Start With Your Motorcycle
First, a caveat. This article isn’t about the checklist and every single thing that you want or need to take with you. It has more to do with the philosphy of making your trip fun and safe. There are endless locations for you to go where complete lists are available for printing and checking prior to leaving.
As camping season is right around the corner, I’ve spent the last two days inventoring my camping kit, checking it and determining if there are any deficiencies since I last used it.
Motorcycle camping can be exhilarating and fun, but for that to be the case you need to take care of some essential elements. Preparation, planning, and testing to ensure you know how your equipment, both motorized and shelter-based will respond and behave is paramount. It starts with your bike. It needs to be checked to ensure that it will be trouble-free, to the extent that you can be with any mechanical piece of equipment.
Ensure that starting from the ground up, your bike is equipped for the journey you intend on making. The tires need to be in good shape, the brakes need to be checked and the hydraulic fluid tested or replaced. Your engine needs to be serviced, the oil changed, the clutch working properly and your electrical system tested for output. This includes load testing the battery to ensure it is in good shape.
Since you will carry substantial additional weight, the suspension and steering need to be working properly. If you have a weak shock, it’s best to change it out while doing so is neither expensive and/or it will not jeopardize your safety or your trip.
Finally, your drive, whether chain, belt, or shaft needs to be checked to ensure it is within its optimal parameters. A few years ago, I started on a trip, having checked my chain and thought it was fine. In the middle of nowhere in the mountains, the chain stretched out and failed. I was able to limp into a dealership and have the chain replaced and luckily no damage was done to the sprockets on the bike.
After a brief delay, I was back on the road. But it may well not be that simple if you have not checked before you left. A failure of a shaft drive, for example, while rare, is not only expensive, but it could end your journey for a considerable period.
Lastly, if you have the capability, know how to do emergency maintenance on your specific motorcycle. Knowing how to change tires or repair a chain, may save your trip.
If You Want to Enjoy Your Camp Trip – Invest in Quality Gear
Having, wearing, and using the right gear will pay huge dividends on your motorcycle camping trips. Consider your comfort, first and foremost. Ride wearing the best gear you can afford to own, and dress in layers. You want to prepare for worst-case weather conditions and know the likely weather extremes you will encounter. If you’re going to ride in the mountains, do your research. What is the earliest and the latest that you can stay in an area due to either ice or snow?
Can my equipment, such as my tent and sleeping bag withstand temperatures of minus ten degrees? Is my tent waterproof? Will my sleeping bag stay dry or breathe to not be damp inside? Will condensate build up inside my tent? Is the floor of my tent waterproof? Does my tent have a bug screen or a rainfly? Does my tent have a vestibule where I can keep my gear dry and clean in inclement weather? How heavy is my tent and all my gear combined?
You need to not only have these answers, but you need to have tested your gear for all of its inherent weaknesses. If you can’t sleep because you’re uncomfortable, wet or sore, then camping will be a disaster.
One thing is imperative. Before you go on a lengthy trip, go somewhere close to home and test all of your equipment, everything. You don’t want to find out that your solar charger doesn’t work, once you’re off the grid. You don’t want to find out that your piezo stove isn’t working or that your propane tank only lasted for one night. You need to know that everything you pack has a function, and is functional.
Pack the essentials and pack light. The worst-case scenario is often seen with campers. I watched a fellow two years ago, arrive at a campsite and take all the gear off his bike when it started to rain. He was desperately trying to set up his tent when he discovered that he didn’t have the unique polls necessary for his tent. We were able to jury rig something up, but essentially he needed to go and buy a new tent the next day.
When packing your bike, use dry bags, label them, and pack them logically based on what will go on and come off your bike first. Place the heaviest items as low on the bike as possible. The first time I went out to camp I had a very large dry bag that sat too high up on the tail of the bike. When I made a gas stop, the wind hit the bike, destabilized it and the bike fell over, damaging the pannier.
Campsite
Choosing a good campsite is paramount. First, arrive when it’s daylight. I usually try to arrive at my destination around 4:30 in the afternoon. That way I can see the lay of the land and ensure that the site is high enough to not collect water, and away from stagnant sources of water where mosquitoes and black flies will make you miserable. Ensure there aren’t any major rocks or sharp objects sticking out of the ground.
Check the ground by lying down on it before pitching your tent. Before you pitch your tent, check your bike just in case there are any issues. Awakening to a flat tire from a slow leak can be a pain. Always carry a footpeg plate so that your bike won’t sink out of sight or have you wake up to your bike on its side.
Put up your tent, organize your equipment, and prepare something to eat. Assuming you’ve thought this through, you’ll have simple food that is simple to prepare, tasty and nourishing. A small roll of aluminum foil always comes in handy as well.
As stated earlier, don’t pitch your tent near water. Mosquitoes aren’t great sleeping partners. Bring bug spray, something with DEET, for both ticks and mosquitoes. Ensure you close all your zippers. Limit aftershave or deodorants, they attract pests and animals alike. Use non-scented products.
If you are in an area where carnivores and bears are a problem, ensure you keep both waste and food away from your tent. Also, zip any foods inside ziplock bags to minimize smells. My brother was almost killed by a Grizzly Bear in Waterton Lakes because his climbing partner went out to the food cache after he had fallen asleep and brought food into the tent, then fell asleep himself. My brother was dragged out of the tent in his sleeping bag by a bear, which proceeded to show no interest in him but proceeded to eat all the food in their cache. The bear also destroyed the tent in the process. Only by not panicking and pretending to be asleep was he able to talk about it.
Water is essential. Don’t assume, unless you know differently that you won’t require water when you arrive. Sometimes the water may be suspect. You don’t want to get sick drinking water that is not potable. I wear a water bladder on my back, which fits inside my backpack, and I always ensure it is filled before camping for the night.
Two important things. Lighting. You need a good LED headlamp, and the means to start a fire. I always carry two different lighting options for both illumination and starting a fire. Emergency medical kit. Ensure it has everything in it that is essential for you. I include the two important meds I need and ten days of antibiotic pills.
Enjoy your trip. Camping can be great fun. You’ll often meet some awesome people at your camping site, and most often they will be like-minded individuals who love socializing and the great outdoor experience.
I’m not going to go through my checklist, because what I carry works specifically because of the amount of storage I have available on my bike and the huge Everest Pack that I wear. Create your checklist. Place it all in dry bags and then load it on your bike before your trip. Check its weight and centre of gravity. I usually spend one night in a campground close to home to test that everything I have is what I need and does not destabilize my motorcycle.
I ride alone, so the extra capacity enables me to carry more equipment. I do this because I often pack my kit to my camping site, miles from where I have locked up my bike and covered it at a trailhead.
If you do leave your bike to walk into the outback, ensure that you leave your bike in a location where someone cannot just drive up, push it into a cargo van, and drive away. My bike is far enough off the beaten path, when I leave it, that it’s inaccessible to even a four-wheel vehicle. I place two different heavy-duty locking devices on the brake rotors and have a GPS location device that reports its location on the bike. It is hidden in a manner that someone stealing the bike will have no idea that it is there. If the bike is moved, it will signal its location to both me and a monitoring company, who in turn will notify the closest police organization. Let’s face it. You want to come back from your trek and find your bike there.
Ciao…
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