6 Motorcycle Camping Mistakes That Can Ruin a Good Trip
Motorcycle camping is the cheapest way to tour and one of the most rewarding. It is also one of the easiest ways to ruin a trip. After years of touring with a mix of motels and campsites, here are six mistakes I have made or watched others make — and how to avoid them.
Table of Contents
1. Bringing Too Much Gear
A motorcycle camper needs four things: a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, and one change of clothes. Every additional item adds weight that affects handling, fuel economy, and your ability to set up camp quickly when you are tired. See the what not to pack guide for the full list of items to leave behind.
The mistake is bringing the same gear you would bring car camping. A motorcycle is not a car. A 15 kg (33 lb) tent is fine in a trunk. On a bike, it shifts the centre of gravity, eats saddlebag space, and adds 15 kg to a bike that already weighs 380 kg (838 lbs). Use ultralight gear: a 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) tent, a 1 kg (2.2 lb) bag, and a 500 g (1.1 lb) pad. Total camping weight under 4 kg (8.8 lbs).
2. Untested Equipment
Setting up a tent for the first time at 7 PM in fading light after a 300 km (186 mi) ride is a recipe for frustration. Test every piece of camping gear at home before the trip. Pitch the tent in your backyard. Inflate the sleeping pad. Boil water with the camp stove. Find out what does not work when you have time and light to fix it.
This is the mistake that turns a good riding day into a bad night. You arrive at the campsite tired. You open your gear. The tent pole is missing a section. The sleeping pad has a slow leak. The stove will not light. Now you are setting up in the dark, hungry, cold, and angry. Test at home.
3. Arriving at Camp Too Late
Arriving at a campsite after dark means setting up in the dark, cooking in the dark, and finding the bathroom in the dark. Plan to arrive at your campsite by 5 PM. This gives you 1 to 2 hours of daylight to set up, cook, and get organized before it gets dark.
This means planning your daily mileage conservatively. If you start at 7 AM and ride for 7 hours with stops, you cover approximately 350 km (217 mi) on backroads. That is a good camping day. More than that and you risk arriving late. See the daily distance guide for time-to-distance ratios.
"Arriving at camp by 5 PM is not a suggestion. It is the difference between a relaxing evening and setting up a tent in the dark while hungry and angry."
4. Ignoring the Weather Forecast
Camping in the rain is not fun. Camping in the rain when you did not expect rain is worse. Check the forecast every morning. If rain is expected overnight or the next morning, pack everything in dry bags before going to sleep. A wet tent packed in the morning adds 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of water weight to your luggage.
If the forecast calls for a storm system, consider switching to a motel for that night. The $145 CAD you spend on a motel is less than the cost of riding the next day in wet gear on a wet bike after a sleepless night in a storm. See the trip cost guide for the motel-vs-camping comparison.
5. Sleeping on a Bad Pad
The sleeping pad is more important than the sleeping bag for comfort. A good bag keeps you warm. A good pad keeps you comfortable. A cheap foam pad that weighs 200 g (7 oz) and is 1 cm (0.4 in) thick will not give you a good night's sleep. You will wake up stiff, sore, and in no condition to ride.
Invest in an insulated inflatable pad. A good one weighs 400 to 500 g (14 to 18 oz), packs to the size of a water bottle, and provides 7 to 8 cm (2.8 to 3.1 in) of cushion. The difference in sleep quality is enormous. For riders over 50, this is not optional — see the touring after 50 guide for recovery management.
6. Unrealistic Daily Mileage
Motel touring allows 500 to 600 km (311 to 373 mi) per day because you arrive, check in, shower, and sleep. Camping touring requires arriving early enough to set up, cook, and organize. That means shorter riding days. Plan 300 to 350 km (186 to 217 mi) maximum on camping days.
The mistake is planning the same daily mileage for camping as for motels. At 500 km (311 mi), you arrive at 5 PM with just enough light to set up. At 600 km (373 mi), you arrive at 7 PM or later. You set up in the dark, eat cold food, and wake up exhausted. Adjust your expectations.
Bring ultralight gear under 4 kg total. Test everything at home. Arrive at camp by 5 PM. Check the weather daily. Invest in a good sleeping pad. Plan 300-350 km per camping day. Camping saves $678 over a 7-day tour — but only if you avoid these six mistakes.