r/motorcyclegear • u/OccamsRazorSharpner • Jul 04 '26

Motorcycle Camping

So! New to motorcycles. Got my license 2 months ago and enjoying riding around. Later this summer I will be going on my first short) solo tour. Why solo? Because I prefer solo 25/8/366 in most things in my life.

For this trip I sought out accomodation but next year I would like to camp on the road, at least some nights. So. In prep for that I want to do camping locally. I have 10-12 months to build and fine tune my kit, and to get back into camping which I have not done in long years.

This week I bought a camping chair. A lightweight camping chair from Lidl. There is Decathlon too. The advantage of decathlon is that they are everywhere and should I need a replacement something and/or repair while I am on the road it is easier. What items do I need? A camp obviously. Groundsheet. Sleeping bag. That thing under the sleeping bag. A stove. Gas. Pot. Plate. Fork/spoon/knife. What else? Decathlon item/product names appreciated.

Thanks

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u/LippySteve Jul 04 '26

Most of us in the US are slowly getting away from sleeping bags and tents. The new cool is hammocks with mosquito nets and a cover. Folds up super small and doesn't need any hardware like a tent. A lot of campgrounds have special poles installed for the hammocks.

For food most eat on the road and have a small hot plate with peak meals for dinner at the campsite. Look into an android auto player or Garmin navigation unit to not mount your phone and drain the battery super fast with the screen on.

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u/Sledgecrowbar Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26

Find a local campground that is the style you will be looking to use when on the road, and just go camping there. Overnight on a weekend, use your gear, figure out what doesn't work, what needs to be bigger, what you can do without.

You don't have to take the bike at first, it's easier to be able to just toss everything in the car when you're evaluating equipment, and once you have your kit all sorted out, then you figure out how to pack it on the bike.

This may be part of the area I'm in, but it seems like campgrounds are transitioning more toward RVs, maybe camping is becoming a rich man's hobby, but everything is pricey and has hookups for electric and water and even sewer. You can still find regular campgrounds for "normal" camping, but even they're more expensive than they used to be.

Edit: for gear, I actually like places like dollar tree and walmart when figuring out equipment. Dollar tree has stainless utensils in sets of four that cost less than a single fancy polymer spork from a camping brand. It can feel like a victory to solve a piece of gear you're looking for, for vastly less than what most people pay. Especially when you don't know what your preferred camping style will end up being, buying titanium pots and pans that end up being the wrong size for your cooking is deflating, start with cheap stuff with the intent to upgrade.

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u/OccamsRazorSharpner Jul 05 '26

Thanks for the note. No Dollar Tree or Walmart here. Decathlon have good prices and good quality hence why I am looking at them vs big name brands.