How to Set Up a Motorcycle Camping Kit: Modules, a Load Map and a Camp Routine

A good motorcycle camping setup splits your gear into a few modules, such as sleep, shelter, kitchen and tools. Each module gets its own bag and a fixed place on the bike, and goes in so that what you need first at camp comes off first. Heavy modules ride low and over or in front of the rear axle, balanced side to side. Rehearse the whole setup at home before the first trip.

This tutorial is part of our motorcycle camping guide. What to bring is on the motorcycle camping checklist. This page turns that gear into a kit that loads, unpacks and sets up the same way every night.

Key takeaways- Build the kit in modules, one bag each, so you lift out a whole job at a time.- Give each module a fixed place: heavy and dense low in the panniers, bulky and light on the rack, day items in the tank bag.- Secure loads with elastic cords that have more than one attachment point per side, not rope.- Set up camp in the same order every time, and cook outside the tent.

What you need

• Your gear, gathered from the checklist linked above
• Luggage: panniers or saddlebags, a tail bag or dry bag for the rack, a tank bag
• Stuff sacks or dry bags, ideally a different color for each module
• Elastic cords or straps with more than one attachment point per side
• Masking tape or tags and a marker for labels
• A bathroom scale
• Your owner's manual, for any load or luggage limits it gives

Step 1: Lay out the kit by module

Spread everything on the floor and sort it into modules. Seven work for most riders:

Anything that fits no module is a candidate to leave at home.

Step 2: Bag each module

Put each module in its own sack and label it. At camp you lift out "kitchen" instead of hunting for a lighter in three bags.

Pack the tent body and rainfly in separate sacks, so a wet fly does not soak the inner. Keep the sleep module in a waterproof bag, so it stays dry whatever the weather does on the ride.

Step 3: Give every module a place on the bike

Write a load map and keep it the same every trip. The placement rules below follow the Alberta motorcycle handbook section on carrying loads:

Never strap cargo to the front fender or the handlebars. For packing technique bag by bag, see how to pack for motorcycle camping.

Step 4: Pack in reverse order of use

The first module you need at camp goes in last. For most riders that order is:

1. Shelter, on top or outermost, because you pitch first
2. Sleep, next out, so it goes into the tent while the tent is dry
3. Kitchen
4. Clothes, inside the panniers
5. Tools, at the bottom, unless the bike needs work

Rain gear and the first aid kit stay in the tank bag, where you can reach them on the road.

Step 5: Secure the load

Use elastic cords with more than one attachment point per side. Rope stretches and can work loose. Pull each module tight against the bike so it cannot shift in corners.

Stop and check the load regularly on the ride, to make sure nothing has worked loose or moved.

Step 6: Weigh it and ride a test loop

Weigh each bag on the bathroom scale and write the weight on the load map. Compare the total, plus your own weight, with any limit in your owner's manual.

Then ride a short loop with the full load. Check the load when you stop, and note anything that moved, rattled or hit your legs.

Step 7: Run a backyard rehearsal

Unload the bike and set up a full camp using only what is packed. Time it. Anything you had to fetch from the house is missing from the kit; anything you never touched may not need to come.

Pack it all back onto the bike in the same order. The second run should be quicker, and that is the point: the routine is part of the kit.

Step 8: Set up at camp in the same order

1. Park the bike on firm, level ground next to where the tent will go.
2. Pitch the tent. Our guide to tent camping on a motorcycle covers site choice and pitching.
3. Lay out the sleep module in the tent while it is dry.
4. Set up the kitchen outside the tent. Never use stoves, heaters or lanterns inside a tent, a CDC report warns; opening the doors does not stop carbon monoxide building up.
5. Store food properly and keep your distance from wildlife.
6. Wash away from water. Carry water 200 feet (61 m) from streams or lakes to wash, as the Leave No Trace principles set out.
7. Stow riding gear in the vestibule and close the bags on the bike.

In the morning, run it backward: kitchen, sleep, tent last. Dry the tent if you can, and keep fly and body in separate sacks.

Step 9: Refine after every trip

When you get home, open each module. Cross out what you never used, add what you missed, and update the load map. After a few trips the kit settles into a setup you can pack without thinking.

Common mistakes

Printable kit map

Riding layers at camp

Your riding layers come off first at camp and go on last in the morning, so give them a place in the vestibule too. Riders who wear chaps over jeans can browse Leather Collection chaps.

FAQ

What are the must-haves for motorcycle camping?

Shelter, a sleep system, a way to cook and treat water, tools, and the Ten Essentials: navigation, sun protection, extra clothing, light, first aid, fire, repair kit, extra food, water and emergency shelter. The full list is on the checklist linked at the top.

What are some good camping accessories for bikers?

The ones that make the kit easier to set up: color-coded stuff sacks for the modules, a tank bag for day items, and multi-point elastic cords. For tents, see the best motorcycle camping tents.