Camping

[Kirby]

Here's something that might be of interest to others as well as myself. I see on this site that a lot of you have travel trailors behind your motorcycles. How many of you actually camp along your journey? If you do, where are some of the places that you've stayed? What to look for in a camp site? What are the costs involved? Facilities nearby? What do you pack? Just share some of your experiences. Good and bad. Might be interesting to see what this type of ad-venture is all about!!!

Edited November 23, 2009 by Kirby

[SilvrT]

This could be interesting ... I haven't camped for so long, I might need some or all of the info that gets posted here....

 

Having said that tho... and just so that ya'll don't think my memory has totally blanked out... I do recall I took a tent..

[sarges46]

We camp alot during our journeys. Marilyn tows the cargo trailer with all the clothing, kids tents and some bedding with her vstar and I have the camper. In the camper are the camp things. Stove, pots/pans, rope, dishes and some other light stuff like blankets and pillows extension cords. I also have 4 foot table and folding chairs that I put on top of the camper.

 

We primarly stop at KOA because its reliably well taken care of. Some are differant in how they price for us. We;ve had to pay for two sites because the kids have a tent of their own or sometimes they just charge us the family rate. Each one is a little differant. We've also stopped in small towns and camped. I like that actually....usually very cheap and the wood is almost always free.

 

We stop or attempt to stop for the night well before dark. I hate trying to find a place and set up after dark! All places should have a shower and fire rings...these are important for us.

 

 

 

Mostly we eat our while travelling. But always have our camp coffee maker with us for those wake up calls!

 

If we have a long run to make or are trying to make up time we will stop every second day in a hotel. This lets us ride a little later and makes it easier to pack up in the morning for an earlier start.

 

Currrently we have a older bunkhouse camper and are very very seriously looking at a new camper from Rolla-Home the wide bed model.

I wont camp in a tent any more. Just too miserable I guess, I hate having to try and get dressed and put boots on while sitting on a airmattress! And I hate spending a bunch of time setting up and taking down.

 

Does that help any?

[Guest tx2sturgis]

When traveling by motorcycle, I do it the other way around. I stay in cheap motels along the way, and camp at the destination.

 

I have never regarded a motel room as a destination, only a place for a shower and a bed after traveling all day.

 

But camping at an event is fun for me...it helps me 'plug into' the environment. Helps me share the experience with others at the event.

 

This past September, a buddy and myself rode over to the Bikes, Blues and BBQ rally in Fayetteville AR. We camped and had a great time. I posted a 6 minute video on Youtube that has a few still shots of our campsite, along with me pulling my little Tag-Along Trailer:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV1FbzBh51g]YouTube- Riding.[/ame]

 

 

 

 

If your going to camp very often, it sure helps to be able to haul what you need. And a small trailer can make the trip much more enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pakidaho]

We avoid motels and prefer to camp, although there have been times when we have not been able to find a place to camp along the road; thus appreciating the shower and convenience of a motel.

We pack our trailer with tent, sleep bags, food, computer...and movies, as well as lantern, scrabble game, thermarest pads, small tarps, table, folding chairs, home brew, cigars and any thing else we can jam in the trailer to make the experience pleasurable. Next season we plan to add another trailer for Teri's bike so we can haul along inflatable kayaks, since we usually camp near lakes or water. The kayak trailer will also be packed with guitar and Teri's Bongos.

We like to camp as primitive as possible although most of those places require riding on dirt roads for some distance which is not always the sort of road we want to ride our bikes on.

Most of the time we wind up in forest service types of camp grounds.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

We pack our trailer with tent, sleep bags, food, computer...and movies, as well as lantern, scrabble game, thermarest pads, small tarps, table, folding chairs, home brew, cigars and any thing else we can jam in the trailer to make the experience pleasurable. Next season we plan to add another trailer for Teri's bike so we can haul along inflatable kayaks, since we usually camp near lakes or water. The kayak trailer will also be packed with guitar and Teri's Bongos.

 

 

We like to camp as primitive as possible

 

 

Sounds primitive alright!

[starrider60]

re-discovered camping the same year i returned to riding in 2002. Tent camped for 3 years but i agree that pulling on your jeans and boots is just too hard when your butt is on the ground so i have an aspen classic. It has a king-size bed and room for all my gear - stove, chairs, coffee pot, even a/c. Try to camp at least one time each month year round. Live in the south so it's do-able. Stay in motel every 3rd ot 4th night. Best way to see the country on a budget.

[SilvrT]

Sounds primitive alright!

 

 

yup... that's what I thought too ...

 

then I realized he meant the campgrounds were "primitive" ... not your average KOA type ... "off the beaten track" ... (or did he really mean....)

[LilBeaver]

When traveling by motorcycle, I do it the other way around. I stay in cheap motels along the way, and camp at the destination.

 

I have never regarded a motel room as a destination, only a place for a shower and a bed after traveling all day.

 

But camping at an event is fun for me...it helps me 'plug into' the environment. Helps me share the experience with others at the event.

 

This past September, a buddy and myself rode over to the Bikes, Blues and BBQ rally in Fayetteville AR. We camped and had a great time. I posted a 6 minute video on Youtube that has a few still shots of our campsite, along with me pulling my little Tag-Along Trailer:

 

YouTube- Riding.

 

 

 

 

If your going to camp very often, it sure helps to be able to haul what you need. And a small trailer can make the trip much more enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

As usual, great job with the video!

[tufftom4]

I tent camp everywhere I go and plan my day rides from national or state campground to campground. Myself and 2 friends took a month off in 2000 and went to Sturgis from Mass and tent camped all but 1 night I don't pull any trailor just load my bike with everything I need last year I did Skyline Dr and the Blueridge parkway and tent camped the whole time.[ATTACH]38839[/ATTACH]

[pakidaho]

how bout private spots with all the trappings...sound better?

[painterman67]

Laura and I camp all the time. This is our first year on the bikes so we just downsized everything from the big trailer to the litle one. We take a camp grill ,stove and cooler. Tent ,air mattress, and clothes. Our tent is 6 ft tall in center so no setting on the ground to change. We also take a fold out camping chair in the tent to sit on to dress and such.

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

David

[abnormalwon]

Have camped most of my life and truly enjoy it though it can be challenging. The past few years have moved to camping while on the bike (no trialer), so this is mostly done one up. This requires extremely smart packing and narrowing down what you really need and what is fluff. Though I skimp on clothing and incidentals, I always carry an extra tarp to cover the tent (I HATE sleeping wet!) and a good sleeping pad (I want to be comfortable too). After that it's pretty much a cake walk. I try to eat on the road to reduce food and cooking equipment and advise earlier stopping points to give your self time to get set up and actually enjoy your site before hitting the hay. One big thing is cost's, usually find the best deals at Federal or State parks, though they can be a bit more primitive. Once you dive into private facilities it can be a crap shoot. Last August I traveled from Atlanta to NY and a night on the BRP cost $16 while a private facility near Gettysburg ran $38 and I actually liked the BRP a whole lot better. Next time I will probably stick to public sites or KOA's. Either way it certainly is fun and you can hook up with the most interesting folks around the camp fire.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

how bout private spots with all the trappings...sound better?

 

Hey...I hauled a little one burner camp stove for heating up my buddies coffee pot in the morning...I thought THAT was luxurious...

 

If your camping includes a computer, a scrabble game, guitars, bongos, kayaks, and a thermarest pad...the only thing you forgot was the dang Winnebago!

 

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2009 by tx2sturgis

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Ummm...this is exactly why I haul a small trailer:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks a tad top heavy to me....and I dont like my bike riding that way. But to each his own.

 

[Brake Pad]

this is my idea of camping. (Must Have A/C)

[Sling]

Peggy and I used to tent camp when the boys were gowing up. After they left the nest, Peggy and I got a 5th.wheel Which was great. The state parks in Ga, and SC are fantastic.. Sold the camper due to the fact that we didn't get to use it as often as we wanted to. I'm having a hard time trying to talk Peggy into tent camping again, she says

But in the mean time that Tag-along trailer will go into the motel room with us.

[Yammer Dan]

Used to just take a tarp and sleeping bag. Have upgraded everything now have a small tent and a blow-up mattress. Wonder what made the ground get so hard??

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Used to just take a tarp and sleeping bag. Have upgraded everything now have a small tent and a blow-up mattress. Wonder what made the ground get so hard??

 

 

Funny how that happened where I camp also...must be the intervening 30 years...

 

 

[yamadawg]

When traveling by motorcycle, I do it the other way around. I stay in cheap motels along the way, and camp at the destination.

 

I have never regarded a motel room as a destination, only a place for a shower and a bed after traveling all day.

 

But camping at an event is fun for me...it helps me 'plug into' the environment. Helps me share the experience with others at the event.

 

This past September, a buddy and myself rode over to the Bikes, Blues and BBQ rally in Fayetteville AR. We camped and had a great time. I posted a 6 minute video on Youtube that has a few still shots of our campsite, along with me pulling my little Tag-Along Trailer:

 

YouTube- Riding.

 

 

 

 

If your going to camp very often, it sure helps to be able to haul what you need. And a small trailer can make the trip much more enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our thoughts exactly! We do not like to take the time for set up and take down during the trip itself and prefer to use cheap hotels on the way to get more saddle time. I just can't get into that much packing and unpacking. Once at our destination camping is the way to go. BTW... great video, and you can never go wrong with Marshall Tucker! :thumbsup2:Thank you! :clap2::clap2:

[raceman62race]

When we make short weekend trips, like 1 nighters, we stay in motel rooms. When we went to Ashville for the M & E, we camped and we learned from some of the people there. So here is what we now have: A trailer and we pack a tent, an air mattress that blows up to about 18 - 24" high so we can sit on the side and get dressed, a small window unit air conditioner for the tent, rope lights for the inside of the tent, coffee pot, lap top computer, extention cord, sheet and 2 sleeping bags and pillows. My wife has her own bike but when we do much traveling, she prefers to ride 2 up with me and we can usually get enough clothes, toiletries.....on the bike that will last for 3 days. We try to stay at KOA's and we use the computer to find the next KOA destination. Starbucks and most of the fast food resturants now have wireless internet connection for their customers. We also check the weather and if rain is likely at night, we'll stay in a motel. Nothing is more mizzerable than tent camping in the rain. Most KOA's have laundry matts and we'll wash up our clothes there. We can set up and take down in less than 30 minutes and while the coffee is brewing in the morning if I really try, I can usually be packed up by the time the coffee has brewed. We always get a laugh at some point in our travels because we own a nice 5th wheel camper that we don't use any longer. (It's for sale in the classifieds section here) We have found that we enjoy traveling on the Venture more than we do using the 5th wheel. We've traveled enough to test out all the things mentioned above and it works well for us. Our real trip will be coming up July of 2010. We're going to stay gone 9 days and head north into Virginia and do some white water rafting then shoot over to the coast and head south down the coast until we reach Tybee Island and then swing back up towards home.

[hillrider]

Thought there was a 20# limit on the trunk.

 

Personally pull a Aluma trailer with a Apache tent(5 man) and the kitchen sink, 3 chairs (one for inside the tent)stove, food and 4 gal of spring water. I do like my water and there is some nasty stuff out there.

[tsigwing]

Here's something that might be of interest to others as well as myself. I see on this site that a lot of you have travel trailors behind your motorcycles. How many of you actually camp along your journey? If you do, where are some of the places that you've stayed? What to look for in a camp site? What are the costs involved? Facilities nearby? What do you pack? Just share some of your experiences. Good and bad. Might be interesting to see what this type of ad-venture is all about!!!

 

Here is a pic of me and the wife with our Time Out Camper.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Here is a pic of me and the wife with our Time Out Camper.

 

Yall must be in the bed cuz I cant see you at all!

 

[Condor]

I posted a 6 minute video on Youtube that has a few still shots of our campsite, along with me pulling my little Tag-Along Trailer

 

 

That was a great video. Didn't get bored and watched it all the way thru.