Motorcycle Camping Guide
Hey campers, we're gonna chat about camping
out. We'll share some ideas with you, ideas
that we've learned over years of hiking/backpacking/touring. A bunch of campers have had input. This
is a group effort, you are the group. When you read that differences of opinion about anything start off
with I, chalk it up to the vagaries of the English language. As I tell my students at school,
"Deal with it!"
This write-up is primarily aimed at folks who will be camping out while
touring. If you're planning on just cruising motels, adjust accordingly.
If you want to learn about equipment and techniques, a good place to start
is in books about back packing. Back packers are very careful about what
they have to carry. Weight is all important and every item should have 2-3
uses to justify being carried on a trip. In bike packing, weight isn't all
that important, but I find that bulk is. Small, tight luggage makes for
pleasant riding, and better mileage.
BAGS FOR THE BIKE
Hard Bags or Soft Bags
Some folks like hard luggage, and other like soft. There is a case for
both. Good, well-designed hard luggage, such as BMWs hard bags,
make excellent repositories for your gear. They keep your stuff dry
and take more of a beating than soft luggage. However, the cost can be
a major roadblock to some. Of course, the hard bag manufacturer has to
have the right stuff for your particular bike--like frames and
mounting gear. When you take the bags off the bike, though, you have a
bike with mounting brackets sticking out all over the place. Hard bags
can be painted to match your bike, if they aren't color-matched already.
Some folks like soft luggage. with no brackets sticking out to catch clothing or
whatever. Soft bags are the color you get when you buy them. You can't change that.
Good soft bags keep your gear pretty dry. Sometimes things will get a
little wet, but outside of a monsoon-like downpour they stay dry. Soft
bags can be packed away into a small space (one inside the other, for
instance) when not needed. Also, some sets come with a tank bag. Some
people don't like tank bags, but they have their purpose. They can
hold a dry map for ready reference in a top pocket, coins for the toll
booth in a side pocket, extra batteries for he fuzz buster in another
side pocket, first aid kit, rain gear, extra gloves, tools and other
handy items.
Other Luggage
Also really handy are a good tail pack (not much harder to make than a
stuff sack, just use heavier material).
CAMPING GEAR
Tents or Other Shelter
When people think of camping, the first thing they think of is a tent.
Actually, a tent is probably one of the least important items. A tent
offers two things well; privacy and bug protection. Privacy is not
that big a deal in that you can always change clothes inside of a good
sleeping bag or the local toilet if need be. Judicious selection of a
sleeping spot _is_ important. For rain protection, a large plastic
sheet is far handier than a tent and more enjoyable when you are stuck
in an all-day drizzle.
Yes, I use a tent. What can I say, I'm getting soft in my old age. I
also go to commercial camp-sites a bunch while on the road and the
privacy issue does become important. When using a tent, make sure that
you have enough room so that you do not touch the inside of the tent
while in your bag, even with a lot of enthusiastic thrashing about.
Good tents invariably have a breathable inner shell and a rain fly
(DON'T BUY A WATERPROOF TENT). Even so, natural condensation on the
inside of the tent will cause it to become very damp. Leaning on this
with your sleeping bag will cause wicking and your bag will get wet.
That makes for uncomfortable sleeping. Not fun.
Get a _big_ tent, as big as you can afford. Avoid tents with
fiberglass poles. They break with alarming regularity. If you do, make
sure that replacement poles are available at nominal cost. Aluminum
poles cost a bit more, but are worth it.
Good tents invariably have screened windows/doors for cross-
ventilation and a few hanging pockets for glasses and watches. Avoid
tents with interior poles. Tents which hang from some sort of external
framework are nice. Dome tents are nice in this respect and there are
a bunch of them on the market.
Always use a good ground "cloth" or ground sheet with a tent (make sure it
is not larger than the tent bottom. This is nothing more than a heavy duty piece
of plastic, but it will dramatically increase the life of the tent. It'll also make the inside
of the tent a bit drier.
Sleeping Bags
Now here is an important item. Go by the philosophy that if you can
get a good night's sleep, you can put up with a world of grief during
the day. A good sleeping bag and sleeping pad or mattress are vital.
There are lots of good bags on the market at reasonable prices. Goose
down used to be the only way to go. If it gets damp, you're gonna be
uncomfortable. Go with one of the new fibers, I use Holo-Fil II. I have three
bags (one for spring, fall and summer). A rectangular model that can open into
a comforter for a king size bed.
A bag with nylon inside and out is easier to maintain. A damp rag will
wipe down the inside of the bag and 15 minutes in strong sunlight will
do wonders to freshen the bag up. Plus, it makes washing and drying
back home easier.
Mattresses or Pads
I went camping for years without a mattress, get one now.
I use a self-inflating,
insulating air mattress (Therm a Rest) and love it. These are not cheap, mine cost
something on the order of $50, but did come with a life time warranty.
Lots of them are available for far less. Newer options for the self-
inflating air mattresses are a range of thicknesses. Remember when you buy one you have to carry it on your bike.
Hint on using any self-inflating air mattress. Store it open. When you
use it, unwrap it and give it a chance to inflate by itself. Sometimes
it will take 20 minutes or so. When setting up camp, I will set up the
tent, and then unroll and start the air mattress inflating. Blowing
into the air mattress to inflate it will introduce moisture into the
air mattress which can lead to cold sleeping if enough gets inside.
Stuff Sacks
Handy as anything you can take. I have a Seal Line Dry Bag and it is
waterproof even in the heaviest monsoon-like downpour.
Stoves
Stoves are handy. Don't plan on cooking over an open fire. It might be
raining, it is slow and fire restrictions may forbid it, it leaves
unsightly scars on the ground and it attracts lions and tigers and
bears (Oh My!).
There are bunches and bunches available. There is a Coleman model that
burns unleaded regular (do not use Canadian gas). It is easy to fill at gas stops. A good stove can boil
water faster than you can use it and is handy as all get-out. Makes morning
coffee a meaningful experience. I even got an espresso maker that works over
a small camp stove. Right up there with pneumatic tires, I tell you!
Other types of stoves are available. Using unleaded gas can be tricky,
if you aren't used to it. Some stoves burn butane or propane. Some butane
stoves fold into a pouch no larger than a cigarette box. The butane cans are
about the size of a coke can. The butane can be had for about $3.00 per can. You
can get these stoves from outdoor outfitters for about $15 to $20.
Propane stoves (Coleman makes a nice single-burner for about $15.) are
another alternative. Propane cans are larger, and disposable, and cost
about $4 to $5--depending on source. These stoves are nice for a hot
fire and even, reliable cooking. The propane stove and fuel can are no
larger than a 32-ounce drink from one of those corner variety stores.
What I like about butane and propane stoves is that a can of fuel
lasts a long time. I've cooked over one can of butane--meals for
two--for three days, and still had fuel.
When packing a gas-fueled stove for travel, depressurize the fuel.
Also make sure that it's never more than about 3/4 full. The heat of
the day and altitude changes might otherwise make for a nasty
surprise.
Unless you're riding a bike with easy access to the petcock hose,
carry spare fuel. Get a good backpacking gas container. Do not skimp
here. You can get a good one, anodized red, from your local backpackers
store for about $10. Make sure you mark it's contents with a big black indelible
marker. It's also much handier to fill a bottle at a pump than it is to try to
fill the stove from the pump nozzle.
Don't forget a lighter for lighting your stove. I
gave up on matches a long time ago.
What? You were thinking about a camp stove that only burns white gas
or butane? Shame.
Utensils
Here is where a lot of folks go way overboard. You need surprisingly
little. I have a very elaborate kit consisting of 2 nesting pots
(stainless steel- a SIG Tourister model), one cup (plastic insulated)
and a spoon. Yes, I always carry a knife, but rarely use one for
cooking.
A scrub pad, a small bottle of dish soap, and a small device to lift
hot metal pots (came with the cook kit) rounds out this part.
FOOD
It is no big deal to carry little if
any food. Buy what you need as you go. There are any number of great,
one pot meals that can be had in modern markets. If you need meat,
there are lots of small tins of various types available, otherwise
boxes of one pot casseroles, cheese and noodle mixes, etc. are always
handy. I found that Top Raman or other dehydrated soup, in mixture
with instant lentils or beans or some such dish is filling, easy to
cook and tastes pretty good. Explore any good supermarket for ideas,
remembering to keep it simple.
I must fully admit the more bike touring I do, the less cooking I do.
Lately I've taken to getting up early, and after perhaps a cup of
coffee I break camp and try to get on the road by 6:45-7. I ride until
10:30 or so and find a smallish town with a little cafe that normally
serves the local farmers. I've had great meals well prepared and
relatively low prices. Hitting places like that at odd hours puts you
there between local peaks and assures (usually) good service. I will
then ride until maybe 4-5 and hit someplace with a salad bar. A bowl
of soup/can of ravioli or some other such one-pot meal in the evening
ends the day.
PERSONAL HYGIENE
Always an exciting topic. After a day on the roads with temps in the
90's in the shade and no shade, a shower or bath is essential. In many
campsite these days showers are available. Not in others. When out
camping I will invariably change into my cut-off's, or swim suit, get my
largest pot and grab some soap and towel and head out for the nearest
pump. Knowing that the water coming out of the ground is usually about 32.0001 F,
I simply screw up the courage, pump out a pot full of water and pour it over my
head. I keep doing that until I stop screaming. Then you soap up and do it
again until you are rinsed off. The bright blue color tends to frighten off the
mosquitoes. We have also gone swimming in local lakes or streams.
Another consideration: When you use soap, you're generating
wastewater, and most water sources at campsites are NOT set up to
handle the wastewater generated by lots of campers. The basic rule is
to dump wastewater (generated by cleaning your body, washing your
dishes, etc) at least 100 feet from a water source. That includes the
stream that you like to camp nearby, and that includes the
common-use water pump in the campsite.
This makes a certain amount of sense. The dump-a-bucket-on-your-head
strategy is perhaps appropriate when using those regular faucet-type
water sources you find on concrete aprons at most camp grounds these
days.
You could also think about using an environmentally friendly soap.
It's hard to believe that anyone will actually walk 100 feet for every
bucket of water they will need to wash. Also in some popular
campgrounds 100 feet from one water source puts you within 100 feet of
another. Since many of them are simply underground pipes coming from a
pump house someplace, I'm not convinced this is always or absolutely
needed. Use good judgement and remember to pay attention to the
environmental concerns.
If you accept the simple fact that you might not have the same
opportunity for cleanliness that you have at home, you can stay quite
comfortable on a camping trip. I don't think I have ever had to walk
more than 100 yds for water. I carry several water bottles with me on
each ride (several are easier to pack and if one leaks, you can chuck
it and still have water.) I found a plastic coated folding bucket is
handy for washing people, bikes, clothes. Avoid the canvas models as
they can take awhile to dry.
I also heard of people carrying a product called Baby Wipes with them. These
come in a rectangular plastic box available in every super market I've
been in, near other baby and child care products. These are damp paper
towelettes, moistened with water and other soft things. They are great
for a last wipe-down of arm pits and other vitals before crawling into
a sleeping bag. Your sleeping bag will love you if you do. They are
also hand when using outdoor toilets. Invariably these outdoor potties
have something akin to wax paper for TP. Using Baby Wipes makes life
mellower. The moisturizers/lubricants also makes sitting on a bike for
miles a bit easier to take.
Of course you should also take a towel with you in any case. It is the
single most important piece of traveling gear you can name. HINT:
When using an outdoor toilet, always tap on the seat before you sit
down. On one occasion I did this and a _large_ juicy spider came
running up to the seat rim expecting its next dinner. Gave me a
moment's pause.
THOUGHTS ON PACKING A BIKE
I try to have everything in a bag of some sort. Strapping a sleeping
bag or pad open to the wind and rain is _asking_ for trouble.
Waterproof/coated nylon is cheap. Custom made stuff sacks are easily
made. In a pinch, heavy duty plastic garbage bags will protect gear,
but will shred with time at speed. Go to someplace like Costco and buy
their box of 24 bungee cords for $8. Use lots of bungee cords and
strap everything _to the bike_. Do NOT bungee one bundle to another
bundle. Make sure everything is super solid. To do this buy yourself a
Bike Belt for around $33.00 it is
safe and solid and you can get it colour
matched and it is easy to install. That one time when you gotta do a hard
swerve to avoid a chunk of debris, or stupid cager, or hit a rock or some
gravel or sand, it will. If you make a hard move with a loosely bound load, it
shifts and you go down. Not fun.
Make sure that your seams are not pointing into the rain and that your
rain suit and camera is somewhere near the top of something.
Put anything that will be ruined by water into baggies of some sort.
The style designed for freezer storage are made out of a heavier, more
durable polyethylene.
Finally, you might want to pack all your bags about 3/4th or 4/5th
full (you were planning on taking too much stuff anyway). Then, when
out in the field you can repack easily. You can never repack as
carefully out in the field as you can in your living room. I like the
_Toss and Stir_ method of filling bags.
CAMP SITES
Camping is where you find it. National Parks are beautiful to ride
through, but a zoo. It was only a miracle that in 1995 after the
Paonia Rally and before the National in Durango Dessert Don and I
found a spot a short ride away from the Grand Canyon (free). All the spots
in the park were booked well in advance. Usually, reservations are necessary
well in advance. Forest Service campsites may charge, and then again they may
not. Charges are typically $8-$10 per site. In some locations they limit the number
of vehicles per site. Usually 2-4. It is nice to pick a campsite that is off the beaten path
to anywhere. You do not want to be between a bus full of kids and the only toilet
or water pump in the camp grounds. I like campsites next to a stream. The sound will
muffle other noises of the campsite and aid in a good night's sleep. State and county
parks are a gamble. Sometimes they're great, and sometimes they're a dive.
I generally plan on spending 2-3 nights in forest service camp grounds
and then hit a KOA or similar commercial spot. They have laundry,
showers, swimming pools, pool tables, beer, and other things that are
real nice to visit/use while on the road. Often KOA's are a couple of
bucks more expensive, but with the discount card you can get via AMA
(cost $3 and provides a 10% discount) plus their usually higher
standards of cleanliness and maintenance and the _unlimited_ hot
shower time, they are worth it. Typical KOA charges are $14-$18 before
discount.
Maybe once every 7-10 days or so, crashing in a motel, sleeping in a
real bed is a nice reality check. Hard rain and cold weather will
drive me into a motel so fast it ain't funny.
MAPS
You gotta have'em. I finally found a good source of cheap maps. Join CAA or AAA.
pick up many they are free. Use one by the home toilet for dreaming. From the other
cut the maps you need for any particular trip. Call for the tourist package which most
always includes the official Provincial or State map. Some state maps are great, Utah's
is in a class by itself. Some are useless.
INSURANCE
A really handy option for folks who are doing any sort of touring is
MTS--Motorcycle Touring Service
. This is a road-side emergency service
designed for and run by riders. They guarantee help anywhere in the US
with any sort of mechanical problem. If you are a Canadian the CAA Plus
program will do all this for you at no additional cost.
WHY DO IT?
Out of the 157,000 Motorcycles MTS covers they were called 3,987 times.
the calls were
for tires 18%
for gas 1%
Battery 14%
fuel pump 2%
mechanical 25%
transmission10%
electrical 20%
accidents 9%
HARLEY DAVIDSONS account for 26% of the bikes on the road but they
accounted for 75% of the calls (and you wanted a Harley).
Ride Free, with Broccoli in your tank bag
It is not suggested that each person take everything on this list for each trip.
This is a list of all the possible things you may be interested in taking. It is
formatted so that you can print it off and use it as a check-list. I invariably will print
off the list and, working with the whole list, decide what I want to take. Next I will
prepare a smaller list and work with that as I pack.
232 + 1 ITEM BIGGEST BIKE-CAMPING LIST EVER
The Categories of Items
CAMPING/SLEEPING EQUIPMENT
COOKING/EATING EQUIPMENT
CLOTHING
PERSONAL EFFECTS
BIKE PARAPHERNALIA
TOOLS
CAMPING/SLEEPING EQUIPMENT
___ Thermarest (1st choice)
___ air mattress (2nd choice)
___ folding cot
___ bivouac bag/sack
___ candle lantern
___ candle lantern candles (spares)
___ compass
___ ear plugs (a must)
___ feces shovel
___ flashlight
___ flashlights (maglite)
___ flashlight batteries (spares)
___ ground tarps
___ knife (Buck)
___ knife sharpener
___ nylon cord
___ pillow (travel)
___ poncho liner & stuff sack
___ sleeping bag
___ waterproof-bag
___ sleeping hood (hat)
___ sleeping pad (insulated)
___ sleeping pad chair/sling
___ sven saw
___ tent
___ tent rain fly
___ tent waterproof-bag
___ waterproofing spray and seamlock
COOKING/EATING EQUIPMENT
___ bags (plastic large garbage)
___ bags (plastic small trash, 1 for every 4-5 days)
___ can opener
___ cup & spoon
___ cup/beer stein
___ dish towel
___ food
___ BROCCOLI
___ coffee bags
___ coffee creamer
___ coffee mug (insulated)
___ coffee sugar
___ energy bars/raisins
___ soy (2-3 small boxes)
___ fork
___ jack knife
___ knife
___ match case
___ matches (farmers)
___ matches (in sealed plastic bag/bottle)
___ matches (waterproof)
___ napkins
___ paper towels
___ pepper
___ plate
___ pot gripper
___ pots
___ salt
___ soap/scrubber pads
___ spoon(s)
___ stove
___ stove gas (white gas)
___ stove wind screen
___ water bottle(s) (2)
___ water carrier (1 gallon)
CLOTHING
___ Riding Gear
___ boot sock liners
___ boots (canvas mukluks or rubber type)
___ chaps
___ gators
___ gauntlets
___ gloves (cold weather)
___ gloves (electric & wire harness)
___ gloves (hot weather)
___ gloves (rubber)
___ gloves (wool liners and dish washing rain gloves)
___ hat (wool)
___ helmet
___ jacket
___ jacket (polypro ski)
___ jacket (wind breaker)
___ jacket liner & stuff sack
___ neck warmer/long scarf
___ pants (leather)
___ pants for riding (Levis)
___ rain gear (boots, vest, etc.)
___ rain totes & stuff sack
___ rain suit
___ hat
___ shirts (long-sleeve, turtle-neck T-shirts)
___ ski warm-ups
___ socks (cotton)
___ socks (neoprene)
___ socks (wool)
___ spandex shorts
___ sunglasses
___ underwear (insulated, long johns)
___ Camp Clothes
What I do is I take old clothes with me so that when they get dirty all I have
to do is throw them out and this saves me from carrying them home. If I run out
I just have to buy new ones. I was going to buy new ones eventually. A friend of
mine gave me the idea when he told me he mails his home postage due. When
he got home he went to the post office to pick them up even if they smelled bad.
___ camp shoes/slippers
___ changes of clothes ((old) 3-5, rolled up)
___ down vest
___ jeans
___ jeans jacket
___ laundry soap
___ layers of clothing (like cross country skiing)
___ moosehead hat
___ pants
___ shorts
___ socks
___ sweat shirt
___ sweater
___ swimming suit
___ T-shirts
___ underwear
___ warm clothes for evenings/nights
___ washing shorts
___ wind breaker
PERSONAL EFFECTS
___ backpack (small)
___ book (paperback)
___ camera & film
___ campground guides
___ chapstick
___ condoms
___ contact lens stuff
___ DoD lighter & fluid
___ electric razor
___ fanny pack
___ first aid kit
___ fishing gear
___ grease pencil
___ hand cream
___ hand soap
___ hand/nail brush
___ hi-liter
___ insect repellent/bug spray
___ knife
___ maps & magnifier
___ prescription medicines
___ membership cards (AMA, VRC, RPAA, Parks, campgrounds, etc.)
___ negotiables
___ cash ($25-$30/day/person)
___ checkbook
___ credit cards (MC/Visa/AmEx/Discover/etc.)
___ travellers checks
___ pen
___ pencil
___ post-it's
___ radios/tape players with mini speakers
___ radios/tape players batteries (extras)
___ reading glasses
___ sewing kit
___ shampoo
___ skin moisturizers
___ sun glasses
___ sun screen/block/lotion
___ tapes
___ toilet kit
___ toilet paper in sealed plastic bag
___ toiletries
___ tooth brush & paste
___ towel
___ visine
___ wash cloth
___ watch
___ weather radio
BIKE PARAPHERNALIA
___ anti-fogger (detergent)
___ bags (large ziplock garbage)
___ bike rain cover
___ bug rag
___ bungee cargo net
___ bungee cords
___ chain lock
___ chain lock key (extra)
___ chain lub
___ chain masterlink
___ chamois (to clean windshield)
___ cloth rags
___ communicators (bike-to-bike radios)
___ duct tape
___ emergency equipment
___ fork protectors
___ fuel bottle (backpacking type, 2-quart filled with extra gasoline)
___ glue (gorilla snot)
___ glue (super)
___ helmet face shield/visors (clear, tinted, & extras)
___ ignition key (extra)
___ insurance papers & info
___ lamp, headlight (spare No. ______)
___ lamp, instrument panel (spare No. ______)
___ lamp, taillight (spare No. ______)
___ lamp, turn signals (spare No. ______)
___ maps
___ padlocks & cables
___ radar detector & extra batteries
___ rain-x
___ saddlebag key (extra)
___ seatcover (sheep skin)
___ seat rain cover
___ shoe laces (leather -- loop at one end for strapping)
___ sidestand plates
___ stuff sacks (weather-proof)
___ tank bag
___ tarp (small reinforced or rain parka) (for gear during storms)
___ vehicle registration
___ windshield polish
TOOLS
___ duct tape (flatten the spool)
___ electrical system schematic
___ electrical tape
___ emergency blanket (Space Blanket)
___ emergency warning light (trouble light)
___ fuses (extra)
___ Leatherman Tool
___ multimeter
___ pliers (channel locks, aka water-pump pliers)
___ pliers (needle nose)
___ pliers (standard)
___ screwdrivers (assorted or set)
___ socket set
___ suspension adjustment tool
___ tire inflator
___ tire patch/plug kit
___ tire pressure gauge
___ tire pump (small hand/foot)
___ vise grips
___ wire & alligator clip
___ wrenches (combination)
___ wrenches (crescent 4" and 10"; good ones)
___ wrenches (metric Allen)
___ wrench (spark plug)
___ gas-fired soldering iron
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