Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

Try Makro for reasonable priced tents.

I bought a `Quechua - 2 Seconds Light` http://seconds.quechua.com/EN/main.html You can buy them from Due South. I'm not taking a pillion on my 650GS so I managed to strap my tent, sleeping bag and a small backpack on the pillion seat and still have my top-box on. YAY!! Will use it for the first time at Nelsons Creek and Anysberg. The tent is GREAT!! You can pitch it in about 2 seconds and fold it up in about 8 seconds. REALLY!! It has integrated poles. Great value for money. I know you can get a smaller folded hikers tent but then you will pay more than R4000! This tent was R1200. check it out. Corné Kloppers 0849130391 ckloppers@gmail.com

I see the `Quechua - 2 Seconds Light` is 2.10m in length and the `Quechua - 2 Seconds` is 2.45m in length... your feet will be inside the `Quechua - 2 Seconds` ;-) Corné Kloppers 0849130391 ckloppers@gmail.com

Corne, LMG is 2,1 meter lank !!! 6 voet 10 duim. Ek sal graag wil weet watter soort motor hy gebruik. ;) n Uno, met die voorste sitplek uitgehaal? Skuus tog LMG, dit is seker moeilik om die basiese goed te kry vir n man van jou lengte.

Talking about tents... who has seen the picture on page 88-89 in the latest Top Bike? All those horrible Orange tents :-) Corné Kloppers 0849130391 ckloppers@gmail.com

Like all equipment, the sky is the limit when it comes to spending ... What I look for in a tent is this: 1. ablitiy to stand up in the wind - spent many camping night in the Cape watching folk battle with a tent that's not suitable for our weather. 2. ease of erection - must be able to put up by yourself in <10min. also check ease of packing up. Get the guy in the store to put it up and take it down for you, or do it yourself in a quiet corner of the shop. 3. space - 1 man tents are hopeless imho ... no space to put your stuff. I use a 2 man tent, big enough for me and keep all my stuff inside with me. also, more chance you will get your feet in! 4. ventilation and groundsheet - too little ventilation makes for a very wet tent inside on cold evenings. Make sure the ventilation will work in the rain, ie not the "skylight" type openings. My preference is e3 gear tent. Have tried the Echo model, but just too small for comfort (and way too small for 2 of us). Have now got an Element, is a bit heavier but much more practical. http://www.e3gear.co.za/products-content.php?subcat_id=88&cat_id=34 Bought from Orca Industries in Claremont. http://www.orca-industries.co.za/ Dale

Ek het die Ferrino Blow en is baie gelukkig daarmee. http://www.ferrino.it/en/homepage/products/TENTS/3_seasons_117/BLOW_LITE...

GEWIG is ook baie belangrik - ek het die Due South tent gekoop, duur maar werk perfek en die lekker ding is dit weeg net 1.5kg.... Campsite in Prince Albert Keep it SAFE !!!

.... ummm ... I dont mean to rain on your parade, but why is weight so important? You're not hiking with the thing and your GS will happily carry 200kgs. A small flimsy light tent will weigh 1-2kgs, a more robust one will be 3-4kgs ... not such a big difference in the greater scheme of things. I'd rather carry a few more kg's and have the comfort of a bit more space and stability when I get there. Dale

Weight so important = Easy. Do a 3000 - 5000km trip and take with you enough clothes, gear etc. camping eqipment as well as some fuel and food (as some of the parts that is travelled does not have this for some distance) every kg. counts especially if the road is bad. Every person have different opinions, likes and dislikes. I do not need to sleep on a matress where some people do. Keep it SAFE !!

Thanks for all the feedback. You gave me some issues to think about. I'll go on a tent hunting exercise on Saturday. The ride is the destination!!

Got tent, now need two blow-up matrasses. This forum is so great; I thought I'd just link onto this topic. We need two small, lightweight, blow-up matrasses for our tent. Has looked at the usual double bed blow-up type that you find at Makro, Game, Checkers, etc. but that thing is massive. Any suggestions ? KIND van die WIND

Benna - Thermol Comfort Light/Normal from Due South (Century City) or any Cape Storm for more or less R375 each, very light, rolls up into small bag, VERY NICE. Keep it SAFE !!!

Closed-cell foam mat. Cheap but bulky http://www.duesouth.co.za/product.asp?id=428 Self-inflating mattress. Nice and small but a bit pricey http://www.duesouth.co.za/product.asp?id=426 Anybody got some views on these? or any other suggestions? Corné Kloppers 0849130391 ckloppers@gmail.com

I have the Due South one's they are not THAT expensive and works like a charm. Keep it SAFE !!

Thanks Corne and JdJ. We actually have the closed-cell foam mats, but at age 50+ I tell you they tend be be a bit hard for my bones... I'll have a look at the Due South self-inflating one. Although more expensive, I believe your body deserves a good lie-down after a day of off-road riding. KIND van die WIND

Johan, did you buy the Self-inflating mattress? The Thermol Comfort Light? My experience with inflatable things are that they never stay inflated :-) I did look at the Thermol Comfort Light and must admit is does seems nice. So you would recommend it? How long have you been using yours? Corné Kloppers 0849130391 ckloppers@gmail.com

Remember that blow up mattresses will get exceptionally cold in winter due to the fact that your body is unable to heat the air in the mattress up sufficiently. So you always have cold under you. This can be rectified by placing a "Space" or "foil "emergency" blanket between you and the mattress. You have been warned!!

Eish - I use a space blanket - very important, as a matter of fact the space blanket is actually part of my medical kit at ALL times, and the medical kit is with me ALL the times - even on my daily trip to work. Keep it SAFE !!

Also look at Thermarest. http://www.thermarest.com/ Base camp model is most comfy but large for packing on the bike. I use Trail light - packs small and easy to pack. I find the blow upmattresses are far too much like hard work when you want to imflate them. even if you do have a small compressor, it takes ages to inflate them. Also a pest when you get a puncture in it. Dale

Corne - yip that's the one (Thermal Comfort Light) and according to me there is no other - Gwaai (Wayne Sheppard) and his "baas" also make use of these and they work - trust me; @ R375 it's not too much. I unroll and then blow a bit of air into them irrespective of them being self inflating. Remember the space blanket underneath the matress as the cold tend to creap up on you. Keep it SAFE !!!

Also have the thermal comfort light - at 115kg I would prefer more between me and the ground. But, not that bad overall.

Corne - does that tent fit onthe pillion seat? It looks a little large... like a pizza. Can you roll it up like a regular tent? On my last trip I removed the topbox and strapped my tent, mattress, sleeping back to the rack, but for nelson's Creek I'd like to have my topbox as well.

Cloud, I will strap it up and email you a picture. But yes, the tent has a pizza shape. I first place the sleeping bag on the pillion seat with the back-pack on top of it. I then put the `pizza` tent in front of the sleeping bag at an angle pointing towards the top-box. It's all straped up with a soft rope. Wind flow over it shouldn't be a problem. If you look at it from the back, the whole setup protrudes less than the mirrors. The tents design doesn't allow you to roll it up like a regular tent, it has integrated poles Corné Kloppers 0849130391 ckloppers@gmail.com

would like to see how you pack it. It looks like an awesome tent... but I've already got a selection of regular tents. I think I'm also gonna have to make do with my regualr roll-up thin foam mattress for now. I've identified my purchase priorities as follows: pump. (and maybe a new mattress) more tools camelbak panniers

Hey cloud For panniers check out Kaoko.com - have just bought soft panniers that strap onto my GS fantasticaly - they actually only arrived this afternoonand they look great.

Is you GS a big one or the 650?