C650GT - A camping connection
- Thread starter Kim F
- Start date
bicyclenut
Member
Never done any true camping, the nature of our trips usually include a hotel room, but the GT is certainly capable or carrying a serious amount of gear. I've carried a good amount of video/photo gear plus the usual clothing and travel gear. If you could find the Givi/Kappa pannier racks anymore you could put some 20-40L cases on them or you can find some soft sided panniers to hang over seat. If not carrying a passenger/pillion you could probably fit 2 - 70L drybags on back seat and with underseat storage and a topcase, that would be a significant amount of stuff. Just depends on how much you need/want to carry. With my side cases, top box and underseat storage I calculate I have about 150L of storage to carry gear. Add to that a 40 and/or 70L drybag and you can carry 190L to 220L of gear. The only drawback of a drybag or 2 on seat is that it makes it hard to access anything under the seat without some detaching some bungies or rockstraps. Anything I put under the seat is things I won't need until I get to destination for night such as Macbook, cover and other items for hotel.
Attached is a photo of luggage/gear used for a 6 day trip last fall. 47L topcase, 22L side cases and a 40L drybag. There as actually room left over in all of these but the drybag as I have determined that I don't need as much as I thought on my earlier trips. After you do a few trips you discover items that you never used and no need to take the next time. I probably carry more that most as I have extra photo gear, video gear, video mounts, a medical kit for our group and a small drone as well.
Camping will add some additional gear such as a tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, etc. but you should have plenty of room to carry these items.
Attached is a photo of luggage/gear used for a 6 day trip last fall. 47L topcase, 22L side cases and a 40L drybag. There as actually room left over in all of these but the drybag as I have determined that I don't need as much as I thought on my earlier trips. After you do a few trips you discover items that you never used and no need to take the next time. I probably carry more that most as I have extra photo gear, video gear, video mounts, a medical kit for our group and a small drone as well.
Camping will add some additional gear such as a tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, etc. but you should have plenty of room to carry these items.
JaimeC
New member
Not sure what you mean by "Serious Camping." I regularly go to BMW rallies and camp out, but as I tell people that isn't REALLY camping, it's "Sleeping in a tent." I don't have to carry anything but my clothing, tent, sleeping bag and toiletries as everything else is available at the rally site (food, electricity, showers, etc).
That being said, I manage to pack everything for a solo rally trip using just the underseat storage of my C650GT and the top box (nothing lashed to the seat or outside the top box). You just have to choose your camping gear carefully. I buy my tents based on how SMALL they pack rather than how big they are when fully set up. A lightweight three-season sleeping bag packs smaller than a heavy, four-season bag. Inflatable pillows pack smaller than regular pillows, etc.
Microfiber clothing packs smaller and dries faster than regular cotton or polyester. I always pack three days worth of clothing plus what I'm wearing and do laundry every third day. My Aerostich suits (Roadcrafter or Darien) save me from having to pack a rainsuit as well. All these things add up.
That being said, I manage to pack everything for a solo rally trip using just the underseat storage of my C650GT and the top box (nothing lashed to the seat or outside the top box). You just have to choose your camping gear carefully. I buy my tents based on how SMALL they pack rather than how big they are when fully set up. A lightweight three-season sleeping bag packs smaller than a heavy, four-season bag. Inflatable pillows pack smaller than regular pillows, etc.
Microfiber clothing packs smaller and dries faster than regular cotton or polyester. I always pack three days worth of clothing plus what I'm wearing and do laundry every third day. My Aerostich suits (Roadcrafter or Darien) save me from having to pack a rainsuit as well. All these things add up.