4 Ways to Pack Your Tent for Motorcycle Camping

[@hughhawley3169]

After much experimentation with the Mosko Reckless 80 and LoneRIder ADV tent, I settled on a system that works well for me. While I store the tent in its original bag, for trips I take the separate components out and pack them into the Mosko 22L Stinger top bag. I pack from bottom up starting with deflated pillow, sleeping bag (stuffed in), sleeping bag liner (in its own little stuffsack), sleeping pad (also rolled up in its original sack), stuff the rain fly, then the tent, and finally the footprint. It all fits and can be compressed as you roll up the closure. It's also the lightest of the three main bags, so mounting up top has the least effect on balance/handling. The poles and stakes are in a nylon sleeve, which slides nicely into the Mosko tent pole bag that came with the Reckless 80, to be strapped to the Stinger under the beavertail. My entire "house" can then be carried with one hand. When I arrive at camp, it comes off the bike first and everything comes out in order of set up, with the pillow being the last item out of the bag. It's nice when I arrive tired, because I don't have to think much. Setting up the tent leaves an empty 22L dry bag for use in fetching groceries; a small bag of ice inside will even keep drinks cold for a couple of hours. The exhaust is on the right side of the bike, so the right side main bag holds lighter stuff like clothing, while cooking gear and food goes on the left. Right side aux pocket is perfect for a camp chair and smaller items like straps, while the left side holds heavier smaller items like tools. Once the tent is up, the other bags come off quickly to be tossed inside the tent until needed, the Reckless 80 harness comes off, and you've got an unloaded bike for a quick trip to the grocery store. You can use the backpack straps in the Stinger, but I usually strap it to the now-empty rear rack with Rok straps so I'm not wearing a bag full of groceries on the ride back to camp. If the rain fly and footprint are wet when I break camp; I use the 20L dry bag that came with the Reckless to keep the tent and sleeping gear separate from the wet stuff inside the 22L Stinger, packed in the same order. As I'm unpacking/setting up at the next camp site, I'll hang the rain fly to dry on a tree limb while I'm doing everything else.

[@SchusterLagoon]

I ride a Harley touring bike with hard saddle bags, so I've been using one saddle bag to stuff the tent and rain fly, then I fold up the tarp and roll it around the tent poles. I found an old carry bag from a camp chair that is the perfect size for the tarp/poles and just strap that on the top of the tour pack. Admittedly, I'm very much the opposite of minimalist camping - I use a 6 person tent that is tall enough for me to stand up in, so it takes up a lot of space.

[@Motocampster]

I always ditch the original storage bag and use a 5 L compression sack and store the poles separately I found that it takes up less room, but it’s not good to store a tent compressed long-term so I always store my tents in a large bag at home between camping trips

[@monsterslayer4317]

I stuff my sleep system/tent into one 35L duffle. Ground cloth goes separate into the dirty pannier with my camp shoes, stove, spare gas bottle, tool kit, etc. I stuff the duffle as you do, in order - sleeping bag first, then folded air mattress, fly, poles, tent - reverse order of unpacking. No stuff sacks, no hassle. Pretty fast.

[@soggybawsmoto]

I only keep my tent poles, pegs and hammer in the original Naturehike Cloud UP 2 bag. I keep my tent inner and the outer in two smaller light lomo dry roll top bags. I can squeeze the air out of these bags and squish pack size right down. This keeps the two potentially wet bits apart from each other and away from my other luggage. It is also easy to keep those accessible if the weather improves and I get the opportunity to dry stuff out later on that day. I keep my footprint handy at all times as an impromptu picnic blanket to sit on wet ground, or use for shade if its very hot/sunny when I'm taking lunch Works well for me.

[@neonsamurai1348]

I like Hilleberg tents, they give an oversized bag as their tents are fully 4 seasons, so you can pack it while covered in frost and ice. Their tunnel tents are practically bullet proof. Plus their tents pitch either fly first, or as an entire unit including ground sheet. You can also remove the inner tent and pack it separately if the tent is wet, and then install it once the fly is up.

[@MotoCampNerd]

@neonsamurai1348 We tried becoming a dealer, and got turned down 😆

[@MrPepsilon]

Using a Hilleberg Allak for the last three years. Love the quick setup and versability with all the vents and mosquito nets. Expensive but with almost 150 nights well worth it in my opinion.

[@texlee84]

Hilleberg is undeniably the best.

[@rockytopwrangler2069]

.. Hilleberg's are great tents , but very expensive and heavy ,, adventure motorcycle riding is generally not done throughout winter months ...

[@texlee84]

@@rockytopwrangler2069 heavy in terms of backpacking weight but the extra 1-2lbs on an adventure bike is negligible. I live in Texas, we do most of our riding from September-May because it's too hot in the summers.

[@marc123work]

I use a compression packing cube, keeps the tent tidy and in place. In another cube i put the rest of my sleep system, and they both fit in a 20ltr drybag. In another drybag goes 2 sleeping bags (as we are always 2 up)and the kitchen. This works great for us and only minutes to pitch/strike camp, poles are kept with my folding table strapped under my Moto bag. Just completed a tour of the Balkans and Italy, where this system worked great 😃

[@darwinrides1688]

Strapping a wet tent (parachute) onto the outside of your luggage might not be the best advice. I am guilty of doing this with socks and shoes, but anything that could foul the rear wheel, or inflate behind me....not so much! Love the channel; keep that $#!% up!

[@kennygraves489]

Recently started stuffing my sleeping bag. Never thought about doing it with tent and keeping poles seperate. Might have to tey this out. Thanks for the helpful video

[@479_adv]

I recently start the "stuff tent, fly and footprint into pannier" method to save the wasted volume by packing a "tent loaf" I keep it all together on the same side as my kitchen and bathroom items because they are in separate bags to protect them from any rain or dew and aren't super sensitive to getting wet anyway.

[@roughneckwolf]

I've never had an issue returning the tent to the bag it had come with, and have even managed to roll a 2 man tent into a 1 man's bag. The rainfly and ground sheet get put on the outside of my Mosko bags if they're wet.

[@RuggeroCorsaletti]

I mostly use a naturhike mongar 2 and i use 2 different drybags for the rainfly and the mesh inner, so you have 2 small bags to pack that ensure the inner tent is always dry and the rainfly is separated from the rest of the luggage. the ground goes inside it's little bag so it's separated from the rest. Then i pack poles and stakes outside of the luggage not to tear my inner bags

[@advredbikes]

Thanks guys for those awesome tent packing tips, I like the fact that you can pack a tent just in just over a minute, very handy.

[@clvrswine]

Lately, Sierra Designs has been supplying a "burrito" style bag for their tents, which I hate. I have never stored my tent without folding it several times and then rolling it. It slides right into the storage bag. If a picnic table is available, I will use it to aid in folding it / scraping dirt and leaves off. My Summer Moon tent lasted from 1995 to 2023.

[@rebelartstudio3730]

Thats pretty cool. All these years ive wasted trying to carefull pack my tent. Well tomorrow im stuffing it in there poles and all. Sounds great. I usually try to dry it out first but that does take good weather and at least an hour or so.

[@knappdaddy]

Great info ! I love that my Mosko Duffle has built in pole pocket in the flap and just stuff my tent inside duffle and fly on outside if it gets wet :)

[@Euryheli]

Great video with Chewie making a guest appearance. I stuff the tent and have the poles separate, it’s the easiest way for me to keep things in good shape and easy to pack. The best tip is to hang the tent up for a bit when I get home. I’ve forgotten in the past and it is gross when I do. Even if it isn’t wet and nasty it’s still nice to do to air it out and knock off any dirt, pine needles, bugs etc.

[@DorkintheRoad]

Chewie is such a ham. The camera loves him.

[@DougCroce]

Thanks!!! Great info 👍 I use the stuff method in my tent bag as well.

[@richardvarnold6245]

I have 2 tents for camping, a 2-person tent and a 3-person tent. I have long lost the bags they have come in and use duffel bags of the appropriate size. Everything that has to do with that tent goes in their own dedicated bag, poles, stakes, pillow and even sleeping bags. The smaller tent takes a mummy bag which packs smaller but isn't as comfortable as the larger rectangle bag which is more like a quilt but is 1/3rd larger. The 3-person tent allows me to bring in a small folding chair to sit in and is handy on rainy days. The 2-person tent I can barely sit up in and have to crawl around in. The 3-person tent seals up better and is better for cooler weather. The 2-person tent is draftier and is more suited for warmer weather. The 3-person is much more comfortable and is a plus considering I'm 67 years old and don't like to crawl around. The 3-person tent goes in a larger duffel bag, is bulkier but allows me to take things that make me more comfortable, a larger pillow, sleeping bag, an inflatable sleeping pad, a cordless battery-operated fan and an extra tarp. When I see KZbinrs motorcycle camp sites it makes me wonder 'Did they have somebody follow them around in a truck?'

[@matt_kelly]

If you have a freestanding tent, you can set up the footprint to hold the poles up, put up the rain fly, then build the tent underneath the fly - I call it the sandwich method. You can do the reverse and it maximizes the chance of your tent staying dry. If you stuff everything together it’s less useful, but I tend to strap dirty/wet things on the outside.

[@sritter]

Poles separate as if doing alot of off road with vibration/corregations the rubbing will wear holes in the tent. Just came back from an outback Australia loop and the MSR tent pole bag had many significant wear holes. Luckily I had the tent separate. Pole bag was within a mosko pole bag.

[@Sleepykek]

Dork Ben got me to start stuffing the tent, and I'll never go back. An unspoken advantage to the stuffing method is that you tend to get less dirty personally. I've never had a camping spot with grass to pitch on. It's always dirt.

[@SubTerraAlly]

I've used options#2 for a few decades with no problems.

[@Rigatonispaghettioly]

Love it just got a DRZ as my first bike and backpack all the time. Can’t wait to combine them. Also please make more videos with the Transalp! Great work

[@Rigatonispaghettioly]

Unrelated: An ECU flash for the transalp from ​​⁠​​Two Wheel Dinoworks just came out. THEY want to send you it! I would love a video on that. Transalp is my dream bike so I am very biased in this request, but I commented for them to send you a ecu flash on their last video and they said they’d reach out. Thanks :)

[@fuhq5121]

I really want to see this too. Love the TA and don't want to lose my warranty, but for the right fueling I might.

[@geraldsilveira8369]

Walmart? No Walmart when I was a kid. Zodys, GemCo and sears catalog. I remember ordering my cub scout cook set and other gear through the catalog. Much nicer camp gear these days.

[@JimPriest]

I use different bags. Tarp in one waterproof bag (if it's raining), footprint in another (muddy), tent in another.

[@michaelkrenzer3296]

The whole time watching this, all I could think is "why are you packing your tent in your luguage?" Then I reflected on my most recent long trip (21 days) and I did pack my 4-season hammock in my camping gear drybag about 2/3rds of the time. Normally the tent/hammock is by default not inside the waterproof bags because it is always damp from dew the way I ride unless in the high desert/high plains. Since boyhood in Scouts we always rolled the tent up around the poles specifically because we were watching the metal fittings to ensure they hung out the one end to not damage the rest of the tent. Most tents no longer have metal fittings but doubt I will ever break the habit (and my hammock has steel poles at each end further enforcing the habit).

[@PoppedBitADV]

"Old faithful....still end up fighting to get the last couple inches in" Bro, same

[@rockytopwrangler2069]

.. As #4 ,, stuffing works well , just stuff into a light dry sack such as a compactor bag or a nyloflume bag sold for UL backpacking ,, can be wet or not ... maybe pull out and spread it out to dry on a break along the way ... agree muddy groundsheet can go outside .. Agree with using a lightweight waterproof tarp for all protection or even just a cowboy camp on hot days where no tent is needed .... UL , long distance backpackers have discovered stuffing prevents the holes created by creases ,, tents and sleeping bags last much longer .. even the high dollar ,, high tech materials fail with repetitive fold creases ..

[@dookieshoes141]

Dont be too fast to get rid of the original bags! I stuff my tent like mentioned in option 4, but i found that my original tent bag is perfect for my kitchen/cook kit and emergency ramen noodle rations.

[@MotoCampNerd]

@dookieshoes141 That's a good point because I too save every bag and find a use for it. I'm weirdly cheap in that sense 😆 but have a sleeping bag liner sack that fits a mini kitchen setup for me when I'm solo. Guilt and of using helmet bags for laundry too.

[@roysteves]

I pack my tent into a small duffel that I net down to the tail--that's also where my food and clothes go. If weather is dicey, I keep large garbage bags in my panniers, and then I have the ability to magically make my duffel bag just as waterproof as my roll-tops.

[@carls.2071]

Good stuff as usual.

[@Mark11704]

🤣

[@davidcox8961]

My Big Agnes Wyoming trail tent fits back into the bag it came it with no problems. Just saying.

[@TheRealGOAT6]

Method # 3. Always.

[@stevek4449]

Are there any specific “tent bags” you WOULD recommend to speed things up? So for example the factory bag would be tight as you mentioned, so a somewhat bigger version could be used for a looser more relaxed packing could be used to speed things up?

[@MotoCampNerd]

@stevek4449 you could always grab a larger stuff sack or even compression bag to stuff it easier and then be able to smash it down. When calculating the size you need, you can use a cylinder volume calculator online and find the stock stuff sack dimensions and convert the volume to liters. Then find the next size up. Typical sizes are 5, 8, 13, 20, 35

[@stevek4449]

@@MotoCampNerd Awesome thanks. I assume Cabela’s or Big R might sell them. Right now I got a one person “flat pack” pop up tent. Was thinking for it that I would have to place it across back seat and top of side luggage as its circular. I think it’s the arctic night cat pop up tent, or something like that. Though if it didn’t work out, then to go with the backpack style moto camping tent. Thanks for the reply.

[@rockytopwrangler2069]

.. Follow methods used by long distance backpackers ,,lots of video's ,, purchase an UL bag called "Nyloflume " or just pick up compactor bags at market ,, both are durable for many seasons ... can use more than one if packing muddy gear ..

[@thecorporategypsy]

What about using a compression sack?

[@MotoCampNerd]

@@thecorporategypsy I guess I was thinking stuff sack and compression sack are the same thing, just with extra features

[@WikstromADV]

👍🏻

[@Mdviousdt]

I’m playing with the idea of leaving my sleeping bag and mattress in the tent, then shoving the entire apparatus into my 40L Mosko to suck up space. I run the ground tarp, fly, and poles exterior anyway so the tent is likely dry and free of snags.

[@MotoCampNerd]

@Mdviousdt I've tried it before as well, but you do end up saving space by packing each individually into a stuff sack. Doing it all together got bulky and hard to pack and compress.

[@Mdviousdt]

I’ve been using the Flextail I purchased from you guys. It seems to pull quite a bit of air out of the mattress, but even under perfect vacuum the mattress might not stuff easily.

[@MotoCampNerd]

@Mdviousdt I just fold my air mattress. Depending on the Pannier or box I'm packing it into would be the size I fold it. I can fold it flat enough to slide down a Pannier and not take up much noticeable room

[@Mdviousdt]

That’s a better idea than rolling it up. I always end up with a little air at the end of the roll.

[@blacknight7201]

So I’ve heard that sleeping bags can come loose on a motorcycle, touch the chain, wrap around the wheel, lock the wheel and cause an awful crash. I was extra careful to buy a sleeping bag that come with a stuff-sack. Any recommendations on how to secure the sleeping bag while riding? Also, the cheaper sleeping bags are extra bulky, so that’s another obstacle. I refuse to buy an expensive sleeping bag

[@DorkintheRoad]

I always put the sleeping bag in my luggage.

[@Barryferg100]

Poles separate, fly separate, tent separate. Tent flat, 1/3 flip over then roll.

[@mtbwasatch]

Almost any decent tent manufacturer makes over size bags. A haven’t had an issue with tent bags for decades

[@JamesWilliams-tk5ow]

I spent along time wondering, “is that a real dog?”

[@DorkintheRoad]

barely

[@djnewlander4742]

anyone trying to relax from normal life, is not going to be in that big of a hurry. I have a North face two man hiking model. have had no problem with it, but trust me if you ride with a group of people that are in that big of a hurry, find another group.

[@jamesschneider3828]

Buy a 10% larger tent bag

[@Ericc804]

It’s not the tent. It’s the stupid sleeping bag that I have issues with… and of course I am too cheap to buy one that compacts smaller.

[@fuglbird]

Sorry but I find this irrelevant. Anybody can pack a tent in dry conditions. It is about packing our tent in rain or dew and cleaning and drying it while we pack it. My girlfriend and I learned this by ourselves in 1979 on our first motorcycle camping trip from Danmark through Deutschland, Schweiz and France to Monaco and back. Keeping your tent dry inside is what keeps you going. Otherwise you degenerate into a generation Z Hotel or B&B "adventurer".

[@5857521ManitobaInc]

My advice is you should always pack your equipment and gear with whatever your next stop requires. When I travel by motorcycle, my belief is ... I'm not packing up from last night, I'm packing for the next stop. The first thing I do when I arrive at destination is set up my shelter .. this is usually my tarp, So then, if it's raining can set out everything else under the shelter of the tarp. I make a point of taking a siesta during the hottest part of the day whenever I'm travelling . This insures my safety because people that drive while overtired are worse than drunk drivers. Siesta time also means I can run a ridgeline and take anything that's damp and hang it to dry either under my tarp or out in the sun . This means my tarp and my hammock are always packed in a dry bag on the outside of everything else where there are easy to access This means I also have a tarp usually a cheap plastic one that I can use to layout my gear as I set up . This means you have the footprint that came with your tent and you have a small plastic tarp as well. When you pack them up, you put wet side to wet side together. This means to clean the clean sides are wrapping around your dry bag with your tent. When I'm storing my gear long-term at home, I used the stuff sack method. while traveling. I roll it up tightly and I roll it up in such a way. That the little pieces of coloured Paracord, I used to mark the head foot and door of my tent are easily found so that I can unroll and set up a tent quickly (I use little pieces of cordage that I have reflective tape in them so that I can see them with my headlamp in the dark) Your ground sheet is always going to be wet .. Very rare that it doesn't trap moisture coming up from the ground .. So you pack your tent up into a dry bag not the bag it came in .. Then you take it and the poles pegs etc and you wrap it with the plastic tarp.. and bungee it to the outside of your gear. You have your rain tarp and your hammock along with any necessary cordage tree straps pegs In a Separate dry bag. Strapped to the outside. Yes, I carry a tent and a hammock . The hammock can be used as a chair , A sheet, or a complete sleep system, which makes it worth carrying Very few people ever tell you to pack up and move along when they see you taking a nap in a hammock They see you setting up a tent they tell you to move along or ask you if you have a camping permit so your odds of camping for free are better with the hammock, especially if you've just pulled into a park or rest area or even in places where you wouldn't be expected to be resting And if a police officer/park ranger shows up "I was too tired to drive and just stopped for a nap." Has always resulted in "good idea take a rest and then be on your way" vs "well you still can't camp here go get a permit or room someplace"