How many times have you seen a photograph of a campsite and thought I’d like to do that? Why don’t you? It’s a great way to travel. You can learn so much about what you can do without too. Don’t let the thought of sleeping on the ground deter you. It’s all in the gear you use.
In fact you don’t even have to own any camping gear. Stores like REI rent camping gear. What better way to see if you like something. Basically you need a tent, air mattress and sleeping bag. But you can improvise. Depending on the time of year and temperatures, you can make do with a blanket. If you’re really rustic you can sleep on the ground.
Keep things simple and compact. A small one or two person tent is all you need. Some folks use a tarp and just use that to sleep under. Hell, for that matter you can sleep under the stars. Now that’s a great way to sleep. Nothing like looking up into the heavens and seeing the twinkling up above.
Think you won’t be able to make it through the night? Here’s a simple solution. Camp in your yard. That’s right. Just set up everything outside where you live. That way if you just don’t like it all you have to do is go inside.

Okay, let’s recap what we need. First a tent. Keep it simple and small. You don’t need to be able to stand up. If you’re looking for the first time, think backpacking. Basically camping off a bike is the same as backpacking. My tent is a two person tent. Plenty of room for my 6’2″ frame and another person. It rolls up compactly and is easily carried in a saddle bag or my SAC Bag.
Next I absolutely love my Therm-O-Rest self inflating air mattresses. I have three of them. Once again I use the backpacking air mattress when camping off the scooter. In years past I’ve even carried both the other air mattresses and tent camped while riding two up.
The bulkiest piece of equipment by far is your bedding. Using compression sacks helps with this tremendously. I’ve carried my zero degree bag in one of my saddlebags. Most of the time now I get everything packed into my SAC Bag. These will compress nicely. Just keep stuffing them until they fit where you want them.
For cooking I carry along a compact backpacking cook set. Everything fits inside the largest pot/skillet combo. I even have a small kettle that I use to boil water for hot tea or chocolate. My backpacking stove is huge compared to most. It’s a Coleman dual fuel. Usually I’ll fill it full of fuel before I leave and that will last a weekend.
Find an outdoor store such as REI or Gander Mountain and check out their backpacking supplies. Better yet find a small mom and pop store. They will love to help you decide what you need. Give scooter camping a try.
Ride Safe
Ronman





























