The annual camping trip with my cousin, his family, and their friends involves me riding the first hour of the trip on my Vespa (I live in San Francisco where this form of transportation makes perfect sense). While everyone else gets to load up their vans, trucks, and SUVs with large tents, air mattresses and enough food shoved into various plastic containers and coolers to feed their small army of children, I’m constrained by what can be shoved in a small backpack, crammed under my scooter’s seat or strapped to the bike’s rear rack.
In previous years as I got ready to ride off I would push the structural integrity of the bungie cords that kept my rather puffy sleeping bag, tent, and sleeping mat attached to the rack. I would then ride with the fear that one of those cords would snap and not only unload my cargo upon highway 101, but also tear into my back. This year, however, I decided to avoid taunting the elastic bungie gods and went preemptively small with items like the REI Flash sleeping bag
, Big Agnes Angels Spring UL tent
, and
Chaco OutCross Lace Shoes
.
The results were impressive. The sleeping bag folds down to the size of a football. The tent was so light and compact that when I handed my cousin (who is a Boy Scout Eagle Scout and Troop Leader) the bag he was concerned that I might have left some of the poles at home. The Chacos are supposed to be good for hiking and for use in the water, so instead of packing hiking shoes and water shoes, I put the Chacos on my feet and left everything else behind.
In fact, once the Vespa was completely loaded, I was sure I had forgotten something because there was room for more items. So I threw on my Pico telescoping chair
. It’s a full size chair that folds down to the size of a large computer bag. During previous trips I took an ultra-light backpacking chair which meant I sat two inches off the ground while everyone lorded over me with their regular chairs. This year I was high enough to sit at the big kids table.
We didn’t get to our campsite until late so I was forced to set up my tent in the dark, which is a real test for ease of use. With a light strapped to my head I had it up in about 10 minutes and was feeling extremely proud of myself until I realized that the ground was moving. My carefully chosen spot was already taken by an anthill and they weren’t too keen on the new tenant. So I broke the tent down (in record time) and pitched it again in an area far away from the ants.
While moving the tent after angering the ants, it got caught on a few tree branches which was a good test for strength. Nothing ripped or snagged. I also stepped on one of the poles and it didn’t bend or kink. It was dark and I was clumsy, but the tent survived.
While unrolling the REI Flash sleeping bag in the tent I couldn’t help but think it felt like a cloud—a light puffy cloud that keeps you warm when the temperature drops. Its 700-fill-power duck down is surrounded by a nylon shell that’s breathable. It’s rated to 29-degrees and the temperature only dropped to a bit below 50. I’ve had issues with other sleeping bag zippers getting caught on the shell in the middle of the night when I’m too warm. Over multiple nights I had zero issues with the Flash. I slept alone, but you can zip the sleeping bag to another REI bag if you want, which is great for couples.
The next morning I got up and took a walk next to nearby river. The Chaco OutCross Lace shoes held tight to the algae covered rocks and were plenty comfy. I did get a few rocks wedged in there, but the shoes were easy to loosen so I could dig around and de-rock.
Out in the water I usually wear neoprene water shoes. The OutCross shoes while bulkier than the neoprene but I was still able to swim around without any problems. Of course, the true test is jumping off stuff into the river to make sure they’re not ripped from your feet. The other campers figured the cliff was 25 to 30 feet above the water. I’ll just say it was 35 feet because it’s closer to 40. You know, let’s say I leapt 40 feet. After jumping off the 50 foot cliff multiple times, the shoes didn’t twist or come loose at all. Which is great because nothing kills the mood like losing a shoe and watching it float away.
The shoes did take longer to dry than I had hoped. Into the evening, the mesh was still slightly damp. It was a warm night, but I can imagine if the temperature had dropped dramatically this would have been uncomfortable.
The next day we pulled up stakes and headed out. The tent came down quickly, the sleeping bag was shoved back in its tiny bag, and I pulled the shoes back on. During the drive I saw a camping spot about 90 minutes from my house. I thought about the extra space available on the Vespa and how easy it would be to throw a cooler filled with food that’s not dehydrated on the rack and ride out there. I have the space now and if there are any cliffs above water, I’m ready.
