r/motocamping • u/Angry-quack • 18d ago
Starter wants to start motorcycle camping
Hey you all,
I have a question for you all. I have never been motorcycle camping in my life. Have only been a long distance hotel driver. Now I am doing research online and I am completly losing my way in all the different and apposing advices. What I really want is advice from people who are just like me. Like to drive and not make a video about it.
What would you guys advice for a tent/Hammink. I was looking at the goos but that was apperently a big nope so now I have found the Big agnes blacktail 2 hotel. I hear only positive notes about that one. Do you guys have advice about good tents or if better hamminks?
What are real essentials to bring along while moto camping? What did you miss when you went for the first time?
I will be traveling from my home country (Netherlands) to the east (italie, croatia, poland) if that will make a difference in advice.
Really want to hear all advice you guys can give me how small or big it can be. :D
I would like to thank you in advance for reading my post and specially if you can advice me.
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u/BaconIsMediocre 18d ago
Have you ever camped before?
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u/Angry-quack 18d ago
When I was a child. So never where I had to do it by myself.
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u/BaconIsMediocre 18d ago
Then I'd agree with the don't overthink it comment. Get a tent, a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, some boil in q bag backpacking meals. Then go camp somewhere like a developed camp site for the first time
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u/RVAblues 17d ago
It’s important to go out for some quick 1 or 2 night trips not far from home. That way you can find out what you like and don’t like, and what you need and don’t need well before a big trip far from home.
The temptation is to bring something for every contingency. Try not to do that. Bring a credit card instead. It packs much smaller. You are only riding one day at a time, so just bring what you would for a long 1-day ride.
And as for camping, in my experience, the only difference between what you need to bring on a 3-day trip vs what to bring on a 30-day trip is the amount of coffee and underwear. In other words, if you bring an item camping and you don’t use it after 3 days, you will probably never need it. The exceptions: a first aid kit and a small tool kit.
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u/MattSzaszko European motocamper 18d ago
Fellow NL based motocamper here. Go for tents, more privacy and weather protection and more universal set up than a hammock. Go for a Naturehike tent, amazing tents for very good money. Go for a 2 person tent minimum. Depending on the way you sleep, you might need a bulkier mattress. As a side sleeper, nothing beats a queen sized airbed for me. Yes it's big and heavy but I love it. Figure out what will give you a good night's sleep in camp. Pay attention to R value for your pad if you're planning to camp later in the season or further up north.
Get a pair of Crocs for camp use. Merino wool base layer for sleeping in and relaxing in camp. Camping chair is a must.
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u/Angry-quack 18d ago
The tents look great! Will look for the airbed. My god I have to start wearing crocs! XD Merino wool is now the second time I hear. Will be checking that one out. I think my stool wont do the job than. Thanks for the tips.
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u/JuggernautPast2744 18d ago
I like hammocks, but they limit the sites you can use to camp, needing trees and proper spacing. In order of importance for comfort 1 is a good sleeping pad, then tent/tarp to cover, then sleeping bag. Weight, cost, durability are all typically related to each other. There are many good options. On a bike, I think weight is less important, but volume is still matters on longer trips.
A chair is vital for me. The amount of other equipment you bring depends on how you will eat, for example are you cooking or eating cold food?
I like merino wool based clothing as it performs well in a broad temperature range and can usually be worn for multiple days without getting smelly.
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u/Angry-quack 18d ago
For the camping supply's I think I have a lot of stuff already. Only need a Tarp than. for a chair I have something without a backrest. Will that be a problem? For my food situation I will be bringing a kelly kettle. So I will be cooking on wood. Will be trying the Marino wool clothing! also sound comfy.
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u/Tiovivo1 18d ago
I have a regular tent I got at a sporting goods store. Nothing fancy.
My suggestion would be to do a trial camping trip before your actual trip. Do 1-2 nights and that should show you what you’ll need and what you’re packing extra.
Try to camp somewhere close to home that way if you really dislike it or the weather turns you can always go back home relatively quickly.
I take dry food, beef jerky, lots of trail mix, dehydrated meals, etc. I have a collapsible cooler so sometimes right before I get to my camping site I buy a piece of chicken or meat and pack it with a bag of frozen veggies and it works fine for dinner.
Don’t forget a first aid kit, your own medications if needed and bug spray. Also, if you’re not at a campsite and will be doing dispersed camping, don’t forget a chair.
Oh, and take a mini shovel for your bathroom breaks.
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u/Angry-quack 18d ago
Great tips thanks. With the food is a good advice to get a collapsible cooler. Like to have fresh meat. The beef jerky wil not servive a day with my. Just love that stuff to much XD. The shovel is something I did not think about great one.
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u/Tiovivo1 18d ago
Ps. Make a list of everything you take and When you come back, cross off things you didn’t need (except the first aid kit. Hopefully you won’t have to use it but it’s essential)
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u/adv-rider 17d ago
Long distance hiker and moto camper here. I suggest simply buying for a week long backpacking trip, then just strap your bag on the bike. You’ll need a tent (hammocks are a pain), a 3 season sleeping bag, a mat/air mattress, maybe an inflatable pillow, a jetboil stove, a battery to recharge your phone, and a 40 or 50 liter backpack to hold it. Together with your sleeping clothes and other random stuff that bag should weigh <25 lbs (Mine is around 17 lbs). That is called “base weight” in the thru hiking world. Strap that on the back seat and off you go….
I have full soft panniers, luxury stuff, etc in my refined setup. Most of that gear comes from retire hiking stuff. I still have an old 35 liter backpack stuffed in there and will use it for overnight backpack excursions if I am confident my bike will be safe. Put down that cookie and climb a mountain!
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u/barringtonmacgregor '15 NC700X 18d ago
Get a tent, sleeping bag, and go camping in a campground close to home. Then make a list of things you wish you had.
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u/colpy350 18d ago
I have tented most of my moto camp career. I bought a mid spec tent that is fairly light. Not a full backpacking tent. It's fine to strap to the bike. It has enough room inside for me and my gear if I want to keep things dry. Focus less on weight of the product and just buy something good. I have a hammock but I haven't had the balls to try it yet. I know some folks swear by them but I worry about the mosquitos in my part of the world. Look for a decent 2 man tent and see how you go! Invest in a nice sleeping pad as well. I have a thermarest self inflating and it work great. Folds up to be a little larger than a Nalgene bottle. Pretty comfy to sleep on!
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u/humblevessell 18d ago
Get a naturehike 2 man tent. Cloud up 2 is a great tent I used it all over Europe no need to spend loads of money on Big Agnes. Camping chair is essential you can get ones where the legs fold up like tent pegs on a string for like £30 and they don't take up much space. I hate inflatable pillows they suck so much so if you're going for a long trip I advise to bring a real pillow but one that's small I got one from decathlon for about £10 doesn't take up much space and makes a massive difference. Sleeping pad I would try to get one that's a decent width but you don't need to spend loads on one maybe like £50 and then sleeping bag I bought from AliExpress i think it was about a 3 degree down bag can't remember but it's a great bag. For cooking gear I quite like the sea to summit x pot and sea to summit pan but they're expensive. I bring a small metal french press for coffee. Sea to summit washing line is a pretty nice thing to have but you could just use string. End of the day in Europe they have decathlon everywhere so if you need something you can just go there. Hope this helps.
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u/Umm_JustMe 18d ago
I started with a hammock. Then I got a tent for times there weren't trees, but dislike sleeping on the ground without a sleeping pad under my sleeping bag.
I've now graduated to a small pull behind camper. OMG, it's amazing. Did a week and a half out west and slept like a baby under the starts and I can carry more stuff. That's helpful since I'm usually 2 up with my kids on those types of trips. I would have a hard time going back to just the hammock...
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u/440Dart 17d ago
You’ll see a lot of overlap with backpacker gear and motorcycle camping gear. Mainly for the space, like I bought a bike camping tent as it had shorter pole sections that makes it easier to put in the saddle bags on my bike. With that said my brother in law bought an elchepo one from amazon or Walmart and had a great time.
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u/Desperate_Baseball87 17d ago
I went with a cheap tent from Amazon, it's the Bisinna 2 person tent and it's only 70 US dollars. It's a great tent! I would spend a little more money on a good insulated sleeping pad, like the Nemo brand insulated sleeping pads. Then just find a good deal on a compact sleeping bag that has a comfort rating good enough for the temperatures you plan on camping in. Nemo also makes an inflatable pillow that has some soft foam in it as well. it's a really comfortable pillow. Nemo Fillo pillow is what it's called and it's only about 45 US dollars. Well worth it. Packs down really small.
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u/iwatchppldie 17d ago
Try to camp in conditions you can sleep the night out in the open naked and survive for your first time and your g2g.
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u/GilroyRawrRawr 17d ago
Look at backpacking gear because it’s designed to pack down smaller and be lighter. You’ll at least want a 2 person tent of any make or model because you’ll want some room to bring your stuff in with you. Get a decent inflatable sleeping pad. You’ll ride like shit if you don’t get some rest. Get a compression bag to go with your sleeping bag. It’ll make your bag pack down at least 30% smaller if not more. I have an inflatable pillow as well as a packable stuffed pillow. I like sleeping with 2 at home so I sleep with 2 when I camp. Also don’t forget some kind of lighting. I’d recommend any one of a million different fan/lantern combos because I like the noise and the cool air at night.
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u/Bobby6k34 17d ago
Get a tent, a sleeping pad, a sleeping bag, a pillow, something to carry it with, that's the minimum and go from there.
Pick some food up on the way or eat before camping.
Don't blow the budget on stuff until you know you like it, then upgrade and add as needed.
If I'm looking for gear on YouTube, I'll watch hikers that film themselves hiking or riders that have their main content as traveling. Gear reviewers, in my eyes, are just salesmen. Some of them camp in their backyards(if they even sleep outdoors) or for only one day and head back home.
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u/Competitive_Equal542 17d ago
Tent, sleeping bag and inflatable mat. Are essential. A head strap flashlight is also a good thing to have as well as a pocket knife. Most other things can be bought on the road. If I go for multi day-week rides I bring one or 2 extra pairs of socks, underwear and t-shirt and a compact microfiber towel so I can clean up in rivers or a shower at a campground or a beach. If you plan to cook there are some really compact foldable cook stoves. Mine is about 6x9x1 when folded, but assembled I can cook a medium steak or a few sausages or couple ears of corn on it. Good enough for just me.
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u/bikehikepunk 17d ago
Personally I love hammock sleeping, but sometimes they are not possible. A simple and inexpensive tent is fine to get started.
Start with simple overnights at a nearby campground or park to test your setup.
I tend to enjoy when I go lighter and do not attempt to cook more than instant coffee. Before I head to camp I buy some local go food and a couple beers to have. My setup at an established site is usually less than 15 min, pack up takes me 20-30 minutes. I enjoy a hot breakfast in town more than anything I can pack on the bike.
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u/LimaBikercat 16d ago edited 16d ago
For moto camping, weight doesn't matter but volume does. So i try to get as small things as possible though that does not always work out like that because of the cost of the super light and small trekking stuff.
For food and drinks:
- A stainless steal mug. You can put one of those right on the burner. Doubles as a tiny boiling pot that you can boil one serving of rice or something in.
- A gas burner that does not sit on top of the gas cartridge like this one: https://contents.mediadecathlon.com/p2618421/k$2b35d32f8accfbd5459e86f13434ebe7/picture.jpg
- A tiny aluminium wind screen. These fold up flat like an oldschool map. Thought they were overkill at first but they're great.
- A bog standard, smallest size frying pan if you are gonna make fresh meals. Don't, if you're just gonna go to restaurants or eat canned or freeze dried foods. Don't take canned foods with you, too voluminous and easy to buy locally.
- One or two Adventure Foods brand freeze dried meals. They're hella tasty and a godsend for when you're tired, wet and really don't want to go to a grocery store a couple towns over, and the camp site doesn't have a cafe where they sell food.
Clothes: your motorcycle lycra doubles as thermo underwear for at night if it gets really cold. Always, ALWAYS carry a warm sweater and some trackies. Also a rain suit if your normal motorcycle gear is not waterproof. There's no such thing as too many socks.
Use synthetic or woolen clothes because cotton will always feel slightly damp and cold and bleh from the inevitable dew and moisture.
Tent: I have a Decathlon Trek 100 tent: https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingGear/comments/sfzefi/has_anyone_ever_tried_the_decathlon_forclaz/.
It is essentially a smaller version of an iglo tent. Packs up really small which is important. But i dislike how much condensation builds up on the inside of the outer shell. Apart from that it's a great tent. It is a full 2m long so you can fit a full size sleeping mat inside. It is officially for 2 people but it absolutely won't fit 2 people.
Try to find something in this shape, but with better ventilation.
Any random sleeping bag that aligns with your need for warmth will do. They always say down to which temperature they're comfortable. If you're a guy that gets cold easily, use the comfort indication for women (they are often rated differently for women and for men). I have a Nomad with a comfort for women rating down to 8 degrees, and i can say (as someone who gets cold very easily) that down to 8 degrees i was genuinely cozy and warm as long as i was wearing a sweater and trackies (wasn't wearing a shirt).
Self inflating sleeping mats can be really comfy. I have a Redwood Magnolia 5 and it is genuinely comfy to sleep on, not just 'It is good for what it is'. Try out some of them.
Go to a Decathlon or Vrijbuiter and go try out stuff. Often you can choose 2 out of 3: packs away compact, comfortable, affordable. My sleeping bag and mat are of the 'comfortable and affordable' type and are more suited to car camping, but i don't regret lugging those around at all because they're so comfy. I did not want to spend hundreds of euros on those things (both were less than 100 euro, but idk exactly how much) on expensive but small and light down sleeping bags and ultralight trekking pads that are barely as wide as i am.
Bike related stuff: get a rough estimate of how far you're gonna ride, you may very well have to take extra oil with you. Also a small can of chain grease is needed. If you don't have it already, install a phone charger to your bike's electrical system to charge your phone while riding and to charge a power bank if you're not on a camp site with electricity. I always manage without electricity, though once i had to borrow an outlet from a neighbor because i didn't ride enough that day to fully charge my power bank.
Camping is not rocket science, and you can slowly improve things each time you go camping. My next thing to improve is either mount a silent PC fan inside my tent for active ventilation, or get a whole new tent that is less affected by the humid air you exhale.
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u/whatsamawhatsit 15d ago
Look at what hikers bring. It's all lightweight, low volume and dual purpose. That's exactly what we want. Low volume keeps air resistance down, and low weight retains handling. Don't fall for the trap that "you're not carrying it on your back so you can bring more".
Generally, a two man tent is great for one, and a three man tent is great for two. It gives you room to store some gear dry inside.
A hammock is nice if you know for sure you'll find enough trees tightly spaced to hang one. You might not find those on a campsite, but you will in most of Scandinavia.
The advantage of a hammock is that you don't touch the ground. Ideal for wet soil or uneven or sloped ground. The advantage of a tent is more internal space for you and your gear, and its easy to set up. You do need a flat spot for it, which is plentiful on campsites.
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u/muddywadder 14d ago
Man.... your budget is the thing that matters most here. I use a durston xdome 1+, thermarest pad, and rei down quilt. less than 5 pounds total and good to about 30ish degrees. I have a warbonnet hammock with an underquilt I use when i know theres going to be trees.
Do you have a lot of trees where you're at? If yes, either tent or hammock is fine. If no, go for a tent. If not sure, go for a tent. Dont stress on the model, find something you can afford and give it a test run in the backyard.
For what its worth I think the durston xdome tents are top notch. I've used a big agnes copper spur in the past and it was great. Buddy has a nemo dragonfly (i think?) and loves it. Other buddy has a tent from walmart he really likes.
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u/fr1234 18d ago
You’re over thinking it. Get any tent, a warm enough sleeping bag and a sleeping mat (optional). Strap them to the back of your bike and off you go. Literally no more to it.
If there’s something else you need, you’ll find out pretty soon and you can buy that on the road.