Those Rok Straps look nice but I already have a few light duty ratcheting tie down straps that would look to do the same, if not a more secure job. Thanks for the offer of the bags also, but I would much rather get my own. I have no idea what's going on for my trip yet, just trying to get some ideas and doing some research. I'm either driving down in my car with my parents for the end of June and possibly taking my bike down with us if I can find a trailer or somehow get it in the back of my Edge, or I'm riding down on my own at the end of July or in August. It all depends on what time off work will give me. I'm already taking a week camping trip with a friend to Algonquin May 23-29 so coming back to work for 2 weeks and then taking another 2.5 weeks off may be pushing my luck. Even if I go down with the bike on a trailer I'm going to do some camping around the Cabot with it. My grandmother has lived on the Trail all my life so I'm very familiar with the hiking trails and campgrounds around there.
What sucks for me riding and camping is that I have very low blood pressure and my hands go numb after an hour as it is and I have to lay down on the gas tank from time to time but unlike my old FZ6R the seating position is too aggressive for any back pack I have tried to ever sit on the passenger seat like on the FZ. With any backpack on for more than 10-15 minutes my hands go numb and start tingling and hurt quite a lot. So needless to say, I cant use a backpack on the trip and a tank bag is out too because I need to lay on my tank and I don't want anything between the tank and I. Would be highly uncomfortable. Plus any bag that would still let me see my gauges and that I could lay on would be pretty small and pointless. I think I can get away with saddle bags and either a backpack or small duffel bag strapped horizontally to the back with my tent and tarp on top. I never usually bring too many clothes on camping trips anyway (always smells like smoke anyhow) and anything else I bring are usually small gadgets.
I also have the choice to ride down and my parents drive their Yaris, but I'd rather not do that if I go with them. Would save a lot of money to split gas and their car is getting a bit up there in age. About 200k kms on it now. They make two trips to Sydney and back a year and lots of day trips to Ingonish from there. Lots to think over and lots of great gear examples so far! I'm thinking if the saddle bags are secure enough I can just strap a small duffel horizontally across the rear seat and bags. I don't have any hooks or anything on the under side of my bike and I don't have the rear fender on it anymore either so there's nowhere on the actual bike its self I can strap to except the rear sets. I strapped a backpack to the back in the summer to the rear sets and fender and even then it kept slipping everywhere. I had to re-adjust it every rest stop.
Also on the dry bag thing, I've never had a problem with lining the inside of my backpacks with a couple big garbage bags and just twisting and folding the tops up inside so they can't come loose. Everything else small in side pockets each goes in two ziplock bags. I'm trying to keep the cost of this as low as possible and if I can get away with garbage bags I'll do that.
