Motorcycle Camping Asian Style

One of the things we like most about motorcycles is that they let us experience the ride directly, rather than from inside a steel and glass cage. That's why motorcycles and camping are a natural match. After all, why spend the day with the wind in your face only to spend the night in a hotel or motel with noisy plumbing? Motorcycle-camping takes a lot of preparation and forethought, and the consequences of not having the right gear or skill are far worse than those of picking the wrong place to stay.

The Sleeping Bag

Like a motorcycle ride, a motorcycle camping trip is only as good as the equipment you bring along, and one of the most important pieces of camping gear is your sleeping bag. You can put up with a lot on a camping trip – bad roads, bad food, bad weather – as long as you get a good night's sleep.

Most sleeping bags are rated by their manufacturers according to how many insulation are in them, which, in turn, gives you a rough idea of the coldest temperature the sleeping bag is suited for. More is not necessarily better when it comes to choosing the right weight sleeping bag.

Goose down is a better insulator, kilo for kilo, than synthetic materials, but it's more expensive and, when wet, loses its loft, which is the ability to fluff up and hold heat. Synthetics, on the other hand, are cheaper and work just as well for the conditions in which most motorcycle camping will be done. Some are water-resistant, and many are durable enough to withstand repeated washings.

Shape is more a matter of personal preference. Mummy bags sleep warmer, because there's less room inside them, but they constrict foot movement. If you're a restless sleeper, consider a rectangular sleeping bag, which leaves more room for your feet.

Sleeping pads add an extra measure of comfort and help insulate you from the ground. Many riders still rely on old standby, a piece of closed-cell foam, but self-inflating pads like the Therm-A-Rest beat foam hands down for comfort and insulation. As light and compact as foam, these come in a variety of widths, lengths and thicknesses, but they tend to be more expensive.

Camping in Tents

Some motorcycle-campers don't use tents at all, preferring to drape a tarp over their campsite, hanging up a mosquito net, anchored everything to the bike on one side and a picnic table or a tree on the other. A step up from that is the bivouac sack (or bivy bag), which is essentially a canopy just big enough to cover a sleeping bag. It's small and light, and it's quick and easy to set up if all you need is a place to grab a few winks before setting off again the next morning.

Most campers prefer the security of a tent. The range of sizes and styles of camping tents is staggering, but a few general rules apply to all. Make sure the tent you choose is easy to set up. Try it in the store it you're not sure – it beats trying it in the rain or burning sun. Self-supporting tents – the most familiar of these are dome-shaped – can be picked up and moved, and even held over your head and shaken to clean out the inside. The best are made of ripstop nylon, which is very hard to tear and easy to patch. When you choose your spot and want to secure your tent, metal stakes are the only ones worth having – and don't forget to bring something to drive them into the ground with. (It seems that when you need something like that, you can't find a rock when you need one.)

A rain fly does two things: It keeps water off the tent in bad weather, and it protects the tent from damaging UV rays in sunny times. IT fits over the tent without touching it, allowing air to circulate and condensation (which naturally forms inside the tent as you sleep) to escape. Water can seep into your tent from below, too, so make sure the floor is waterproof. Even better is a “bathtub” floor, with waterproof material that extends several centimeters up the sides of the tent.

And don't forget to choose a tent big enough for you to sleep in and store all your gear at the same time. As a rule of thumb, add one “person” to the tent's advertised size. A two-person tent is usually just about right for a solo camper's sleeping bag and riding gear.