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This is the stuff we use and like.

Hey all, we’ve got a new camping gear review up for the Pocket Bellows. If a part of your camping experience requires a camp fire then you need to look at this nifty little piece of kit. Forget the accelerants. They’re dangerous and cumbersome. The Pocket Bellows takes up very little space and is very effective.

Our usual FYI applies: we do not get paid to do reviews nor do we get free product (with one notable exception). We review gear that we buy on our own and use during our travels. That’s it.

DES out.

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With all the smoke in the area NMBL and I are staying home and getting things done. One of those things is to work on reviews of more gear. Here’s another featuring the DutchWare Gear Half-Wit hammock. DutchWare Gear built its reputation on hammock tie-down accessories and making hammocks with the camper/backpacker in mind. As motorcycle hammock campers we’re always looking for good gear that gives us the best chance for success. See if our camping success is improved by the Half-Wit by clicking the link below:

DES & NMBL’s Half-Wit Review

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We have a new gear review up n the website. For these last two touring seasons I’ve been using Mosko’s Reckless 80L soft pannier system. In that time I’ve been taking mental notes, and jotting down a few in the background on the website, in preparation for an honest take on the gear. I don’t consider myself a good writer of reviews but I’ll put it out there anyway. First, if people find it helpful then that’s a win right off the bat. Second, the more reviews I write the better review writer I will become. Right?

So here you go: the Mosko Reckless 80L v2.0 review!

DES out.

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From Living Sky to Wild Rose

June 25

And from park to park. We left Saskatchewan Landing this morning after breakfast, coffee, and a brief chat with a fellow camper. She, her daughter, and a friend were heading across the country to New Foundland. She was interested in our hammocks and touring setup. We were interested in her nifty trailer! It was a teardrop that expanded. Made in Quebec. Very cool!

NMBL and I decided to take the Trans Canada again. It’s not as exciting as taking the secondaries but we couldn’t be assured of fuel when needed. So the #1 called and we answered. The ride was easy and uneventful. No tire pieces or gulls hitting us. We moved west at assn easy clip, passing places we had seen in the other direction. A stop in Moose Jaw and Swift Current for gas. A quick wave at Maple Creek as it went by. On to Alberta.

Continue reading “From Living Sky to Wild Rose” →

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On the Road Again

Willie Nelson has been going through my head the last few days. Darned ear worms. We’re sitting at our campsite near Donald B.C. relaxing for a bit. Saturday we set out on our three week tour through the Canadian Rockies and into the Prairies. The weekend was spent with family in the North Okanagan which always involves good company and good food. We’ll be back to visit them again towards the end of the trip.

Today took us along Hwy 97 north through Enderby and past Mara Lake. The ride was beautiful; I regret not putting the camera on my helmet for that stretch. We rolled on to the interchange with the Trans Canada, making our way east to Revelstoke. We were told about a great little coffee shop there called The Modern Café so, like the good west coast coffee snobs that we are, we made our way there. The Modern did not disappoint. They serve one of the best Americanos either of us has had! 
From Revelstoke we headed east. Our goal was to get to a place called Donald. NMBL had done some research and found a free B.C. Forrest Service campground called Waitabit Creek. This meant that we weren’t riding for as long as we had for most of our days on the road last year. Spending six or seven hours on a bike is hard work, especially when you go for two weeks straight. This year we decided to shorten our ride time each day. It’s so much better. Today was an enjoyable day of riding, going through the mountains and over the Rogers Pass. The campground was relatively easy to find and we got in at 2pm… that left us plenty of time to set up camp, have dinner, go for a walk, and meet some fellow campers. No stress! We didn’t go pillar to post leaving little time for anything else.

Continue reading “On the Road Again” →

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NMBL and I have a bunch of electronic devices for touring that gobble up electrons at a rapid rate. Most important is our helmet-comm system. We like to be in constant verbal contact as we ride to communicate hazards, hunger, and just the absolute beauty of the countryside we’re riding through. We’re also keen to put up blog updates and keep in contact with family when necessary. Like many people we do like our electron consuming devices.

Plugs don’t grow on trees. So how do we keep everything charged and happy while we’re riding around and camping in areas where there aren’t any electrical outlets? Well, read NMBL’s review of our charging gear for some insight. She’s got a rundown of our stuff and a bit on how we use it. We’ve definitely got some good stuff but could you imagine a light weight, flexible solar option that can be integrated into riding gear? We can… any solar cell engineers out there want to take up the challenge?

DES out.

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It has been a while since our last blog post or site update. Winter does that to you when you write about motorcycle hammock camping. It’s been cold here on the West Coast of Canada… shut up Prairie people. We know it’s bloody cold out your way. We’ve had cold  weather by Vancouver standards and we haven’t been able to ride, let alone hang. NMBL and I just don’t have the gear for long term sub-freezing camping. And we’d like to keep the rubber side down. It’s a thing.

All teasing aside (we love the Prairie folk) NMBL has had a few gear reviews ready for the site so we got one posted today. She’s done a great job, putting in a few diagrams as well as crafting a fantastic description of the gear reviewed. Want to know what straps we recommend for hanging your hammocks on those big grow-y things (a.k.a. trees)? Then read her review! Here’s your hyperlink-y-thing: ENO Atlas Straps v Kammock Python Straps.

Just a quick housekeeping note: we’ve decided to do reviews as web pages rather than blog posts since we feel that they are reference material rather than consumption postings. If there are updates to reviews we will let you know through a blog post and link you to the changed page. I think that’s it. Chime in and let us know what you think.

DES out.

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You Brought All That on Two Bikes??!

It’s not all backwoods and adventure roads for us (although there’s tons of that too): sometimes we get on our bikes and take our hammocks out to party!

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NMBL enjoying a chair hammock

Every year we go to a small, invite-only festival on beautiful Sasamat Lake, just outside of Vancouver.  At this annual three-day festival, pirate costumes and fairy costumes are de rigeur.  And what could be more pirate-y (or fairyish) than hammocks?!

 

 

This year, we didn’t just bring our two camping hammocks: we brought every hammock we owned, and turned our little “The Gallows” hang-site into a six-bed Hammock Village.  With the exception of the volunteer skeleton (see our image gallery), we brought the whole camp’s contents on two motorcycles, in one trip.  So many people who stopped by to check us out exclaimed, “You brought all this on two motorcycles?!?”   We must’ve heard that at least ten times over three days.

Continue reading “You Brought All That on Two Bikes??!” →

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Pac Northwest Day 3: Highs and Low Temperatures

March 27, 2016, DES reporting.

Oh, what a good nights sleep; hurray for N’s Hang Calculator! We were both comfortable and cozy overnight and we woke up to a lovely sunrise over the ocean. I even took a picture of my morning view from the hammock. Just a little peek over the water. Bliss!

Continue reading “Pac Northwest Day 3: Highs and Low Temperatures” →

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