Almost everyone has done some camping, and the majority travel to their campsite by car, truck, or RV, but riding and camping requires a little more planning. You’ll be carrying a lot less on your bike. As with any adventure having the right gear can make or break your trip. Ensuring you have the right supplies and equipment to stay comfortable and safe on your travels will give you one of the best experiences of a lifetime.
The essential thing needed for some will be a new viewpoint: A viewpoint of minimalism. If your experience is camping in a car, truck, or RV…well, you’ll likely need to adjust your ideas about camping while riding your bike. While you won’t be bringing all the creature comforts along, there is no reason why you should endure any hardship. Although you could bring a motorcycle trailer, that’s another story. The point is to have fun!
Depending on your viewpoint and the set-up of your bike, you may be surprised how much stuff you can carry. You may choose to bring the maximum your bike can carry, or you may elect to take considerably less. Some gear you’ll already be bringing riding a motorcycle. That’s another topic into itself — this article is about just the basics of what you’ll need for camping.
The Basics
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag
- Clothes
- Cooking
- Everything else
Your Tent
Some hardy souls will roll out a ground cloth, plop their sleeping bag on top of that. Then doze off to sleep while gazing at the stars; I’ve infrequently done the same. Most campers, however, would prefer some protection from the elements, myself included. Most modern tents accomplish this. A good tent will keep you dry, away from bugs, small critters, excess sun, cold wind, etc.
With so many styles and options these days (there are even tents made for motorcycle campers), selecting a tent can seem a bit overwhelming. Focusing on the primary consideration for a motorcycle camper of size and weight can help you narrow down the field.
A freestanding tent that is self-supported with flexible poles is usually a good option. They are compact, lightweight, affordable, and readily available. Shock-cords attach the poles sections, so they are easily assembled and taken apart. This style of tent is easily relocatable after setting up. Quickly tipped on its side for cleaning the inside floor or for drying the bottom in the open air. You should always secure it with stakes and guy lines before use; if it’s at all windy, gusts of wind can blow your tent away, even with your gear inside.
Manufacturers market their tents sizes by 1, 2, 3-person, etc., but not all manufacturers are the same; make sure to review its packed and set-up size. For a solo rider, a 2-person tent works well to store gear inside and still be comfortable. However, every upgrade will affect the compact and lightweight factors. Only you will be able to answer this, depending on your requirements.
Also, get what’s called a footprint or ground cloth, a tarp that goes under your tent. From experience, I do know it helps. It’s extra protection for the bottom and additional waterproofing. It can be made specifically for your tent or as simple as a tarp from an outlet store. It’s cheaper to replace the footprint than the floor or possibly your entire tent because it gets damaged from sharp stones.
Whichever tent style and size you choose, it should be compact, lightweight, easy to set up, and take down. Large enough to store your gear and still be comfortable sleeping. Durable enough to withstand the elements. All without breaking the bank.
Sleeping Bag
Down or synthetic? Rectangular or mummy? Of course, you’ll also need to review how compact it is when it’s ready to be packed on your bike. Yes, there are lots of sleeping bag options, and they vary considerably in cost. Your sleeping bag is where you probably shouldn’t consider the least expensive options. Nor will you need the most costly options either.
A sleeping bag’s primary purpose is to hold in your body heat, providing insulation from the colder air outside. The better the insulation, the warmer, and more comfortable you’re going to be.
Inexpensive rectangular bags are too large when it comes to motorcycle storage. They are also not that warm. A better option is a mummy-style sleeping bag. Either with goose-down or a synthetic, high-tech, efficient insulation. A moderately-priced mummy-style sleeping bag will keep you warm, be more compact, and won’t bust your budget.
Temperature is how sleeping bags are rated, for example, 20-, 30-, 40-degree rating. The rating is referring to how low temperatures can get, and the bag will still keep you warm. Consider them with a grain of salt, use these numbers for comparison purposes. A sleeping bag rated at 30 degrees, does not mean you will be warm and cozy at 30 degrees. Some people require a higher degree of insulation at the same outside temperature to be comfortable.
Be sure your sleeping bag is big enough. Sleeping bags come in different lengths measured in inches, small (5 ft. 6 in.), regular (6 ft.), and long (6 ft. 6 in.). The closer your bag is to your height still fits with some room to move around the warmer it will keep you.
Even if you only intend to camp in summer weather, you should also consider a sleeping bag that will keep you warm at much colder temperatures. You might find yourself camping on an unusually chilly night early or late in the season. You also might be camping in a higher elevation or a desert area. They are always colder at night. Bottom line: get a warmer sleeping bag than you think you will need.
Also, consider a sleeping pad to give you more separation from the ground. It will provide you with an added layer of insulation while also improving your comfort.
Here are the main options:
- Closed-cell foam pads are very light, very inexpensive, and very simple. Just roll it on the tent floor, put your sleeping bag on top of it, and then roll it up when it’s time to go. It doesn’t add much to comfort but does give some insulation from the ground.
- Self-inflating pads cost a little more and have a variety of thicknesses to choose from for varying comfort preferences. It takes some time to inflate and a little harder to pack up but will add to your comfort and insulation.
- Inflatable air mattresses are lightweight but are more expensive. They give a higher degree of comfort and insulation, but they require the most amount of time to set up, pack up and need more space when packed. Unless you want to huff and puff to inflate it, you will also have to bring a small pump.
Overall, a good sleeping bag and pad will result in a better rest for most people. Your requirement for personal comfort weighed against your available storage capacity will determine what’s best for you. Getting a good night’s sleep makes all the difference in the enjoyment of your motorcycle camping experience.
Clothes
The operative term when it comes to riding and clothes; is layers, and this applies to the outdoors as well. Having a variety of thin layers of clothes that you can add or remove allows you to adjust for different temperatures giving you more flexibility. Again, weight, compactness, length of your stay, and planned location will be factors in how much and which clothing to bring.
Ideally, your base layer, or inner-most layer, will wick away moisture, an essential factor for comfort. The middle layer will be for insulation, and the weather determines the outermost layer, such as wind, cold, rain, etc.
Any decent store selling camping gear will have a selection of base layer garments that wick moisture away from your skin. They do cost more than most traditional thermals but are well worth the extra expense. Additional advantages of these wicking fabrics are; lightweight, compact, resistant wrinkles, comfortable, and they are quick to dry when you wash them.
Most of the time, you can use your casual clothing for the middle layers. Still, depending on temperature, more insulation might be needed. Wool and synthetic polar fleece work well for insulation layers. Polar fleece has some of the best qualities of wool but weighs a fraction of the lightest woolens available.
As bike riders, most of us are already well prepared with our outer layers, but our riding gear is made just for that, riding. Once you get to your campsite, you may find it too bulky and not breathable enough for walking, hiking, or the routine chores involved in setting up your camp. One way to be better prepared is to have a separate, lightweight rain suit and polar fleece jacket for use once you get where you’re going.
Having proper footwear will also add to your camping enjoyment. Motorcycle boots tend to get heavy after walking around awhile, imagine trying to hike in them. In an ideal world, you would bring hiking boots, sneakers, and perhaps some sandals. Space always being a premium, selecting what is most vital to you will determine what you decide to bring.
Bottom line: Bring enough of the right layers to keep you comfortable for broader temperature extremes than you expect during your trip.
Cooking
The first thing that comes to mind is cooking over an open fire. A campfire conjures up some of the most romantic camping imagery. But at times, you won’t be able to have a campfire, especially during seasons when forest fire risk is at its highest. Campgrounds where campfires are allowed, you might not be able to gather wood and can’t bring it in from another area. Firewood has to be locally purchased. Regardless, there are plenty of campgrounds where you can enjoy cooking over a campfire.
However, it is easier, faster, and cleaner to cook with a camping stove. For a motorcycle camper, a compact camping stove like one used for backpacking works well. These are small, burn either solid or liquid fuel and most often pressurized gas. This type is prevalent, and fuel is readily available at most stores.
If you do plan on cooking during your adventures, the right camping cookware is on any outdoor trip.
Of course, you don’t have to cook at all! You can bring along snacks, sandwiches, home-prepared meals, or you can dine out. You can grab prepared or cooked food while you’re out riding to bring back to camp. The more you know about what your opportunities for food are near your camping destination, the better.
Keep things simple by always having some non-perishable food on your bike. So even if there’s nothing open nearby or if you don’t feel like cooking, or in a remote campground, you’ll always have something on hand.
Cooking at your campsite is not necessary unless you’re heading out into the most remote locations. But, at least having the ability to prepare your morning coffee (or tea) is a big plus and can add to the overall experience.
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