MOTORCYCLE CAMPING TRIP PREPARATION
copyright 1998 by Thomas Jamrog

Life is good, and it can get better through thoughtful purchase of needed gear for your big night of sleeping under the stars.
Trip preparation makes all the difference between travel success and a daily string of regular headaches. Motorcycle camping is really backpacking on two wheels, so read backpacking magazines and camping supply catalogs to see what may suit you. Motorcycle camping is easier that backpacking, because motorcyclists don't have to carry everything on their backs, and can generally do fine with less expensive, weightier items.
FOOD: Let's start with the most important item. I enjoy a touring schedule that gives me a hot drink in the morning while breaking camp, a midmorning breakfast eaten in a diner, a quick tank bag lunch, and then a fireside supper savored while unwinding from a day on the highway. Paying for food on a motorcycle tour should be as simple as taking the money you'd spend at home for groceries, and spending it in supermarkets and the occasional diner.
You do need a stove to cook on, fuel, and pots/pans. For those of you who are intrigued by exhaust pipe cookery, I'd recommend Manifold Destiny, a paperback by Chris Maynard and Bill Scheller ("The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine!"). I regularly cook up hot dogs heading up to P.E.I. in Canada. Check out the Sierra Zip Stove. It is cheap, and runs on a AA battery. Since you burn small organic bits of stuff that you find around the campsite ( pine cones, wood chips, dried chunks of wood) you need no fuel bottle, hence no fuel costs or extra fuel canisters. The battery powers a computer fan that drives the air up into the body of the stove, creating a turbocharged oxygen effect. A move up in stoves are the small white gas or multi fuel types by companies such as Peak 1 and MSR. They burn regular unleaded gas. Those on a budget can carry a medium Teflon fry pan that can also boil water. For $40 or so more, you can purchase a nesting set of aluminum or stainless cookware. Put the cook set in a stuff sack for $6 more, and there will be less rubbing and clanging in the saddlebag. Don't forget the scrubbie, detergent, and paper towels for cleanup. A good habit is to fill your canteen at the last gas stop of the day. This allows you to camp anywhere you wish that evening, with water for cooking, cleanup, and breakfast ready at hand.
SHELTER: Hanging in there and sleeping out is the stuff of tall tales, and I prefer it to sitting around and watching TV. Tents are amazing structures- they last a long time, and do an excellent job of keeping you comfortable. Tents come in all levels of protection and size.
One of the best places to find cheap camping supplies are want ads. Up here in Maine is a statewide weekly called Uncle Henry's. You could outfit yourself for motorcycle camping from any week's ads in the Sporting Items section. Here's an example. This past week I bought a relatively new goose down parka, a set of high tech crampons for ice climbing, and a set of Gore-Tex knee length gaiters for $100. I use the gaiters over my GoreTex hikers for motorcycling in the rain. The parka is a current model that discounts for $170 at a camping outlet store.
A good mid priced tent is Eureka's Timberline 4 person A frame model- dependable, simple, roomy, with reasonable weight and packing size.
If you are just starting out, borrow or rent a tent for a weekend to try it out. Remember to seal the seams in your tent periodically. Don't forget to do the floor, if that has a seam running down the middle where water would migrate upward.
Find yourself a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. Pads make you more comfortable, and insulate you from the cold or wet ground. Cheap pads that work well are usually made of urethane foam. Stay away from air mattresses. They pack smaller, but require the extra step of pumping air into them, do not insulate you from the cold ground and are a hassle when they leak. A better choice are the combined foam and air products initially produced by Cascade Designs under the trade name Thermarest. These products are well constructed with lifetime warrantee against leakage, and are inflated by atmospheric pressure through twisting open a valve. They come in different thicknesses and lengths. If you buy one of these inflatable foam mattresses, spend the cash and buy a protective stuff sack and a Cascade repair kit. Trust me. A flat Thermarest is not that comfortable to sleep on.
CLOTHING: Purchase lightweight silk or polypropylene underwear. These products retain their insulative warmth when damp, dry very quickly and replace several sets of cotton t-shirts. Budget for an electric vest setup. A flick of the switch when you become cold while on the motorcycle is all it takes to drive heat into your body core, and a warm core temp will help delay cold feet and hands, and contribute to your safety and awareness on the road.
Two additional emergency items come with me when camping on the motorcycle. In my tire repair kit is the factory BMW tubeless patch kit, extra (non-BMW) patch kit with string-type plugs, extra tire plugs, digital tire gauge, set of CO₂ canisters and a CO₂ tire inflator. A collapsible mountain bike pump puts 18 pounds of pressure in my rear tire, enough to get me rolling to a real pump. I have a few pair of rubber surgical gloves that I can use when handling oily or greasy parts so I don't end up wiping my hands all over my pants.

I take along a flashligh, spare spark plugs, spare filter, quart of oil, socket set, bulb kit, duct tape, cable ties, length of gasoline hose for emergency siphoning, a weather radio and spare fuel filter. An extra clutch cable curls against the bottom of the tank bag. For what it is worth I have in my wallet a current Motorcycle Roadside Assistance Plan card and a clean credit card with one of those golden glow limits.

Time spent in trip preparation before hitting the start button will help stave off the forces of entropy that conspire to foil your tour. Play it smart and plan.