Camping While Traveling On Two Wheels
A Guide To Motorcycle Camping
Camping is a great way to travel cheap and experience a place. Seeing beautiful places is great, but spending the night there makes it even better. I’ll lay out how you can have a comfortable night in the great outdoors while traveling on your motorcycle.
Where To Camp
National Parks — If you are planning a big sight seeing trip across America some National Parks are probably on your itinerary. When I rode across the country in the summer of 2013 I had a park pass which got me into parks for free, and it saved me a lot of money. Check out the National Parks website where you can get a pass. If you meet certain requirements you can get them for free, or discounted.
State Parks — State parks can be just as beautiful as National Parks, and are often cheaper. Don’t discount them because they are not as high profile as the bigger National Parks.
National Forests — National Forests offer campgrounds where you pay a small fee, and you are provided with a bathroom and drinkable water. They also offer dispersed camping. Dispersed camping is when you find a spot in a National Forest, not near an established campground, and camp there. The best part about this is it’s free. Read about the rules of dispersed camping in National Forests here.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineering — The Corps of Engineering has campgrounds all over the country. See if there is one near you or where you are traveling here.
Gear
The first thing to remember here is to not go crazy and become a gear junkie, you don’t need much to have a comfortable night under the stars.
Sleeping bag — I have an REI Polar Pod, and it’s a great three season bag, and I’ve never gotten cold in it. If you need anything warmer than this you are riding in some cold weather. I have another bag I use for summer camping, an REI Travel Sleeping Bag. The last time I used it was a sticky summer ride through Mississippi on the Natchez Trace Trail, and it worked great. It can also be used as another layer for another bag if you are camping in very cold weather.
Sleeping Pad — I can’t emphasize how important this piece of gear is to having a comfortable night outside. Even the warmest sleeping bag won’t keep you warm when you are laying on the cold ground. You can get a simple foam one for about $15 or cheaper, or spend a few more dollars to get an inflatable one, and be a little more comfortable. I prefer the inflatable ones.
Tent — Cowboy camping is fun, but waking up in the middle of the night in a thunderstorm or waking up wet with dew is not fun. Having a tent gives you a place to put your jacket, helmet and other riding gear too. You can get a good two man tent for under $100.
Duffel Bag — If you don’t have saddlebags on your bike to put your gear in you can get a duffel bag. Besides it being cheaper it works just as well. I have one similar to this. If you want a waterproof one there are several on the market, or you can give your duffel bag a good coating of Scotch-Gard to waterproof it. Your duffel bag can be easily secured with bungee cords on the back of your bike.
The above items are all you really need to get outside and have a great time camping on your motorcycle trips.
Food
MRE — Meals Ready to Eat. I’ve eaten more of these than I can count in my time in the Marine Corps, but I’ve got to say they’re not too bad. They can be a little pricey, but you are definitely full after eating them.
Boil In A Bag — These are a little cheaper, and you can find them at most outdoor retail stores. The Mountain House ones are a good option. The issue with these is you have to have a way to boil water, which brings me to my next point.
JetBoil/Stove — If you want to get a stove there are a ton of options out there, but the best and simplest one I’ve found is a JetBoil. They’re durable, easy to use and you can use them to make all kinds of meals. It’s impressive how fast they can boil water. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I’m told it is nice to have a cup when you wake up. For the coffee drinkers here is a coffee press for a JetBoil.
Ramen & Tuna — This is about as cheap and simple as you can get. Mix the tuna and ramen together and you’ve got a filling meal. This is another meal a JetBoil can make in a hearbeat.
If you don’t like my suggestions for food, check out the cookbooks on Amazon specifically devoted to backpacking cooking. You’re bound to find something there you like.
Meet Interesting People & Travel Cheap
You meet all kinds of people when camping. I rode up to see the White Mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire once, and in the campground I was staying in I met some colorful characters I laughed and talked with into the late hours of the night. On a trip to Yosemite I met a generous group of people camped next to me who fed me, and prayed I would have a safe trip. On the same trip to Yosemite I met a man in the campground who used to do a lot of the video work for Jay Leno’s Jaywalking segment, and he shared some funny stories with me. These are just a few of the interesting people I’ve met because I was camping. In a hotel room you aren’t going to meet people, and it’s going to be boring, and expensive, so do yourself a favor and camp next time you are on the road, it will save you money and you’ll meet someone new.
Additional Reading
If you’re into motorcycles and camping there are two sources you must check out. Aerostich and Touratech. These two places will have anything and everything you could ever want when outfitting yourself for camping and motorcycling.
Finally, if you are a beginner to motorcycle camping you might want to check out Motorcycle Camping Made Easy by Bob Woofter. I bought it years ago, and thought it was a great book.
