I want Cheap, Good Quality, Small Packing, Moto Camping Gear...
It's a question everyone has seen on every forum or Facebook group. Someone asking about what gear is good, but it needs to pack small and they don't want to spend a lot of money.
Buying gear for motorcycle camping can be a daunting task BUT we try to make it as easy as possible with the selection of gear we provide. But even so, the three major factors to consider are cost, quality, and pack size. Can you have a cheap, small packing, sleeping bag, that's down filled, and accurate for the temperature it's rated at? No, it doesn’t exist. The best visual representation for this is using a Venn diagram.
Let’s say you are shopping for a new sleeping bag. If you’re looking for a good motocamping bag you’ve probably encountered this situation. Cheap vs. Pack Size vs Quality. Guess what, you can only have two. If it packs small, and is a good quality bag, it is not going to be cheap. On the flip side, if it is cheap and packs small, don't expect a good build quality or an accurate temperature rating. If you want cheap but better quality, the pack size probably isn't going to pack as small.
As we get into blogs and articles about motorcycle camping gear, keep these three things in mind, because these attributes are going to help determine what you buy. Of course there are several used outlets for gear that will save you some money, but generally speaking, that gear is going to be cheaper than new but probably more expensive still than the Amazon Basics equivalent.
I’ve seen a handful of new campers become overwhelmed with options and cost, and hopefully this will get you in the right mindset when purchasing your small packing moto camping gear.
If you ever need help deciding on camping gear for your next moto trip, feel free to email us at [email protected]. We have limited hours for phone calls but are more than happy to call you when we are available. If you would prefer a phone call, be sure to leave your name and phone number with the best time to reach you.
Ride Safe and go find your camp!
The Moto Camp Nerd Team