Thursday, June 14, 2012

Efficient Packing

Today I started packing my camping equipment, a trial run to see how much I could pack in this bag which will sit across the passenger seat.  I'm planning on leaving my top pannier for the laptop, other electronic gear, gloves, hat, lots of small stuff and some space for snacks.  The left side pannier will have clothes, towel and rain gear.  The right side pannier will have more clothes, flip-flops, sneakers, personal stuff, tire patch kit and other things as I finalize packing.

Below I have my Eureka tent in the middle, it's out of the bag and with all the parts separated, sleeping bag and pillow on the right, sleeping pad below.  On the left I have two pots, one is inside the other, the lids, a necessity, I have had bugs fall in the food while I was cooking.  The two pots allow cooking on one and use the other for soup or heating water. A cup and a collapsible soup bowl, the orange thingy with the eating utensils inside.  I also have the jetboil and fuel, camp soap (green bottle) sugar and creamer in the two white plastic containers and packets of instant coffee, tea and lemonade. A small camp towel and three small rolls of toilet paper.


Here's the final result. Tent, pad, pillow, sleeping bag and cooking pots with cups inside and all the little bags of coffee, tea, lemonade inside the cup and around the pot, all inside the big bag.  On the small bag I put the jetboil, fuel, eating utensils, sugar and creamer containers, soap and towel.
I then realized I still had the camp light and head light and these could fit inside the big bag.


With the bag now closed, I put cleaning wipes, extra batteries, a lighter and a couple of plastic bags on the two pockets on the cover.  The small bag wouldn't fit inside the big bag so tomorrow I'm going to rearrange everything.  Sleeping bag might have to go somewhere else, I want all the camping equipment in the big bag.


I like to pack things that belong together in the same bag.  It's easier to locate things and avoids forgetting things when repacking in the morning.




16 comments:

  1. Stop putting these posts up George...you really starting to make me jealous!

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  2. Packing for a moto camping trip is a combination of putting together a jigsaw puzzle and Russian nesting dolls. But it all works in the end.

    I too like putting all of one type of thing in the same bag. Much easier to find things when on the road.

    I like that big Moto Pak, it looks nice and sturdy.

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    1. I like the way you put it "Russian nesting dolls" :-)
      The bag is really nice, very strong.

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  3. George:

    I'm studying your method very closely but I was going to use those dry bags (sacks) on my rear seat with roc straps (SonjaM gave me). I am not sure my tent bag is waterproof or not, but it must be.

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. Usually tent bags are not completely waterproof.

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  4. Now that you've laid it out, it doesn't look like so much stuff. That list in your earlier post made it sound like you were taking a dozen men up the Congo to find Kurtz.

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    1. This is only the camping equipment, there's still lots of other things to pack :-)

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  5. You are good! Very efficient. Definitely not a pack rat. The German in me is impressed ;-)

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    1. Oh, I'm very organized, I guess the time I spent in the army in South Africa helped but I have always been organized even as a kid.

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and visiting the blog :-)

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  7. Very efficient! I have a water proof sea bag. Haven't used it since it is a replacement for a previous one where the seam unwelded. So I need to try the new one out that is about twice as large as the old one. I like the looks of the MotoPak!

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  8. Love the bag it all fits into - I seem to pack all that stuff in separate dry bags and bungie them behind me (sans the cooking gear) - but love the all in one bag idea. Added bonus, makes a great back rest (for me).

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    1. The bag is not too big, you will see when I'm done and put it on the bike. You right, it serves as a backrest too, bonus for sure on the long trips.

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