When you think of going on a road trip and camping, most people envision driving a huge RV and hitting the road. However, going camping with your motorcycle lets you be more nimble and easier to handle issues that may happen on the road. However, there are things you certainly need to plan for, and in the video below by Dork in Road, he goes over the top mistakes new motorcycle campers make. And actually, mistakes he has personally made in the past.
BRINGING TOO MUCH STUFF
It's easy to go overboard when planning a trip. And in the video, Dork in Road admits he is guilty of this and shows an actual photo of things he brought on one of his first motorcycle camping trips.
A lot of the stuff he brought ended up getting dumped out of the kit really quickly and even there were things that he even didn't even touch.
If you started off as a car camper and are transitioning to motorcycle camping, then you may be used to bringing a lot of "just in case items." Hot cocoa, hot dog sticks and so on. Again, in a car this may fit well, but not on your motorcycle kit.
Weight is not much of a concern during motorcycle camping, but space is. If the items aren't part of the 4 essentials, then don't bring it. Those four essentials are:
- Shelter
- Something to Sleep On
- Something to Eat
- Something to Drink
NOT BRINGING ENOUGH STUFF
So this sort of contradicts the first point. Having the most minimal kit possible isn't ideal. There are people that just bring a wool blanket and a stick, and Dork in the Road just doesn't understand how people do that.
At the end of the day, you want to be comfortable. So bring enough things to be comfortable. Such as blankets, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, maybe a full tent.
NOT PLANNING AHEAD
You really need to plan ahead with essentials such as where are you going to camp? How you are going to get water? Where your wood is going to come from and how you are going to build a camp fire?
According to the video, this is less necessary when you are more experienced, but when you are newer, it's a good idea to look at the camp ground that you are planning to camp at.
By going ahead of time, you can check for things like: where's the water? Where's the bathroom? Can you buy wood at the camp ground? Can you harvest wood around the area? These aren't things you want to figure at that time, especially if the weather is bad.
Also good questions to know. What's the temperature going to be? How many layers of clothing should you have?
Sometimes, even though the weather forecast says it's not going to rain, it ends up raining. And this has happened to Dork in the Road in the video below. So you need to know what to do in that situation.
NOT TESTING YOUR GEAR AND SET UP
Dork in the Road recommends putting your entire bag set-up on your bike. And then go on a day ride. When you stop, check out your straps and your bag and see if anything happened to your set up.
Did any of the straps or flaps hit your exhaust or your tires? Even when you sit on your bike, things can change.
The video also recommends a shake down camp and spend one night. This can even be in your back yard. So that you can test to see if you are ready for the deal deal.
One great piece of advice is that even packing everything up a second time turns out different. So you need to test this.
GOING BY YOURSELF
When you are experienced, you can go by yourself, but if you are new to all this motorcycle camping world, then going with someone is a great tip. And there are several reasons why.
If you forgot something, chances are your buddy brought it. Also, you only need one fire starting kit. It's good to have someone to talk to and also help with doing manual work like gathering wood.
In the video, it says that a lot of people get anxious when camping alone. There are weird noises at night and it helps to have someone with you to keep you calm and relaxed and making this an enjoyable experience.
