Boondocking on a Bike? MC travel on the cheap

[Fred W]

Hey guys and gals,

I'm thinking seriously about trying to do a 1 or 2 week solo ride westward. Ideally I'd like to get out to WY and MT, but not entirely sure I'll have enough time needed to do that up right this time. Not at all sure what my exact itinerary will be, just kind of load up the bike and go, maybe. Probably skirt up through Ontario and down through the UP of Michigan. Probably do a lot of playing it by ear. Never done a solo, multi-day ride and that idea appeals to me. The flexibility to change my plans on a whim is attractive.

But, lately, money has been an object around casa W. So I'm thinking I'll be pack a bunch of camping stuff into a big duffle for the ride and try to do this thing on the cheap. I know there are a lot of folks on here that have done this sort thing before, so I'm asking for your good tips. As you probably know, boondocking is a term coined by the RV'ing crowd that means finding camping places (at least the sleeping part of camping) for free. There is a certain security risk involved in such activity, and I'm not a gun owner (other thajn a shotgun) so that does come into play.

I know a lot of Iron Butt types will just flop on a picnic table at the side of the road and sleep for a few hours in their riding gear. I'm thinking I'd use an actual tent, sleeping bag and thermarest pad, all of which I already own, and try to get a good night's rest each night. Even if I slept 8 hours a day that would still give me 16 to ride, which is a whole lot of riding for this Candy Butt.

I suppose paying $20 a night at a nice campground wouldn't break the bank, and it would likely provide a degree of added safety, so if you have any tips on locating good (cheap) camping spots while already out on the road, please bring 'em on.

I've read recently (here) that KOA's often have Kabins that they will rent you for the night? Do they all have them? How can you tell which ones do or don't? Not using the tent each night would make the process go a lot quicker on both ends. I'd still carry the tent, just in case, but if those can be had for ~$20 a night it would be awesome. I suppose I should search for a KOA POI fle for the GPS, but I'm betting the POIs will be somewhat stale (they usually are). Is there a really good web site for searching for these things?

Anyway, any tips that you have to share on roaming on the cheap would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Intech]

Fred,

Back when the kids were little and we had a camper I always had a KOA membership. After you stay like three times it is paid for and then get the benefit of cheaper rates. I liked the KOA Campgrounds, because you could count on the standards of them anywhere. Go to their website https://www.KOA.com and you can look at what is available in the area you will be travelling. Not all of them that we stayed at had the cabins, but most of them do. I have never tried boondocking on the bike. I could see myself doing it travelling alone.

 

[RossKean]

I do quite a bit of solo riding and tend to camp whenever I can. I usually find a state or national park campground - $20-$25/night. I'm not a fanatic about it and will stay at a (cheap) hotel if really crappy weather is expected. Hotel every 3rd or 4th night to get a really good shower and do laundry - showers in many campgrounds are barely adequate coin-operated trickles.

My groundsheet, tent, sleeping bag and inflatable air mattress are strapped in a roll to the back seat. I am planning on getting a waterproof duffel to hold all that stuff soon. I tend to NOT prepare food at the campsite although I am thinking about getting a small backpacker gasoline operated stove and a couple of small pots so I can heat up something from a can and make coffee in the morning. Takes me about 40 minutes to set up or take down on each end of the day. I enjoy the camping but its more a function of inexpensive accommodations on the road.

I am hoping to do a bunch of days of camping in Newfoundland for CFR this summer. Some private, provincial and federal parks and maybe some "stealth" camping along the way.

I don't overthink it. Just simple stuff and minimal camping gear. Headlight, camp knife, cutlery (if cooking), beverages (alcoholic and otherwise), bug dope and sunscreen. Not much else. If travelling with a compatible soul, you can share camp costs and have some company around a campfire but generally, I relish the solitude.

 

[marcusorelius]

https://freecampsites.net/usa/

 

[FJReady]

Fred,

I have some relavent personal experience with your plan. And I'm very jealous. It was more enjoyable than I expected it to be. Having only one brain to deal with can be very liberating.

I packed a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and a few small camping items: coffee maker and cup. I did no other cooking.

My route was similar to your thought. Ontario, UP. Minnesota, ND, SD, Wyoming, MT, ID, OR to CA.

I camped 3-4 nights and stayed in cheap hotels for 5-6 during my west bound leg. Met some great folks along the way.

I think I've shared some of my photos with you, also put up a ride report back in 2009, but I'd be happy to discuss it with you again sometime.

My advice: If you can make the time and get your family's blessing, then do it. You'll regret not doing it.

 

[Hornet Pilot]

Fred, if you travel South from the UP and then head West, my place just West of Milwaukee is available to get a shower and rest your weary bones for a bit. Also if your bike needs any work on it, etc you can use my garage and tools. Just for info, just around Labor day I'm planning on heading West toward Montana for a roundup with a bunch of friends in Bozeman, Mt.

Nick

 

[majicmaker]

Solo long trips are the best, Fred. That way, you can allow yourself the attention span of a butterfly and change course on a whim when you see a bright shiny object that catches your eye. Like FJReady says, it truly is liberating. Stop, start, wake up, sleep, fly, cruise, take as much time as YOU want to enjoy the vista whenever and wherever you'd like. You're going to love it. If you were heading south, I'd leave the light on for you. Enjoy!

 

[LCB]

Do you have a specific date planned already? I'm headed that way Aug 23 thru Sep 7... I'll be trailering to a friend's in Chico, CA and spending as much time as possible riding the PNW before heading back east. I was gonna use the single trailer but I have another one that holds 3 bikes... if you'd be interested?

 

[Geezer]

I have ridden across the country solo, camping most of the time. I did not, however, boondock. As you imply with your gun comment, boondocking in a tent is a lot different than boondocking in a camper.

I had no problem finding a campground with an available tent site. The prices can vary a lot, and the ones with the nicest facilities, like a swimming pool and laundry on site, cost more and generally do not have the best tent sites. Some states, like Kansas, have campsites at the rest areas along the interstate, which are convenient, but noisy. Some places also allow camping in town parks, but I don't remember examples of this. So, I suggest that you either plan a general route and search the internet for camping options in each state you'll be passing through, or just wing it, like I do, and take what's available, which is sometimes a hotel.

Federal land generally allows free camping along the road, but you may have to register at an office somewhere, and there are usually restrictions about how far from the road you have to be.

Federal and state campgrounds generally have limited facilities. Some have only pit toilets (outhouses) and some have flush toilets, but very few have showers. You can usually find a private campground for a similar fee, but not such a nice private campsie that will have better facilities and since you're only going to sleep there, you don't really benefit from a private campsite along a trout stream.

I like your idea of heading across the north and into Michigan and across the UP. From there the obvious route would take you across Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. All worth taking a look at, and the roads are a lot more interesting than Iowa, Nebraska, or Kansas.

North Dakota is in the midst of an oil boom and they are building hotels as fast as they can, but don't count on finding a room available, and campgrounds are just as busy.

Montana, last time I went through there. was building windmills and hotels rooms and campsites were scarce. Out of necessity I discovered that Good Sam campgrounds are required by Good Sam to keep a few sites for drop-in travelers.

Nights across the north of the US can be very cold even in the middle of summer, so be prepared.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Sounds like fun Fred...I'd like to do the same, some day

 

[rocketman0]

I just put my sleeping bag on whatever rest area I could find and nobody ever bothered me, including cops...

 

[Twigg]

Let's clear up a few things about the Iron Butt Motel.

There are broadly two categories. The first is when you find yourself in that enviable position of needing to get off the bike before you fall off. Most of us don't get to quite that extreme, but having recognized our own "signs", we are looking for somewhere to safely pull over for that much needed power-nap. In those cases, a rest stop with a picnic table will do just fine. Actually, picnic tables are hard, and you can sleep on the bike if you get it on the center stand. In my case, last time that happened, the sidewalk felt quite comfortable

The second category is where you actually plan your rest stops, often in advance, to be out in the open. I do a lot of this, and by far my favorites are large gas stations and truck stops. They have the advantages of timed gas receipts if you need one ... They have food, coffee and often showers. Some have lounges where you can relax, watch TV and even sleep in a chair. The other thing they address is the issue of personal safety. They are high traffic areas and I have never been bothered by anyone while tucked away in a corner. The truck engines running all night can be a distraction, but only for the three minutes it takes to fall asleep.

I use the US Military sleep system supplemented by a Thermarest Pad. This combination is excellent. Waterproof, breathable and comfy. I have never needed anything but the lightest of the sleeping bags, and you can put together a great bivy set-up for well under $200, or three nights in a cheap motel. The other advantage, especially when you are time-limited, is that this system gives you the maximum time asleep. No checking in and out, no bike to unload and load, no cover to mess with and no worries that the local citizenry will help themselves to your Garmin Zumo.

That said, if I were being a bit more leisurely I would add a few things to the basic set-up. Possibly a two man tent, maybe simply a decent bug-proof shelter and rain fly. KAO was a good suggestion, but State Parks and wild camping are pretty thick on the ground pretty much everywhere. I would also add a small propane stove and the bits needed to make coffee. Food is less of an issue, this is America, food is everywhere!

Motels have their place. Sometimes the best tent is a motel, and I use them every few nights for all the obvious reasons.

 

[Geezer]

I just put my sleeping bag on whatever rest area I could find and nobody ever bothered me, including cops...

I am way too old to sleep on concrete or asphalt. Even in my youth I always opted for a patch of long grass. An air mattress is the minimum requirement for me. And a tent to keep the bugs and elements off of me.

 

[Fred W]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Please keep 'em coming.

I have a lot of research yet to do on campground systems (KOA and Good Sam) as well as state and federal park opportunities.

Part of my challenge will be that I will not have any kind of a planned route and will want to figure things out on the fly while already out on the road. I have a cell phone (with unlimited data plan provided by my employer) that will act as a wifi hot spot for my netbook, so looking things up from the road will be easy enough just as long as I have cell coverage. I'll also make use of the Free Wi-Fi spots that I have in a GPS POI file.

I greatly appreciate all offers for hooking up and or bedding down along the way, but at least for this trip I'm really going to want to totally wing it on my own and be completely solo. Maybe a few days of riding seclusion will change my mind about it, but I'm thinking that this will be the most important part of the adventure, maybe more important than where I actually get to, or the things I get to see.

PS - Russ - (FJReady) it was your solo cross country ride a couple years ago that planted the bug in my brain to do this. I remember your trip report very well.

 

[Twigg]

I am way too old to sleep on concrete or asphalt. Even in my youth I always opted for a patch of long grass. An air mattress is the minimum requirement for me. And a tent to keep the bugs and elements off of me.

There is a Thermarest Mat under that sleeping bag. It is way more comfortable than it looks in the picture. At the beginning and end of the season concrete is a good choice, it absorbs the daytime heat and releases it all night

Bugs are another matter, but a small mesh shield keeps them away.

 

[airboss]

Fred another vote for camp ground cabins. I found that in general the cabins are 2 X the cost of a tent site, or 1/2 the price of the cheap motel, and the next morning just roll your sleeping bag and go.

If I were going to spend time in the area 3 or more nights then i would consider tenting, but just one night don't feel that it's worth the hassle of carrying all the extra gear around.

I like the KOA's they seem to have a standard they adhere to so you know what to expect when you pull in, most I've used have a small on site convenient store for your morning coffee.

Here's another source source for you to check out. https://www.woodalls.com/default.aspx

 

[rocketman0]

I am way too old to sleep on concrete or asphalt. Even in my youth I always opted for a patch of long grass. An air mattress is the minimum requirement for me. And a tent to keep the bugs and elements off of me.

There is a Thermarest Mat under that sleeping bag. It is way more comfortable than it looks in the picture. At the beginning and end of the season concrete is a good choice, it absorbs the daytime heat and releases it all night

Bugs are another matter, but a small mesh shield keeps them away.

Yes! I have a self-inflating mattress under that sleeping bag and I'm 58 years old

I did have to wear earplugs while sleeping as the trucks kept coming and going all night long.

 

[Geezer]

Fred, you should contact each state that you might visit and ask for a road map and camping information. They will send that stuff for free. Also, if you enter a state at a major road they will have a welcome station and those usually have coupon books for discounted lodging, including camping.

Regarding KOAs, I found them to be the most expensive and least friendly to tent campers. Tent sites are often right under a bright light or next to the pool.

 

[shakin]

Fred, you can couch surf at my place anytime. I'd actually put ya up in a bed (not a couch) and feed ya too.

You can check out couchsurfing as it's more than just a term.

https://www.couchsurfing.org/

Hostels are another source of a bed for the night.

https://www.hostels.com/north-america

p.s. I've done solo trips across and around our continent a few times and it's not for everyone. I did enjoy my solitude, but I did miss my family.