If Taking Your Motorcycle on a Camping Trip Is Your Jam, This Gear Will Help Make the Most of the Experience

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There’s something just plain wonderful about the combination of camping and motorcycles. The common thread is freedom—there are some places out there that just can’t be reached via four wheels, and those places tend to be just a little short on valet parking or penthouse suites.

If you’re one of the many riders who made the switch from sportbikes or cruisers to “adventure bikes” in the past few years, you might be wondering how to get more adventure out of your bike, in which case camping is definitely for you. Or you could be one of those retro riders who delights in crossing the country via cafe racer or a restored vintage air-cooled standard bike, stopping for evenings under the stars and witnessing the kind of vistas you can’t see in a parking lot.

Either way, you’ll want the right gear. Camping on a bike means being intentional about your choices because bulk is your mortal enemy and weight only slows the ride. With that in mind, I’ve chosen some of the best ways to make the most of your rambles, both on and off-road.

Best Motorcycle Camping Gear

• Best Affordable Tent With Bike Cover: Wolf Walker 2-Person Motorcycle Tent

• Best Affordable Two-Person Tent: Klymit Cross Canyon

• Best Budget One-Person Tent: Clostnature 1-Person Tent

• Best Boutique Lightweight Cooking Gear: Snow Peak Trek 700 Pot

• Best Camping Chair: CLIQ Folding Chair

How to Pick Great Motorcycle Camping Gear

When prepping for a long camping trip, it’s tempting to start with what’s compatible with your bike. First and foremost, however, it has to work for you. That means choosing a sleeping bag that’s warm enough for the coldest weather you might see, a tent that’s big and comfortable so you can get a good night’s sleep, and the right cooking gear to make what’s on your campfire menu. It has to meet your needs, and then it has to fit. Don’t be ashamed to try everything at home extensively before taking it on the road.

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What Camping Gear is Best for a Long-Distance Ride?

The traditional minimum loadout for camping bikers is a rolled sleeping bag and a small cooking kit. It’s enough to get you through fair-weather nights, but anything more severe than that will be unpleasant. The next logical step, if you can fit it, would be a small collapsible tent, which will keep the weather off you.

Still have room? A larger tent with a motorcycle shelter makes mornings more pleasant, and an air mattress can make camping on rough ground tolerable for people with back problems or nagging injuries. Most riders will use any extra space they have after that for a broader variety of clothes, but it’s also worthwhile to add a propane or Sterno stove to improve your camping cuisine.

Your Bike is Your Backpack

Before you make any plans to go camping with your motorcycle or buy gear for the trip, it’s critical to really understand what will actually fit on your bike. Take the time to measure all the available storage.

A new BMW GS with extra-large Jesse boxes will have a lot more room than a retro rider on a slick-side Seventies Honda. Also, very few saddlebags or top boxes are precisely square, so learn where the “pinch points” are.

Once you know how much storage you have, remember that you should only use about half to three-quarters of that space for your camping gear. It’s easy to forget that you’ll need a little extra space for a few personal effects, supplies, and any souvenirs you pick up along the way.

Get your “packout” together–all the things you’re taking on the ride, including clothes and tools–and try putting it all in the bike until it’s second nature. If you can’t do it easily in your own driveway on a sunny day, you won’t be able to do it before sunrise in the rain. Don’t expect things to get easier once you're on the road, because they won’t.

Finally, if you’re using a traditional rear-seat bedroll-and-stack, like the bike campers of yore, you should also go on a few test rides around your area at freeway speeds to ensure that your setup doesn’t slip, slide, or just plain disappear from the bike. Better to find out the bad news when you’re close to home.

Adjust to Your Trip

A little intelligent consideration of your planned trip will go a long way towards ensuring the best experience. The desert gets cold at night, which is something many Midwesterners (like your author) tend to forget until it’s too late. Both the Northeast and Pacific Northwest have unpredictable rain, something to consider when you’re choosing a tent. Pack for the length of your trip and the likely conditions along the way.

Preparing for the weather includes picking (and making room for) the right clothes. If you leave home with a full Aerostitch suit, heated gloves, and a neck gaiter, you will need to make sure and leave room to stow it when the temperature gets warm. Don’t think you’ll just “stuff it in there,” because you won’t. It’s counterintuitive, but a motorcycle jacket is far bulkier than a tent.

How We Selected Motorcycle Camping Gear

After years of motorcycle touring, I have an idea of what works and what doesn’t. In addition to my own personal testing, I reached out to riders who do ADV (adventure) touring and primitive camping to hear their stories and get expert feedback on the best choices for different motorcycles. I prioritized value and affordability, without sacrificing durability on the road. Preference was given to items that are light and compact. When possible, I chose soft-sided items over rigid ones because most motorcycle luggage boxes are irregular, and rigid items waste space.

2-Person Motorcycle Tent

Wolf Walker’s two-person tent offers enough space for a pair of riders, plus a “bikeport” area that allows you to roll a motorcycle under cover. The bike cover is perfect for ADV and standard bikes, but you probably won’t be able to keep a Wing or Road Glide fully dry.

A few owners have reported being able to get a “bagger” under the cover as well. The sleeping area is a little tight compared to the Klymit, my choice for Best Affordable Two-Person Tent, reviewed below, so make sure you try it out before you take it on the road.

Cross Canyon

This tent is a great choice for “roll packing” on the back of a standard motorcycle without bags, but it’s also an option for ADV bikes with larger side bags. Compact and lightweight at just six pounds, the Cross Canyon unrolls to 86 x 218 inches, with a 46-inch ceiling.

It isn’t made specifically for bikes so it doesn’t feature a dedicated motorcycle shelter, but it’s also more affordable. If you’re willing to let your ride get wet, this is a lower-cost and more compact option.

1-Person Tent

When shopping for a single-person tent, many people immediately think about size and weight—with good reason, as this can be the largest single item in many riders’ packouts. It’s only after a few nights on the move that durability starts to be a concern.

Not only does your tent have to deal with all of the wind, rain, and weather from which you expect it to shield you, it also has to be repeatedly unfolded and re-folded, a process that can wreak havoc on corners, gussets, and grommets. The Clostnature tent is a little overbuilt compared to some of the lighter and smaller options out there, but you will come to appreciate that.

Trek 700 pot

It’s a rare joy when the best product in a category is also affordable. Made from Japanese titanium, the ultralight Snow Peak Trek 700 cooking pot with folding handles can hold up to 23.6 ounces of liquid, but weighs just 4.8 ounces.

It’s easy to clean, easy to pack, and nearly impossible to damage. The Trek 700 is a perfect example of the light and efficient cookware you should look for when you’re aiming to pack light for a long ride.

Folding Chair

Few things make as much difference during a long camping trip as having a reliable and comfortable place to sit. It’s so useful that some motorcyclists keep one on the bike all the time, even when they aren’t camping.

No, it’s not as comfortable as an Eames lounge, or even a cheap camping chair you can get for $10—but you can toss the Cliq in a motorcycle saddlebag so you can always take a load off. Seats aren’t guaranteed at large events like the Sturgis motorcycle rally, so it pays off to keep a chair handy. It isn’t cheap, but the Cliq justifies the cost through pure convenience.

Camping Hammock

Not everyone wants to sleep in a tent. If the weather permits, a hammock can take less time to set up and offers superior comfort to sleeping on the ground. It’s also easier to pack than almost any tent or air mattress, let alone the combination of both.

I like the Night Cat for warm weather camping because it’s incredibly versatile. It’s quick and easy to set up as a hammock, but you can also use it as a conventional tent in a pinch, thanks to the included stakes.

800 LED Rechargeable Magnetic Foldable Work Light

There are a lot of great camping lights out there, and this doesn’t look like any of them, but remember, this is motorcycle camping. Which means you’re on a motorcycle. Which can and often will break. And you’ll need a light that is optimized for fixing the bike, while also serving as a camp light.

Enter the Icon folding light. It’s a minor legend among motorcycle racers because it’s extremely bright (800 lumens), it’s extremely flexible, and it has long battery life (8.5 hours). But it also has lighting modes that will work very well for setting up camp, including a “secret weapon” mode that you’ll wish you’d had 10 years ago: fold the main light to 90 degrees, let the magnetic base grab your bike, and enjoy a perfect near-daylight view of your campsite.

Assortment With Net

For the better part of five decades, conventional “bungee cords” were an indispensable part of motorcycle touring. Lately there’s been a trend towards re-engineered tie-down systems that offer more durability and strength.

In certain circumstances, like motorcyling with a full-scale toolbox on the back seat, you’ll be wise to investigate those options, but for most people, conventional bungees and nets are still the best.

They’re flexible, adaptable, cheap, and easily replaceable. This assortment pack has several of each size, plus four canopy ties and a net which lets you carry a spare or two—and that’s always a good idea.

Duffel

A lot of experienced motorcyclists swear by either the Army standard issue duffel bags or the upscale variants of the same from Red Oxx in Montana—but the Army bags are flimsy and the Red Oxx isn’t waterproof.

POC offers a bag that is both sturdy and water-resistant with a bit of thoughtful sizing tossed in as a bonus. It’s meant to carry two helmets when needed. The rest of the time there’s reinforced construction and plenty of places to tie the bag down.

It’s also visually low-profile and doesn’t scream ‘Motorcycle Person!’ at the entrance to your favorite five-star hotel. Just in case you decide that you need a break from all that camping!

What Are You Waiting For? Head Out on the Highway With These Tips From Expert Jack Baruth!

PM: What’s the biggest mistake new motorcycle campers make?

JB: They focus on the cooking-and-eating aspect of their packout–but here’s the thing about being on the road: it’s a lot cheaper and easier to find a meal than a bed. Get your sleeping situation right before you worry too much about the cooking setup.

PM: What’s the big fuss about titanium gear?

JB: In aerospace and cycling, titanium is popular because it’s lightweight, flexible, and durable. All of those things are important for campers, too, but titanium is really worth the extra money because it doesn’t rust or corrode.

Rain and moisture will be your constant companion on a lot of trips. Trust me, you don’t want to start your dinner by scraping the rust off a “stainless” knife or fork.

PM: What’s the best strategy to pack your gear?

JB: Realistically, you pack it so it fits. That won’t always be the most convenient or usable way. If you’re working with Jesse boxes or other large storage, try to pack in the reverse order of how you’ll use it each night.

Load with the sleeping bag, then pack the tent, then the cooking gear. Lastly, make sure your rain and/or cold-weather clothing is on top. That way you’re taking stuff out in order as you need it.

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