Taking a Motorcycle on Your Camping Trip

Taking A Motorcycle On Your Camping Trip
by: Gray Rollins

Traveling across the country on a motorcycle can be exhilarating. You have a greater sense of your environment and immediate surroundings on a motorcycle and can have a sense of freedom when riding. It’s a wonderful way to explore the countryside. Camping with your motorcycle, though takes some planning and adjustments from other, more traditional forms of camping.

Because you won’t have as much space on a motorcycle as with a car, you have to pack lightly and include only the essentials. This is easier then it sounds but will take some planning. Make sure you choose items to take with you that are small and have multiple uses. A good multi tool knife is great and will allow you to do repairs and maintenance, cooking and preparing.

Take a small bag for personal items and choose travel size bottles of everything needed. These are readily available at discount and grocery stores and will help save storage room. Use saddle bags for storing food, clothing and personal gear. You’ll have to economize so be prepared to wear the same clothing several times. Take re-closable plastic storage bags or plastic trash bags for disposing of items and for storing dirty clothes.

You should have ample room in saddlebags and the glove compartment for small items. For sleeping and camping equipment, use the luggage rack or passenger seat and secure these items with bungee cords. Make sure to bring compact equipment that can tightly fold or roll up. You should easily be able to store a collapsible tent and sleeping bag. You can even add a sleeping mat for added comfort.

If you intend to cook while camping out pack only what you’ll need. Look for camping recipes that only require one pot. There are many available and this will help conserve space. You can get eating utensils to store in a saddle bag. These do not take up much space.

For safety, make sure your motorcycle is serviced and in good working condition before embarking on a trip. Chart your route so you know where gas stations and restaurants are on your route. These can be valuable in restocking food supplies and in emergency situations. Keep a map and compass handy so you don’t get lost on the road or while camping.

You may not be able to camp in the lap of luxury when you bring your motorcycle but it will be a fun experience. Your motorcycle has ample room to store the necessities and if you can accept sleeping outdoors and only packing essentials, this can be a highly rewarding experience. Having a motorcycle available also gives you a lot more flexibility in traveling in and out of campsites. It is easy to pack all your gear and leave or go on a short sight seeing trip.

About The Author
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for http://www.dreamcamping.com. To learn more about motorcycles and camping trips, visit http://www.dreamcamping.com/motorcyclecampingtrailer/

California Highway 36

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Deals Gap (The Tail of the Dragon)

Deals Gap Map
Deal’s Gap also known as the “Tail of the Dragon” is a torturous stretch of road that snakes through the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. This section of Highway 129 between the junction of Highway 28 and Highway 129 in North Carolina to Calderwood, Tennessee has 318 curves in just 11 miles. If you like riding the twisties, this is about as twisty as it gets.

Gold Wings Booking it Up Deal’s Gap

Don’t try this at home.

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Wayah Road, Near Franklin, North Carolina

Wayah Road Ride Map
This road is as challenging as Deal’s Gap, but less well known — so keep it a secret. Don’t miss stopping at the waterfalls. Also, don’t let the drive time on the map fool you. Most of the curves are posted at 15 MPH, and a straight stretch of road over 100 feet long is hard to come by.

Cherohala Skyway Tennessee

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Motorcycle Camping Becomes a Popular Lifestyle

Motorcycle ownership has been growing exponentially over the past few years. As gas prices rise, motorcycle have become a much less expensive alternative for commuting, pleasure riding and travel. One of the most significant increases in the motorcycle population are adult and middle-aged riders who either have taken a long hiatus from the sport while raising a family, or are entering the sport for the first time. It’s only natural that once riding a motorcycle gets into the blood, people venture farther and farther from their homes.

Luckily as more and more people opt to travel by motorcycle, motorcycle campgrounds, resorts and lodges have become common place in many parts of the country . This web site is here to help the motorcycle camper or touring motorcyclist locate those biker-friendly lodgings along their route. Depending on preference and budget, you may want to stay in a nice cozy cabin with all the amenities, or camp out under the stars in a tent, some may even want to bring their RV and park it on a pad with their motorcycle in a trailer — it’s up to you. One thing is for sure though, when you can find a nice place to stay, motorcycle camping is great fun.

When traveling in parts of the country where there aren’t a lot of motorcycle-specific resorts or campgrounds, you might want to check out KOA Kampgrounds. They’re usually very nice and most of them have some small cabins where you can park your bike right at the front door. For only $14 a year you can buy a KOA Kard that will give you 10% discounts on your stays, as well as other discount offerings such as a 15% discount on motorcycle rentals through EagleRider, if you want to rent a bike or take a tour somewhere. As I’m sure you know, KOA’s are just about everywhere, and they’re not just for the RV crowd anymore, although you should expect to see plenty of those there as well.

Over time we will be adding more useful information, articles and reviews about motorcycle camping and motorcycle campgrounds. You can also find many motorcycle and camping accessories, equipment, books, apparel and more at our sister site Motorcycle Camping USA.