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Tent Camping on Motorcycle

Old Can Ride

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Tent Camping on a motorcycle trip.

You haven’t truly had the motorcycle experience until you’ve camped. Each year, campgrounds fill with folks ready to kick back, relax and have the time of their lives. If you’re the type who likes to tent it or you’re simply looking for the lowest price, you’ll be happy to know that you can pitch your tent nearly anywhere on the trip, with very few exceptions.

I never worry about where I will spend the night, as all the states and the federal government have built some great camping places. If you ever go to a motorcycle rally or race the real fun is in the campgrounds. Never met anyone in a hotel room. When you pull into a camp ground on your motorcycle, many a time the folks camping next to you will always come help you put up your tent.

If you want to have fun and met great folks on a motorcycle trip, campout!

“The highlight of Sturgis! If you go to Sturgis, and you don't go to the Chip, you didn't do Sturgis.”
 
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One of the most memorable trips I've taken was loading up the gear and taking my teenage son with me down the coast and camping for a few days.
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I'm not retired yet so my trips tend to be 5 days or less. One of the first things I learned about moto-camping was to get on the bike and leave the camp early and not stop for anything until at least 40 miles passes under my wheels. This works good for me - I like getting an early start on whatever the day holds. Accordingly I usually plan to stay in a cabin at the campground if available or a motel the last night of a trip so I don't have to break camp and pack a wet tent at dawn. I pack all that the afternoon before.
 
I'm not retired yet so my trips tend to be 5 days or less. One of the first things I learned about moto-camping was to get on the bike and leave the camp early and not stop for anything until at least 40 miles passes under my wheels. This works good for me - I like getting an early start on whatever the day holds. Accordingly I usually plan to stay in a cabin at the campground if available or a motel the last night of a trip so I don't have to break camp and pack a wet tent at dawn. I pack all that the afternoon before.

I believe the old saying goes "When it rains it pours"

It does not hold true when I'm camping, when I'm camping "When it rains it freezes, or a tornado is moving through the next town"

As such putting away wet gear is rarely a problem... simply brush the ice off... or hold the rain fly up in the gale force winds... all the water will zip right off.

Though I do have to admit I'm looking forward to the day when they figure out how put never-wet (or something similar) into lightweight nylon for rain flys and tarps.


And last time I was camping I broke camp early in the morning, and tried to get some miles on to get home... My helmet fogged up, so I flipped the visor open, it didn't unfog that way... also fogging up were my mirrors, and windshield (stock) and the face on my watch, and any other surface that would fog up with condensation, including my glasses... Learned my lesson, wait for the sun to burn off some of the morning moisture before hitting the road. ended up stopping at the first gas station (about 40 miles away) and squeegeeing off everything... (no need for washer fluid, just the squeegee... everything was self lubricating that day) after that I was on the main roads where the condensation wasn't so bad (less shade from tree cover, and it had warmed up some from the sun coming up).
 
This is something I am actually working on plans for this summer. Leave out on a Friday evening to a campground in some state or national park, tent out overnight and take off the next morning. With the summers here, it wont be difficult to get an early start, considering it will be 80s and humid by 7am. Then, just ride around the area or to the next park, repeat and come home Sunday. Just need to get a small enough tent that the poles are not 3 feet long... I am used to big tents rather than small 1 person ones.

Now, the other side to that coin, I have a nice cot with a built-in tent, however there is no way to get it on the bike. However, a couple of my best friends make a lot of weekend trips. They have a small camper, and the cot-tent will fit in it easily. We have already discussed some trips for spring and early summer as well as some longer ones in the fall. What is nice, we drive to the site, set up the camper, then we all ride to see the sites. They have a '09 Honda Rebel that is racked on the back of the camper. We split the site costs and food and it will make for a cheap and fun trip. At night, we cook on site, I crash in my tent-cot and the next day we move on to the next spot. These are the trips I can't wait for.
 
This is something I am actually working on plans for this summer. Leave out on a Friday evening to a campground in some state or national park, tent out overnight and take off the next morning. With the summers here, it wont be difficult to get an early start, considering it will be 80s and humid by 7am. Then, just ride around the area or to the next park, repeat and come home Sunday. Just need to get a small enough tent that the poles are not 3 feet long... I am used to big tents rather than small 1 person ones.

Hey we should set something up for the region this Summer as I am definitely looking to start moto-camping. One thing this region is definitely not short on is National Parks with camp grounds. Bonus motorcycles get in cheap!

I'm asking for only one thing for my birthday this year. Contributions for one of these: Redverz Series II Expedition Tent - RevZilla. :cool:
 
Bloomington is close. I go up that way a bit in the summer as it is. I have a sailboat on Monroe. Catalina 320. No tent needed.

I love that tent!
 
Bloomington is close. I go up that way a bit in the summer as it is. I have a sailboat on Monroe. Catalina 320. No tent needed.

I love that tent!

Nice! No tent indeed. Have you been out to Brown County (Nashville, IN)? Plenty of good camping out there.

I love L'ville so I plan to make some rides down there this year.
 
I went to IU (way back) and know a bit about the Brown County area, though I have never been camping. I was either at Kilroys or Lake Monroe on the weekends when I was there.
 
For me, motorcycle tenting is part and parcel of why I'm out there on a bike in the first place, to get away from people and zone out into relax mode.

I hate, HATE, getting stuck at some campsite where there are dogs and kids and idiots with loud music, drunken partiers, etc., etc. Plus at that, I have to get up at 5am every single working day of my life, so part of my real vacation craving is to be able to sleep in however darn long I feel like, with no pressure to have to break camp in a rush, in the dark, in the rain, in order to vacate a spot, or get dinged for another day's charges.

For these reasons, I tend to, whenever remotely possible, make a beeline for the boonies as far as I can go in a day, and then try to find a little hidden tucked away spot with no traffic or likelihood of milling zombies clogging up the works. Once set up in "base camp" stealth mode, then I can sleep in until noon if I want, or laze around camp with a crackling fire and a book, or explore the nearby mountain roads and forest trails on mini day-trip recons.

This is why I need/want to have as much fuel carrying capability as possible; I don't want to have to waste my precious holiday time back tracking hundreds of km's to the closest gas station, and also having to time that trip with when I think or *hope* they're open.

Now of course this means no strolling down the street to the store or café for food, or the Starbucks for a morning latte, and no campground washers, driers, showers, toilets and so on, but for a few short days out of the year it's priceless to me to be completely self sufficient and away from the madding hordes. :D
 
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I did lots of camping when I was younger, I really don't care for it anymore though, with a bike or not.

It all seems like too much hard work and fannying about to me now.

I need a comfy warm bed at the end of the day, that's not too far from a pub. :eek:
 
For me, motorcycle tenting is part and parcel of why I'm out there on a bike in the first place, to get away from people and zone out into relax mode.

I hate, HATE, getting stuck at some campsite where there are dogs and kids and idiots with loud music, drunken partiers, etc., etc. Plus at that, I have to get up at 5am every single working day of my life, so part of my real vacation craving is to be able to sleep in however darn long I feel like, with no pressure to have to break camp in a rush, in the dark, in the rain, in order to vacate a spot, or get dinged for another day's charges.

For these reasons, I tend to, whenever remotely possible, make a beeline for the boonies as far as I can go in a day, and then try to find a little hidden tucked away spot with no traffic or likelihood of milling zombies clogging up the works. Once set up in "base camp" stealth mode, then I can sleep in until noon if I want, or laze around camp with a crackling fire and a book, or explore the nearby mountain roads and forest trails on mini day-trip recons.

This is why I need/want to have as much fuel carrying capability as possible; I don't want to have to waste my precious holiday time back tracking hundreds of km's to the closest gas station, and also having to time that trip with when I think or *hope* they're open.

Now of course this means no strolling down the street to the store or café for food, or the Starbucks for a morning latte, and no campground washers, driers, showers, toilets and so on, but for a few short days out of the year it's priceless to me to be completely self sufficient and away from the madding hordes. :D

Like L.B.S. I do like sleeping in the mornings. Usually when I get up to break camp I am the only person left in the campground. I would not leave without my extra fuel on the bike. The extra fuel carried in my two Koplin containers are one of my must haves when riding anywhere! I usually top my tank off with the extra 3 gallons of fuel before leaving the camp ground in the morning, this eliminates stopping at that first gas station wasting good cool morning riding time. At my first gas stop I fill all gas tanks, and drink some milk and eat a cherry pie. Then my next stop is in the hot part of the day light sun for brunch in a sit down A/C café. After eating, in the café parking lot I usually top off my tank with the extra 3 gallons of fuel, once again eliminating another gas stop. My next gas stop is in the cool of the evening before dark. Where once again I fill up all my three tanks. Next I look for a camp ground for the night. This routine gives me the time during the daylight to stop, see or do what ever I want too, and eliminates the wasted time at two gas stops during the day.

Also, never purchase a one man tent because your gear has to go into the tent with you when using tent as a base camp at rallies and conventions. On a good day a three man tent would be only able to hold two folks. Remember when buying camping gear for travel on a motorcycle that "Lite is right". Buy gear made for backpacking, and try to keep things as lite as possible. This will let you ride some unpaved back roads.
 
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Can anyone advice on a brand of light and durable camping gear? I'm on the market now and hope to get everything ready by summer. But I have never camped before and have no idea what to start from? I guess the first thing I nee is a small tent and a warm sleeping bag. Anything else?
 
Can anyone advice on a brand of light and durable camping gear? I'm on the market now and hope to get everything ready by summer. But I have never camped before and have no idea what to start from? I guess the first thing I nee is a small tent and a warm sleeping bag. Anything else?

You are likely to get a thousand different opinions, all different, yet all sound, in their reasoning and viewpoint :D

Like OCR, I like a bigger tent versus one too small. My "one man" tent, is actually made for three people, lol :eek: I like the real estate to spread out all my stuff indoors without touching wet jackets, gloves, helmets etc.

I never leave my wet/damp stuff out on the bike-one too many close encounters with small thieving furry or feathered bastids who want to do taste tests or home building with my gear, hee hee. There's just not enough room in a smaller tent for all my junk, and plus, being in BC, it's more often than not going to be raining at some point, so being able to chill out inside all unclaustrophobic-like, is a nice option.

Unfortunately, my tent is probably older than you are, so I don't know of any helpful brand or model advice on that front. :(


I don't like the small thin door mat type sleeping pads, and the good brand name fluffy goose down self inflated fancy ones are just too $$$ for my liking. I have had great success with cheap generic inflatable mattresses from anywhere like Canuck Tire, Walmart, etc. If you are diligent, you can pack them up into a really small footprint, but the negative is, that they are very heavy and need a pump of some kind, and back up repair plans/materials if damaged-which takes up space and increases weight a bit more. My system is fairly time proven over the past few decades though, so I'm ok with that.

Waterproof, or "dry bag" stuff sacks are your friend! Being able to cram a lot of stuff down to a fraction of it's true volume is a godsend! Cheap selection at Mountain Equipment Coop.

I'd love a softball sized when packed spendy down sleeping bag, but ugh, the costs are too much for me. My current synthetic fill sleeping bag came free with my air mattress from Canadian Tire, lol. (Coleman, I think) It's a bit big when packed, but *shrug* it's warm enough and I make do just fine with it. I have a fleece inner bag liner that I can bring if it's really cold out.

I still like my old fashioned Candle Lantern for "ambiance" in the tent for lighting, but I have to admit, I got a small modern LED hanging lantern for Christmas a year before last, and man, it's pretty awesome!

I have two cooking/water heating set ups- a 26-ish year old white gas burning MSR Whisperlite that I love, and my latest dalliance, a Vargo Titanium methyl hydrate/alcohol burning "penny" stove. I use the MSR for cooking/heating larger quantities of water for Mountain House type vacuum packed meals, and the methyl stove for tea/coffee/oatmeal etc.

Straps, paracord, lots of those little carabiner clips, a plasticized cheat-sheet of how to make cool knots, handiwipes, spare batteries, LED flashlights (plural) bug netting and mosquito hats (I hate bug spray chemical stuff) quick dry synthetic underwear and outerwear, Camelback-style water bladders, all kinds of stuff like that is great to have handy.

Nice little first aid kit is a must.

Lots of plastic bags like "kitchen catchers" or even Safeway bags are ultra handy for a gazillion tasks.

Man, there's tons of fun stuff. You don't have to break the bank to have a great time, many things can be repurposed, and if you get a system down pat, a repeatable, simple, consistent way to get organized and set up, it's much more likely you will enjoy doing it, and if it's not a hassle to do every time, then you are more likely to want to do it more often- it's a win-win scenario. ;)
 
Can anyone advice on a brand of light and durable camping gear? I'm on the market now and hope to get everything ready by summer. But I have never camped before and have no idea what to start from? I guess the first thing I nee is a small tent and a warm sleeping bag. Anything else?


At a Horizons Unlimited meeting a few years ago in North Carolina, Fuzzy, showed me where to go to get quality camping gear at a good price?

REI carries what I call high dollar camping gear, and like L.B.S., I will not pay that kind of "price" for the super lite hiking gear. However, Fuzzy showed me that you can buy the high quality REI camping hiking gear at REI clearance pricings. After Christmas is a great time to purchase from REI clearance.

http://www.rei.com/s/deals#c3JwYWdlPTEmcXVlcnk9aXIlM0Rjb2xsZWN0aW9uJTI1M0FkZWFscyUyNnIlM0RiZXN0LXVzZSUyNTNBQ2FtcGluZyUyNTNCY2F0ZWdvcnklMjUzQWNhbXBpbmctYW5kLWhpa2luZyUyNmNvbGxlY3Rpb24lM0RkZWFscyUyNnN4JTNEaHdsUXMxWVBkcHdBVUtxcGVuQzNWQSUyNTNEJTI1M0Qmc3JzaXplPTkw

Also, the REI clearance store: http://www.rei.com/outlet
 
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