The Best Camp Gear You Can Fit on a Bike

Leaving the urban sprawl and confines of pavement in your mirrors and seeking out undiscovered country to call your own: adventure riding fosters the ultimate escape. That doesn’t mean pouring over TripAdvisor reviews, making reservations for nightly turn-downs, chocolates on pillows and an omnipresent concierge: it means setting up camp — at least for a couple nights along the way. Don’t let the C-word scare you, though. Even if you’re new to pitching tents and cooking over a campfire, by packing the right goods, you and your riding partners can maintain a five-star life off in the backwoods. Best of all, every essential you need to move from roughing it to rocking it packs down and fits on your adventure ride of choice. And that’s with squeezing in some creature comforts, too.

Snow Peak Fal 2 Tent

The incredibly simple two-pole design of the the Snow Peak Fal 2 tent allows you to go from saddle to slumber in less time than it takes you to peel off your socks. The 20-denier PU-coated fly doubles as your shelter’s exoskeleton with the inner living quarters attaching from the inside. The Fal 2 technically sleeps the same amount of people that can sit on your bike. Technically.

Mountain Hardwear Shifter 2 Tent

Featuring a 50/50 mesh and solid ripstop design, the Shifter 2 is an excellent way to air out after a long, hot day carving canyons. Should the weather turn foul, the included fly is rated to handle over 50 inches of downpour. Per hour. For a full day. It also packs down to a minute 7 x 25-inch tube.

Sea to Summit Comfort Light Mat

After a hard day negotiating off-road trails, fording rivers and hopping downed logs, most riders are happy to sleep on the head of a pin. Considering the packed size of the Sea to Summit Comfort Light Air Mattress comes in at 3.5 x 6.5 inches, why anyone would adventure ride without one is beyond me.

Sea to Summit X-Pot

Available in three sizes (1.4, 2.8 and 4 liters), the new X-Pot line from Sea to Summit provides an excellent selection of cookware without the hassle of stealing space. Each X-Pot is constructed of collapsible silicone walls with an all-aluminum base. That means dinner doesn’t take long to go from packet to mouth, which is what matters most.

BioLite Camp Stove

Multifunctional gear is always a great idea when space is limited. Enter the BioLite Camp Stove — a small and simple stove that boils water in minutes and doubles as your own personal, kinetic phone charger. This is a must have.

Aerobie AeroPress Coffee Maker

Greeting a new day without a cup of Joe at the ready is like riding a motorcycle without handlebars: just plain wrong. The AeroPress quickly brews a cup of coffee that rivals even the most surly barista. The fact that it does so around a campfire is just a bonus.

Kickstand Pad

Sometimes the smallest piece of your kit can make all of the difference. This kickstand pad fits in any jacket pocket and will keep your ride shiny-side up whether you’re in the bush or at the office on a hot summer’s day. Motorcycles are heavy; the only time they should hit the ground is because you did something heroic, not stupid.

RokStraps

Bungee cords are no match for the securing prowess of RokStraps. Easily attachable to any free structural mount, RokStraps are adjustable and incredibly strong. I’ve been using them for all sorts of two-wheeled adventures for years and they’ve never lost a load, even when I’ve lost control of the bike.

Helinox One Chair

It’s not often a rider can roll into camp with a comfortable chair to enjoy the fireside stories; they eat up too much space, so they get left behind. No so with the Helinox Chair One. Packing down to dopp kit proportions, the Chair One easily sneaks into a pannier without giving something else the boot. After a full day of riding, your ass will thank you.

Snow Peak Titanium Spork

Lightweight, durable, easy to clean, and it gets food into your face in a most civilized manner. I call that win, win, win.

Benchmade Valet

If you’re going to carry a knife — and you damn well should — you’d be hard pressed to do better than the Benchmade Valet. Its three-inch drop-point blade will turn skirt steak into tartare, shape a makeshift tent pole and even clean that biker gunk from under your fingernails.

Aether Apparel Welded Duffle

I’ve personally logged well over 5,000 miles with the Aether Welded Duffle strapped to the back of various adventure bikes. I’ve crashed with it, rode through mud, dust, rain, blazing heat and even snow. Nothing has ever gotten through this bag and I don’t plan on stopping the abuse anytime soon.

Kreiga US 30L

If duffles aren’t your thing, arming yourself with any of Kriega’s US line of dry bags will do an incredible job of keeping clothing and essentials clean and dry. The bonus is, with Kreiga’s Universal mounting system, you can easily add on extra bags as your adventures extend.

Cruztools SpeedKIT

Accidents will undoubtedly happen, usually when you’re farthest from help. The SpeedKIT from Cruztools is a great starter collection, making sure broken bikes don’t translate to blown vacations.

Velomacchi Tool Roll

You’ll undoubtedly need some specialty tools at some point in your adventure. The Velomacchi Tool Roll carries all of the quick-fix essentials to get you back on your bike and moving along the trail. Designed by a rider, for riders, I torture tested a prototype along the way for durability.

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket

No matter how hot it feels in the blazing sun, nights under the stars can get pretty cold. Fight back the frost with the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket. Moisture-repellent, Q-shield 800-fill down insulation is warm enough to handle January mornings in Winnipeg and it compresses to something the size of a king can.

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