by Thomas Jamrog
(published in the May 1998 issue of BMW ON)

So you wanna be a motorcycle camper? What if you have no gear and only $300 in your camping budget. On the other hand, you may have invested early in Intel stock, and money is no object. Don't worry, because both of you are going to do fine. Even with limited funds, you could pick up enough information in this article to head for the remote backwoods. 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. Don't worry too much about minute weight differentials. 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. I keep my gear organized by thinking of outfitting for a trip along the lines of the big three: food, shelter, and clothing.

FOOD

Let's start with the most important item. Most 200-pounders like to eat, and 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. Eating while on the road is one area where you should able to keep expenses down. Food costs are no different and sometimes cheaper than living at home, so 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 strange supermarkets and the occasional diner.

You do need a stove to cook on, fuel, and pots/pans. You could try and forgo the stove and cook on a fire, or strap a aluminum foil wrapped fillet onto your exhaust pipe, but it ends up being too much work, especially in the rain. 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. Those on a limited budget should check out the Sierra Zip Stove. It is relatively 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 are more complex than the Sierra, and are useful for motorcycling in that they can burn regular unleaded gas. My experience has been that they tend to clog with the stuff and run much better on white Coleman fuel. Those on a budget can carry a medium Teflon fry pan that can also boil water, and for a cheap bowl, slice the bottom off a 1 gallon plastic milk jug and bring along a cut down plastic bottle for a cup. 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 canteen is a must. I carry a 1/2 gallon western cowboy type with a strap that I clip onto my load. A good habit is to fill it at the last gas stop of the day. This allows you to camp anywhere you wish that evening, with plenty of water for cooking, cleanup, and breakfast ready at hand. Up here we call it "camping au sauvage".

SHELTER

I am assuming that you are camping, although there is nothing to stop you from cooking up a campfire supper early in the evening, riding for a while later, and then charge-carding up a room at the local Motel 6, especially if it is cold and rainy. But hanging in there and sleeping out is the stuff of tall tales, and I prefer it to sitting around and watching TV. In the fall and in the spring, before the mosquitoes and black flies emerge, you can get away with sleeping under a piece of plastic, or a tarp, but most of us set up a tent. 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.

Wayne Marsula's approach to motorcycle camping is more robust than mine. On the back of his BMW, Wayne carries his Encore, the biggest tent that Moss, Inc. makes, weighing in at 24 pounds. The Encore has great ventilation with two windows down low with a screened stargazer panel in the top that Wayne appreciates when camping in the Baja. In addition to his heavyweight tent, Wayne straps on his Moss Parawing, a nineteen foot rain fly that comes with two nine foot poles that Wayne has broken down into 3 sections. Wayne’s riding solo makes carrying that much gear at all possible. One of Wayne’s tips for carrying bulky items is using compression sacks, which shrink the contents to two thirds of normal size. Thy are stuff sacks with additional strapping fore and aft. Wayne’s "think big" approach gives him the luxury of driving his motorcycle into his tent if he feels like it.

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. The parka is a current model that discounts for $170 at a camping outlet store. There are some good deals out there, usually through people who used to camp and now don't. A good mid priced tent is Eureka's Timberline 4 person A frame model- dependable, simple, roomy, with reasonable weight and packing size. The zippers will fail in time, but you can generally repair them on the road with parts from a zipper repair kit. If you are just starting out, borrow or rent one for a weekend to try it out. Or hit a rally and see what looks good. Remember to seal the seams in your tent periodically. While some manufacturers seal at the factory, most recommend that you seal exposed seams. Don't forget to do the floor, if that has a seam running down the middle where water would migrate upward.

You will need to 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, and are rolled up and lashed to the load when not in use. 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 merely twisting open a valve. They come in different thickness and lengths. I used to use a cushy Camp rest, but have switched to a full length ultralight model that folds in half and packs to about the size of a large can of beans. The surfaces on the older Thermarest pads are slippery so people often spray them with a rubberized coating to keep you from sliding off while tossing and turning. 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. Be sure to get a current repair kit with the type of glue that requires boiling before use. This upgrade repair kit contains a unique glue that is the basis for the Cascade factory repair.

CLOTHING

Coughing up for motorcycle jackets and pants propels you into the expense zone. Options here can merit a full consumer feature, with leather, armored Cordura, Kevlar, and waxed cotton options. I am not going to touch the area of outerwear in this article, but can offer a two quick tips to make your motorcycle camping more comfortable. Purchase lightweight silk or polypropylene underwear. These products retain 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.

EMERGENCIES

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. Vulcanizing patches for an interior fix don't take up any real space and may also come in handy if the tire has to be removed from the rim. A motorcycle tire bead breaker will handle the task of breaking the bead from my tubeless rims. Tire irons and a small bottle of dish washing detergent can serve double duty as a bead lubricant as well as dish cleaner. 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.

In my tank bag go the BMW anonymous book and headlamp (for my head, not for the bike). Added to this list are 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. Let me know how it goes.

About the Author

Tom Jamrog writes his regular Travel Master column in Motorcycle Tour and Cruiser magazine. He has been a member of MOA for 20 years. He can be reached via e-mail at balrog@midcoast.com. You can see his web site at www.midcoast.com/~balrog/bike/  ©Copyright 1998 by Thomas Jamrog