There is no answer. Hotels win when: If I am traveling a ton of miles it is way easier after a 700 mile day to check in and crash on a bed rather than set up a tent, unload the bike, sleep on the ground, wake up pack up and get on the road for 700 more miles. Rain. After being soaked during the ride it is time to stop. Now we get to set up camp and try to dry off in a tent, dry off gear in a tent, and get a good nights sleep. In this case hotel, dry off, take a hot shower, lay out all the wet gear, throw gear in the dryer if needed. Camping wins: On the more leisurely trips. Camping wins hands down. I enjoy being outside, walking around camp meeting people. Nice weather. Obvious. Funky little towns. Generally if I am staying in a hotel I look for a national name. This is because they tend to have standards of cleanliness that the little operations don't always have. If there are not any decent looking hotels around, the tent wins. The main factory is what you like. If you don't like camping you shouldn't force yourself to do it. That only makes the ride less enjoyable.
I prefer to camp but I hate paying for campgrounds. When things get grimy I'll jump in a lake and start scrubbing. Hotels are nice after a long wet day because setting up camp in the rain sucks. My Coleman Hooligan 2 Tent cost 50 bucks- Huge Supporter of Coleman. They stand by their gear. Marmot Bag 90 bucks Used Thermarest 30 bucks Used MSR whisperlite 25 bucks Used Headlamp 20 bucks Saddle Bags 90 bucks Bungee Cords to strap everything- 5 bucks 310 bucks Other stuff you acquire over time and upgrade if you wish. Like a Nice dry bag and saddlebags or a better stove and stuff. If you have the money to drop some big figures right from the get go that's another story. More Money does not alway equal More value The more you camp the more second nature it becomes.
SWMBO & I just got back from a 29 day CDR trip with our sidecar. I too went round and round on buying new camping gear (Haven't really been lightweight camping since before kids) or doing the motel thing. I finally decided to go ahead and get the camping gear as I really plan on using it more than this one trip. When planning the CDR trip I had planed on carrying 4 days with of clothes, so every 4th day was to be in a motel and laundry would be done then. So I bought 4 dry bags, SWMBO got one for her clothes, I got one, sleeping bags and pillows went in one and the tent/tarp & asso. equipment in the 4th. I bought a new Coleman dual fuel stove, and cookware from REI. We bought a new 3 person tent and a couple of huge pad on sale at Costco. We had sleeping bags but my down bag was 35 years old and SWMBO felt hers was too warm so we bought new at REI sales. We went out to test our set up and I hated the new bag so it was returned. SWMBO kept her new bag & I went back to my old reliable. All totaled we spent $595.00 for everything which was around $200.00 less than I though I would spend. When it came down to it we had to divert to Albuquerque to replace our intercom which cost us 2 days in a motel and we had a mechanical failure of the sidecar which cost us 3 days in Taos. We had planned on spending 2 nights in a lodge in Pinedale and we spent 2 nights with friends in Anaconda. Out of the 18 days it took to get to Banff via the CDR, we only camped for 8. After spending 2 nights in a hotel in Banff we took the long way home going south west staying with friends and family taking 4 days to get out to the coast at Tallimook OR. We got VERY lucky and were able to get a camping spot out at Cape Lookout as they had someone cancel just as we pulled up. The rest of the way down the coast we had trouble finding campgrounds that were not full and twice we had to give up and get motels. Where you are also has a great deal to do with the camping experience. Out west we have many areas where "dispersed" camping (no formal campground) is common and I far and away prefer this.: It is also drier out here, I plan on the Alcan Hwy trip eventually but due to weather I won't take any camping gear when I do go.
Good input from all the above. I camp because I prefer it and because I HATE cheap-ass motels. It takes a bit more planning, but the effort is worth it. I eat well (start early with a good breakfast and hit the road--a light lunch at a gas stop--and cook a good dinner after 5-600 miles and an early evening). I sleep well (a great tent, sleeping bag, pad and pillow). With good gear, rain and storms aren't a big issue (I love the sound of rain drumming on a tent!). It isn't cheap--don't tell my wife what a Hilleberg tent and a Western Mountaineering sleeping bag cost retail. But, full moons, starry nights and sunrises make it well worth the effort. I spend 30 to 40 nights a year in a tent and only wish there could be more.
That's the crux of it right there. I kept costs down by buying nearly all of my motorcycle luggage used. It took some patience to get all of it, piece by piece, but I saved at least $500 on Aprilia and Givi stuff. I do an annual trek to the races, where a motel isn't an option (it would defeat the whole purpose of trackside camping with old friends), so I needed the luggage for that alone. Now I use it for additional camping trips, groceries, or whatever. A tidy camping setup doesn't take much away from the bike's handling. A little more shock dampening and preload, and it feels nearly identical.
I guess it is different for everybody. I just finished the TAT. We started out mostly camping. It was a pain setting up, and taking down every night/morning. I am a light sleeper, and never did sleep well in a tent (and I had good equipment). A couple nights of rain = packing everything up wet and in the rain. The nights we stayed at a motel was much easier. Unload the bike, take a nice hot shower, rest in the AC for a bit, and go get something to eat. I also like being able to use the free WIFI to catch up at home. When we stayed at a motel, I could put on more, and better miles the next day and feel much better doing it. It comes down to how much time you wanna spend riding, and if you like to camp. If you are more about the riding than the camping, I'd say motel it. Everybody's different...
Solid post. It took 15 post to get the voice of reason to present himself. I was growing worried. Hike your own hike. On a short (7 days) trip done once a year, I could sign off on going with motels. But for a epic tour, with cost savings Your primary should be stealth camping Secondary should be tent space (months) of plannong invovled Tirtiary should be $15 camp grounds Quadenary should be $35 motels that you have bargained down. After this shojld be the $60 Hotel 8 (reserved for being really cold and or bad weather.) The last is the $100 + Hotel.
For me, cost is not so much the point as what I intend the trip to be. I've crossed the continent at 500-700 miles a day and slept in motels, and I've taken all the camping gear and only used it 1 day in 5 or 6. I've also done camping trips on the bike, where it was my intention to camp every day and I did. If I'm shooting for mileage I don't camp. If I'm planning to camp, I travel at a slower pace. Both are good. I have no problem finding Starbucks either way...
This is a fun thread and I have to respond that both camping and the hotel/motel work. I adventure ride with my wife (she is only 61 this year), she has bigger balls than any of my boyfriends when it comes to moto travel. North of Mexico, we will camp and motel. It depends on how long the trip is and when she says she wants a shower in a motel fine. We have great camping equipment, so we aren't pinching on the camping arrangement. When we are south of the USA, it is always in a motel because we haven't found ourselves comfortable thinking about camping. And we have been south of the border twice ( 2007 & 2012) for 3 months each time on KLR's. Oh, and whether we are north of Mexico or south of the USA border, she always brings silk sheets to put on a motel bed if she thinks the sheets are questionable. And the sheets pack very small. The charging thing, I also set our bikes up to charge all of our electronics not including the laptop. I'm always entertained by the minimalist moto adventurer. We are anything but minimalist. We bring it all to make her happy. We don't ride fast and we don't ride hard but we have fun.
I suppose WHY you are doing the trip has a lot to do with if you prefer camping or motels. For many the camping is a big part of the trip itself, for others it is more about the riding. A lot of us fall somewhere in the middle.
Anyone ever find a nice "free" camp spot and go to sleep early only to find out its the local kids hangout/party spot?
Depending upon what day of the week, and how much human traffic goes through there (garbage/trash) I make the call to load and go or stay and play. If things look shady and is a Friday night, I would abort.
If money wasn't an issue I would choose sleeping in a room. There are some pretty nice rooms in great places if you are willing to pay enough. So....we camp...about 4 nights then motel 1... camping with showers has gone up...$30 is not unusual..... motels have gone up...we used to think '$45'...but realistically it is now think '$65' camping is great in temperate weather, with hot showers and decent access.
This is a fascinating thread to read. I will just about always choose camping, preferably free or at least cheap, but occasionally I have sprung for a hotel. I actually sleep better outside, and for me it is half the appeal of motorcycle trips. The bike is mostly a way for me to get to cool places to camp. Motels are definitely more isolationist, sealing yourself in a little room (unless you go to the bar. But that's different.) I am surprised no one has mentioned hostels. They are a lot of fun and a great way to meet other travelers.
For me camping will always win unless it is pushing 100 degrees or an all-day hard rain. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> + 1 on the Coleman Hooligan 2 Tent that Kawasakirob recommends. Its light packs small and is a super simple design that is little more than mosquito net with a rain fly. It has great air flow and I dont know how you can beat it in hot weather. Without the fly it looks like this...
On the Central Gulf Coast camping sucks. Between the high temps, high humidity and insects, it's crappy. I'll take air conditioned motel rooms any night. Just my opinion.
My buddy and I rolled into Memphis one time in 115 deg. heat. We came across the bridge and stopped in at the visitor center to check the directory for a campground. I called to see if they had a site. The woman asked if we had a trailer or tent. When I told her we had a tent she said she didn't have a spot for us. I responded, we don't need much room, do you have anywhere we can set up a couple of small tents? She said that she had plenty of open spots, she just couldn't rent us one because we would die. We got a motel room. It was definitely for the best.
