Hey guys , I'm going camping a few times this year on my electra glide, it has a back rest and luggage rack but no tour pack. Anyways I've been reading what everyone is using for bedding, in the past I have just slept on a sleeping bag, but I'm getting old and need something else lol, so I need to figure out how to get a tent, sleeping bag, air mattress and clothes on the bike, I have the saddle bags but usually have a cooler in one side and tools with extras in the other side, any ideas and advice would be appreciated , thanks

 

I have no hard bags installed. I put the bitch bar bag facing forward(doubles as a back rest). I have my tent,and duffel bag,and bedroll all strapped to the bitch bar rack. I bungee one on at a time.
If you lay the bedroll flat you can bungee it to the gas tank too.
Honestly,take everything you need and put it on the ground in front of the bike. Buy 100 pack of bungees,and get creative. I'm sure you will get it figured

 

Look at a T Bag and strap it on the luggage rack. You can put a lot of stuff in one.

 

For your tent, sleeping bag I would recommend picking up some dry sacks, ( Sea To Summit) They come in quite a few different sizes, Gander Mt or Cabella's carry them.
That way they'll stay high and dry if you run into any rain. For my clothes I put every thing in 1 gallon ziploc bags, again everything stays dry.

 

Wife and I camp with a 3 man Marmont tent/2 sleeping bags / 2 Big Agnes air mattresses/Jetboil stove/dehydrated food(mountain house).this all goes in either a duffle bag(compression bag) or a 60 liter backpack. I t gets tied down to the luggage rack. Saddle bags get the extra shoes/rain gear.dont carry many tools but cresent wrench/pliers/tape. I do carry a small air compressor tho. An empty back seat with a luggage rack is plenty of room to carry what u need plus some.

 

Don't go into the woods. Bad things happen in the woods.

 

I just rounded up gear for my first Sturgis trip. Size is paramount to increase carrying space. You will need to invest in gear designed for backpacking use. It will cost you more, but with size and weight savings, its the price you pay. Go to an REI store. They have experts that can help you pick out what works best. I have an REI half dome 2 Plus tent, a Big Agnes insulated air core sleeping pad, and a Big Agnes bag. The pad and bag go together as a sleeping system. I can fit the tent, two bags, two pads, and two compressed camp pillows in my tour pak. That should give you an idea of the space needed. There's a lot of info to consider in your purchase. Check out big Agnes on the web and REI.com. If you go to an REI store, you can demo the tent and pad/bag before you buy. Plus, they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

 

Last time we went camping, our coleman air mattress deflated (again!) because of a small hole. I'm done with those chinsy air mattresses. So, I went to Big 5 and got two Therma-Rest self inflating sleep pads. They are not-so-great. Maybe they make better ones, but the ones we bought are just so-so. Those Big Agnes' seem a little pricey, but it sounds like they might be worth it.

 

I used to have a sleep number bed in the bedroom. I took one of the sections and made it into a air mattress on a trip. When you compress the air out of it they become very small. In fact it is smaller than my Therm-rest. I also double it up when I am packing and compress it with straps. When inflated it is about 6 inches tall.

I believe you can buy just the air mattress from sleep number. Just make sure you have the hose to connect on the end.

 

The self inflating pads are great. We used one camping this last weekend. After a day of riding, you don't want to sleep on the bare ground and wake up stiff and sore.
We took a large soft sided cooler, put the tent and pads in that, bungee corded it to the sissy bar, good to go. Roll bag on the luggage rack. Bungee cords are your friend.