MOTORCYCLE CAMPING SIMPLIFIED - Expert Advice 

Get your name in the end credits of upcoming videos! JOIN now and become an Associate Producer. www.youtube.com/@MOTOTREK/membership

My moto camping motto: Go already! Don't fall for the marketing leading to overthinking and overpreparation. Just Gooooooooooo!

In summary: get hard or soft panniers, set up a tent, put a mattress and sleeping bag in it, eat a meal in a bag.

The lack of specificity around gear in this was refreshing. Well done.

Husqvarna, Klim and camping: how to spend a fortune living like a homeless person.

I’m 81 and still moto camp. That is exactly how you do it. Shelter is the key item. Water freeze dried and source of heat. Look for mom and pop restaurants in your travels. Fond memories to all.

Arguably the best take on this on RU-vid.

Long before that trip, camp in your living room. Pack up your stuff, clothes, camping gear, everything you plan to take with. Put it on your bike in the garage. In the evening, go out to your bike and carry in your stuff. Set up camp in your living room. Go outside and start a fire, cook a meal. Sleep on your pad, in your sleeping bag, in your tent. Get up in the morning, break down your camp, go outside and make that coffee/breakfast. Use that toilet kit for your business. If you plan on washing clothes, do it outside with what you plan on having with you, at the time you plan to do it while camping. Pack up your camp and return everything to your bike in the garage. Rinse and repeat, until you can do it all, one hand tied behind the back, blind-folded. -------- Soft panniers are as dangerous as hard. A trapped leg and force and something will be unhappy. A tent that keeps critters/gnats/mosquitos out. Not following the waterproof hard/soft case need to have inside tent to keep dew off. Waterproof. If you have to get gas, you can pick up food. Maybe a freeze-dried meal or two, for an emergency, but a CLIF or Millenium energy bar or some such is easier to carry and requires no preparation. Eat some energy bars/freeze-dried meals long before your trip, to see what it does to your digestion. Most of the freeze-dried meals will either cork you or make you run. Neither is ideal for an adventure. I'd rather be hungry for a couple days than be scaring the wildlife with my pants around my knees while squatting over a hole. Speaking of which, your toilet bag. Use the shovel in your garden to see of it does the job. Use the kit on your throne at home, to see if the paper and wipes do the job. After all, you are planning on sitting on that part of you for hours at a time. Diaper rash isn't going to be fun. Tho, maybe some might call it an adventure, but not one I want to partake in...

Love the simplicity it may be obvious but it really helps people like me that need to JUST DO IT.

Setting up camp before dark, headlamp. Nice video!

So true. Gotta go through my kit again. Anything I didn't use last trip is GONE!

This is an awesome video! Very refreshing! Exactly the right vibe for the reality of going adventuring, and Moto camping! Just go, bring what you like and feel comfortable with, and have a great time. Thanks you!

I like the ethos: Don't overcomplicate it and just go. However, I disagree with hard panniers, racks, don't worry about weight you're on a motorcycle etc. Weight is a fun-killer I would say. Pack light and be critical of what you really need. Also, my experience is that you need to figure out how to have water and then the rest is just added luxury. For luxuries, I really like a chair!

"Especially if I can get my pole wet"😂 I agree with this statement 😅 You guys are awesome, I'm always fine tuning my camping setup, keep it up, will check out your channel for sure.

Bringing less gear is an art that most of us spend years trying to perfect!

Great job boys... Pretty much somed it up...

If I had a dollar for every time I packed a bunch of food (and this includes a 28' 5th wheel with fridge and stove) and then ultimately ended up at a restaurant, I'd be a millionaire (OK, maybe a hundred bucks).

Coming from bicycle touring, I’m already accustomed to keeping things light. One piece of advice I would give is make sure you can take stuff that goes in your tent (specially sleeping bag/pad) without getting it all wet in heavy rain. This means carry this stuff in a plastic bag that you leave just outside the tent. You also need to figure out how to put the tent up in the rain without getting it all wet by the time you manage to get the rain fly on.

Used to backpacking, going moto only made me softer; all suddenly I could take additional 20+ kilos of equipment, with no worries for my lower back. Went back to lightweight moto camping, LOVE IT 😁🥰

I often bring one freeze dried meal, for backup. I usually cook at camp, trying to eat reasonably healthy as I like multi day/week trips and even do extended ones lasting more than a month. Water, food and cooking gear do take up a bit of space and weight but I like to have two days of supply so I can spend one extra day in a nice dispersed location without having to look for food. A chair by the campfire is also hard to live without once you tried it.

Excellent video, boys. I have been over thinking it

Short and sweet, NICE! And some great tips, thank you.

Nicely done!!👍👍

Great video! Team works well together

Nice job. Thanx!

This video was awesome. Bring them back for more!

I was always camping to riding until I realized that it is also fun to go somewhere and then just relax and stay for a second or third night at the same spot

Don't forget to take ALL your trash with you. I always take more than my own by sweeping camp before setting up as well as when I leave.

Well said. Love to see my Norden brethren livin the dream!

Great video! I tend to overthink things, so that was fun!

Great tips! 👍

Eagle Scout here. Spent my entire childhood camping in all kinds of environments. A few tips for those less seasoned in camping. 1. Sleeping bag temperature ratings aren't great, so add 15 degrees to the label. 2. Tent sizes are measured with people lying shoulder to shoulder, with one pack at their feet or head. Cut the number in half and that's what will be comfortable. (4 person means 2 people comfortably). 3. WATER WATER WATER WATER WATER. Nothing else you do matters if you're dehydrated. Always have a bare minimum of 64 ounces of water AND a way to make clean water. (tablets, filters, pot to boil water, etc.) 4. Last but not least, a decent first aid kit. Even in some of the more monitored areas, it can take some time to get help if you get hurt. You don't need an IFAK or anything crazy, but you need SOMETHING.

Thanks guys

Love your enthusiasm for camping! Best wishes

Green tent looks cool - interested how big it is packed and weight ?? Oh and like others have asked brand??

I watched a lot of those videos for getting ready... I liked yours the most ^^

I love your video ❤! Thank you, 😄!!

Backpacking taught me to make a checklist. After having that meal and a restless night constantly turning from the pressure points on that closed cell foam pad, I'd add a toilet kit. Waking up tired with a sore back is only made worse by the realization that you're going to have to grab a bunch of grass and pine cones after your freeze dried meal has completed its course. A hammock and and some toilet paper can make for a much less stressful morning ride out.

Its iterally my goal to go camping with a motorcycle! This video proves I can do it! Thanks yall!

Well done! Nice job, guys.

Cool vid as always.... and that music at end! Love it!

Yeah, I’m gonna be doing that this summer so this is very important for me to see because I’m dialing in everything that I need to bring for a week or a riding and I mean I lived out of a tent for many years. I just forgot about a lot of stuff and I’m a planner so thank you for this very very neutral planning type, it definitely benefited me I’m in Maine

Yep, exactly this. I already have my super light weight backpacking gear, so it’s ready to go moto camping already.

Great video guys.

Great video!❤️

Great job, guys!! Very well done.

muito bom!!!

Solid advice!👊🏻🏁

Great video!

Laughing my socks off at the satire. Perfectly delivered lines gentlemen 😂

My cylinder heads on my gs keep my bike upright 😂 great vid guys 👍🏻

-Use a stove that can burn unleaded (one fuel to rule them all!), and that has a refillable fuel source instead of junking up the landfill with those wasteful disposable cans. I went with MSR's International. Compact and light and works great. -LuminAid lights are the best light for a camp, bar none. Hoist up over campsite like the moon. It and a headlamp is all you need. Go rechargeable lights only. Bike's 12v socket can charge everything while you ride. -Suggest keeping yer tents zipped up, unless you camp in some magical place with no Blackflies! -A 10x10 hikers lite tarp is pretty handy. -A bungie mesh tie-down and a rope/cord to put your kitchen/food into and hoist up, all in one, over a tree branch, downwind from where you're sleeping. -Stanley stainless steal plunger coffee maker!🤪, doubles as a boiling put and holds all your pre-ground goodness. -A cheap beer can cooler tube. Holds about three 500mls, refill as required. Straps outside on Molle system from the last store before camp sight. Keep it simple. Fire. Water. Shelter. Stay dry.

Nice summary. Thanks

Well produced Informative and entertaining! Thanks

Awesome video! I will use your advice in my following yourney!

Gotta add my small Camping Chair to that list, too! Can be a little bulky but not sitting on the ground for a few hours each evening is pretty sweet! Great video, looking forward to more for sure.

Pretty perfect take and demonstrated well. Chances are the worst things that are likely is a bad night's sleep which you can learn from.

Great content and insights !

The content we need , loved the vid and the cheesy comedy

Moto camping is a learning by doing thing. I remember my first trip, brought way too much stuff with me. But after every trip, you learn what you need and what you can leave at home. Now after 8 years of riding, i can relate with everything in this video.

Well done, gentlemen.

great vid mate hammock tarp jetboil n foods all i need simple and fun cheers

Super to the point video

I've gone moto camping a handful of times now. After never getting a great night sleep with a sleeping pad or having to bring a full on air mattress, I bought a rain fly for my hammock and leave the tent and sleeping pad at home. Much less to pack, much more comfortable and still a similar setup. The only concern is bugs, since I don't have a bug net. But so far I haven't had a problem with it!

Having experience from hiking helps a lot. Combine ultra light with your motorcycle storage and you got it made. Also beer is much easier to carry lol.

Great vid.

I agree with others, the simplicity and not pushing specific products makes for a very good video. Now, if we could stop using the word "Adventure" then we'll achieve perfection.

KISS method always works. Thanks for putting this out, as the ADV market is turning into the Fly Fishing of motorcycling. More about the gear and price tag than the adventure!!

Great video :)

Actually was good video. Liked the part about soft & hard panniers. Had a trip coming up a while ago and my only choice for my budget were the hard panniers, soft were out of stock. I have an old set of soft but I have to say the hard are a lot more convenient overall. You do have to be conscious of thhe width 😊

Great video, guys! Thanks for the good overview. I just purchased a '22 KLR 650 in Feb and looking to do moto camping. I have loved camping and hiking and now I want to get places on my bike to do it. It would be nice to have someone to do it with, though!

Hi Brow! I’m sticking with evan williams.. cheers!

What a gem I just stumbled upon

Cheezy video but I loved it!

4:26 "its main job is to protect my huevos 🥚🥚 from touching the ground" 😂🤣 You made my day bro! Good vibe, I love moto-camping too. ✌️

Those forma boots are the best. I bought a set and I love them. #1 choice

only missing: 1) folding chair, 2) tarp (somewhere to sit in case of rain), and 3) the hatchet you show in use but don't make note of. Thanks for the vid!

I motocamped last year and the importance of an tent that is set up easily is more important than you think. The same goes in packing it up. If you only camp, that is something you do every evening and morning.

Great advice. Keep it simple. Moto camping is awesome. The one thing I have learned the hard way and would recommend, is to pack a sleeping bag liner for that night that is unexpectedly colder than your sleeping bag is rated for.

Cool vid..

I always have extra space for my Bialetti. There is nothing like good italian coffee when you are camping. That and the coffee-thirsty looks of your fellow campers. ;)

You guys nailed it. I personally run a combo 1man bivy/hammock setup and its amazing. I also opted for a wool blanket bedroll rather than a sleeping bag.

Great video, Ill have to check the other channel out

I love it, guys. I’m just starting to dabble in moto camping. This shows there’s a lot of ways to do it right. My biggest struggle is securing all my gear on my motorcycle. Seriously, that’s a challenge when you have only a few tiedown points.

Good job guys great video

I have that same "remove before flight" key fob!

Nice 290 sticker. I just finished the apprenticeship at 290

Thanks!

Earned a SUB with your Fabulously succinct Moto Camp Video my men ! To quote Rush: "Brevity is the Soul of Wit" ! Perfect summation. I'm embarking upon Moto Camping so ideal timing. 2008 V-Strom 650 just added hard GIVI bags. Thinking on a buddies 2nd Hand fancy Ridge runner hammock w/ rain fly for lodging. Also have small backpack tent. Any thoughts on those options ? God bless your travels - David in East Texas

Good video

That looks hella fun! What bikes do you guys use?

Personally, I like to bring a little bit of a kitchen with me. Am 8 inch flat cast iron griddle, a coleman 533, and a stanley pot/french press combo and I can cook anything from a freeze dried mountain meal, to a rib eye with sides of brocoli and mashed potatoes. And for breakfast, I can make coffee, poach eggs, and have bacon. The griddle is heavy, but versatile, and being flat, doesnt take up much space. My wife has even used it to combat a black bear.

Well done guys...i've been moto camping for a few yrs and have it down to a science. I use a down quilt instead of sleeping bag, eat oatmeal for breakfast, usually lunch out and freeze dried meal (even my own chili) for dinner. I ride a R1200GSA w/ hard bags and try not to over pack. Hoping for a new/light R1300GS in the near future.

I would say a comfortable chair is as essential for me as the tent 🙂 I am over 40 and after a long trip on the bike I hate to sit on the ground. The kind of chair you're using is quite perfect btw.! Nice video

Please #MOTOTREK #SasquatchMoto tell us your gear used for this video (tents, sleeping bags,...) :)

Include a light tarp... great to be able to stand up in camp, even in rain without getting gear wet

Excellent, hope you've got some beers packed in them panniers ❤

Great video, brought me in a good mood. Going for a approx. 5000km (3500miles) ride to eastern europe and think if i should take my tent with me. 👌 not sure yet, but it helped to know that I can sit on my touratech case 🤣🤘 thanks!

Great advice! Another tip to consider: Invest in a portable rechargeable air compressor. You will use it for your tires off road, so why not pick up an inflatable mattress and pillow as well? Small, light, and simply needs air. Just like your tires. Cheers!

Great sum up at 6:03 ;)