2 insulated mugs
• MSR Flex Quick Skillet including a pot handle (we can put it together with the pot set)
• Heatscat with toast extension by Endurofication
• Folding sink – we use it to wash the dishes and our cloths not with us in Africa
• Small cutting board
• 2 sets of cutlery with spoon, knife and fork
• Spatula and soup spoon (with mesurements) by MSR
• Wooden spoon (shortened)
• Mini grater (for the Swiss Rösti of course!)
• MSR Alpine Dish Brush / Scraper, light dishcloth and a small cloth (we mainly use it to protect the skillet)
• 1x thermos jug 1 liter (only used in the first year)
• 2 plastic spoons (small for our coffee container and a bigger one to not destroy the pans)
• 1 tupper ware to carry eggs (in the 6 pack), for left overs or prepared lunch
• 3 plastic containers for sugar, coffe and salt
• loads of Zip loc bags
• Some bag clips to close open bags
• Rubber bands

Stock and spices

Here some things we carry with us when we are camping. We keep the herbs and spices in film canisters:

• Soy sauce
• Olive oil
• Balsamico vinegar
• Mustard
• Instant mashed potatoes
• Soup
• Spices (Aromat, curry, paprika, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, stock cubes, garlic, mixed herbs)
• Sugar
• Tea
• Instant coffee
• Condensed milk
• Curry paste
• Concentrated tomato puree

MSR Guardian water filter & Dromedary water bag

The water filter by MSR is the latest and most revolutionary water filter on the market these days. More details about the facts you can find here.

We have three reasons why we chose to take a water filter with us:

• We can safe some money on the long term because we don’t have to buy water
• We can take care of the enviroment because in most countries rubbish is burned in a fire or just thrown into nature.
• We don’t have to carry tons of water if we want to wild camp but can just take it from a natural source and do not risk to catch anything bad for us.

Next to the water filter we bought the 10 liter water bag “MSR Dromedary” on which you can screw the water filter and fill the water bag easily. We also have a small MSR Shower Kit and with that we can even take a shower in the middle of the wild.