I’ve been traveling on my motorcycle for a while and learned the hard way how to best pack my motorcycle for camping and travel. In this article I share my packing tips with you.
How do you pack a motorcycle for camping? Keep your packing list as short as possible. Use motorcycle panniers for carrying the heavy items. A tank bag for your valuables. A tool roll for emergency repairs and a roll bag for soft and bulky items strapped down with rokstraps.
If you are new to motorcycle camping and packing, this might sound like a mystery to you. In the rest of the article I will go into detail about every packing location there is on the bike, what to pack where and why.
Ready to go for a 9 month trip from Europe to Africa!
Creating your own packing list
Everyone has a different packing style For this article I am assuming that you have already searched the internet on what to put on your packing list so I’m not going to go into it here. With experience you will create your own personal style of packing. Remember this when you are reading other peoples list. Does your style of traveling match theirs? Are they minimalist, in the middle or extreme packers? What type are you? It is important to keep this in mind when creating your own list.
Whatever style you end up with, the fact remains that a motorcycle is not a car and that space for taking things is limited. Especially when going camping you will need to bring some essentials that cannot be left at home. This will take up space and you will have to compromise in other areas.
Share the packing load when you travel together
Will you be traveling alone or with a friend? If you will be together for the whole length of the trip it is wise to divide some of the things that you don’t need duplicates off. For examples pots and burners. Coordinate and you will be able to travel lighter and more comfortably.
Buying expensive technical travel gear vs traveling with what you have
If you are going on your first trip, don’t fall into the trap of buying everything brand new. The high tech, low weight gear is great but you might not like this style of traveling as much as you thought so go with what you have. If you fall in love with motocamping, like I have, then over time you will be able to upgrade your equipment slowly so it matches your personal travel style. Also, I’ve found that some of the extremely light weight stuff is not durable enough for rough motorcycle travel, so you are better off with something a little more sturdy anyways.
How should I pack my motorcycle for a long trip?
The difference in packing for a long trip lies in the fact that you bring a few more “what if” items regarding your safety. The style of packing: pack light, take panniers, a roll bag, a tank bag and and a tool tube remains the same compared to a shorter trip.
My bike ready to roll
Stuff bags, compression bags and all other types of nets
To keep your things organised I recommend using smaller bags inside your other your bigger ones. For clothes I really like to use compression bags to minimise the space they take up. I also keep all the cables in one bag. Organise food into bags and keep my shoes in a separate bag so they don’t make my other stuff dirty. It helps me to optimise the space and to have fast access to the things I need.
How to pack motorcycle panniers like a pro
No matter which type of pannier you choose (hard, leather or soft), fact remains that they are the lowest point on your motorcycle. Therefor you will want to pack the heaviest items you will bring on the bottom of them. On top of the heavy stuff you will want to add some of the things you want quick access to because the panniers are some of the easiest places to access while on the road.
Depending on the size of panniers you have you will be able to stuff quite a lot of gear in there. If you are riding with soft saddlebags don’t put anything fragile in there just in case you fall over.
Don’t forget to leave space for your food
While packing don’t forget to leave space for food and water, especially on longer camping trips you will want to have a stash for at least 2-3 days including snacks. Having some instant noodles or freeze dried meals on the bottom of your food bag ensures that you always have an emergency meal when the shops are closed before you reach your destination. Carry snacks like energy bars (without chocolate because that always melts) nuts and dried fruit or cookies.
How to pack water on your motorcycle adventure
Water is another very important item to take and take into account while packing. I personally really like traveling with a camel bag on my back but for cooking I also take a dromedary bag of 6L. Having water next to you on your camping spot, even if that is on a campsite, makes such a difference.
How I pack my panniers
- Left pannier: Cooking gear, shoes, first aid kit
- Right pannier: All the food and water, camping chair
Roll bags or top cases on the back
Roll bag, dry bag, travel bag. Whatever name you want to call it, it does all of those things. If you don’t have one of these, it is a good place to start investing because they are affordable and keep your stuff dry in any type of storm. They are better then a top case because you can put more stuff in there and things don’t rattle around while you ride and stay nicer and organised.
How do you pack a tent on a motorcycle?
The roll bag on the back of your motorcycle is the place where you put the bulky items that don’t fit into the panniers. That means your tent, sleeping bag, mattress, etc. The benefit of having those items inside the bag is that they stay dry at all times and you will have a comfortable night wherever you pitch your tent.
Packing electronics on a motorcycle trip
I recommend not taking electronics on a motorcycle trip, especially when it is a short one. Enjoy nature, be outside, spend time with your friends. If you insist on taking something like a laptop, the roll bag is the place to put it. Surround them with soft items such as your tent, sleeping bag and clothes.
Use rokstraps to tighten your roll bag not bungees
Rokstraps are by far the best investment you can make for a enjoyable motorcycle camping trip.
Even if you are just traveling with a big backpack, you will make your trip more enjoyable if you buy rokstraps to fasten your bag to your motorcycle. They are a type of strap that combines an elastic section with a traditional tie down strap. The result is that you can tighten the straps efficiently so that the bag moves with the bike and does not wiggle from under the straps and falls off your bike after a few bumpy miles.
For extra convenience, you can add a cargo net over your roll bag. It not only secures your roll bag into place (in combination with the rokstraps!) but it allows you to quickly add thing that you buy, take off or need to dry up while riding. I find it is incredibly versatile and I love having a place to store a jacket that gets too hot to ride in during the day.
How I pack my roll bag
- Tent,
- Sleeping bag
- Blowup mattress
- Blowup pillow
- Clothes
- Toiletries
- Laptop + charger
Tank bags and why they are awesome
Tank bags come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, big and small. There are also many different ways to attach a tank bag to your tank depending on the type of motorcycle you ride. I personally like a tank bag that you can take off easily when you leave the bike outside to go into a shop or restaurant. Since I keep all my valuables in there, I love being able to take the bag off the tank with just a few clicks and feel safe having them on me.
Bigger tank bags can obviously hold more stuff but can get in the way when riding so find a compromise that you are happy with. Like I said, I mainly keep my valuable items in there like my phone, wallet and other electronics. This is also the place for small items that you use multiple times a day like your camera or sunscreen.
A pro tip is to also carry your headlamp in there so that when you arrive on a campsite during sunset you know exactly where your light is and you can start pitching your tent without fumbling around in the dark.
I also use my tank bag to charge the small electronics that can powered up by a USB port. I have a tradition car charger port on the dashboard of my bike but I use a converter to two USB ports each with a higher amperage for faster charging. This way my phone is always charged when I lie in my tent at night and I can always snap a picture with a full camera battery.
How I pack my tank bag
- Phone + cables
- Wallet
- Passport
- Camera
- Map
- Headlight
- Sunscreen
How to carry your tools on a motorcycle trip, what are the options?
Tools are an essential part for motorcycle trips, something always breaks and being able to fix your bike on the spot keeps you moving and smiling. Which tools you should bring depends on your motorcycle, once you’ve figured out what to take you’ll probably ask yourself where to put them.
They are perfectly fine on the bottom of one of your panniers, but to safe space and have easy access to them I recommend getting a tool tube and/or a fender bag.
The fender bags can only hold a small amount of tubes, really only meant for the minimalists and small items.
Where to attach your tool tube?
The other option is to get a tool tube and attach it to the frame of the motorcycle. There are many different spot you can mount one and a general rule of thumb is, lower is better. Don’t attach it with just tiewraps, they are not durable enough to resist long term vibrations. Here are a few options on where you could put your tool tube.
Creative use of the tool tube Not everyone uses the tool tube exclusively for tools. I’ve seen people carry their petrol bottles in there or a wine bottle. Whatever you use it for, it’s an easy access storage solution for heavy items.
You can attach the tool roll to the skid plate for optimal load balance. Photo courtesy off Adventure Ride Guide.
Another option we see often is to attach it to the inside of the pannier rack. Photo courtesy of The Tool Tube.
Another location is under the pannier rack. Photo courtesy of Amsterdam to Anywhere.
Why I don’t ride with a backpack on my back
Riding with a big backpack with your stuff on your back might seem like a quick and easy solution and off course it is. But after an hour of riding you will start to feel that backpack on your shoulders and after 2 hours it will really start to hurt quickly taking all the fun out of your trip.
If you are going to bring a backpack you have a few options. If it is a really big one, strap it on the back with rokstraps and you are good to go! Quick and easy solution to keep your trip fun. Second option is to take a backpack and stuff it into your rollbag so you can take it out when you go for a stroll through the town. Third option is to take a really small bag and combine it with a camel bag for drinking. This way you can stay hydrated on the road and when going on a hike or a day trip into town you can still bring some stuff with you.
Leave a comment
I hope this article has helped you packing your camping gear onto your motorcycle and went out for a ride. Let me know in the comments below how it went and share any tips you found out along the way!