This is a continuation of the motocamping 101 series. If you haven’t read part one, check it here. The third part, concerning planning, can be found here.
Less is more
Buying stuff can be fun – particularly buying fun stuff! Buying things and then realizing you spent hard earned money on something with little real world value is less fun. Camping in developed countries (read: US of A) means that we are rarely more than 45 min from a wal-mart and not much further from a proper sporting goods store. That means that we are seldom in dire need of something that couldn’t be picked-up nearby in a pinch. This is doubly true for consumable items (just think about those people who ate everything from 7-11).
A minimalist approach will help you be successful and feel the most freedom. We don’t want to put ourselves in harm’s way unnecessarily, but with access to water you can do anything for a night. So moving forward, items will be grouped into needs and wants. You need to eat and sleep. You may want to do those in comfort.
The idea here is that this is just a starting place. Consider this a path of least fiscal resistance and thoughtfully choose what you need and don’t need.
Essentials to get you going
Tent
Somewhere along the way, the “tent people” decided that the best way to describe the size of a tent would be to county how many medium/small adult humans can lie uncomfortably across the bottom of the tent. In summary, don’t expect a 2 person tent to fit 2 people who aren’t spooning. Gear is also going to take up room, so go big. On a motorcycle weight is of little concern, and while backpacking tents are cool, the space saved is not typically worth the price.
If you already have access to a tent, roll with it. If you do not yet have a tent, pick up the $25 Ozark trail from walmart. Taped seams, rain fly and easy set up are what you are looking for. The quality is going to be good enough to get you through multiple seasons and when/if it does wear out you will have gotten your money’s worth from it.
Total Budget: $25-30
Hammocks are an alternative to this. They get you off the ground and many people find them much more comfortable. If sleeping in a hammock you will need a rain fly and probably a mosquito net. You will also need something upon which to attach your hammock. Don’t assume that paid campsites will a. Have trees or posts suitable for hanging a hammock or b. Will allow you to use their trees for hammocks.
Ground cover/Tarp
I almost lumped this into the tent section, but i’ll give it the respect that it deserves with a full heading of its own. You are going to need something to put under your tent before you set it up. Blue tarps are the cheap and easy way to go. Harbor freight usually has a free coupon every few months, but even paying 6 bucks at true value is worth it.
I hear your reply: “But wait a minute: doesn’t the tent have a tarp on the bottom of it? Why do I need another?”
Yes, this is true that there is a tarp material on the bottom of the tent and you could very well go without one and survive. The ground cover is there to accomplish two things:
- Protect the tent and increase lifespan
- Make cleaning up and packing easier
When you sleep crud will become crusted onto the bottom of the tent. Where I am in FL this takes the form of mud (even when you find a grassy spot). Have that ground cover there means I can pack the tent without worrying too much about dirt, throw it in a dry bag and then roll the tarp on it’s own and strap it on top of the pack to dry in the wind.
The Tarp can also double as a rain cover when you need to live in the rain. Probably would want to bring along some tie line (paracord) for this application.
Total Budget: $0-7
Sleeping Bag/Quilt
You are going to need a sleeping bag. Shoot for one that is rated for a temp that seems lower than you need – particularly if you are going on the inexpensive side. If you think it will get into the 50s at night, a 50° rated bag will keep you alive, but not necessarily comfortable.
Quilts are the more expensive option that cuts down on weight and are typically higher quality. The idea is that you take the down that was under you and put it all on top of you
When getting started in the camping world (typically in the summer) find a cheap bag. Spending just as much money on a compression sack is almost worth it to keep the down from taking up all of your space in your dry bag.
Total Budget: $10-35
Sleeping Pad
When I first went camping I thought this was optional. That was until I spent a night shifting from one hard spot to another. Realistically the sleeping pad is supposed to accomplish two main tasks:
- Keep you a little more comfortable
- Keep heat from escaping from you body into the cold earth.
Unlike the air, the ground will stay cool for a long time and your body can’t produce more heat than you will lose laying on the ground. The pad is going to separate you from the earth using air. The air will either be in a closed cell firm foam or in a glorified pool raft that you lay on.
Yoga mats are not going to cut it for this. Ask me how I know. Two yoga mats on top of one another are still not enough (ask me how I…). The closed cell option will be cheapest and have a long lifespan but you will get much more comfort out of an inflating pad.
Total Budget: $10-35
Kitchen
Some folks pick up food/drink on their way into camp and have very little need to cook anything. This is a completely legitimate approach to surviving the motocamp. It does get expensive and shifts(or removes) a little of the adventure. If you are looking to cook at camp there are a few tools that will make it possible and successful.
Steel pans/pots/cups. Most of what we prepare is based on boiling water or heating up another liquid to a cooked state. Need some ramen? Boil some water. Dehydrated food? Boil some water. Want some coffee? Burn your lips on some boiling water. Other simple meal ingredients cook easier on a flame with small pans: eggs, sausage meats, etc. The sky’s the limit, but you will feel significantly more limited as compared to car camping.
Stove. The open fire is nice, but a jet stove clone is easy to set up and you can have 2 cups of boiling water is minutes. There are numerous options: I lean toward a Isobutane because the fuel is easy to store and it just feels a little more safe to me. Some stoves will burn on regular gas which you are already carrying around in your tank, I just don’t gravitate to moving fuel all around and potentially spilling it or exploding anything.
A cheaper option for boiling only is an alcohol stove or a solid fuel stove. They aren’t any cheaper, but are a little simpler and very easy to use.
Cheap chinese kits are out there and they work. They will not last you forever, but if you pair a cheap kit with a metal cup you will be good for a whole lot of options.
Total Budget: $30-45
Food and Water
Food is certainly a personal preference thing. I am not a foodie. If I had to live on ramen and soylent green (too dark?) for the rest of my life, I would be fine with it. We won’t have a cast iron skillet to work with so that will limit what is feasible. Here is a brief list of good easy camping fall backs that will travel well and cook up quick. They may spark some ideas of things you would want to bring.
| Canned Chili Rice Eggs | Ramen Instant coffee Dehydrated fruit/jerky |
Water is something that shouldn’t be forgotten. You will want to focus on evening hydration more than you think because of how the road can wick away all of your sweat before you know it was there. If your campsite has potable water, you are good to go. Bring an empty plastic half gallon and keep drinking and refilling. If your campsite doesn’t have potable water (note: a pump doesn’t potable water make), you will need to filter or treat the water for bacteria and the like.
The sawyer straw is a super cheap and easy way to filter water. You can use it, as the name suggests to drink right out of the stream (or unfiltered bottle) or you can use pressure or gravity to feed a 2nd container clean water. You can find extra collapsible water bags that compress down and easily screw onto the filter. Water bags with a wide mouth end make it much easier to fill from a stream or larger body of water.
Total Budget: $5-35
First Aid Kit
You will want a first aid kit to deal with problems as they arise. Take a little time to buy or build a kit to bring with you.
Total Budget: $10-20
Other things
- Don’t forget Toiletries.
- Toothbrush, toothpaste
- deodorant
- roll of toilet paper, shovel if needed.
CAMPING SUPPLY ESSENTIALS BUDGET – $90-207
This assumes that you don’t have any camping materials and will need to start from scratch. Someone will undoubtedly mentions that you could go below $100 and still have a complete camping kit fit for a motorcycle, and they are probably right. This is just a base level to start thinking about gear and what you need and don’t need.
Still interested in gear lists? Check out the Motocamping Packing List to make sure you have what you need on your next trip.
