Roughing it on Two Wheels

© Ken Bingenheimer / RumBum.com

Motorcycle camping

Days are getting longer, nights are getting warmer, and it’s time for touring motorcyclists to start thinking about hitting the open road. For most that means planning routes and making motel reservations. And then there are the campers.

No, not those humongo Runnamucca RVs, we’re talking about two-wheeled travelers who prefer to rough it, with tents and sleeping bags.

For anyone accustomed to car camping, where you take the cooler full of food and drink, an axe to cut firewood, a two-burner Coleman stove to cook on, along with eating utensils and everything else you can throw in, camping on a motorcycle might seem impossible. How do you carry all that stuff?

You don’t. Motorcycle camping is an exercise in minimalism. In fact, there is very little that you actually must have, provided you’re really prepared to rough it. Let’s start with the essentials.

Staying Dry

More than anything else, you need to stay dry. Getting wet means getting cold and that means all kinds of misery. Generally you’ll need a tent. Sure, you can sleep under a bridge if a raging storm is beating down but that’s not exactly camping--that’s survival.

Obviously the smaller your tent packs up the better. A simple nylon one - or two-man tent will do the job, preferably of the pop-up dome tent variety with shock-corded poles. The kind with a rain fly that extends out to form a sheltered vestibule is especially good, particularly if there won’t be enough room inside for all your stuff.

© Ken Bingenheimer / RumBum.comNext, you’ll need something to sleep on that will cushion you from the rocks and/or uneven ground. An air mattress works well but may be bulky. A thin foam pad takes up less room and doesn’t require blowing up. It’s your choice.

Sleeping bags are probably the bulkiest item on your camping list, so choose carefully. Yes, a down bag stuffs down to the smallest possible size, but if it gets wet it is worthless. It’s probably better to accept the larger bulk and get a fiber-fill bag.

One tip: Be sure you have some way to carry these things on your bike that keeps them dry, or that, conversely, you can pack them into wet without making a mess of everything else.

Everything Else Is Extra

So what do you do about eating when you’re camping on your motorcycle? Some campers carry the small, one-burner stoves that take up about as much room as a two-pound coffee can. But that then requires that you also carry utensils and something to cook in. That works best when you’re riding something like a Gold Wing and pulling a trailer.

For everyone else, there are three options: eat at a restaurant near your campsite, pick up food that doesn’t need to be cooked, or carry one of those hand-held grills that fold over to hold food in place over the campfire.

And of course you need something to drink. A small water bottle or canteen is easy to carry, but hey, if you picked up a steak at the last town it’s pretty darn nice to wash it down with some red wine. Just be sure to carry a corkscrew or buy wine with a twist-off cap.

All that other stuff you throw in the car when you go camping? Excess. You don’t have room to carry it and you really don’t need it. Sure, if there’s something else you feel you must have, and you can find room for it, take it. It’s your ride. Yes, it’s nice to have a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning, but knowing that that cup is 20 miles down the road is a powerful incentive to get up, break camp, and get rolling right away.

For the Hard Core

The bottom line on motorcycle camping, as long as the weather is good, is that all you really need to do is pull over and throw your foam pad and sleeping bag out on the ground. Or on top of a picnic table.

Two other tips: Lacking the enclosure of a tent, sleeping in your helmet keeps bugs off your face, provides a pillow, and keeps your face out of the dirt. And sleeping in your rain suit keeps your clothes clean and dry.