camping gear indispensable for west africa?
 

Hye,

I'm planning to ride from Burkina up to France, and wonder about a camping gear. My plan is to by a 50cc moped as it seems to be easier with paperworks, easier to fix, and will probably make the trip different! But as it is a "small bike", I want to travel light, and would avoid to carry useless things. A friend of mine did the trip a while ago, and maybe need his tent 2 time in Mauritania, anywhere else, he managed to sleep in villages, asking after to the village headmaster (sometimes invited, sometimes paying a reasonable fee). I might do a loop in Togo and Ghana, and maybe in Guinea also. After reading many travellers reports, I've noticed that many people carry a camping gear.

Does anyone have experience travelling without camping gear/tent and sleeping in villages in these aera?

Thanks for your help!
vince

I was few time in Africa because I'm fanatic desert rider http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif
In my opinion good sleeping bag and additonal rain poncho or one person moutain tent will be good solution. All aftermarket tents are too big and too heavy. the dimension of mountain goretex tent are almost same like 1kg sleepingbag.

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