Motorcycle Camping for Beginners

From Honda Trail Bike Wiki

[edit] Introduction

This is guide for those of you who would like to have a go at camping but have little idea where to start, or are really confused by the all the different gear on the market. The opinions here are purely personal, but they are backed up by over 35 years camping experience and over 25 years using a ‘bike too.

[edit] Camping Gear

The guiding principle is ‘keep it simple’. Camping shops are full of gadgets and gear, most of which you don’t need – if you really enjoy camping you can always add to your kit but here are the items you will definitely need -

A Tent – with porch space and designed for one more person design than will actually use it

A Sleeping Bag – full zip, synthetic fill

A Sleeping Mat – closed cell, self inflating, airbed

A Knife – pen knife

A Torch/Light – free standing/narrow beam/floodlight

Something to carry it all in - Panniers

If you are going to cook or brew-up you’ll need to add:

A Stove – gas or pertol

Pans – nesting pans (can also be used as plates/dishes)

A Mug – a broad based one

Cutlery – knife/fork/spoon

A water carrier - a roll up one is best for pack size, but a plastic drinks bottle will do too!

With all of this equipment bulk, or lack of it, is more important than weight. Also, there’s little point in buying expensive equipment at this stage. Some of the cheaper stuff is more than adequate and if you really get into it then you can always trade up to better gear.

One thing to consider is where to buy your equipment. If you are leaving your country for travels in another, is the equipment in the starting country cheaper than in you home country? At the time of writing this (2006-2007), camping equipment in most UK shops was approximately the same cost in GBP Sterling as it was in the equivalent type of shop in the US in US Dollars (e.g $60 instead of 60 GBP).

[edit] The Tent

There are many, many designs on the market ranging from sub £20 ‘play tents’ to expedition tents that cost twenty times that and more.

What you need is a double skin tent - a breathable inner tent with a sewn in ground sheet and an outer (called a fly-sheet). Avoid single-skin tents altogether.

‘Hydrostatic Head’ is a measure of the waterproof capabilities of the flysheet and groundsheet, the higher the number the better (and usually more expensive). For the UK/Europe, make sure the flysheet has a Hydrostatic Head (HH) rating of at least 2000mm.

Get a tent that can accommodate one more person than will actually use it, e.g. if there are two of you, buy a three-person tent, you will appreciate the extra room.

Look for a tent with a large fully-covered porch (vestibule) area, if it’s got it’s own ground sheet so much the better. A decent porch is great for storing your luggage, bike gear, wet boots, jackets, etc. and, with care, can be used for cooking in. It also makes a good shelter from the sun!

Make sure the packed weight of your tent is no more than 5 kg and that the packed size is not too great. Remember you have to strap this thing to your bike

Fortunately there are loads of tents that meet these requirements at a reasonable cost. Basically you’re looking at two designs –

Dome tents

Tunnel tents

My choice is the tunnel tent above (Coleman Graphite 3). Tunnel tents tend to give you more usable room than the equivalent dome design. A reasonable tunnel tent with fibreglass poles will set you back between £50 to £100. Makes to look out for include Vango, Karrimor, Coleman and Eurohike.

[edit] Sleeping bag

There are two sorts of sleeping bags – ones filled with feather down and ones filled with synthetic materials. Down sleeping bags pack down smaller than synthetic fill bags but are much, much more expensive. You will also hear that down insulates less well when wet. This is relative – synthetic bags are also poor when wet, keep your sleeping bag dry at all costs. If your ‘bag does get wet, you can always dry a synthetic fill in a tumble dryer (cool setting), you can’t do that with down.

Most sleeping bags carry a season rating –

1 season = summer use

2 season = summer/autumn use

3 season = spring,summer and autumn

4 season = year round.

Some bags (e.g. Vango) will also show a temperature range – e.g. 20C to 0C – which suggests a comfortable ambient temperature range. Again these are relative. For May to September camping, initially go for a 2/3 season bag, depending on whether you sleep hot or cool.

Also, when sleeping, wear some thick, dry socks and a good wool or synthetic hat – you loose most of your body heat through your head.

Don’t under estimate how cold it can feel at night, even in the height of summer. A warm sleeping bag is a must.

Recommended: The Vango Wilderness 250 2 season sleeping bag, temp rating: +8°C to +20°C, extreme temp rating: -5°C

[edit] Sleeping Mat

Even with a good warm sleeping bag cold will strike up through the ground. You basically have three options.

Closed cell foam mat – the cheapest option at £3 to £5. Good at insulating and can’t be punctured. Very light but not particularly compact when rolled up.

Air Bed – the mid-price option at £10 - £20. Comfortable but not particularly good at insulating and useless if they get punctured. Can be both heavier and bulkier than closed cell foam mats or self inflating mats.

Self inflating mat (e.g. Thermarest) – the expensive option at £20 - £60. Good at insulating and surprisingly comfortable

To begin with a closed cell foam mat is more than adequate but if you have an airbed, and you’re camping in summer, that will do.

[edit] Knife

Any quality pocket-knife with a good sharp blade of 75mm minimum length will be sufficient. Swiss army style knives with bottle openers, corkscrews, screwdrivers, etc. combine many functions – just make sure it’s a quality knife that will actually work and keep a sharp blade.

[edit] Torch

Any small or mid-sized battery-powered torch will prove useful just make sure it’s robust, waterproof and you have spare batteries. A head torch is good because it keeps both hands free, which is good for cooking, bike repairs, etc. The Petzl range of LED head torches are tiny and reliable.

[edit] Panniers

Again, use what you already have. If you don’t have any, then take your choice between a set of strong throwover-panniers or some plastic or aluminium hard luggage.

[edit] Stove

There are many types on the market but for most camping duties a simple butane/propane gas canister stove is more than adequate.

They are small, light, inexpensive and gas canisters are readily available in the UK and western Europe, if you stick to the well known makes – CampingGaz or Coleman. They are simple to use and burn cleanly and controllably enough to use in the vestibule of your tent (Warning: Only do this with extreme caution and never leave a stove unattened). Don’t rely on cartridge availability though, take a couple of spare cartridges just in case. Choose a model with demountable cartridges, they are easier to pack and less likely to leak.

Gas Stove (Coleman Featherweight)

As an alternative might want to consider a petrol stove (Optimus, Coleman, MSR) which can be topped up from your bike tank. These are more expensive to buy, cheaper to run and produce an alarming amount of flame/smoke on start-up – under no circumstances use this type of stove in the vestibule of your tent.

Petrol Stove (MSR Dragonfly)

[edit] Pans

A set of nesting pans will pack down quite small and can be used for all your cooking and boiling water for tea/coffee, etc. You can also eat off them. Cost – approx £10

[edit] Mug

You can buy insulated mugs (keeps your drink warmer longer) specifically for camping but any plastic or metal mug will do. Make sure your mug has a wide base for stability as flat surfaces are usually at a premium when camping.

[edit] Cutlery

(knife, fork, spoon) Raid the kitchen drawer! And if you’re really trying to save some weight, leave the knife at home, you’ll have your pocket knife with you anyway.

[edit] Water Carrier

1 litre/2 litre plastic ‘pop’ bottles are the cheapest solution but generally the plastic is brittle and can split easily. Most camping shops have more robust water carriers that cost only a few pounds and have the added advantage that they roll or fold up when empty and take up less space.

If you are riding in remote areas with hard panniers, another solution is to strap plastic Jerry cans (5ish litres) to the front or rear of your panniers. One can then be used for extra fuel and the other for water.

[edit] Preparation & Packing

You’ve just bought a new tent, now put it up (pitch) before you go anywhere for real. There are many good reasons for doing this but mainly you want to check there are no bits missing, that all the strings (guy-lines or guys) are attached properly and, fundamentally, that you actually know how pitch your tent without providing impromptu entertainment for the rest of the campsite. Take down (strike) your tent and put it away in the same order it came out of its bag.

If you managed to pitch your tent without any drama try doing it again, but this time when it’s windy and wet…and dark!

If possible always pack your tent dry. If you have to temporarily pack it wet (i.e. between sites) always dry it thoroughly when you get home otherwise the fabric will attract mildew, rot and compromise waterproofing.

As a general rule, pack heavier items in your panniers and bulky but light items (e.g. your tent) on the rear rack. Making sure your tent is easily accessible is a really good idea because it’s the first thing you’ll need when you reach your destination and, if it’s raining, you don’t want the rest of your gear getting wet while you pitch it!

Pack everything in bin-liners to keep it dry.

Make a list of everything you take with you. When you return from your trip, cross off the list anything you didn’t use and don’t take it next time!

[edit] Camping tips

[edit] Campsites or Rough Camping?

To begin with, use commercial campsites. There are literally thousands of them and the big advantage of using them is that all but the most basic will have some facilities – toilets, showers, washing-up, clothes dryers, grocery shops, and so on. Secondly, campsites are usually pretty friendly places. You’ll be surrounded by other campers - a rich source of help and support especially if you’re on your own. The mere fact that you’ve arrived by ‘bike will be enough for some folk to want to talk to you!

In France most small towns will have a municipal campsite. These are often very good value and have a range of facilities.

[edit] Where to pitch

Look for a reasonably flat, well-drained area that’s not going to flood if it rains. On most campsites the damp areas are fairly obvious but avoid camping too close to streams and rivers (they can flood very quickly); in dips or depressions (water might ‘pool’ there); anywhere there are reeds or rushes (if it wasn’t regularly damp they wouldn’t grow there); or under trees (they’ll continue dripping on you long after the rain stops and their roots can make a difficult and uncomfortable pitch anyway).

Once you’ve selected your spot clear the ground of any small rocks, sticks or twigs, dung and fill in any small holes. Now you’re ready to erect your tent just like you did at home.

[edit] Sleeping

In these different surroundings it can take a night or two to get used to sleeping in your tent.

If you’re using an airbed or self-inflating mat make certain it’s properly inflated and improvise a pillow by filling your tent stuff sack with clothes/towel, etc. Make sure that any items you might need during the night, e.g. your torch, are to hand. Earplugs might also come in useful, especially if the campsite is crowded, near a road or in the centre of a town.