How to Go Motorcycle Camping Like a Pro

A motorcyclist heading out for a weekend of camping is a much-romanticized image. Blame Easy Rider for its depiction of bikers around a campfire at night, or blame Long Way Round for its scenery of Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor with their GS adventure bikes tentside in the middle of nowhere. Wherever you got the idea, here’s how to make motorcycle camping a reality.

You Need Camping Gear

If you aren’t an experienced camper with this stuff already in a closet somewhere, then you’ve got to go buy the equipment. The good news is that you don’t have to spend the big bucks on ultralight equipment that hikers use; heavier-but-cheaper car camping equipment will do.

You can use any sleeping bag and any tent that will fit on your bike, but I would specifically recommend a Big Agnes sleeping bag rated for summer temperatures. Big Agnes bags come with no insulation underneath; instead, they have a sleeve at the bottom where you insert a sleeping pad. That way, you can’t roll off your mattress at night, and you’re insulated from the cold ground. If you want to keep on camping when temperatures drop, add a fleece sleeping bag liner. Using this bag and liner approach means you’re not dragging around extra weight for a sweaty night’s sleep in the summer.

Along with your sleeping bag and pad (and an inflatable pillow if you don’t want to use your jacket), you’ll want a tent. I’ve used cheap four-person tents from Wal-Mart and, more recently, the NatureHike CloudUp 2. I’ve also used a Hennessy Hammock and a Lawson Blue Ridge hammock/tent combo.

If you’re just starting out and you don’t want to spend much, the Wal-Mart route will get you through a season of camping. If you want to spend more money and you’re serious about motorcycle camping, I recommend getting a small two-person backpacking tent if you’re riding solo, or a four-person if you’re riding with a pillion (the extra room is for your gear, and so you can play a game of cards or otherwise kill time if it rains). Hammocks have their place, but not all campgrounds are set up for them, and I don’t recommend them for inexperienced campers. Once you learn how to use them, they’re extremely comfortable, but it might take a few lousy nights of sleeping before you figure out how to set one up to suit you.

And then there’s the food question. The easiest strategy is to just bring dried food (trail mix, jerky, granola bars, etc.) and avoid cooking completely. Personally, my typical motorcycle camping trip sees me bringing a Dual-Fuel Coleman stove or MSR Pocket Rocket 2 stove and a Stanley cookset that includes a stainless steel pot with two mugs that nestle inside the pot. This lets me heat up water for coffee/tea, noodles, instant oatmeal, and so on.

A rugged army surplus cutlery set provides a knife, fork, spoon, and can opener that won’t break or rust. A drip-style GSI coffee-maker provides a morning caffeine fix, or single-serving instant coffee packets if I feel like slumming it. If I’m feeling snobbish, I’ll bring along my mini espresso maker.

You Need to Set Up Your Bike

You don’t need to spend a lot of money if your bike doesn’t have luggage already. You can just strap down a duffel bag or roll-top canoe bag to your bike’s rear seat or backrest (use RokStraps or lightweight cam buckle straps instead of bungees). Keep a careful eye on your load when you do this, because a strap or piece of luggage coming loose can mean a life-altering or life-ending crash.

A luggage rack makes it much easier to strap down bags, but you can buy saddlebags like the wraparound luggage from Giant Loop that need no rack. The Kriega US-30 is another excellent piece of motorcycle luggage that can be fitted to almost any motorcycle, and Kriega also has other bags that are good across a wide variety of machines. You’ll also find good universal choices from SW-Motech. I’m also a huge fan of Turkana’s rugged equipment.

Over tens of thousands of kilometres spent hauling camping gear, I typically carry my cooking gear in a tailbag or topbox mounted to a rack behind my bike’s seat. I carry my tent, clothes, and sleeping bag in a rolltop bag strapped to the pillion seat. If I have saddlebags or side panniers on the bike, I’ll distribute some of the load there to keep my centre of gravity lower. But unless I expect to be on the road for a week or longer, I typically don’t need that much space.

You Need a Place to Go Camping

You have the gear and you’ve strapped it down to your bike. Now, where should you go?

I recommend heading out to established camping areas for your first trips. If you want to do your own thing, a private campground or provincial park will have pleasant views of nature along with shower and bathroom facilities. If you want to make new friends, consider heading to a motorcycle rally (something like Moto Craft or La Classique), where you will camp with other riders who will be more than happy to help you get your tent set up. Another excellent motocamping opportunity is the racetrack; most CSBK rounds offer on-site camping. At events like the CTMP double-header Canadian Superbike weekend, camping is half the fun.

Once you’ve gone on a couple of managed camping outings like these, you should know what gear you want to bring with you and what gear you don’t. Then, if you want, the world is wide open. Canada has Crown Land everywhere that’s open for free camping. Some of my best campsites have been totally free and at the side of gorgeous lakes or ocean beaches.

Oh, and one last thing: I recommend starting your motorcycle camping adventures in summer or early fall, when evenings will be warmer, and keep an eye on the forecast when you head out. Nothing ruins a night’s sleep in a tent more than a rainstorm.