Your first Motorcycle camping kit

someone interested in getting into motorcycle camping may think you need to buy a LOT of gear, or a huge tent, etc...  Here is a simple list of what to get.

1 person camping kit

A Small 2-3 man tent that has a rain fly that goes all the way to the ground.  Such as an Eureka Amari Pass 2 person tent or Sturgis Gearbox 2 person tent.

An inflatable Camping Bed such as the REI XL 3.5 camp Bed or the Cabelas Deluxe Camp bed.

A good  Sleeping bag,  pick something with  vents and at least a 20 degree rating.

A Camping pillow

Good bug spray (NOT DEET)

A small folding chair or stool.  A place to comfortably sit is ALWAYS important.

A Kelly Kettle with cookset. and a small mess set with metal cup.

A good folding knife

A good LED lantern and good LED flashlight, a pack of matches and a butane lighter.

And 1 small hatchet.

With the above you can successfully camp.  you will be limited in what you can do but you will have everything needed to sleep comfortably as well as heat water and cook a meal.

Everything else is just adding to convenience as well as comfort.

Here is what is most important about everything in the list.   The tent, you MUST have a good tent that will survive a violent thunderstorm and keep you dry as well as remain intact.  The worst night of your life will be in a leaky collapsed tent in the middle of a raging thunderstorm.  Sure you can buy a cheap $39.00 tent from a grocery store, but they are cold and miserable.  you need a real tent and yes, you will spend about $125-$165 for a tent that you will stay warm and dry inside.   Do NOT think you need more space and buy a 4-6 person tent for yourself.  tents keep you warm by trapping body heat, if you have a giant cavern tent you will be very cold when it drops below 60 at night.  The small 2 man tent will be cosy at those temperatures.

The sleeping pad will separate you from a good nights sleep and a 6 hour torture session.  Sleeping directly on the ground will chill you to the bone in short order, the thin foam pads are completely worthless for giving you any comfort unless you are very small and very light.  The inflatable pads with foam inside work great and the thicker the better.  I also get them wider simply because you get more room for comfort.  The cheap versions of these pads may work if you are small and light,  if you are a typical stout american you need the XL sizes that are thicker to handle your mass and allow you to have a warm and comfortable night.

Sleeping bags can be a sticker.  They tend to be the bulkiest item or they end up being tiny and cold.  I really can not make any suggestion as you really need to look at sleeping bags and even try them out.   Better stores like Cabelas let you try them out in the store.  Find one roomy enough and have vents you can open.  being able to regulate your temperature is key to having a good night sleep.

A camping pillow is a great asset, but you can get away with a stuff sack and your clothing.  I have used my pair of jeans in a stuffsack as a pillow at night.

Find a chair that will fit in your bike or on it easily, there are a lot of backpacking chairs to choose from and they are not cheap.  It is a godsend to have a comfy place to sit down and drink your morning coffee while you watch the sun rise.

I used to recommend all kinds of camping stoves, but recently found the perfect stove that makes all others look like junk.  the Kelly Kettle lets you use sticks and twigs to boil a liter  of water rapidly, it also will let you cook above it while you heat or boil that water.  No fuel to carry as the world is full of sticks and twigs (unless you are motorcycling through the desert)   boiling water gives you a way to eat easily.   You can make dried foods into meals easily and make coffee or tea when you need it.   Morning oatmeal is effortless with this kettle.  If you want to cook your beans,  the cooking kit will give you a pot to cook in above the kettle wile you heat the water.  This is absolutely the best stove/kettle to carry.

You need something to make the fire and light your way.  You can buy waterproof matches or make them,  but I prefer a BIC lighter or two in my kit with regular stick matches.  it allows you to have a backup and you can light wet matches with the lighter.  A good small and bright flashlight as well as a lantern are ideal.  the lantern makes tasks easier with an area light, and you always need a good flashlight to find your way to the bathroom.

Lastly you need a hatchet.   They work as a hammer on the flat end and will let you turn a larger stick into kindling for starting a fire.  Ask any outdoorsman and they will tell you their hatchet and knife are high on their list of "must have" for camping.

All of the above can fit in a large duffle bag or dry bag you can strap to your back seat. Is this all you need?  No, far from it.  you do need food, clothing, first aid kit is always a good idea.

but if you had no idea where to start for Motorcycle camping, here is a list you can get started on.  I recommend buying the tent and setting it up and packing it a few times at home. As well as using all the other gear so you are used to how it functions before you are at the campsite wondering how to set it all up.