I want to do some bike camping this year. It would be off of old logging roads, not designated camping spots. How do I choose a spot that will minimize wildlife (bear/coyote/cougar) encounters?
I don't have a tent at the moment. I just want to put a tarp over my motorbike and purchase a tent when the bare essentials novelty wears off. It'd be for one night at most.
I've got a bag, sleeping pad, camp stove, etc. I just want to avoid being a target for curious or hungry animals.
1. Get a hammock instead, much better
2. You're not going to fall prey to lions, tigers, or bears. It ain't gon' happen.
>>769527
>2. You're not going to fall prey to lions, tigers, or bears. It ain't gon' happen.
Oh my.
I looked at a hammock, but I don't think I'd find suitable trees. When I hiked, most was scrub, given it was off of logging roads. If I can find one that's less expensive, I'll pick it up. Choices are nice.
I do live in bear country and we get cougar sightings all the time. I prefer to be over cautious. I think having a bike beside me, with the oil and gas smell, would deter most wildlife anyways.
How would I choose the best site that will be disturbed the least by wildlife? What I've read online is common sense ones like, avoid close to water, flood zones, watch the weather and avoid single large trees.
>>769538
Try to stay off game trails, don't leave food around the camp, if you have any food then hang it in a tree away from where you plane to sleep.
Most animals don't like sudden noises, so you could set up a trip wire with some old cans with rocks in to scare animals when they trip it.
I've heard that it's a good idea to take a piss 20 yards upwind of where you intend to camp, this way the animals will smell it before they get to your camp and avoid it...... I have no fucking idea if this is true or not I just heard someone say it once, never tried it myself.
Try not to look delicious!
>>769513
>How do I choose a spot that will minimize wildlife
Don't cook where u sleep.
>>769513
>cougars
Are nothing to be afraid of
>oil and gas smell
will not deter a bear or your biggest animal threats, mosquitoes and rodents
>>769571
>I've heard that it's a good idea to take a piss 20 yards upwind of where you intend to camp, this way the animals will smell it before they get to your camp and avoid it...... I have no fucking idea if this is true or not I just heard someone say it once, never tried it myself.
I'll give that a go.
>>769596
>Don't cook where u sleep.
This makes total sense. Every time I've gone camping (with a partner), we've always cooked five-ten feet within our tent. (As per the campground footprint) Never thought anything about it until now. Maybe I'll cook far away and then piss on the fire to put it out. Two birds, one stone?
>Try not to look delicious!
>will not deter a bear or your biggest animal threats, mosquitoes and rodents
lel
>>769513
>cougars
attacks are so beyond rare. nothing to be worried about. at all.
>coyotes
will not attack you
>bears
only a legitimate concern if you're in a place with a grizzly bear population. black bears are docile and scared as shit.
so, are you in grizzly country? if so, there is a lot of information out there on protecting yourself. it's not something you should be worried about, per se, but definitely something to be aware of and act in accordance with.
if you aren't in grizzly country, then go forth and have no fears
Where are you traveling?
>>769513
the novelty will wear out in the first 5 minutes. laying outside exposed to the elements, bugs, mosquitos and snakes will make you hate your life. get a bivy if you want to go minimalist
>>769792
fear Mosquitos, spiders and poisonous snakes
>>769870
I have something similar to the one in the left of that pic. Fucking hate it. You wake up with drops falling all over you.
>>769513
Can't help you with bears and stuff, but in my experience, animals are mostly attracted to open ground, light and heat. Don't use stove at night, smoke to a minimum, site your gear in an area near a tree (but not a large one). Also, for consideration of snakes and insects, make sure to close your sleeping bag when taking a piss at night etc.
Don't get a tent. Buy a bivvy bag and a roll up mat. Clip roll up mat onto your pack, cover in scrim net if you want. Bivvy bag inside your pack.
When setting up:
1. Unclip mat, roll out mat.
2. Bivvy bag over your sleeping bag(or swag)
3. Put ontop of mat
(optional) 4. Roll up scrim net and use as a headrest/pillow
Get a hootchie too if your area rains a lot.
>>769513
I would be way too paranoid of my MC falling over on me to actually sleep like this.
Otherwise, MC camping looks like fun
>>769870
>lying outside exposed to the elements, bugs, mosquitos and snakes
This.
I tried it once. No end of bugs and other creepy crawlies crawling all over me all nite long. pretty gross man.
My new motto for packing lite, 'Go bivy or go home'
>>769870
I used to do proper minimalist in north queensland
just my gear at the base of my feet, knife at my left side, would just sleep on a mat I brought with me, bushmans cream on my face and hands to keep insects away, pop my collar and sleep like a baby
>>769513
Holy shit dude I could never sleep like pic related. One nudge of the kick stand and you'd be up for a rude awakening.
I'd say best solution is to get one of those hammocks that doubles as a bivvy. Lighter (and cheaper) than a normal bivvy but can be strung up when there's trees.
>>769984
Can't sleep without that popped collar, bro. You gotta let all the nocturnal cunts know how cool you are.
>>769972
This is what I'm leaning towards now.
Had a tent
>too fucking heavy, pain to set up
Had a hammock
>comfy as fuck but got wet and colours in fabric ran (reputable brand too, currently waiting on refund)
I have a Aussie hootchie tarp and want to have light gear but also a setup that's easy to put up. Looking into bivvy bags atm but most of the shops in Aus sell swags and not bivy bags.
>>770055
Platattac is your best bet for a bivvy bag. Its in most cities and does online too
>>769513
>bears
Hang your food away from where you sleep
>coyotes
are cowards, if you aren't a toddler they aren't a danger
>cougars
you're more likely to find them in town at bars than out in the woods
put a hitch on your bike and fuck all that bullshit. Life if far too short to be living like a badger..
>>770967
mmmm na
>>769513
/X reporting In, have you attempted to use your handy blood stone circle?
You could always use prayers. ...
>>769513
chemical Hand warmers if you're going to be doing this anywhere that's gonna drop below 60 degrees.
>stuff inside your gloves for warmth if no heated hand grips, or grip guards.
>if your bikes dead cold, around 20-30 degrees or lower outside, throw a piece of cardboard over your oil radiator/coolant radiator and tape a chemical hand warmer to the underside of each carb. leave the hand warmers to sit for about 15 to 20 minutes, choke on, and hit the stater. should fire over with some choking, its still cold, so leave the cardboard on your radiator. if you're on a older styled engine that's oil/air cooled, you can leave the cardboard over the radiator as long as its below 30 degrees constant.
>also get some rubber gloves, if you don't wanna buy wintered riding gloves, put the rubber gloves over top of your riding gloves, it will block out all the air from going inside of your gloves, wont add an insulation value, but holy shit it helps so much.
>chemical hand warmer also good for stuffing inside of wet boots after riding in the rain.
>rain proof riding jacket, I like modular textiles for this reason.
>either rain proof riding pants, or an over pant that's gonna bounce water.
>a hat, any hat, cover up that nasty sweaty helmet head..
>some way to store water and extra gasoline on your motorcycle. I personally carry a 4 1/2 gallon container on my motorcycle, I think i've used it more for helping people who've run out of gas then to extend my own range as I intended it as. but a single 1 gallon container works fine as backup.
>actually KNOW how to work on your bike.
>zipties of all sizes, mostly larger.
>DUCT tape [not duck.] either the shiny stuff or the black stuff
>Rope, all kinds of rope, I've towed another motorcyclist with a single bit of rope for 20 miles. slow but sure got shit done, also good for tying everything down
>hard cases that lock, if you plan on carrying anything that you need to keep protected. personal docs and such get some.
>>771905
Not OP but awesome advice, anon.
Where would you recommend going to learn how to work on a bike? I asked all the local Tafes (Aus versions of community college) to see if they had short courses on bike maintenance, but no dice (full mechanic qualification courses only).
>>771999
My advice is bassed off of what I did and how I started into motorcycles when I was 16.
Buy a craptastic motorcycle that needs all kinds of work. Have around 3 grand saved to buy tools/parts and repair that shit all by yourself. You're allowed to use the internet for questions/answers but don't have some raggy ass old dude or even young stand over you while working on your bike. Because they most likely will be giving you improper advice. Just do it yourself.
I like to mad max my motorcycles. No plastic body work or fairings. It just makes it sooo much easier to work on in a parking lot not having to worry about removing the plastic. My gas tank comes off by removing 2 10mm hex bolts...
A few good nakid bikes that are stupid easy to work on.
Gs500
Sv650
636
Vstorms - everyone whos owned one always regrets selling it.
Basically any 80s honda.. Theres some that you should stay away from but a quick google search and you can know why.
90s 250ninjas
Gsxr600s are easy to work on but look hella ugly nakid.
And no matter what. If you plan on doing 200+ mile days get yourself a nice big highway windscreen. Unless you like neck pain.. My windscreen can be removed with 8 bolts/wingnuts. And I do remove it once I get where I want to be.
>>771999
Find a friend that rides/races, see if they'll help you go through an engine.
Also get yourself a service manual for the bike. That'll walk you through disassembly/reassembly, although there's a lot of shortcuts the manual doesn't cover, and that's where having a friend that's done it before helps a lot.
When I got into motorsports I didn't know much about engine mechanics. As an engineer I'm pretty good at figuring things out, but cracking open an engine is intimidating the first time you do it.
Had a friend help the first time I needed a top-end on the snowmobile (2-stroke twin), realized it wasn't all that hard to do. Same deal when I needed some work on the motorcycle (single-cyl 4-stroke), a couple tools I didn't have at the time a buddy did, so I hauled the engine up to his place and we knocked it out in an afternoon. Same deal, isn't real hard after you've done it once already.
Now I don't have any hesitation about splitting the case on a small engine.
>>770967
> Harley with a batwing
kys
>>772311
i want to learn how to do engine maintenance and mechanics for motorbikes.
>>769513
>falling asleep next to the nauseating smell of gasoline and burnt rubber
its for stronger men then i
Can someone help me out here
Trying to figure out what I need for at least 3 days of tramping and possibly hunting
The things that already have stuff in them are full, so I need to fit everything into:
>Top Pouch
>Lid Area (larger than you think)
>Right Pouch
>Left Pouch
>Main Compartment
>>770008
you wouldnt and couldnt nudge the kickstand to where the bike falls on you.
>>774248
Confirmed nobike.
Depending on what surface your kickstand is on it can sink in and the bike falls on you. That's what "pucks" are for but I still wouldn't risk it.
>>774248
#nobike
>>770967
>Harley
>Trailer
Ewwwwwwwww
>>774802
>Ew
Yeah you sound like more of a scooter fag
>>775555
Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it's not possible m8.
It even happens on pavement if it's hot enough out.
So,
tent, tarp, bivvy, or hammock?
>>778001
Tarp isn't a category on its own. Even in summer you'd want a tarp plus one of the others.
Tent
+waterproof
+some privacy
-heavy and bulky
-can be complicated to put up
-breakable
Bivvy
+simple as shit
+waterproof
+sleep under the stars
-claustrophobia when hood is down
-sucks when it rains
Hammock
+God Tier comfort
+light and compact
+easy to set up
-can be cold
-no trees? You're on the ground
>>778001
If it helps you decide, my current setup is a nylon poncho as a groundsheet, self-inflating sleeping mat, 0 degree sleeping bag, then a hootchie tarp strung over the top in an a-frame style. When it gets cold the hootchie has studs in the side so I clip it together down the side, clip one end shut and use it as a bivvy bag. Because it also has loops on the back and ends I run a ridgeline so there's actually space inside, like one of those bivvy tents.
> I just want to avoid being a target for curious or hungry animals.
Get a $30 tent you brain dead tarpist.
