3 Things No One Tells You About Motocamping
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2024
- After hundreds of nights and thousands of miles of motorcycle camping, these three things I've learned from my motorcycle touring experiences.
Timecodes
00:00 - Intro
00:21 - Tie It Down!
01:09 - Free!
02:01 - Be Prepared
03:10 - Danger!
03:36 - Take Your Time
#motorcycle #camping
Awesome video! Thank you for sharing.
Congratulations on 1000 subs man! keep killing it!
Awesome video once again!!’
I put my tent/sleep system in one dry bag to make it faster to set/break camp. I dropped 5lb from my carry by eliminating a collapsible wash tub-extra tarp-small aluminum table. Nice to be retired and play with your carry before a trip. Nice video.
Thanks. Great tip. I've been doing the same, keeping my tent/sleep gear in a dry bag. I strap it in the passenger seat so it doubles as a back rest. I bought a small camp chair, which I will be using for the first time this year.
4 years ago I discovered ROK Straps too and getting ready to replace them now as they are starting to wear. Love them.
I found that getting a good night sleep is very difficult no matter what set up I use. Finally ended up in hotel/motel accommodations far more.
I'm fortunate in that I can sleep anywhere. I only go to a motel if I have a really good reason (need to dry out, or sometimes I'm still working while I'm on a trip). Whatever works for you.
You need to try a good quality camping hammock. I was right there with you even after half a century of backpacking and tent camping. My hammock changed everything for me. Look up Shug Emery. It might just change your life.
Check thru hiking videos on how to get a great night sleep. I changed my bed setup a few times before I found a comfortable one.
Make sure you have a good sleeping pad pay a bit more for a good 1 a good sleeping bag and pillow plus don't forget the ear plugs.I always much more prefer waking up early in the mornings in the great outdoors than any hotel.Hard to beat nature. Number one lesson make a comfortable bed.
I stick my feet in the footbox of sleeping bag, and leave the rest open like a quilt. Sleeping bag liner over sleep pad for a bedsheet. Get the pillow height right, and make sure your head is uphill from your feet. Side sleeper like at home.
Rok Straps are okay. If you want the best straps. Hands down would be the Green Chilie Adventure Gear straps. There are no plastic buckles to fail with these.
Thank you. I'll look into these.
Light ratched straps. I much prefer these. With the ends correctly done up (tucker knot and tucked under the tightened strap), nothing will flatter around. At the very beginning when we were still riding two up, we used bungee cords. Luckily, just one of our bags fell off on a not much-occupied side road. We threw them out afterwards.
well... but the metall might damage your drybags over time, I reckon
@@camouflage962 You can put cloth pieces under there. Respectively I will attach small leather tabs to the straps so that the ratchets will rest on there. But good point, thank you.
Mosko moto straps are great. Metal and easy two side cinching
Great tips! I'm going for my first night of moto camping next week.
Hope you enjoy it!
@@RetiredAdventureRider I'm sure I will.
Best motorcycle camping item you can buy is a 6-10 pack of 1in nylon lashing straps, Amazon has them cheap, less than $13 dollars, a TH-cam motorcycle camping content creator has an amputated leg because his sleeping bag fell off his bike, lodged in between the wheel and swingarm causing a high speed wheel lock up and skid, serious crash. Lashing straps are able to secure anything, you can strap another motorcycle on the back of your motorcycle using the strong nylon straps. Second is have a water bag, I have a 2.5 gallon collapsible bag and before nearing a campground with no water I fill it and strap it to the bike, it's heavy and a little bulky. You can have enough water for a shower, washing, coffee, clean up, oatmeal and add to freeze dried food if that's your thing. 3rd thing is ground cloth and sleeping pads. I use a yoga style mat and put an inflatable mattress on top. I have a big Agnes copy, the insulation off the ground makes it so I never get cold. I also buy and use 3M Scotchgard waterproofing on lots of gear, so tent,4x6 nylon sheet and ground cloth all get squirted w waterproofing every 6-8 months. I also have 50ft on nylon cord, pretty small diameter, probably for clothes line for most people. You can use it after you do a few laundry items, or make a line so all your stuff can be hung up to air out, use it for tent and tarp holding or repairing. I use it to hang all nylon stuff sacks for tent, pad and sleeping bag so they don't get lost or blow away.. and having the cord is a great way to air out your sleeping bag without tearing it..
Good points. Thank you. I'm aware of what happened to @MotoGiant and he certainly deserves our support.
I use too lashing straps in some config, but fixing soft luggage with them, they will regularly become loose, as inside bags gears will compress more and more....
yes... I could not not agree more reg. toilet paper getting dumped outdoors... One could easily use a squeezable water bottle for rinsing when busy with sanitary needs... and a simple microfiber cloth that can be washed out with some (!) liquid soap (a tiny bottle of it would do), once reaching to a faucet... it is way more convenient for both, the environment and the personal tidiness, plus it saves packing volume for other items, i.e., a larger nalgene bottle or so... 😊
Sew, stick or iron on reflective material on all your bags and even really important items. That way if you ever have to move in a hurry or have a pre sunrise start of a day a flashlight will make it very easy to see your stuff and to take a quick look back if anything real important is left behind.
That is a fantastic suggestion.
Rather than toilet paper or wipes I take a small sponge and a collapsible bowl to wash myself with afterwards. Minimal clothing but liquid soap, line and clothes pegs. Wild Camping in Europe is generally ok but research first.
That comment about loosing a eye with bungee cords is legit, i actually know someone who is blind in one eye cause one of those hit his eye.
Nice video!
I’m planning to cycle Coast to Coast, hopefully in 2025. Therefor, one question: what App could you recommend to find those free campgrounds in US? I like to wildcamp, as it is so nice to be alone in nature and wake up early in the mornings by the music of the birds.
I don't know of an app that only lists free camping. iOverlander has some free sites, and although I haven't used it, I looked at some of the places near where I live and I think its judgment is a bit sketchy. However, for example, it recommends the parking lot of the mountain bike trails near me. You could probably sleep there in a van, but I wouldn't pitch a tent unless I was desperate. In the US, Recreation.gov lists campsites in national forests, but the app doesn't have the full list. For example, it doesn't have the dispersed camping area I plan to use on my Utah trip. What I would do is use the browser on my phone to go to www.fs.usda.gov/ and look for campsites. Anything dispersed is usually free. And the further from the paved road, the cheaper. And remember, you can do dispersed camping on your own in most national forests, subject to a few restrictions.
@@RetiredAdventureRider I already know iOverlander and I have used it also.
I now checked the two websites you gave, and the one from US Forest Service seems particularly useful! Thanks!
Erik (Belgium)
I got a friend into moto camping and now I'm doing it more often. We typically camp for 2 nights and 3 days but we're working up to longer trips. We're old so 500 mile trips are wearing on us a bit. I think we need to ride less and rest/recover more in camp if we take longer trips. I sleep better in my lay flat hammock than I do in my bed at home, and it's much easier to find two trees than a flat spot for a tent. I use the hammock as a lounger and camp chair so I don't need to carry a chair.
RokStraps are way better than bungee cords but I don't trust either of those. I have a single 66 liter waterproof roll top duffel bag on the pillion and rear rack, and the bottom is secured by four short pieces of paracord. There are no single point failures... or two point failures. Moto Giant has many years of experience moto camping (he goes for several months at a time) and he's currently in a rehab hospital in Nashville after a sleeping bag fell off, jammed into the rear wheel and caused him to high side at 80 MPH. He lost his right foot. Be VERY careful securing your load. Secure everything from several points. It helps to have the fewest number of bags possible.
I hate the crowds and noise of organized (typically paid) campsites. We go dispersed camping, as far away from people as possible. There is no need to pack toilet paper. Grab extra napkins at lunch. Similarly, the plastic grocery bag is used as a garbage bag to pack out your trash... and usually other people's trash as well.
I need to get a Cactus Bag for carrying water. I carry a 1 liter Nalgene and a 1 liter insulated stainless Hydroflask knockoff and it's barely enough for overnight camping. I need to trade the 1 liter Nalgene for a durable 4 liter water bag.
All good points. I agree with getting as far away from the crowds as possible. Are you able to stay dry in a hammock if it rains? I have one, but I've never planned on using it on a trip because I want some space that all stays dry.
@@RetiredAdventureRider - I have a couple of Hennessy hammocks. The most recent is the 4-Season Explorer XL Zip. The modern hammocks have mosquito netting and rain flies. They have the same amenities as a tent. Unfortunately, they're comparable in size and weight to a tent. I carry ultralight poles, pegs and a Tyvek footprint so I can pitch the hammock as a small tent if there are no trees (beach, desert, plains, above the tree line, etc.) A hammock isn't good if you like bringing everything inside, but there is room under the fly to keep stuff out of the rain, unless the wind is blowing the rain sideways. All of my camping stuff stays in the 66 liter waterproof roll top duffel bag, so it never gets wet. The hammock rain fly is great for cooking when it's raining. I sit in the hammock and cook under the rain fly. It's also very relaxing to sit or lie in the hammock during the day when it's raining. It's much nicer than being stuck in a tent to stay dry.
Great stuff, and I agree with all of it. It's worth repeating because there seems to be a complete breakdown of social decorum in this regard: don't leave piles of shit and toilet paper in the woods, especially near camp areas. It's disgusting and it seems to have become socially acceptable in recent years, especially since the pandemic when lots of city folk decided they were outdoor folk. The rule hasn't changed. Leave no trace.
Absolutely true. Thanks for pointing this out.
I have panniers and top box packed already, no way I could carry all this tuff as well, hotels for me!
Oh sure you can.
I wish to recommend rack packs by ORTLIEB... extremely durable, water and dust proof, plus superbly versatile... notably. in combination with rokstraps... I am using those for the past decade... no issues... never ever
35 more subs LETS GO!
Rok Straps are garbage. Just like bungee cords.
Voila Straps are the king. Most copies are good too.
Thanks for sharing.
absolutely worse straps ever..Voila ? WTH
You can motocamp on Crown land all across Canada. Just respect the BEARS! Toilet paper & baby wipes- your butt will thank you!
I wouldn’t worry about bears as they are all occupied with all those women that chose them over men