Road Trips Let us know where you've been on your Harley, the best places to visit on a bike, etc.

Motorcycle camping

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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 10:43 AM
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Default Motorcycle camping

for you all the tent camp can you put what gear you use and pack for a trip just like an over nightery.
something the wife and I have been wanting to do is do some small overnight trips like this.
 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 11:02 AM
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Depends on how long the trip is gonna be, and if you don't over pack like most do. Also depends on what bike you have and how much storage there is. Pack light and only take necessity's and any trip Is doable. Most woman wanna take the house, and that's where a packing issue can begin. Keep it simple.
 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 12:00 PM
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Champ,
We do the same thing on a regular basis. We use a decent 3 man tent an air mattress and a double sleeping bag. The other odds and ends we take is more for comfort. We bring a pair of camp chairs, makes it more comfortable to sit around the fire, We also bring a camping coffee pot and backpacking stove, we need our morning coffee. That is it for the camping side, we try to eat out on the road so no camp kitchen. We keep extra clothes to a minimum. So far our trips are 3 day weekends.
 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 12:01 PM
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I pack all my stuff to Daytona on a bike with the single exception of a cot that I send with a guy who always trailers his bike. I could camp without the cot, but I'm getting older and the trailer's available to me, so why not? Of course, we eat out every meal; I'm not sure I could pack more than three/four days of stuff if I had food too.
 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 12:11 PM
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You wanna be warm, you wanna be dry, and you want to sleep well... and none of that comes cheap... Here is my gear, it is just for me, but two sets of the sleep gear would fit in this tent... I also take a down jacket, so if it gets too cold, you can toss it over your shoulders, and they are a marvellous thing to have for first thing in the morning if you are in the High Country...



A good quality tent, with a fly that goes right to the ground, so that when it DOES rain yo stay dry....


... a tent that vents well, so that on hot nights, you can take the fly off... and of course the tent has good bug screens...


I use a cot, it really helps with a good sleep, especially if you have hip or back issues, then I put a small air mattress between it and the sleeping bag as the mesh will let cold air up, and the bag will compress, so you back can get cold, as to the bag, that depends, the higher the elevation, the warmer the bag, that one is good for about freezing as I like the high country, if it gets to warm, open it up, if it gets too cold, put on a base layer, or toss your jacket over your shoulders.

 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Sligeanach
Champ,
We do the same thing on a regular basis. We use a decent 3 man tent an air mattress and a double sleeping bag. The other odds and ends we take is more for comfort. We bring a pair of camp chairs, makes it more comfortable to sit around the fire, We also bring a camping coffee pot and backpacking stove, we need our morning coffee. That is it for the camping side, we try to eat out on the road so no camp kitchen. We keep extra clothes to a minimum. So far our trips are 3 day weekends.
Similar here. A decent three man tent and an air mattress. Twin when camping alone, queen when its two up. While we have used a double sleeping bag, years ago we figured out fitted sheets, fleece blanket and our travel pillows actually took up less room and was way more comfortable than the sleeping bags. We even fit in a spare light fleece blanket in colder weather. It all fits into a waterproof river bag.

We also need our coffee in the morning. The meals are mostly after an hour of riding. Only snacks in camp. She's good for a few days like this, I'm good alone for several weeks, only I can prepare meals as needed. We have two small and light but comfortable three legged chairs.
 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 12:17 PM
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we are mainly looking at overnight trips maybe 2 nights at most.
Bike is a Heritage Softail and I have a pair of Tbags we bought for this just haven't managed to get away to do it yet. but with the stuff going on now some of our other plans we had already are getting changed so we might start doing this for something else to do.
 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 04:43 PM
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I know it seems like over-kill but I set my bike up to haul a small trailer behind and it works awesome for road trips, long or short. I have a coleman pop-up frame style tent and being an amputee... I really prefer a double thick, blow up bed so I can get my prostethic on without rolling around on the ground. I made the setup for Sturgis trips but I've used it so many times for smaller runs now, I wouldn't want to be without it.

 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 05:03 PM
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Nice rig!
 
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Old Apr 2, 2020 | 11:10 PM
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My traveling friends and I take 9 to 15 day motorcycle camping trips. We're apparently hitting all the national parks in the Rockies from Dallas/Ft Worth area. I think we've made it to most. Last year, we stayed 6 nights in Yellowstone and 2 or 3 more in Teton.
I now have a 3-man tent, just for me and my gear. It doesn't take up any more room on my motor than my 2+ tent did, but gives me enough headroom to sit in a chair inside and read at night. Also much more comfortable for getting in and out of the bedroll.
I also have an extra large Luxury Mat and a cot. I'm as comfortable as in my own bed at home. So much better than being a minimalist and suffering for 14 nights with a squeaky air mattress.

Ken


 
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