Colorado | Drying Out My Gear and How I Pack

In this Episode: Drying out after a rain and a closer look at my gear and how I pack for a long distance motorcycle trip..
Riding Solo is a video series about motorcycling alone in the USA backcountry on a BMW 1200 GS motorcycle. The videos were filmed during a 6,000 mile/30-day solo ride in the summer of 2020 in locations including Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Each episode focuses on great motorcycling roads (paved and dirt), camping, cooking and relaxing in scenic and remote locations. The purpose of the series is to show viewers how easy it is to ride solo on a motorcycle adventure in the USA backcountry.
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[@SterlingNoren]

Website for this video: www.norenfilms.com/videos/riding-solo-18-colorado/

[@thecorporategypsy]

This series has aged well. I watched it when it came out, enjoying it thoroughly, and now have enjoyed it again. Well done!

[@marklerfald]

Thank you, Sterling. You always post great content, but this was a gem. I appreciated seeing what to do when your gear is wet, and pannier packing. Beautiful drone shots, as well. Thanks again!

[@Avensur]

My friend, you do present everything so practical, well within the basics needed to enjoy a sweet Adv and that's what it is. Ride, sightseeing, got a cup of coffee, cook, and have a good night sleep. Thumbs up! We have to get out of this noicy suburbs and enjoy some solitude.

[@billinverso4070]

Awesome job Sterling, love all your videos, so well thought out and inspirational, beautiful cinema photography. Really enjoyed your camping gear one you did in Bisbee. Awaiting the Ural episodes. Hoping to see you at your rally in Bisbee. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with all of us. Your lady adds a sweet touch to your channel, always enjoy her appearances. Take care

[@SteveH98264]

Years ago I had the inside of my BMW (Touratech) panniers coated with Linex. No more nasty aluminum rubbing on the contents and added minimal weight.

[@jar5173]

Cinematography in this one is incredible, Sterling. You are living the life man. Thanks for brightening the day for me, and surely many others. 👍

[@michaelc.3812]

As a Colorado native, and BMW GS rider, it’s good you were in DRY Colorado to get equipment died up. Some places never dry out.

[@baldandbiking]

As someone who has always meticulously tightly rolled his tent and sleeping bag to pack it as compact as possible, I found it amusing to see you stuffing everything into the bags willy nilly, but hey, if it works for you without issues, why not!

[@johnsini4579]

Awesome videos! I also love the fact that you show your gear, how it's packed and share real life experiences like getting wet yet you find a way to keep things simple and continue roughing it and enjoying life's simple things as we all should at times to get out of the rat race. I appreciate you sharing and look forward to many more.

[@rodhoover9158]

Riding the fence on buying a Triumph Tiger. I have a Harley Heritage. Pulled the trigger today. Thanks for the motivation Sterling.

[@Theophilus1968]

Really enjoyed seeing the efficient way you pack your bike.

[@dmc4469]

Another awesome video Sterling, your cinematography is next level, I really love the series. Your insight to moto - camping is fantastic, keep the videos coming!!

[@multistradino724]

Thank you for all the great videos and specially for this one who give us un idea of how to carry at best all the stuff, obviously we have to adapt to our stuff….I’m so in love with your stove….

[@johnwalker4607]

Thanks Sterling, for another great video. You combine so beautifully, motorcycle travel with appreciation of the wilderness and first class photography/film making to take us with you. It is Zen in the 21st Century.

[@smilinkyle]

Thanks for posting videos like this one. It saves me from reinventing the wheel and learning things the hard way. Safe travels.

[@squiffynimrod]

Hey Sterling! To eliminate the aluminum panniers from marking stuff stored in them, I lined mine with white mactac. Adds no weight, white keeps the inside bright and easy to find things, and no more aluminum oxide transfer. You should do it!

[@laurensgoossen6885]

Amazing to see you doing this! Myself i live in the Netherlands in Europe. And i wish there was an landscape and nature like there in America! You should be blessed for living there when you love nature. I really enjoy your video’s! Hope one day you will have million’s of views, cause you deserve it. Keep doing what you are doing!! :)

[@maxmahan3]

I’ve got the same tent. I was worried when you unlatched the pole ends before the clips, but what a great trick!

[@jimpiquette1375]

I have a 2 man witch has a similar clip set up. I’m anxious to try the same takedown. I’m also going to try the same stuffing technique.

[@johnwrynn8019]

Thank you for posting this series I am enjoying the different locations as well as the information on the gear.

[@butchmilligan6118]

Hey Sterling love your videos. Could you do one and go over what all you have in your tool kit. I’m new to moto camping and I’m trying to figure out what to carry besides the whole garage. Thanks and keep putting out the videos.

[@SterlingNoren]

Will do

[@Jim553just]

I have just found your site, I really enjoy it. In England we have some beautiful countryside, but your open spaces are almost unreal. I am really looking forward to the rest of this series, please don't stop 🚴‍♂️😉.

[@SterlingNoren]

Welcome! Please see the link to my Amazon store in the description below the video. A lot of the products I use are listed there.

[@johnoneil4688]

When your latest episode is finally available, I stop what I’m doing and watch it. Keep them coming.

[@Porsche996driver]

How was that fascinating?! I was mesmerized lol. Nice shots. I’m building my kit this summer.

[@guusderotte1206]

The drone footage in low clouds over the lake, fantastic. Also beautiful wold flowers. Great video's to watch while winter is setting in in western Europe which means the end of the riding season for me, but makes me longing for spring more than ever. Also great tips on camping gear and packing! Thanks.

[@takeflitemedia8978]

Some great tips and insight about looking after gear when things get wet!! Great channel cheers👍🏻

[@SterlingNoren]

Glad you like them!

[@greatfallskam]

Wow all kinds of great moto camping nuggets. More than a lifetime of being a boy scout. Love the cinema quality footage at very front end of episode. I finally pulled the trigger on a new Apple M1 chip laptop to replace my 7 year old MacBook. I am hoping that will help me process my higher quality raw footage in 2K and 4K. Maybe for winter project, you can do some more " how to " video moto shooting and editing. Thanks for sharing. For the sake of us nearly 20K subscribers, I hope you have a lot of canned video footage and projects ;-) Kam

[@MrPepsilon]

Camping in rain is a reality here in Sweden. If you wipe your wet tent with a wettex dish cloth before taking it down it will dry much quicker. And you will be amazed by the amount of water you get rid of not to mention the weight.

[@mattovictimcycles1334]

You were doing so good no rain...Had an epic adventure with my Father in 1990..We traveled from MD to Alaska then down through Yellowstone ,Sturgis 50th and back home 12900 miles 6 weeks half day of rain.. Epic... Have enjoyed your travels

[@carolyngaulin8297]

Officer Rob sent me to see your channel and I not disappointed ! Love ur adventure!

[@sudargos]

Love ur channel man...great job ! U're So much Inspiring

[@leftystrat62]

I too ride solo most of the time. One thing I always like to do as soon as I get into camp is to set up a clothes line. In the morning while I'm eating & packing up I'll leave any wet things up there to dry out, and when I'm setting up camp in the evening it serves the same purpose ( as well as my bear bag line if needed). cheers

[@woongtv-naturehealing273]

It shows you a normal camping routine, but you look like a main character in a movie.💜👍👍👍👋

[@boblindner5808]

Foggy cloud shots + mood music set the nice tone for this one

[@davemcmahon8140]

Just a suggestion from one GSA rider to a GS brother. Keep a medium zip lock baggie handy to cover your BMW GPS at night🌙 . They don't like static overnight rain fall. The screen will be the first to go bye-bye 👋. Great series im starting winter in Northern Alberta ^"'c8txou winter freeze, bring on 2022 riding season

[@gutplucker]

Very instructive, stuff you really need to know

[@MizzuzMoto]

OMG! I never thought to remove my poles that way! So time consuming unclipping everything - your way is genius!

[@helenavanmaanen6733]

OMG you need a KZbin video to figure that out?

[@MizzuzMoto]

@@helenavanmaanen6733 OMG troll much?

[@Kurkess]

When I first saw it, I was like - "What the hell is he doing".... and then "Ahhhhhh"

[@abdulazizsaleh8650]

It's first time i see your Channel A New Subscriber here 👍😁 Be save Wish you the best time 🙂 From Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦🌴

[@chrisd4283]

Another stellar intro footage. Always interesting to see how others do things. It gets me to rethink my meticulous packing. Lol.

[@MegaRemodel]

Thanks for the gear review! Can't wait to see the rest of the trip! Safe travels

[@BTimmer]

Again, another great video. Thanks for the details on your packing process. I, too, have Wolfman bags on my WR250r and they are wonderful.

[@scotthenderson9281]

Good stuff Sterling as usual. It would be wonderful to see you do a wrap up video on what worked and what did not work for a gear , camping supplies, riding gear etc. thank you for all your hard work.

[@SterlingNoren]

Great suggestion!

[@dcmsr5141]

I am so impressed with your content, My job allows freedom of movement and I can travel anywhere from 50 to 300 miles basically across my state). Because of that mobility, my mind is in high gear to add this to the functionality of my travel. The GoldWing would seem logical but the argument for the GSA is forefront on my mind. These 2 bikes are on my shortlist. Oh yeah I subbed.

[@a.k1311]

The adventurer is back... great content Sterling !!

[@ridingvlogs592]

Love your videos and riding and camping, best of luck dude

[@JoaquinChea]

I Have the same Alps tent, now I want that Firebox stove it’s very cool to burn wood.

[@1492tomato]

LOVE your videos! Do you ever find yourself in compromising situations with other people. Have you ever felt concerned for your safety? Do you carry a weapon?

[@D-Imagine]

great video, beautiful scenery..Thanks for the tips.

[@swiftcaution5170]

Thanks Mr S..see you next time 👍

[@rhllnm]

I had the two person version of that tent. I liked having room to put all my stuff inside. Then in fell off my bike somewhere in the Gila. I still have the rain fly if anyone needs one.

[@SterlingNoren]

I like a two person tent if I know I will be spending a lot more time in the tent - like if it is going to be cold and/or raining. In the summer I'm outside until I go to bed and one person works well in that scenario.

[@rspruell]

How about an episode on how you carry your camera and computer gear?

[@OMotoViajante]

colorado it´s beautiful, thanks for show me

[@ricardoneto7789]

Very informative video . There’s lots of good tips😉. Thanks for sharing👍

[@SterlingNoren]

Thanks for watching!

[@seller559]

Another great video. Awesome footage.

[@jeffcanada2316]

Hi Sterling. I've enjoyed your videos during this lockdown. For anyone annoyed by the aluminium rubbing marks you can get padded liners thru Aliexpress which are quite inexpensive. Lets hope we can all ride across borders next year.

[@SterlingNoren]

Thanks for the info!

[@user-re7qr8vp7v]

The power of 1200 is not only for speed, but also for carrying heavy luggage comfortably.

[@SterlingNoren]

Indeed - that's part of the reason I chose this bike.

[@davidschwartz1080]

I love your videos, I use to ride about 40 years ago and i really miss it. Getting too old to even think about a trip like yours however I enjoy riding with you. You go to some pretty isolated places and I wonder do you carry any protection such as a firearm with you. Please continue with your great videos and continue to ride safe.

[@stevenpwilliams]

Dude you legit.

[@bronxbrosmotorcycles]

Just discovered this channel very cool. Where have I seen your wife before? What other videos could I have seen her in? I can't figure it out and it's killing me 🤣 I am a new subscriber. It got my attention for moving making in a bike, it my interest, tips and tricks 👍🏼

[@cdinlenc1]

Sterling, in love with this content and journey. Will you be discussing some of the technical aspects of drone shots and post editing?

[@rickhadfield1097]

Your sleeping bag was wet because you had it sitting against the end of your tent that was wet. Place a waterproof jacket over the end of your bag to prevent this.

[@ShineBright__]

Very well organized 👌

[@christiansimard5137]

Really good series, keep it up!

[@cozydram1]

that was awesome ty

[@randalltom9750]

Sterling, great video. You film adventure, without the fluff. I like to see the real deal. It’s what I relate to, having ridden solo for many years. You keep things simple, uncluttered, and basic. Great gear, but simple. Not the trendy spendy, but functional. Bisbee has been a town I’ve considered retiring in... I love Boise (15yrs), but should life require a change of venue, a small quiet mountain town in the SW would seem to satisfy my needs. How long have you lived there, and how is daily life in that little mining town? Curious... and thanks again for your videos

[@knappdaddy]

I love your organization !!

[@Socalhodaka]

Just the video I was hoping to see. Thanks for this great series. Now what’s in the other side?

[@Creativehealing444]

Excellent video.

[@stefanaxelsson513]

Great video! Thank you sir

[@SoL-Photo]

Great stuff, Sterling! I love the cinematography! I'll echo Rob Spruell's request below about packing the camera gear. I've worried about how you keep it dry. I've searched for a dry bag that will still provide convenient access. Seems like the zippered duffels may work but I have no experience with them. I don't think the "waterproof zippers" are as secure as a fold down dry bag, but maybe they could be good enough. What's your routine for rainy riding days? Jim

[@SterlingNoren]

I can make a video about this. On this trip in particular, I wasn't expecting much rain and I didn't have to worry about it at all - it only rained once. That said, in the past I would usually put a simple backpack cover over the bag, even if it is just a lightweight nylon one. Unless it is really a torrential downpour for hours the cover plus the camera bag itself seems to mostly protect the equipment, and a lot of rain blows off the cover in the wind - the camera is weather resistant too, so I haven't had much problem.

[@SoL-Photo]

Yes, I have a weather resistant camera also but some of my lenses are not weather resistant. The backpack rain cover seems like a good idea. I may go with a zippered dry duffel and carry a rain cover to add during torrential rains. Seems important to have easy access. May not be worth a dedicated video, but sometime when you're expecting rain, it would be great to see how you handle it. And I agree, embrace the rain along with the rest of the experience. Thanks, looking forward to the next episode. Jim

[@yurenmarquez5320]

Let’s do it 😎👌🏼

[@BlackThor15]

Great video Sterling, thank you for sharing! Is it also possible to have one with a small review about the bike? That would be awesome too. Safe ride!! 👍👍

[@SterlingNoren]

Coming soon!

[@BlackThor15]

@@SterlingNoren Amazing, thank you!!

[@rikenglebert7558]

So much fun!!! Although I been backpacking for decades & motorcycle camping for a couple years now I still learned a lot, thank you:-) I’m very interested in your camera equipment you use and where/how your store it on your bike. Also, how much video editing do you do on the road and which software do you use? Thank you, Rik. Peace

[@roncoleman8351]

Great video as always Sterling. Are those small or medium Wolfman’s? I think they discontinued the yellow/black color combination when they upgraded their line this year. All black the last time I checked. And what Touratech bag is that for your tools? Thanks.

[@magcitrate]

Great channel! Subscribed! 👍

[@scottcoleman8016]

Awesome video as always Sterling. What size are your Wolfman dry bags - small or medium? Also - what model of Garmin is your GPS? Thanks again - really appreciate all the entertaining and informative content!

[@SterlingNoren]

Medium I believe. And my Garmin is a BMW Navigator model. Thanks!

[@scottcoleman8016]

@@SterlingNoren - Thanks much for the response, Sterling! A couple of buddies and I stayed at the Jonquil last Friday night en route to West Texas - had a great time. Thanks for the great accommodations!

[@tomm5049]

Great scenery! How was sleeping in the tent? I didn’t see a pad under the sleeping bag. Not with my back lol

[@SterlingNoren]

I didn't have a sleeping pad on this trip as I wanted to bring the hammock (in addition to the tent) and couldn't bring everything with me. I slept on my riding suit as some kind of padding.

[@DwipaAgastya]

keep it up!

[@silverfoxx1398]

🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@johnnyairstream5092]

Elimination of stuff sacks is GENIUS! How did I not think about that? More importantly, it’s interesting that our minds just accept pre-programmed notions.... “Of course, since the manufacturer provided a stuff sack, I MUST use it... 🙄”

[@SterlingNoren]

So true... we go with things just because we were told or taught that's the way to do it, floating on auto-pilot most of the time... that's why it's good to keep an open mind, you never know what you will see and learn that can improve your life!

[@mtscott]

I enjoyed that video. I use my stuff sack to protect my sleeping bag from tears, rubs and dirt. I bought the best one I could afford for lightweight, comfort and warmth so I’m a bit precious about it. There is definitely a trade off between loose and packed for every bit of kit. But...we are all different. 😁

[@marcoluoma3770]

Thanks for another great video. Camping seems to add at least an hour each morning and night for camp setup and breakdown. Touratech says that buying the anodized panniers avoids the metal residue on whatever touches the panniers inside or out. Opinion?

[@JPMVisuals]

I’ve been using the anodized zega’s for more than 7 years now and they are holding up like a champ. Yes the anodizing prevent the aluminum from staining anything that rubs against it and they looks great too 👍👍👍

[@SterlingNoren]

Yes, I agree that the anodized does work to prevent the residue from building up. I just happen to like the stainless versions better for whatever reason - even though the there is the residue thing happening...

[@richardvalitalo3670]

Why not glue closed-cell foam pads on top and inside. This will also be comfy to sit on and stop staining bags. I love using the wolfman bag, good design!

[@madman432000]

A tarp for the hammock doesn't take up much room.

[@redhorsegarage]

what are you using for your camera gear bag? And what are you using for a tail / luggage rack/ Thanks!

[@sellingcentralvalley3256]

Do you have an episode where you name the gear or give links?

[@mfhairstream6812]

Does speaking to the camera keep you company?

[@CasperJLT707]

Your awesome! Ive been enjoying thos series since ep1. Love that your doing it in a hammock as I motocamp in a hammock as well on my FJ-09. Definately reccomend checking out Hennessyhammock.com. I have the Deep Jungle XL with the hex rainfly and its a gamechanger for motocamping.

[@jackeyjonesen6610]

Was wondering how many miles on your bike

[@SterlingNoren]

About 42,000 total, after this ride.

[@kevinbrunty873]

Where does one search for riding boots like you have and I'd like to find some jackets and pants that have protective plastic, shoulder pads, chest protector - amortized clothing for a long road trip, TY

[@SterlingNoren]

Those boots are the BMW Gravel boots. And BMW riding jeans with protection in them. Klim jacket.

[@michaelhazen8658]

Thank you for mentioning the weight location in packing. I keep seeing these bungie net towers on the back of bikes and it makes me cringe. I cringe because Ive learned the hard way! :D I dont care for the canister stoves as the canisters are single use. I dont like that and I dont like having to take along a second because the first is partially used. Id rather use the multi fuel stoves, even though they are more fiddly and less convenient. I do like that firebox though.

[@akungwelly]

What's the size of your dry bag?

[@harleyvlogger8388]

Man, when do you ever find time to edit? What NLE do you use?

[@SterlingNoren]

I've been a video editor for 30 years so that helps :-) I use Final Cut Pro.

[@harleyvlogger8388]

@@SterlingNoren Love your work Sterling! Im certified in FCPX myself. Haven't had much work since large weddings were outlawed due to Coved. Let me know if you are ever looking to outsource any editing.

[@ronniemills6294]

So what’s in the other pannier food?

[@stevenjohn4]

Z👍🇦🇺