I have notice that I am one of the few that carries a swag.
On the multi day rides I will plan the day around KM's and thus at say....2000km (this number changes pending how the ride is going) I will stop for a few hours kip. the swag allows for this to be at the nearest parking bay. it became obvious to me when riding with the 100ccc guys last month that I am missing some thing, as they didn't (that I could see) have the facility to get the body horizontal for few hours any where, any time away from the flies and mozzies.
I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this.
BTW I also carry enough water and food to hold out for a couple of days. along with stuff to repair all sorts of things.
Hi Frog - I used to carry a swag most of the time on a multi-day rides however, I found that if it is hosing down rain, the swag is a sub-optimal solution. For a long sleep break, if it raining, it is necessary to find a covered picnic table, in which case I just use a hiking mattress and a sleeping bag (which saves the space taken up by a swag), but I now try and schedule long sleep breaks at motels.
If I need a nap during the day, I tend to follow Vlad's process and just lay down on the ground for a snooze, although, I have been working on trying to avoid this, and have been concentrating on maximising my night-time sleep by not stopping during the day other than quick fuel stops and target an O/A of 100kph or higher. Also, I find it much quicker to get to sleep if I have a room - generally, I find that its just quicker to set up and quicker to get away in the morning, this maximising sleep - this process worked pretty well for me on the recent 100CCC where I only needed one unscheduled snooze stop for 10 minutes on day 2.
Like Vlad, the majority of time I like to have a shower before a climb into the cot - but On the Trans-Australia Insanity last year, I had 4 hours sleep at Broken Hill on the way back - I got into my room and didn't even take my boots off - I just flopped on the bed and slept . . . so if I find myself overly tired and have to prioritise between sleep and showers, sleep wins every time.
If I am heading off into the wilderness on my GSA, I take a small tent - its smaller than a swag, and I find it more practical if it is raining when you set up or pack down.
As for food and water, I carry 3 litres of water maximum (what I can fit in my Kriega hydration pack). Like Vlad, I don't each much on the road - I take cans or foil packs of salmon for the odd snack and some rolled oats (that I soak overnight with a few sultanas) and woof them down for breakfast - on the 100CCC my routine was to have a third of a cup of rolled oats for breakfast, and a small tin of salmon at some point during the day - one day I also had a foil pack of salmon for tea at the end of the days riding. If I can find some fresh milk at the servo when I start in the morning, I will have 500ml or so.
I also carry a puncture repair kit and 12v compressor and a couple of very basic tools - If the bike breaks down I call BMW roadside assist (I carry a satellite phone)