Motorcycle Camping

[Miss America]

Since I'm planning my first big multi-day motorcycle camping trip, I figured I'd reach out to see if anyone has some lessons learned/good advice to offer up about motorcycle camping! I've done a few local weekend trips, but nothing like the planned upcoming trip.

I'm planning on doing a coast to coast type trip and want to camp the entire way. Will be on the RX3 and will be using the stock luggage along with whatever else is needed.

So let's hear it. What have you learned? What have you found that works best?

[cheesy]

Well, avoid the drip style coffee thingy(the one that sits on the cup)at all costs. Other than that, if you've done weekend trips, a cross country jaunt should not be a big deal. Just a bunch of weekend trips rolled into one. Maybe add a Camelback if you don't already own one. Bike mounted phone charger, too.

Have fun.

[Weldangrind]

I'm quite interested in following this thread, since I've never camped with a bike. I've done plenty of tenting in my time, but always with four wheels.

Miss America, are you planning on taking any cooking tools with you, or will you eat all meals at restaurants? Do you intend to seek motorcycle service along the way, or use a shop? I expect that you'll need a few oil changes in your journey.

Perhaps you've already considered this, but I'd recommend a good rain gear suit. It would be a nuisance to deal with soaked clothing in an evening where you're camping, and dry clothes would be at a premium, due to space.

Will you be solo?

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I'm quite interested in following this thread, since I've never camped with a bike. I've done plenty of tenting in my time, but always with four wheels.

Miss America, are you planning on taking any cooking tools with you, or will you eat all meals at restaurants? Do you intend to seek motorcycle service along the way, or use a shop? I expect that you'll need a few oil changes in your journey.

Perhaps you've already considered this, but I'd recommend a good rain gear suit. It would be a nuisance to deal with soaked clothing in an evening where you're camping, and dry clothes would be at a premium, due to space.

Will you be solo?

Good points, Weld.

Miss A, if you ask six different people about stoves and cooksets, you'll get a dozen different opinions. I'm good for several myself.

[SpudRider]

My motorcycle tours have always been limited to 7 days or less. Therefore, I prefer to travel light, and to setup, and break camp as quickly as possible. I don't carry any cooking gear. I pack trail mix for snacks, and sandwiches for meals. I also stop at restaurants when I reach towns.

It is absolutely necessary to pack rain gear, since you can easily induce hypothermia while riding in wet clothing. In addition to a rain jacket and pants, I also pack waterproof booties and mittens to keep my hands and feet dry.

[Miss America]

Thanks for the feedback and good questions!! I was planning on bringing my jetboil and cooking on the road as I have a very limited diet due to food allergies, but I should be able to get by without cooking for most of my meals. Good points on the restaurants as it would definitely make packing/unpacking much lighter and easier. Luckily I'm not much of a coffee drinker so I should be good to go without the coffee necessities.

I am planning on bringing my camelbak and I bought some of those flavored electrolyte + caffeine tabs that are "safe" to use in the camelbak to ensure I stay hydrated and alert.

As far as service goes, I'm planning on doing all of the maintenance/service work myself, so I will have a toolkit with me and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'm hoping I will be able to tackle anything that comes up on my own.

I don't own a rain suit, but I have waterproof jacket and pants along with a set of frog toggs that I was planning on bringing along. I like the idea of booties and mittens to help keep the extremities dry warm and dry.

Setting up and tearing down camp in a timely manner is my goal so I can spend more time on the road and don't want to be riding in the dark. I'm hoping to work on this a bit more in the coming weeks with my backyard camping practice.

As of right now I'll be solo for the trip, but I'm planning on doing the Baja ride with the CSC folks, so it may work out where I meet others that are doing a similar trip and may end up having companions for some of the ride.

Quick question for you all... if you get caught in a downpour, do you still camp or do you look for a dry place to stay for the night? I'm torn, but am thinking I may just need to factor in a good, dry night of sleep would be better than suffering through a wet night camping?

[Weldangrind]

My favourite tool is a MasterCard. If the rain becomes ridiculous, you can always grab a Motel 6 and have a hot shower and warm room.

[cheesy]

As my last MC camping trip ended up being called Camp Sokenwet, I whole heartedly agree with Weld.

[SpudRider]

X3 on the Motel 6 during Monsoons.

[AZRider]

The more comfortable you are the better you feel and the safer you ride. With that in mind, a good night's sleep is priceless, so get a good cot or pad and an appropriate sleeping bag for the temperatures you expect to encounter. Do not depend on your cases to keep stuff dry, get dry bags.

[jct842]

Motel 6, ground floor and roll the bike right in with you!

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by jct842

Motel 6, ground floor and roll the bike right in with you!

Genius!

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by AZRider

The more comfortable you are the better you feel and the safer you ride. With that in mind, a good night's sleep is priceless, so get a good cot or pad and an appropriate sleeping bag for the temperatures you expect to encounter. Do not depend on your cases to keep stuff dry, get dry bags.

I couldn't agree more. I pack a down sleeping bag which is rated for minus 20 degrees (Fahrenheit). I stuff the bag in a compression sack to reduce the packed volume.

Last summer I started using a Coleman Slim Twin Skinny Airbed, and I have never slept better on the ground.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Sk...irbed/23374670

[Mudflap]

That's what I use too but I top it with one of those cheap blue foam camping pads for insulation in cold weather. Way more comfortable than the Thermarest I used in the past, and a lot cheaper to buy.

What do you use to pump it up? I haul a 12V blower type pump along but would like to find a smaller lighter solution.

Originally Posted by SpudRider

I couldn't agree more. I pack a down sleeping bag which is rated for minus 20 degrees (Fahrenheit). I stuff the bag in a compression sack to reduce the packed volume.

Last summer I started using a Coleman Slim Twin Skinny Airbed, and I have never slept better on the ground.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Sk...irbed/23374670

[Weldangrind]

For years, I used a small 12v fan blower to pump up everything when we camped, including queen sized air mattresses. They're cheap at Walmart, compact and have three different nozzle sizes.