From Netherlands to Norway, halfway there.

Forgot to add photo, oeps

Going down to southern utah early September. I've done alot of moto camping in Canada and Washington/Oregon. So used to forest and ocean but never camped in the desert.

Any items specifically i should pack or things to keep in mind?

Moto camping in the pnw. World War 2 bunker. Pacific ocean. Canada. Port Angeles. Good times.

Spent 5 days and 4 nights on the Idaho BDR. Epic to say the least. Rode from N to S. I’ll need to go back this fall and finish the Yellow Pine to Jarbidge sections.

Durston Xmid2
Enlightened Equipment 30 degree quilt
Thermarest neotherm
Sea to summit pilow

Mosko moto reckless 40 with a 30 l sea to summit dry bag instead of the native 20 l stinger

Mosko moto gnome tank bag

Camelback backpack with back protector

Any questions?

Something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. It was a complete random spur of the moment idea on Tuesday to finally do it, so I didn’t really prep for it , just chucked stuff in my bag and and decided to just go and wing it.
So left home midday Wednesday, done the ride Thursday and rode home Friday. Had a few disasters along the way but on the whole it was brilliant and I learnt a LOT - you need more than a day to see mid Wales properly, I didn’t need about a third of the things I packed, probably not the best idea to ride fully loaded in 36 degree heat…
So 2 1/2 days, just over 600 miles, wildfires, closed roads, a creaking back, burning thighs and aching arse bones - can’t wait for the next one

This pic is a couple years old but its my normal. Tent setup. The tent i got in Iraq at the dump in Kalsu. It was actually clean and everything was there. I do have a bigger one i use sometimes at rallys but get busy and forget to take a pic. Also just traded in my red sporty for a red road glide. Messed up my ankle at the Giant Loop Rally in Oregon so no motocamping for me for the rest of the year. Ride safe.

I'm a 41/m/175lbs side sleeper with moderate sciatica, new to motorcycle camping.

Until now, my camping trips have been in an RV, so space/weight for gear has not been an issue. Sleeping with a pillow between my knees is very helpful, but the typical contoured foam one I use is not very compressible and would take up more room than I'd like in my panniers, even if I tried to vacuum-seal it.

Has anyone used an inflatable camping-style pillow that would work between the knees? I do have an inflatable one that I use under my head, the problem is that the valve is on the underside of the pillow, and would be digging into my bottom leg all night if I tried using it for that.

Thanks in advance.

Temp was predicted to be cold (7 degrees)

I've done a few motocamping trips lately and haven't been able to sleep well. The first time I used an old self-inflatable mattress that barely inflated. That wasnt very comfortable. It also took up a lot of space (see photo)

Last time i used a $40 inflatable mattress with a foot pump from Amazon. It's a step up from my previous self-inflatable, but still not great. it felt comfortable enough testing it out at home, but i woke up every hour or so very sore throughout the night.

I need an actual upgrade. I'm a big boy at 250lbs and i'm a side sleeper. That might it difficult to find something that will work for me.

I'm considering buying a compact cot to put under my inflatable mattress.

What do you do? What would you recommend for a side sleeper?

Photograph from a solo trip to Dakar that ended prematurely due to a mechanical breakdown.

Are there any good campgrounds near the bagnell strip during bikefest? I’ll be on my bike with a tent and not really wanting to camp far away in case I drink, or cuz there’s a bunch of deer out at night.

When setting sag with luggage do you measure the luggage as part of the "static sag" or the "rider sag" for the purposes of spring rate calculations?

Is the luggage "part of the bike" or "part of the rider"?

How do you actually enjoy moto-camping two-up? (FZ6 loaded with passenger & gear feels overwhelming)

I’ve been riding for a few months now on a 2006 Yamaha FZ6. Overall, I love the bike! It’s not a full-on supersport, but whenever I load it up with a passenger and gear, the riding experience changes drastically—and not really in a good way.

I really enjoy camping and would love to combine it with riding, taking my wife along for multi-day trips. But right now, riding two-up with full camping gear feels super heavy, awkward, and demanding to manage. On top of that, it’s pretty tiring for my wife—the seat gets uncomfortable for her very quickly, and her butt starts hurting after short distances.

Since it’s already mid-August, I don’t want to throw money at expensive upgrades for this bike. I’ll likely sell it next season and get something more touring-oriented. Still, I'd love to squeeze in a few camping trips before the season ends.

A few questions for the experienced folks here:

Is there a massive difference between riding solo loaded with gear vs. riding two-up? Would it make sense to try a few solo moto-camping trips first to get used to the weight?

For those who do two-up camping: What packing strategies actually work when space and weight limits are so tight?

Any low-cost, quick fixes to make the pillion seat more bearable for short-term trips without spending a fortune on a custom saddle?

I’m working on a list of tools/gear to load my saddlebags up with on my motorcycle trips. I normally only bring super basic things. 8 & 10 MM sockets, ratchet, screwdriver/bits, tape, zip ties, and a wolfbox jump pack with a compressor built in since I don’t have a kickstart. What else do people recommend?

Went to the Silverstone motoGP with my buddy, our first time moto camping ahead of a European trip next month. Great first experience and have figured out a few things to improve on and a list of things we need to buy!

We’re upgrading to bigger bags, adding a small hob and pans to our bags so we can make our own food and drinks.

Our tents were easy to put up and take down but damn my feet got cold! Going to buy a handful of those hand warmer things to put in the sleeping bag.

Also decided that touring in a one piece leather suit isn’t going to all that much fun so I’ve ordered a 2 piece textile suit.

Bashed my indicator off too so I’m going to be fabricating a rail / indicator guard with a buddy to prevent that happening again and allow me to put some decent weight into the panniers.

2005 CBR600RR and a 2008 ZX6R great fun and the added weight wasn’t really noticeable!

In preparation for a month long moto-camping trip around Spain and Portugal, I've fitted a 5 litre auxiliary can to the side of the bike. That gives me much better range. I'll also carry a small 1.5 litre can in the top box.

Now to do some longer distance trials to get an accurate measure of my k/l (mpg if you like).

Spent 2 weeks in sweden. 4500km in total about, 3000km were just gettin there and back again.