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Motorcycle camping is a great way to see the country...Do you drive a motorcycle? If you know how to pack light then motorcycle camping could be an inexpensive way of seeing the country. I have had many motorcycles over the years and there has been more than one occasion to put together a backpack and a tent and sleeping bag and get on my way. To be honest when I started doing it I was more of a motorcycle enthusiast than a camping enthusiast but it didn’t take too long for me to realize that the camping life and the way of nature was my preferred mode of relaxation. Since I still like to ride motorcycles it only seems natural to continue to put the two activities together. Now, motorcycle camping is a cost effective way to see places for sure but you are definitely somewhat limited as to the type of place you can camp. Naturally you could set up a tent on the side of any road (provided you’re not breaking any laws) but you just won’t likely be able to do a deep woods type of getaway when traveling by bike. Even a light bike these days weighs three or four hundred pounds and you can bet that it wouldn’t be too easy to throw it around on some trail while you’re trying to find the perfect camping spot, even if the area you were in an area that permitted motorized vehicles. Most places you go these days do not. That pretty much limits you to the family camp ground scenario. There’s nothing wrong with that. As far as I’m concerned it still beats sleeping in a hotel and throwing money out the window.
You definitely need to know how to pack when you’re motorcycle camping. You pretty much need to lash your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad to the back seat of the bike. Be sure to do it tightly because you don’t want it coming off when you’re roaring down the highway. A tank bag is a good idea as well. You can stuff it full of clothing enough to last for a couple of days and it allows you to make an effort to keep a backpack light, should you choose to wear one. I just went motorcycle camping for the long weekend in may and I tried to do things a little differently than usual. I have a 60 litre pack that I normally use when I’m on a canoe trip or hiking. It’s a pretty good pack for that but it was definitely not the way I should have packed for this particular trip. The bike I ride now is a 2007 Husqvarna SMR510. It’s a cool bike for getting off the highway and cruising the winding back roads. Being a Supermoto bike the seating position is the same as any enduro so you sit fairly straight. This is usually quite a comfortable position for me but with the weight of my backpack it became quite uncomfortable quite quickly. The next time I camp with this bike I’ll be reverting to the method of lashing my gear and using only a light backpack. I would recommend that to anyone.
If you’re riding a sport bike i.e GSXR, R1, CBR etc, then a backpack could be a viable option as you tent to be leaning much more forward. My thoughts are that this would be far easier on the back that the straight up posture I have on my bike. I sort of tend to fight to lean forward and this is what bothers my back. If you’re the type that likes the big bikes like Aspencades, Goldwings, etc, then the best thing for you would be a motorcycle camping trailer. Again you’re best suited for camping at a family type campground but the bright side to that is that they’re easy to find. Clink on the link to return to the top of the
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