Scooter Camping

Scooter camping or scamping whatever you prefer to call it...I call it moto camping even with a scooter I'm planning to do it with my Yamaha Smax either this month or in September and have already packed my gear just to see if all fits and no problem. The last time I went scooter camping was over ten years ago on a People 250.

I put together a group for scooter riders but it kind of fell apart the past few years, the Summer weather has been a big factor with lots of flash flooding, severe thunder storms along with hail and I'm also not one to ride in the heat and avoid chance of storms if it's in the forecast. No one in the group wanted to tent camp. I did do a ride last year where we went cabin camping, I went the primitive route where my riding partner got the deluxe cabin. I really wanted to go tent camping. So has anyone gone camping with their scooter and how did it work out for you?

I have been tent camping on some of my scooters including my sport city 250, majesty and smax. I never camped on my old super 8 because of the under seat fuel filler. I'd have to remove anything on the seat to fuel up. My like 150 probably doesn't have enough space to haul all my camping gear but I have put it and my gear in my truck and gone camping.

I had a Kymco Super 8 150R when I went primitive cabin camping and had to remove my duffle bag to re-fuel, but since we went less than 250 miles round trip I only had to get gas a few times. No tent, but I did have to carry some gear with and that really cut down on the mpgs going over the mountains.

Definitely and had great times but usually went alone because I don't know anyone with similar interests . I need to develop more discipline to pack light and bring less when camping but I'm getting better at that.

Honda Trail 90/110s count as scooters, right? Did this 4 or 5 years ago.

I've not camped with the scooter often but when I have it's been exquisite. I always travel light -- tent, water bottle, sleeping bag and credit card. Here are a couple shots from a trip up along Pine Creek in north central Pennsylvania.


My Vespa GTS 250ie along Pine Creek.


Our campsite during mid-week in late September. Just before the leaf peepers begin to appear. My friend Paul was riding a Kawasaki Concours.

Here's a link to the full story and all the pix on my blog-- A MINI-ADVENTURE: CAMPING WITH A VESPA.

Camping spot reserved for the end of the month in a NC state park south of Fayetteville and SC border. My daughter is graduating from a training program so I'm running over to catch that. Nascar is in Darlington Sc that weekend so motel room is a hard no.

That is a nice region of PA. I have been to this area more than a few times and also fished in the Pine Creek and rode bike on the P.C. Rail trail. I also ate at the Wellsboro Diner and Penn Wells Hotel - two must stop at places when in town. Steve, nice write up by the way. I've been on your site before and do enjoy reading.

That's when being flexible really helps! Get some pics and let us know how it went. I'll post mine as well...probably going somewhere in north central PA. It's been a number of years since I headed south on two wheels last time was down to the Skyline Drive and part of the BRP.

I end up taking more than I need, but being prepared for what can happen is a good thing. It's much easier to travel light when the weather is warmer and the need for warmer gear is not needed. I recently purchased some new gear; sleeping bag (thin liner for warm weather) to replace my 40 degree bag, air mattress in place of my self inflating one, that takes up less than half the space and a luxury item, a helinox like knock off chair and a 12" x 15" folding table that fits under my seat. The lighter gear allowed me to add a few more things that I really don't need, but will make camping more comfortable.

My biggest luggage item is the sleeping bag, unless I stop being too lazy to stuff it smaller. What with the tent & SB as the only big items on the seat it lessens the not likeable task of fueling up. I no longer fool with a chair, food other than a bag of dates and pecans as a durable snack, a book and a few essentials along with a small groundcloth tarp and a headlamp and my stuffable pillow. My Klymit air pad is very small and easily goes inside the top case, yet makes a decent sleep pad which blows up by mouth in a jiffy. Flip flops are also always along.

There is a guy living in Canada that put up a video on YT, camping with a Like 150.

I'm sure it can be done but I'm not a minimalist camper and have too much stuff.

Same here! I'm not ready to ditch my tent for a hammock or live off of natures edibles anytime soon.

In my scooter camping dreams I'm traveling light and sleeping rough. Just a sleeping bag and a tarp, my riding jacket as my pillow. No tent to protect me from rain, insects or little critters, and no additional creature comforts to bog down the scoot. At age 65 with auto-immune arthritis this will likely remain a dream. This little mental scenario was built through watching "Then Came Bronson" as a kid, seeing him pull his bike off the road into the woods and curl up on the ground. Not sure if that was what drove the fantasy or the fact that there always seemed to be a young female curling up with or nearby him. As an old man I'm dismissed the second half of the fantasy but the sleeping rough part still persists.

I keep telling myself to spend a night on the ground in our garden. Without the Thermarest Pad. Just a tarp on the ground with me in the sleeping bag. Perhaps one of my dogs will sleep with me. But a part of me knows that I would probably have to call for help in the morning to get up off the ground. that is if I sleep at all...

That area of Pennsylvania is magnificent. Year round. And there are plenty of places off the beaten path to get lost.

Back in the mid 70s my first wife lived up there when we were dating. I spent a lot of time wandering and used to see the New York Central train running along Pine Creek through the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. It was only freight trains then but I thought it would have been great to ride a passenger train there.

I plan to ride up that way again toward the end of the month. This time I'll leave the Vespa at home at try it on the BMW K75 my wife got me for my birthday. Won't be camping but I'll definitely stop at the Wellsboro Diner!

My biggest problem is staying warm sleeping. I am a "cold sleeper" and in anything below 60 degrees I'm most comfortable in a huge Coleman -5 degree bag which is far to large and heavy to bring on a scooter. I have a 3 part military modular sleep system, the warmest bag is supposed to be rated down to less than 0 degrees but at barely freezing temps I was almost too cold to sleep even wearing long johns and a heavy sweatshirt. I had a bunch of hot hands hand warmers so I activated them all and put them under my sweatshirt to be warm enough to sleep. I also feel claustrophobic in a mummy bag.

If anyone is interested, some guys from the Honda CT forum are getting together to do some camping and trail riding around Cora WY during the last couple weeks of August.

The Firkin Scooter Club in Washington State is hosting their annual camping rally this weekend. Come on out!
https://www.ttownflotilla.com/

My version of cold sleeper is that I want to be cold! I often begin on the top of the bag as my back likes the padding until my body feels too chilled.
My Thermarest self inflating pad is destined to be my GK's pad. My spine dislikes a 3/4" to 1" pad