For some, camping is all about the destination. You pack the car, try to load up the kids with as many distractions as you can to last them the journey, and the fun doesn’t really begin until the tent is pitched and the first coldie touches your lips.
Then, there’s motorcycling camping.
It’s all about the journey. You’re closer to the ground. Out in the air. Bugs pepper your visor just to prove you’re part of it. If it’s hot, you feel hot. If it rains, you get wet. Motorcycle touring is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the journey. Setting up camp at the end of the day is about resting yourself for the next day of adventure.
As with hiking and bicycle touring, motorcycle camping requires you to carefully plan and choose your gear. You don’t have the luxury of hundreds of litres of space like you do when camping out of the back of your Prado or camper trailer.
Which brings me to a common question in the growing community of motorcycle campers: ‘should I sleep in a swag, or a tent?’
In this blog, I will address some of the pros and cons of both setups.
Swags for Motorcycle Camping
Swags hold a special place in the Australian camping tradition. Traditionally, a swag was essentially a canvas tarp to wrap yourself in to keep warm and dry by night, then roll up and carry on your back for your next day of nomading. How things have changed. Modern swags now come with foam mattresses, waterproof synthetic floors, and ventilation. Many now also have a ‘dome’ shape, and pitch like mini tents.
As you can see, swags are a little on the bulkier side – but that’s nothing this beast of a bike can’t handle! Image: Alan Ablett
Pros
1. All-In-One Design
You’ve got your shelter and your mattress. Just add a sleeping bag and you’re set.
2. Easy to Set Up
After a long day on the motorbike, the last thing you want to have to do is fight with tent poles for half an hour. Swags simply roll out (or require only a few extra manoeuvres, if you own a dome swag).
3. Durable
Cotton canvas is pretty rugged stuff. Swags are designed to be stowed on the back of motorbikes and roof racks.
The Oztrail Biker Swag is purpose-designed for motorcycle touring. It is light, packs relatively small, and has good ventilation for hot Aussie conditions. Image: Rebecca Edwards
Cons
1. Size
Even the smaller, purpose-designed swag like the Oztrail Biker rolls down to 24cm and is 52cm long. That’s actually pretty bulky.
2. Basic Mattress
There is only so much comfort a 5cm open-cell foam mattress will provide. Sure, you can add a sleeping mat – but that’s more bulk, weight, and expense.
3. Claustrophobia
If you’re not a fan of small spaces, you might find a swag to be a little tight. Plus, you won’t have anywhere to keep your gear.
A swag is a fine choice if you’re after simplicity and don’t mind carrying a bit of bulk on the back of your bike. For optimal comfort, choose a swag that’s got good ventilation and invest in a quality sleeping mat to replace or use in conjunction with the included foam mattress.
3 Best Swags for Motorcycle Touring:
Tents for Motorcycle Camping
The humble tent mightn’t be as ‘of the earth’ and nostalgic as a rugged, green, canvas swag – but it does what it is meant to do very well. Tents come in all shapes and sizes – from feather-light hiking tents that you’ll forget you’re carrying, to touring tents that take up an entire roof rack. Despite the range, some tents are better suited to being carried on the back of a bike than others.
Most motorcycle tourists will opt for a hiking style tent for compactness. Some, who like to set up their home away from home, will carry something on the bigger side to keep their gear safe and dry. I’ve heard stories of riders carrying one tent for their gear and another to sleep in. This is possible, given tents are so compact.
A small dome tent like this will not only hold you but a lot of gear too! Image: Richard Harrowell
Pros:
1. Versatility
If you have a small hiking tent – one day you can be touring North East Victoria on your Harley, the next day you can be hiking along the Australian Alps Walking Track. Try doing that with a swag! Also, you can pick and choose what sort of sleeping mat you use in different situations. For example, a single Exped SIM 3.8 M sleeping mat if you’re by yourself, or maybe a double when you’re with the better half!
2. Lightweight and Compact
A quality one-person hiking tent might weigh less than 1.5kg… so, essentially nothing. Pack size? Small enough to barely make a dent in your saddlebags. Even if you opted for a roomier, less ‘technical’ tent, a tent, sleeping mat, and sleeping bag combo takes up much less space compared to a standard-size swag.
3. Room
Like to be able to sit up and play a game of Solitaire before bed? Or maybe cook out of the rain? This is possible in a tent. What’s more, in an ample-size tent you can keep your gear out of the weather.
4. Separate Components
A tent can be broken down into many separate parts: inner, fly, poles, and pegs. This allows you to disperse the tent over many panniers and bags, which allows you to better balance your load and to plug up those gaps.
Look at the sort of places touring takes you! Image: Scott Puehl
Cons:
1. Harder to Set Up
While most modern tents are straightforward enough to pitch, there’s no doubt that they’re tricker than a simple swag. The bigger the tent, the more parts… and therefore the more frustrating!
2. Not as Durable
This is especially true of lightweight, technical hiking tents, as they lack in durability. You can’t treat them like you would a swag, and they need to be carried with respect on the bike.
Best Tents for Motorcycle Touring:
- Companion Pro Hiker 2 Lightweight Tent
- Zempire Zeus Hiking Tent
- MSR Hubba Hubba 2 Hiking Tent
- Sea to Summit Telos TR2 Bikepack 2P Ultralight Tent
The Verdict
From a value-for-money perspective, and in terms of versatility, I think the tent + mat combo has the edge. You can keep your gear out of the weather, they pack light, and you can sleep another if necessary.
If you are looking for more information on sleeping solutions for your motorcycle touring adventures, you may be interested in this article: Trail Bike Adventures – Swags, Tents & Bivvies
Share your options in the comments below. Are you a swag or tent sort of biker?
Hiker, bushwalker, tramper and founder of Ottie Merino (ottie.com.au). Let’s just say Paul likes to get around by foot. When he’s not, it’s usually by bike. He’s usually found knocking out another section of the Heysen Trail, or hut bagging his way around the South Island of New Zealand.
Just finished a short trip and chose a Bivvy and Hootchie as a fly. Main reason was the compact size for carrying on the motorcycle. Very cramped and bad condensation issues even with leaving the door open. Will definitely choose a 2-3 man tent with vestibule next time.
Nice article, thanks.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Anthony! Happy adventuring 🙂
I really love the camping and travelling. Thanks for sharing the Pros and cons of tents for motorcycle camping. This information really helps who are planning their camping with the motorcycle.
I’m currently looking for a larger tent to take on a big M/cycle trip overseas so the hiking tents whilst good might be a touch fragile, weight isnt really a major problem on a bike but size both packed up and put up are, it needs to be big enough to live in on wet days in Mongolia but small enough so I can carry it down the Pamir highway.
My current tent a Vango Ostro 200 just lacks inner space, very difficult to get changed inside it and if its raining when you need to put it up you get the inside wet.
Any ideas?
From what you’ve described, Trev, there might be a few options for you that we have in our range. Not many of our tents have a fly that can be pitched first, but a roomier option to the Ostro would be the Zenith 300 from Vango which has a tent and inner that pitch together. The Marmot Limelight 3P is a very roomy and liveable choice (though you won’t be able to pitch the fly first) and the Zempire Zeus is a more robust yet affordable option which is super popular with our customers. Hopefully, those suggestions help, but if you have any other questions – just give our customer support team a buzz on 1300 914 007 – thanks Trev!
Always used a tent myself. An old 2 person Salewa that’s lasted for years. A 1 person isn’t big enough IMO. You need somewhere to put your gear, which there’s lots of when biking. But the best thing about the tent (and good to look for in other tents) is that it has a small vestibule on both sides. This allows you to put all your riding clothes/tank bag etc on one side and zip the vestibule closed, especially important when the gears wet, and enter and exit the other side. And you can get to your riding gear in the night for something you may have left in a pocket etc.
But I’m considering a swag. Something important that’s forgotten about here, which friends use, is to have a thin extra fly with guys that can be attached to your bike to make an extra little cover to put at least the head of the swag under and your riding gear. I’d replace the foam with a sleeping mat but I also carry a real cheap high density foam roll (the $5-10 type) Adds bulk but is so light it can be tied anywhere. This has saved my sleeping mat from burrs a number of times, especially out west, while others wake up in the middle of the night with a mat flat.
You’re definitely on the money there Miker, even though you’re travelling light it’s important to consider how much shelter you need, so vestibules really come in handy especially when the weather turns.
There’s definitely nothing worse than having to sleep on a flat mat – it’s no for your back when you’re on the road all day! Thanks for your great tips Miker Biker! Cheers.
I agree. the foam mattress in the swag is too bulky for a motorcycle. I replaced it with a thinner sleeping pad. I also replaced the bag with a slightly more compact, canvas duffel. The swag is claustrophobic. However, I can look up at the stars through the screen, which I can’t do with a tent.
Space and comfort is such a premium when touring, so there’s always a bit of a compromise.
But you’re right – at least you can stargaze with that setup Mitch. 🙂
As long as Paul uses the tips that he learns from watching Russell Coight, he’ll be OK!
I don’t know what I’d do outdoors, if it wasn’t for Rusty! My hero! 😀