Planning your first moto-camping trip? Keep reading for our guide for the essential list and some nice extras. You’ll surprise yourself with how much two saddlebags can carry!
If you’ve ever been car-camping before, you will likely envisioning camping as some steaks on the grill, cold bears in the cooler, and a big comfy tent to sleep in.
Of course what works for a car may not apply to your motorcycle experience! Forget the idea of coolers and big grills. While we can get creative with foods, simpler is better — so read on for multi-day meals and camping on 2 -wheels.
Moto-camping is a a great way to embrace the primitive and survivalist experience. What is the minimum essentials to get by? Food, water, shelter; Let’s look at each of these when camping.
Shelter
While you can bring a tent moto-camping, there are 2 major trade-offs. 1) Most have pretty long poles making it a very-wide-must-strap-down accessory, and 2) you’ll want a sleeping pad because sleeping on ground sucks. They do have small and modified tents for backpacking that work best if you go this route.
- Lightweight backpacking tent & sleeping pad
We much prefer suspending ourselves off the hard ground with some hammock systems. You can buy hammock/bug screen/rain-fly combos from just about every outfitter now, and you can check our reviews for a few of our favorites.
- Hammock and rain-fly combo
- Extra tarp / plastic
- roap/tie-downs (read: Essential Moto Camping Knots)
- tie-down stakes
Hot blooded? We all are, keep it that way with an appropriately rated sleeping bag.
- Sleeping bag
Water
If you like living, having a plan for potable water is key. Most public campgrounds have running water, so just bring a water bottle.
If you’re doing any ‘primitive’ camping, you should bring means to filter or boil water you find. I already need to boil water for my meals. And while boiling is perfectly safe it does nothing for taste or clarity. Drinking muddy water is not fun even when you know it’s safe. Personally I would strongly suggest a gravity or pump filter than can do a couple of liters in ~10 minutes or less.
- Water pack (for drinking)
- Water bottle (for cooling/filling)
- Pocket stove (jetboil, MSR, etc)
Food
Speaking of boiling water, that means we can cook, and cooking with water is far and above out recommendation. You can buy awesome Ready-to-Eat meals for ~$8/meal and be full of warm, decent food. Plus no clean up! The pouches are your pots!
Here are other ways to eat without the camp kitchen.
- hit a local eatery on your way in/out of camp.
But otherwise, let’s pack the essential food kit
- Hand wipes/wet wipes (yes grandma we washed our hands)
- Ready to eat meals (just add boiling water)
- Protein bars
- Jerky / dehydrated foods
- Spork/utensil set
- Toilet paper and cat-hole spade
Creature Comforts
Alright, with essential out of the way we can survive — but we want also to enjoy ourselves! I like to pack a few extra items to bring some level of comfort to the experience.
- Coffee & french press (check our reviews!)
- Ultra compact camp-chair
- Firestarter and hatchet
Safety and Essentials
- first aid kit
- duct tape
- bike tool kit
- rope and pulley kit
- GPS messenger
Does it All Fit?
Take a look in the video below to see all these items (except sleeping bag) arranged in two standard saddle bags!
Feel free to use our full camping list here with easy printing checklist.