Motorcycle Camping along Freedom Road is Heaven on Two Wheels!... Don't it? Even if it's raining during the night... layin' there in your snug, dry, tent, while the raindrops fall softly on the canvas... or even roar in a heavy downpour, is just short of Heaven on Earth. The Key, to successful Motorcycle Camping is that old, worn, slang term... the 7 P's... P-roper P-rior P-reparation P-revents P-iss P-oor P-erformance! Layin' there, in the rain... with nothing but your skin to protect you is sure enough gonna lead you to curse your idea of doin' your Motorcycle Touring without using the Super 8 or So... you're gonna need to do your homework, make your preparations, acquire the Camping gear you'll need to set a solid, comfortable camp that will keep the grin, you gained riding those miles of Freedom Road, during the day... ... hanging on your face... all Night! It might help your thinking, if you break things up into the various parts of your Motorcycle Camping 'Road House'... Motorcycle Camping Road House
This is another of those times you really need to know where you're goin', how long, and HOW you really want to roll. Without knowing those facts... It's gonna be almighty hard to set up the outfit that is going to suit your yondering in any sort of a proper way... and there's no limit to the variations a person can make to their Motorcycle Camping 'way of going'. You might camp six nights and motel one... If you're young and strong... I can see you wandering for weeks at a time, Motorcycle Camping every night. Plenty of State and National campgrounds have shower setups for Camping Travelers... not to mention KOA type private campgrounds. If you're a bit more 'weathered'... camping half of the time, on a long trip... and using a motel the rest of the week... to catch up on hot showers and laundry, and soft mattresses, strikes a sweet note with me... Though... weeks in the woods still rings sweet as well... What can I say... I'm fickle! The point is... before you can do the job of setting up your Motorcycle Camping outfit... you really need to spend a goodly bit of time... pondering just what it is you want to do. ***Your House***Do you go Solo?... Is there a significant other sittin' behind you? or is she/he "Riding their Own"?Why? 'cause size matters when you're motorcycle camping folks! :-) A solo rider, Motorcycle touring, can get by with a pretty lil' tent. Maybe even one of those Bivouac type outfits... Though I'd recommend something made for at least two people... The extra space gives a comfort you won't regret... sometimes I think the engineers that design tents think the 'average' person is 4' 3" and weighs 94 lbs! If you have more than one bike on a long Motorcycle Camping ride... sharing the freight can make for a really sweet camp. One person can haul a more capable tent... the other could strap on a couple really compact chairs... There are even 'Micro Tables' available that could sure shine up a camp... One last thing... a Tent Footprint is a small, highly recommended accessory... It'll help keep you drier and makes the floor of your tent endure a LOT longer... Many of the better tents out there, have footprints made specifically for them. Think on it... search around and find the Motorcycle Camping Tent that does what YOU need it to do. ***Camp Furniture and Accessories***Laying out your outfit... you want to give some thought to accessorizin'... Now... you don't need table lamps and pictures on the tent walls... but a few, carefully selected bits are going to really make your Motorcycle Camping shine!There's nothing worse than trying to find your IPOD in the dark... 'cause you can't sleep, and you want to listen to some tunes, to try and slow your head down from all the excitement and pictures of the day zipping through it. ... one of those new miniature LED lanterns is just the ticket for our way of going. They throw a lot of light... and use so little power that the batteries last... and last... 'course... you DO need to put it... somewhere... so you can find... IT... in the dark! Other things you'll likely want to consider are the Roll up/fold up chairs and 'micro' tables already mentioned... use your imagination... you might come up with your own 'invention' or a new way of using something old that no-one ever thought of before, for Motorcycle Camping. ***Your Bedroom***My Recommendation is a good synthetic bag... they'll keep you warm, even if they get wet... and a good mattress. Those self inflating versions might not be as plush as the king sized mattress at the Waldorf Astoria... but I'm guessing, if you're even contemplating Motorcycle Camping... you probably... like me... haven't ever stayed... at any sort of a place, like the Waldorf Astoria! and one last little thing here... some folks need a pillow... Now, carrying some big, fluffy, overstuffed down thing, on the back of your Gold Wing... when you go Motorcycle Camping... might make you happy, wallowing in it at night... but... I'm thinkin' the noise you're gonna have to put up with... from ever'body snickerin' behind their hands is gonna ruin it for you... so, if you're needful of such accouterments... go lookin' around at the lil' travel pillows available... they make 'em that inflate and all, so packin' one of these away, out of sight, shouldn't be an issue!:-) ***Your Motorcycle Camping Closet***First things here are Type of clothing, and Duration. Type; what's the season and/or where are you goin'? Shorts and Sandals ain't gonna work in Yellowstone, in October! and the other is Duration... Three days? or Three weeks? How often are you willing to spend reading the ladies magazines at the laundromat? How much space do you actually have available to pack your Motorcycle Camping clothes into?This is one of those areas where self appointed experts can claim all day long that they know exactly what you need to do... and I'm one of 'em! ... and what you need to do... what you MUST do... is Figure out... For, Your, Self... What YOU need. Sorry! I'd like to give you a whole dang list... and actually, I'm sketchin' up some Motorcycle Camping lists to put on the site... but any of those lists are, ONLY, useful as starting points for your thinking. When it gets down to the nitty gritty of packin' your duds for a long, or even a short Motorcycle Camping Trip, you are the only dang Rider who knows what you require... and don't you let NOBODY tell you different... ... and that goes for whether you sit down or stand up to pee! ***Bathroom***Now here's a delicate subject! Leastways for some folks... There are those among us, who can't tolerate the idea of wearing underwear... two days to a side! :-) and I have to agree with 'em... hygiene is a pretty important thing...... and think about it... have you ever seen anyone... who was really, grubby, who seemed truly happy? There's something about gettin' all nasty and crusty, that deters the smile that should be adorning your purty face, when you're fortunate enough to be out there, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road. You've just GOT to carry a Kit, to allow you to maintain yourself at an acceptable level... I'm not talkin' all dressed up and ready for the prom! I'm just sayin'... in a condition that you don't need to worry about what that waitress is gonna think when she leans across you to pour your buddies cup full at the next cafe stop. As always, it's not like you can carry a shower on your bike... but, I learned, in the army, to take a bath using just a quart of water! You may not be as shiny as standing under the glory of a hot shower, for a half hour in the Holiday Inn, will make you... but you won't be gaggin' any waitress's at Denny's either! They make folding bowls that you can use for a sink... Combine it with a wash cloth and you'd be surprised at how little water you really need to keep yourself presentable... and don't forget a towel... a full size bath towel is unlikely... but roll up a small model and you shouldn't have any difficulty tuckin' it into your Motorcycle Camping outfit somewhere. Another way is Wet Wipes! Uh Huh! The same ones you use/used on your lil' ones backsides... Two or three of those rubbed liberally across the vast expanse of your beautiful self... will return you to being a welcome member of the camp. Just a small word of advice... do your hygiene 'maintenance chores' in the privacy of your tent... some of us ain't what we used to be... and we don't want to put the burden on our camp mates to have to tell us that we just aren't as 'decorative' as we used to be, by doin' such activities out under the wide open sky! :-) You'll want to pack some TP in a freezer bag to protect it, and make keepin' it handy easier... Keep it up on top of your bags somewhere... you never know when an 'urgent need' is gonna strike somewhere along the two lane... Be Prepared! :-) Now-a-days... Good Hygiene gets even easier... Wet Wipes! Yup! Take two or three of those baby wipes... or some other variety... give yourself a good goin' over... and Lordy... all sweet smellin'... and nice soft skin from the lanolin to boot! :-) So... find a ditty bag that will hold all your needfuls... that you can squeeze into your pack... and then split the wind!... ... without pollutin' it! ***Kitchen***If you'll be cooking, you need to put a backpack type stove into your thinking... as well as the Mess Kit and utensils, and any water you'll need to fix up your meals. For water, are you going to rely on public, potable water taps? or are you going to carry a filter to allow you to use streams/lakes, as you would back packing? Some planning about how and when you'll get your groceries is required... Your options are, 'regular food' or maybe the freeze dried options you can get at any of the Back Packing stores and shops... and those have improved a lot from the days they were used for exterminating rodents! They're actually, pretty darn good. :-) Many do their grocery shopping, in the afternoon, in the last town they roll through... just before pulling off for the night to make camp, buying each day's food... that day... There are Motorcycle Camping riders who stop in a likely spot... to make supper... then, after cleaning up after the meal continue on down the two lane to find their night camp. The idea here is... they produce the 'scents' that might attract unwanted 'guests'... miles back down the road... and have a quiet, clean 'sleeping' camp with greatly reduced 'attractants'... You know... some of the oldtimers, exploring the west, more than a century ago... used the same technique to not attract 'attention' from them fellers that were runnin' 'round collecting scalps! Many Motorcycle Camping Travelers... fix their suppers in camp... and then, outside of morning 'wake up' coffee... do their breakfast at a cafe, maybe forty miles into the morning... How Sweet is that?! The limited space for such freight on a Motorcycle, to my way of thinking, makes that just about the best way... ...and then, to avoid unwanted night time visitors... clean up your camp before turning in... put all that trash away... and NOT in or close around your Tent!... and don't do your cooking in your tent!... Unless of course, you enjoy Yogi droppin' by 'round two O'clock in the morning... after picking up the scent of that Lasagna you did up for supper! Put the trash in proper trash cans. Keep anything scented... even deodorant and toothpaste!... out of your tent... Don't be paranoid... just be smart. As in all these parts of your house... How YOU want to go... is what you need to do... That's Exactly, what the Freedom of the Road is about... The choices are YOURS! ***Hobby Shop***Huh? What the hell kind of gas is this Ol' Geezer blowin' now? Hobby Shop... on a Motorcycle?Sure! You bet! Ain't no reason 'tall, for leaving the things you like to do behind, just 'cause you're wandering on a motorcycle... Now, let's just put in here... You do have to exercise a little common sense and reason here... I mean... I'm not sayin' we're gonna haul along a table saw and do woodworking! But... There are a hell of a lot of Avocations that I can think of, that fit right tight, into the saddle bags of somebody who's headin' down that Long Lonesome Highway... Motorcycle Camping! How about, music? water color painting? Geo-Caching? Bird watching? Hiking? Photography... Hell, I ain't into it... but you could damn sure sit around the tent, on a rainy day... and entertain yourself knitting! Point is... Take it along... on those rest days... it will do your heart good to tangle a bit with whatever your interest is. This part kind of fits into the 'hobby shop'... as a lot of people's avocations involve the use of electricity. Are you like me? and require your Laptop to accompany you everywhere? :-) What can I say... It's gone to makin' a significant part of my income these days... The thing has become an appendage... I'd miss it more, if I lost it... than if my left foot vanished one day... ... I'm sure I could rig up a stick of some sort to shift with! :-) ... Other electronic devices?... if so... you'll need to give thought to how you're gonna provide power to 'em... Doing so is much the same as in one of those four wheeled cages... only you don't generally have anywhere near the battery or alternator power. ... so, you have to think about it... and do a mite of calculatin' and planning... maybe even a bit of inventing... but it's a doable deal. Just open up your mind... and fire up your imagination. ***Tool Shed***With today's high tech motorcycles you're not going to do any major repairs on the road or in camp... but, having a small set of tools on the bike is still a good idea. Things come loose, after miles of Motorcycle Camping, and need a little maintenance here and there, maybe require a mite of tweaking...Having that set of tools along just might allow you the ability to patch things together, enough, to limp into town for more permanent repairs as well... assuming that tweaking or cranking on something would allow the limping. There are plenty of shops and places to sort through a selection of Motorcycle Tool rolls to carry on your bike. ***Luggage or Trunk Space***All the gear you carry on your two wheeled 'house' is going to need a home to maintain reasonable convenience and security. Worrying about things falling and flappin' all over the place is not going to allow you to enjoy your ride. How you pack and load your Motorcycle Camping outfit, on your bike... some would argue, and I can't argue against them... is maybe the most critical part of this whole deal.If you can't go down the road safely, securely and enjoyably, it's gonna be a real short trip! A lot here, depends on what style of motorcycle you ride... Let's face it... a full dresser hog, or a Goldwing... has a lot more room for such gear than a Hyabusa! ... and I doubt you're ever gonna see a 'busa... pullin' one of those lil' trailers! :-) ... now... that's a picture... ain't it? But again... there's no shortage of outfits building their own idea of what they consider to be the best motorcycle luggage. ***Motorcycle Garage***Here is something a few people require... and it's not unreasonable... You spent a hellatious number of hard won dollars to acquire that Touring Motorcycle... Feeling the need to cover it up, and protect it at night, when it's parked out in the elements, either in front of a motel... or in a National Forest Service Campground... is not something I can ridicule... Some of those Ol' Biker types that take a chain saw to door frames, to fit handle bars through, are maaaaayybe goin' a mite far... but layin' a nylon canvas cover over your scooter, when you're out Motorcycle Camping, doesn't sound unreasonable to me.A cover, takes up a bit of space... but if you need it... you need it... and if you have that much respect for your bike... that you're willing to carry a few less sets of underwear... to make space for the protective motorcycle cover for your bike, when you're out Motorcycle Camping... I'd have to say... Go for it! Well, there you have it... my current ideas about the 7 P's of getting ready to go Motorcycle Camping. I'm in the process of building a complete, new setup for myself. Over the next couple of months I'll detail that process, what I got and why... and I'll be posting those ramblings right here... linked to this page... so check back and see what I did... maybe, I'm hoping, it'll give you a few ideas for your own Motorcycle Camping travels.
Return from Motorcycle Camping to Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
|
