Camping 101 Series: Essentials

In this installment of our Camping 101 Series we look at the basic essentials you need for an overnight or extended camping trip. If you would rather listen to this subject scroll to the bottom and click on the podcast link.

There are items you need to bring along when going camping and when your doing it on a motorcycle it is always a dilemma on how much to pack. If you are going alone this becomes even more of an issue as your pack size will have to carry all of your needs as apposed to splitting the load. When we say splitting the load we are talking about things that are not needed in duplicate and can be carried by only one of the group and shared. For example if you have a group of 4 not everyone needs to carry tire irons for flat repair, we would however recommend that a minimum of 2 persons carry them incase one gets left along the side of the road or one breaks. Some items are not able to be shared as easily and will require everyone to have their own.

Your bedroll, consisting of your choice of sleeping devices is one of those that can be considered not shareable. Although depending on your partner and your relationship some items can be shared. Bedroll which will be a blanket or sleeping bag along with maybe a mat of some type, and a pillow. As we discussed in the podcast there are many forms of each of these that are usable in a pinch and can be dual purpose but may not be the most comfortable for long periods. Your shelter is one item that depending on your level of comfort and type prefered could be shared as well. When it comes to cooking the only thing that you really need of your own is a plate of some type and utensils, the stove and or any other cookware can be shared.

When going on a longer trip the list of essentials grows as do the amount of some of these items. You will of course need to carry more clothes, food stuffs (or buy locally) and the amount you carry can depend on how far from civilization you intend to travel as some items become more scarce. It will be harder to get your stove fuel out in the wild from small gas stations and the local general store. We recommend doing some research on the area you intend to travel in to familiarize yourself with the options and limitations.

For a complete list of recommended items for long or short travel plans check out touratech in the following link
https://blog.touratech-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BDR-Packing-List-v4.0-2.pdf