If you’re in a rush, the Klymit Maxfield Tents 2-Person is the best overall tent for motorcycle camping.
Going on a motorcycle camping trip? Well, you’re in for a treat, but selecting the right tent for motorcycle camping can be a bit daunting.
In this article, we’ll go over some of the best tent models for motorcycle camping that might work for your foray into the wide-open road:
- Best Overall: Klymit Maxfield Tents 2-Person
- Best Premium: Lone Rider MotoTent V2 2-Person Tent
- Best Value: REI Co-op Passage 2 Tent With Footprint
- Best Ultralight: MSR Hubba Hubba 2-Person Backpacking Tent
- Best 4-Season: Snugpak Scorpion 2 Motorcycle Tent
- Best Porch: Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 2 Tent
- Best Awning: Big Agnes Salt Creek SL2 Tent
- Best Durable: REI Co-Op Half Dome SL 2+ Tent With Footprint
- Best Solid: ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2-Person Tent
- Best Budget: Naturehike Opalus Tunnel 2-4 Person Lightweight Camping Tent
Best Motorcycle Camping Tent – Our Top Picks
Klymit Maxfield Tents 2-Person
Season: 3-season | Weight: 4 lbs 3 oz | Max Inside Height: 42″ | Floor Dimensions: 84″ x 51″ (29.3 sq ft) | Vestibule: 14 sq ft | Set-up Time: 4 mins
For motorcycle camping, this model by Klymit is one of the best on the market. It’s comfortable, lightweight, easy to set up, and storage-friendly for all your stuff.
This tent comes in two capacities: 2- and 4-person. Regardless of the model, you have a spacious living area with optimized headspace, allowing you to sit upright inside the tent.
When it comes to ventilation, this tent has plenty of airflow inside. Thanks to three vent ports and a mesh body, you don’t have to worry about condensation forming during rain.
To keep the interior free of mud or dirt, you can store your gear and shoes underneath the rear vestibule.
The rain fly provides cover all the way to the ground, so you don’t have to worry about getting your gear exposed to weather elements.
Pros
- Comes in two sizes
- Stuff sack can be unrolled to serve as a work surface for tent set-up
- Three vent ports prevent condensation and provide plenty of airflow
- Features plenty of mesh pockets for interior storage
Cons
- A bit expensive for the tent size
Best for: campers in need of an optimized headspace inside the tent
Lone Rider MotoTent V2 2-Person Tent
Season: 3-season | Weight: 12 lbs | Max Inside Height: 69″ | Floor: 86″ x 56″ (33.4 sq ft) | Vestibule: 32.6 sq ft |Set-up Time: 7 mins
Don’t feel like leaving your two-wheeled baby at the mercy of the weather elements?
Well with this tent by Lone Rider, you don’t have to. And that’s because this tent features a wide vestibule that serves as a garage.
This tent is designed with motorcycles in mind – hence the model’s name. The sleeping area makes up about half of the tent, while the rest is the vestibule.
Both are almost 5′ x 7′, so there’s plenty of room in both parts of the tent.
The “garage” has a center height of 79″, so you can stand upright while moving around the bike.
As for the sleeping area, the ceiling slopes down to 69″, so there’s still plenty of headroom inside.
Pros
- Features a large “garage” for storing the bike to keep it safe from sun, rain, or snow
- Ceiling height of 69″ helps you stand upright and move easily around the tent
- Inner tent can be removed to create a protected shelter
- Features three mesh windows, which ensure ventilation
Cons
- Not very lightweight
Best for: campers who want to protect their bike from weather elements
REI Co-op Trailmade 2 Tent With Footprint
Season: 3-season | Weight: 5 lbs 7 oz | Max Inside Height: 40″ | Floor: 88″ x 52″ (31.7 sq ft) | Vestibule: 19 sq ft | Set-up Time: 5 mins
Among all tents on the list, this one by REI Co-op will give you the best bang for your buck.
The price tag is decent, and what you get for that money is a really high-quality, durable tent.
The tent features a classic X-shaped pole structure, which makes it quick and straightforward to set up.
The design maximizes the headspace, allowing you to sit upright inside the tent. For a 2-person tent, this model feels spacious.
What’s great about this tent is that it has two doors, which is quite handy when you’re camping with a partner.
It also has two vestibules, so there’s enough room for storing all your gear outside.
Pros
- Two stake-out vestibules provide ample covered areas for storing gear
- Comes with a footprint to protect the tent floor
- Internal pockets and gear loops allow you to keep the essentials close
- Features two doors for you and your partner to easily get in and out
Cons
- Somewhat heavy for a 2-person tent
Best for: easy set-up
MSR Hubba Hubba 2-Person Backpacking Tent
Season: 3-season | Weight: 3 lbs 4 oz | Max Inside Height: 40″ | Floor: 84″ x 50″ (29 sq ft) | Vestibule: 8.75 + 8.75 sq ft | Set-up Time: 10 mins
If you’re trying to pack as light as possible, then this tent by MSR is definitely worth consideration.
To achieve such a low weight, the tent poles are made of Easton Syclone (ballistic-fiber, carbon, and resin).
This is the strongest and lightest option on the market today.
The poles are connected to a hub, so the set-up is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is extend the frame, then attach the tent body to it.
The tent body is made of nylon and mesh, while the rain fly is completely made of 20D Ripstop nylon.
It also features a layer of Xtreme Shield™ waterproof coating, which ensures you stay dry even when it’s raining.
Pros
- Weighs just over 3 lbs and packs down compactly
- Poles are ultra-durable and wind-resistant
- Doors have built-in rain gutters to keep the weather elements out
- Hub-and-pole system makes set-up quick and simple
Cons
- A bit expensive
Best for: campers wanting to pack as light as possible
Snugpak Scorpion 2 Motorcycle Tent
Season: 4-season | Weight: 5.8 lbs | Max Inside Height: 41″ | Floor: 81″ x 43″ (24.1 sq ft) | Vestibule: 15.5 sq ft | Set-up Time: 5 mins
This tent by Snugpak is a year-round shelter. It’s built to withstand any kind of weather you might experience on your trip.
The design is a combination of a dome and a geodesic tent, with intercrossing poles ensuring stability in high winds.
Overall, the tent has a low profile at only 41″ high. However, it’s quite long and has additional room below your feet for storing gear.
Of course, you also have an additional front porch for extra storage space.
When the weather allows it, you can even roll up the vestibule door and leave the sides down to keep your gear safe from the sun.
One thing you can bet on is you won’t get wet in this tent.
The rain fly has a PU rating of 5,000 mm and taped seams, so there’s absolutely no way for water to pass through.
Plus, the three mesh vents ensure there is enough airflow to prevent condensation.
Pros
- Low profile and intercrossing poles ensure stability in high winds
- Has a PU rating of 5,000 mm and is suitable for use in heavy rain and snow
- Features 8 mesh pockets and a head-end hanging loop
- Suitable for really tall people
Cons
- Not much headroom
Best for: year-round camping
Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 2 Tent
Season: 3-season | Weight: 11 lbs 1 oz | Max Inside Height: 68″ | Floor: 90″ x 54″ (34 sq ft) | Vestibule: 44 sq ft | Set-up Time: 3 mins
When it comes to porches, this model by Big Agnes is a tough one to beat.
Whether you need a hanging out area or a place to keep your bike safe from weather elements, you have plenty of room for that with this model.
The tent itself has a 2-person capacity, so there’s not a lot of room inside for anything else but the sleeping bags.
Of course, that’s not an issue when you have a vestibule this big, as you can use it for storing gear as well.
What’s really cool is that it features two entrances: one into the vestibule and the other to the exterior.
This could really shorten your late-night trips to the “bathroom”, for instance.
The vestibule itself has two, wide doors that can be rolled up and stowed away when not needed.
Pros
- Vestibule has room to use for storing gear, hanging out, or parking your bike
- Has a peak height of 68″
- Features two doors
- Vestibule doors can be stowed away to have two sides completely opened
Cons
- Somewhat time-consuming to set up
Best for: hanging out while staying safe from sun or rain
Big Agnes Salt Creek SL2 Tent
Season: 3-season | Weight: 4 lbs 1 oz | Max Inside Height: 44″ | Floor: 86″ x 52″ (28 sq ft) | Vestibule: 10 + 10 sq ft | Set-up Time: 5 mins
Even though this is a 2-person tent, moving in and out of it is pretty easy thanks to the three doors it features.
The two side doors feature vestibules with storm flaps on their zippers, while the main door features an awning-style entrance.
The entire tent body consists of mesh, which allows air circulation inside.
By stowing the doors away, you can enjoy the views while keeping the annoying bugs outside the tent.
To keep you dry in the rain, the tent features a Ripstop polyester rain fly that goes all the way to the ground.
To let the air in, it has a fly vent as well as a low vent on the vestibule doors.
Thanks to plenty of storage options, you can keep your interior well organized.
There’s a 3D bin that utilizes dead space above the feet, two interior mesh pockets, and a media pocket that allows cord routing.
Pros
- Features three doors
- Plenty of storage options inside the tent
- Quick and easy set-up
- Visible at night with reflective guylines and webbing
Cons
- Awning requires poles to be extended
Best for: hot summer nights
REI Co-Op Half Dome SL 2+ Tent With Footprint
Season: 3-season | Weight: 4 lbs 11.5 oz | Max Inside Height: 42″ | Floor: 90″ x 54″ (33.8 sq ft) | Vestibule: 22.5 sq ft | Set-up Time: 4-5 mins
When it comes to durability, this model by REI Co-Op is a promising one.
It has a simple but highly functional design and high-quality fabrics, so it’s built to last.
The poles are made of aluminum, and they are pre-bent and connected to a hub. This makes set-up very easy.
Plus, the almost-vertical side walls ensure you get the most out of the interior space, especially the head and shoulder room.
The upper portion of the tent is covered in mesh to provide both views and airflow.
The bottom part is made of opaque nylon, so it provides privacy when sleeping without a rainfly.
It also reduces drafts and prevents dirt from being blown into the interior.
What is especially great about this tent is that it comes with a footprint, which prolongs the life of the tent floor.
Given the price tag, you really get your money’s worth with this model.
Pros
- Has slightly larger dimensions than a regular 2-person tent
- Rain fly ends can be rolled up to maximize views and airflow
- Pre-bent poles create almost vertical walls and increase head- and shoulder-room
- Features a footprint to keep the tent floor dry and safe from tears
Cons
- Limited storage space compared to most other picks on the list
Best for: campers looking for a tent to last them a good while
ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2-Person Tent
Season: 3-season | Weight: 5 lbs 11 oz | Max Inside Height: 36″ | Floor: 88″ x 58″ (31 sq ft) | Vestibule: 17 sq ft | Set-up Time: 5 mins
The low profile of this tent by ALPS Mountaineering makes it a great option for windy conditions.
With a dome shape and a center height of 36″, the tent allows the wind to flow over the top rather than smacking into the sides.
Of course, the poles are also to be thanked for the tent’s sturdy design.
Made of 7000 series aluminum, they’re sturdy but flexible. This allows them to bend in the wind instead of breaking.
As for the rain fly, it’s made of 75D polyester and treated with a layer of 1,500 mm PU coating.
Each tent corner features a buckle to attach to the rain fly to keep it secure and taut, too.
Pros
- Poles are 7,000 series aluminum, sturdy, flexible, and rust-resistant
- Rain fly can be buckled to the tent corners for security and tautness
- One of the most affordable motorcycle tents on the market
- Features two vestibules for decent storage space
Cons
- A bit heavier compared to other 2-person tents on the list
Best for: camping in windy weather
Check Price on Alps Mountaineering
Naturehike Opalus Tunnel 2-4 Person Camping Tent
Season: 4-season | Weight: 5.5 lbs | Max Inside Height: 39.4″ | Floor: 94.5″ x 51.2″ (33.6 sq ft) | Vestibule: 25.8 sq ft | Set-up Time: 5-10 mins
Just by looking at the price, this tent is among the most affordable ones on the list.
But when you take all the cool features it has into consideration, you really get a premium product for such a low price tag.
The inner tent is large enough to accommodate two campers comfortably. If necessary, the vestibule can also be used for sleeping.
But if it is just you and your partner, this outdoor space can be used for storage or hanging out during rainy days.
Speaking of rain, this tent has a waterproof rating of 3,000 mm. In other words, it will keep you dry even in a heavy pour.
Multiple windows and two side openings also ensure there’s enough airflow inside.
Pros
- Large vestibule can be used for storing gear, sleeping, or hanging out
- Has a waterproof rating of 3,000 mm ensures no water gets inside
- Comes with a footprint to prolong the life of the tent floor
- Comes with a 30-day-money-back-guarantee and a limited lifetime warranty for manufacturing issues
Cons
- Very low profile, so you cannot move much around the inner tent
Best for: campers on a budget
What To Consider When Purchasing A Motorcycle Tent
When you’re motorcycle camping, you should pay more attention to certain features you wouldn’t bother with when car camping.
In this section, we’ll go over everything you need to consider when buying a tent.
Size
First things first, you need to think about the size tent you need. Are you camping alone or with a partner?
Maybe you plan on sleeping in the same tent as the rest of your biking group?
These are all the things to keep in mind when choosing the right size.
In any case, the number of people sleeping in a tent is a good place to start.
But keep in mind that a tent capacity indicates how many people can fit inside stacked like sardines.
If you’re looking for more comfort, it’s always best to go one size up.
Technically, you could go with a much larger tent than you might need. But don’t forget that more fabric also means more weight and more bulk.
Price
Let’s be real – this is an important factor to keep in mind. How much money are you willing to invest in a tent?
You can find a tent in any price range, but they will obviously be different from one another.
While most budget tents have basic features, high-end models usually have a lot more bells and whistles to justify the cost.
However, a price tag is not always a good reflection of the tent’s quality, so pay close attention to what a specific model offers and whether that’s worth its cost.
Weight
Weight is another factor to keep in mind. Generally, the larger the tent, the heavier it is. But the choice of materials plays a role in its weight as well.
In terms of tent poles, fiberglass is heavier than aluminum, which is why the latter is typically used for backpacking tents.
As for the fabric, both nylon and polyester are generally lightweight, with the former having a slight edge.
Water & Wind Resistance
If you’re camping in less-than-ideal weather, then water and wind resistance is just as important a factor to consider.
To be considered water-resistant, a tent needs to have a rating of at least 1,000 mm. And a good portion of tents on the market fall under this category.
However, to be able to withstand heavy rain, a tent would need a rating above 1,500 mm. Winter tents usually have a rating above 2,000 mm.
As for the wind resistance, it’s mainly determined by the shape of the tent.
Dome and geodesic tents have sloped walls, which allow the wind to go over and not blow directly into the fabric.
But tent poles also play a role in this. The most common pole materials are fiberglass and aluminum.
And when it comes to wind, aluminum is the best option. Aluminum is flexible, so it bends instead of breaking.
Fiberglass, on the other hand, will snap in half from pressure.
Freestanding
So, why would you need a freestanding tent when motorcycle camping? Well, it simply makes your job easier.
A freestanding tent is much easier to set up, as you don’t need a specific type of soil or trees nearby.
Now, this is great because it means you can simply set up your tent right next to where you parked your bike, and not go in search of a suitable pitching location.
Low Volume
How big a tent is when packed down is another important factor to keep in mind.
After all, you have very limited storage space when motorcycle camping, and it makes no sense for a tent to take up more than half of it.
In most cases, packed volume is in direct relation to the tent size.
But still, certain models can pack down more compactly than others, depending on the materials as well as the storage bags they come with.
Ventilation
It might not be the first factor to think of, but you shouldn’t overlook ventilation.
Without proper ventilation, your stay inside the tent will be very uncomfortable.
During warmer days, the heat will build up inside without enough room to get out. And during rain, no air getting inside will cause condensation.
Pay attention to where vent openings are located, as well as whether they can be held open during rain without letting water in.
FAQs
What Is Moto Camping?
As the name suggests, it combines two activities into one: riding a motorcycle and camping.
Basically, you’re using a bike to cross a greater distance, then setting up a camp to have a good night’s sleep.
What Is The Best Tent For Motorcycle Camping?
We found Klymit Maxfield Tents 2-Person to be the best model on the market nowadays.
It’s durable, roomy, well-ventilated, and has excellent weather resistance.
What Do You Need For A Motorcycle Camping Trip?
For motorcycle camping, you need pretty much everything you need for a regular camping trip, like a tent or a sleeping bag.
The only exception is consumables, which can be more readily available when you’re traveling with a bike.
How Do You Carry A Camping Tent On A Motorcycle?
Since your tent is among heavier pieces of gear, it’s best to store it at the bottom of your bike pannier.
If possible, you should distribute the weight between the left and right pannier by dividing which part goes where.
How Do You Pack A Sleeping Bag On A Motorcycle?
If the sleeping bag is too bulky to fit inside the panniers, another option is to store it in the roll bag on the back of your bike.
Since it’s not very heavy, it won’t weigh you down or mess with the center of gravity.
How Do You Take Food Camping On A Motorcycle?
Making delicious food when camping doesn’t always require a bunch of ingredients and cooking tools.
However, since you have a very limited storage space, you can also consider getting your groceries while on the road.
How Can I Make My Long-Distance Motorcycle More Comfortable?
First, investing in a wide seat pad can take off stress from your lower area.
Riding a motorcycle puts your body under stress and vibration, but a seat pad can alleviate pressure and pain.
Another thing you can do to make the ride more comfortable is to adjust handlebars and footpegs to find your sweet spot.
Our Verdict
In our opinion, the Klymit Maxfield Tents 2-Person stands out with its features and quality manufacturing.
From weather resistance to durability, there are many reasons why this tent will work great for any moto trip.
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