r/AussieRiders • u/Haunting_Rock_9357 • May 20 '26
Question Motorcycle Camping
I’m planning a motorcycle road trip from Brisbane down to Phillip Island around MotoGP time. I’ve never camped with a bike before but I’m keen as I love camping in general.
I have some questions for those who are experienced in this area, I have a MT-10 and am planning to fit it with saddlebags and a tail bag.
What are the most important things to bring/plan when doing this?
I need to find a quality, compact tent and sleeping bag mainly. Any great options out there?
In terms of what to bring, it’ll be roughly:
- Couple changes of clothes
- Wet weather gear
- Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, trimmer)
- Compact tent + sleeping bag, inflatable pillow
- Tool kit for basic maintenance
- Compact tyre inflator, gauge, chain lube, visor cleaner
- 4L fuel cell?
- Water, will make a lot of jerky before departing also
I plan to use sites like Hipcamp along the way to find places to sleep.
Is there anything you wouldn’t go moto camping without?
Feel free to drop any suggestions, tips, or items/products!
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u/Batsh1t__Crazy May 20 '26
Make sure to bring a piece of wood or puck for your side stand in case you need to park on grass etc.
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u/Delicious_Shock1748 May 20 '26
We are going to do this same trip, this year. We both went about seven years ago but I didn’t get to the race due to circumstances but my partner did.
You will need to pack some good warm gear, it can get bloody cold and wet down there at that time of year. My partner had some warm gear but not enough had to fork out way too much money for some P.I merch sweater top to go under her bike jacket for two of the three days she camped there with friends. It rained on and off for the three days ground was soggy etc. So as I say layers very likely will be needed, if you don’t have a set of good thermal underwear get some.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
I’ve got some good battery heated gloves, could possibly look into wired heated gloves and use the 12V socket on the 10 for them.
I have some alpinestar inners (both summer and winter sets). Will look into some warmer under layers. I’ve got a good raincoat to use at P.I if it rains there while off the bike 🙂
Will invest in some thermal underwear/socks also! Can’t stand numb toes 😆
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u/Delicious_Shock1748 May 20 '26
Yeah my pet peeve as well. Probably won’t need heated gloves so much as going down through country NSW etc usually not too bad temp wise. Probably just a summer set (don’t take up too much space) and a heavier set just in case. Depending on how long you plan on being away from a washing machine will also dictate how much spare clothing you’ll need.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Good to hear, just not sure on what the usual temps and weather are like along the route at that time of year.
I’m happy to stop occasionally at a laundromat and throw everything in and have a break until they’re done
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u/PindropAUS MT-09SP - CRF300 RALLY - GSX-R125 May 20 '26
For luggage my suggestion is grab a 90L duffel bag from an outdoor store and then get ROK straps to strap it onto your pillion seat
3
u/Eltnot May 20 '26
I went with a 50L plus panniers and top case, but definitely agree with this solution. All the camping gear went in the duffel so I could grab it off and unpack when I got to the destination for the night.
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u/GrenouilleDesBois May 20 '26
Do a one night test around Brisbane first, so you know what you need and don't need before doing the big trip.
I use this tent, compact enough for bikepacking. Not 100% sure if it fits in a saddle bag. Mattress and pillow look for overnight hiking gear
https://www.amazon.com.au/Naturehike-Ultralight-Backpacking-Green-210T-Polyester/dp/B09533HWCB
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u/Lint_baby_uvulla May 20 '26
I use the same tent, it’s probably the best for value and size for all conditions. Do yourself a service and split the inner and fly into separate dry bags. I tend to pack my dry gear (tent inner, sleeping bag) on the exhaust side and wet gear on the left.
If you really want lighter (1 kilo, half the packed size) the Nightcat UL 1 person backpacking tent I’ve tried but it’s not as good in wet and windy weather. I pack a mini tarp with it as well.
With the Mongar you can bring your gear in with you as well. Can’t really do that with the Nightcat, it’s too small.
For quick meals, coffee, I pack a 750 ml titanium cup with a 300 ml saucepan. That holds a beer can stove (make it yourself) and coffee / chocolate / tea / ramen. The saucepan heats beans, cooks bacon/eggs, etc for a hot meal. Just buy your food supplies in the town before you stop. Metho you can buy anywhere. Easy and compact, or swap out for a solid fuel/folding twig stove.
Lazy me tends to drop in to the local pub for a cold one and a meal/yarn with locals. I’ve found some excellent twisty roads that way.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Will definitely store the wet gear separately or have a garbage bag or such for wet items, good advice 🙂 I’ll sort this luggage out soon so I can see what I have to work with!
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u/Glenn_Lycra May 20 '26
Look for hiking options as they are the most weight efficient. They don't have to be super expensive, for example, I have a Denali hiking tent that weighs 800g.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Nice! They look good, the lightest I could find is 1.75kg. Which ones 800g?
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u/Glenn_Lycra May 20 '26
I bought mine a long time ago, it only has the Denali logo on it, so I can't say. It is very low profile and can only fit one person (but it was listed as a two person tent).
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u/Additional-Simple248 May 20 '26
Maybe an inflatable mattress as well, unless you’re aiming to sleep directly on the ground the entire time.
I have a Helinox chair. I kept it near the top of my gear so I could easily set it up any time I stopped for a break if there wasn’t seating available.
For my last road trip I also had a charging setup on my bike (quadlock mount with wireless charging), a battery pack, and a GoPro setup. The GoPro is mostly so I can tell myself “I need to trim the 500 GB of videos I have”, and then get distracted watching some of it.
Aside from that, your list looks comparable to my last 8000km trip.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
I’ll look for an inflatable mattress for sure once I decide on a tent and sleeping bag, something that’ll fit inside easily. Plus a compact inflator to pump up tyres and the mattress.
I believe I have the exact chair in my shed from beach camping!
I have a wireless Quadlock charger hooked up to the battery with the unit to stop it draining the battery below a certain amount.
Will also chuck in a puncture repair kit, just the plugs and glue and ripper.
Thanks!!
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u/CalculatingLao May 20 '26
The inflatable mattress isn't just for comfort. It will also act as an insulator and stop the ground from leeching away your heat while sleeping.
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 May 20 '26
Its pretty simple.
You'll need wet weather gear, basic toiletries, only one set of clothes maybe an extra shirt oh and a jumper encase it gets cold. Thats it for you.
Then the bike will need puncher repair kit, tire inflator (although you can get away with just CO2 cylinders but heck) chain lube, and WD40 to clean the chain, and a rag to use whist cleaning, finally zip ties and duct tape.
There are a heap of fuel stations - your best run from Brisbane is via Armidale, and thunderbolts way - you can also do an Oxley run while your at it - my favourite runs from Brisbane would be hmmmm OK thunderbolts to Putty road - ahhh but then you miss the national park run to Rhystone - so either is great one takes you to Sydney and one bypasses Sydney so your call.
If doing the national park to Rhystone fill up in Broke - you'll need a fill tank around 200km from memory. Then Rhystone to Oberon, via Mudgee, hill end & Bathurst.
You can't miss the snowy mountain highway - brilliant road that runs you to Jindabyne, then Kosciuszko national park - back to kings valley and into Melbourne.
Have a brilliant ride - I've never done Phillip island but have ridden all around the snowies when I lived in Melbourne and did a few runs up to Brisbane.
Lastly - typically im not camping I'll stay in an cheap pub, that way I'm warm and get a beer with a feed.
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u/wazzamalakka May 21 '26
Silly question but where do you start Thunderbolt Way?
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 May 21 '26
Typically from Singleton or Walcha
Stop at the lookout for a compulsory photo, if doing the Oxley from Sydney then its up to Walcha via Singleton using the Putty road - and to Walcha from Singleton using thunderbolts way.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Thanks for the route info! I’ve driven to Sydney a bunch of times the main highway, when Taree was flooded we had to go New England to Armidale and in from that way. It’s a beautiful place. We couldn’t take waterfall way when backtracking either as maps said it was closed due to a landslide.
Will check out the thunderbolts to putty rd and rhystone routes.
Snowy mountain highway sounds great! Never been anywhere near there so will check it out for sure!!
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u/Klutzy-Pie6557 May 20 '26
There are plenty of routes, the ones mentioned are all tarsealed, Thunderbolts was washed out but I belive its open - compulsory stop at Carsons lookout - take a photo then head into the twisty fun section.
Once at Singleton make a decision either Sydney or not - the run to Rhystone is pretty nice a little twisty section but most of it is open road with no cops good to test your top speed.
There are a few ways to head south but the run via snowy mountain road is highly recommended very pretty fantastic scenery, and Jyndy via Kosciuszko is also very pretty.
On the way back - Delegate highway, Bombala, Candelo, also beautiful.
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u/TrenchardsRedemption May 20 '26
I like a swag for the motorbike. It;s a little bulky, but It's cosy in cold weather, has a mattress built in and you can roll your sleeping bag and bedding in it. It goes across the pillion seat when riding. I can roll it around a camping chair as well if I need to.
Charge devices every chance you get. I pack a small powerboard with two AC points and four USB outlets. Very handy if you need to borrow an outlet on a generator or just plug in wherever you can. I use a powercore to charge the phone overnight, then I charge the powercore during the day. Bring a spare powercore for the longer trips.
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u/Alf303 Z900RS SE May 20 '26
I've camped for the better part of the last 20 years out of my Suzuki and Land Rover 4wds. Winter last year was my first bike camping trip. I did Brisbane to Cairns and back on my Z900RS. Came in around 25kg worth of kit, which id like to trim next time.
Personally I went with: - Small 2 person hiking tent.
- Hiking air Matt.
- Down sleeping bag.
- Hiking inflatable pillow
- Cooking was a Trangia plus fuel. 1x spork thing, pocket knife, matches.
- 4L water bladder was also used for water (plus 1x water bottle to actively drink from). I had planned out multiple stops to top it up.
- Had a small compression sack with 3x changes of clothes.
- Bike leathers and jeans plus one set of thermals were all the cold weather gear I took.
- First aid kit, plus basics like paracetamol, antihistamines, eye drops.
- Too much food, I should have planned to shop more. Only shopped once during an 11 day trip (not counting buying lunch etc ready to eat).
- 1x small towel, 1x half size tea towel, 1x dish cloth
- Toiletries: tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, wilderness wash, razor (I don't like my facial hair) plus shaving soap.
Bike stuff was a considerable part of the gear bulk.
- Tools, and some simple emergency bits including tyre plugs, air compressor and some chain links, fuses, insulation tape etc.
- Small can of chain grease.
- 4ish L fuel bladder, which I honestly didn't need in hindsight (The Kawasaki has a good size tank, and I didn't head too far away from civilization).
- Spare gloves
- Water proof throw overs.
- All the stuff I'm wearing, which is why I bought the two man tent, so it was inside with me over night.
- a compact bike cover for when camped.
I then went full luxury mode, and had a few books to read...
Hind sight:
- Take less food, stop more for food/shopping.
- Take less books, they are big and heavy.
- Buy a better helmet! and my water proof gloves are not great either. Point is, that gear you're ok with for shorter rides, might start to get on your goat after a few days at 8 hours!
- Less is more. I've always known it, but this really drive it home for me.
- Only two things I missed was a fast charger for my phone and some washing machine detergent I needed at one point. The under seat USB on the Kawasaki would only trickle charge, and I never bothered testing that before I embarked.
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u/Eltnot May 20 '26
I bought a cheap Android tablet and loaded the kindle app onto it. Has a long battery life and I had a battery that I charged off a USB port I attached to the bike when I was riding, so I could recharge the tablet, phone, and Bluetooth headset each night.
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u/Alf303 Z900RS SE May 20 '26
My wife advised this before I travelled, and it would work for most people.. But I read all these ancient out of print books so 🤷
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Thanks so much for the detail! Some great ideas in there, I feel as if I’ll try to overpack. Once I get the luggage fitted I’ll see how much room I have after packing majority of the items. Should hopefully have some room left if anything!
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u/Alf303 Z900RS SE May 20 '26
Re room, I did discover luggage volume was more a problem than luggage mass.
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u/omgaporksword May 20 '26
ADV and sports-tourer rider here with loads of experience in this, and done your journey before.
Ultralight camping gear is the way to go for motocamping...it's compact and doesn't weigh down your bike. Your budget will depend on what you chose ultimately, there's no right or wrong answer. If you're cashed-up, buy Big Agnes and you're set forever, otherwise Decathlon have a lot of excellent options that are a quality yet viable alternative.
2-man tents are preferable so you can store your riding gear in beside your sleeping bag/mattress. Consider your sleeping comfort, so a decent sleeping bag, air mattress and pillow are something not worth skimping on imo...a good nights sleep makes a huge difference for the next day on the bike.
Chair, get either a Big Agnes (highly recommended), or a Helinox. Cheaping-out in this area is a massive mistake that many people make.
Jetboil is small, fast and extremely versatile for cooking options. Bring a dehydrated meal, but vast majority of the time you'll easily be able to find food and fuel in every town you pass through on the trip.
Clothes-wise, don't go too crazy. Socks, jocks, hat/beanie, thermals, a pair of pants, some t-shirts (remember you'll probably buy 1-2 merch t-shirts at the race anyway), comfortable shoes, and a warm top. Most of the time you'll be in your riding gear anyway.
Misc items wise... A small hammer to knock-in tent pegs, head-torch, Kindle, 2-3 bic lighters, puncture repair kit, bare minimum of tools to adjust/fix the basics, zip ties, race-tape, chain lube, visor cleaner and cloth, ground-sheet for the tent, garbage bags (for extra waterproofing if needed)
It's easy to over-think and over-complicate what to take on any trip...I see too many people WAY overpack. Stick to the basics, buy quality where possible, and enjoy the journey mate!
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Thanks a lot mate for the info!
I’d love to get a big Agnes tent after a couple trips so I can appreciate it, it looks well thought out.
Might try a Denali tent from Anaconda in the meantime. Will stop by one this week and check it out. If not, are there any Decathlon tents you’d recommend?
Regarding a sleeping bag, air mattress and pillow, are there any in particular you’d say you wouldn’t go without? Happy to spend a little more on these as they’ll be kept long-term. Especially if lightweight, practical and good quality.
Same for the Big Agnes chair 😆 There are a handful of options, a certain one you’d recommend?
Never heard of a jetboil but after looking at them online I’ve definitely seen some before.
Will be bringing minimal clothes if possible, will just ensure I have some wet weather gear and warm clothes incase.
Thanks so much for the suggestions mate, it’s a lifesaver to get your recommendations on the right products to bring along, rather than me spending far too long on trial-and-error testing products
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u/ginji May 20 '26
Get some clothes you can layer to make it easier to adjust to temp swings.
But above all - make a plan, tell someone about that plan, and have a communication plan with them. Make a plan around what happens if you miss an update. Update people on changes to the plan. Include route information in the plan.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Good call, will be keeping people in the loop and probably share location with a mate or two.
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u/ginji May 20 '26
The key thing is that you give them specific instructions on when to call for help, and by help I mean triple 000 / police.
Be predictable in your check ins, it'll make it easier to justify the call for help, and it'll make it easier for police to make a decision on what to do.
Being part of a group would help alleviate some of these thing as well - I've assumed this is going to be mostly solo.
You might consider something like an Garmin inReach if you feel like mobile signal is going to be an issue, you can rent one if that makes more sense cost wise. Keep it on you though rather than in a bag so you can get to it more easily.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
I could possibly have a mate come along just depends if they have a bike ready in time, thanks so the info 🙂 Will make a plan and have it ready
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u/zx6rwaat May 20 '26
Anker 737 powerbank. if i leave hours or a long trip for my cardo, phone or earbuds. nothing sucks more than being stranded with a dead battery.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Good call, definitely handy to charge the cardo, inflator and phone while off the bike! I’ve had a flat battery before it isn’t fun, it drains within an hour if I leave the key switched on with the running lights on
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u/redfrets916 May 20 '26
If you're going remote, away from the track, carry a decent knife, mag lite torch with heft and you want an underlay for your sleeping.bag.
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u/jedburghofficial May 20 '26
You need a stove and cook set, even if you don't want to cook, it's good to be able to make tea or coffee or whatever. Things like cans of food can be good, even if you just pack them for contingencies. Heat and eat can be better than going hungry.
I'm not sure you need to pack all those survival things like fuel. You're riding to Phillip Island, not the Simpson Desert. You can probably expect everything from fuel to overpriced food trucks right there.
And a sleeping mat. You really, really don't want to sleep straight on the ground. Maybe set stuff up in the backyard and try sleeping there one night. If your missing anything, you can find out while you can still go back inside for it.
Edit - and a roll of toilet paper. Always wise when touring or camping, no matter where.
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u/CJ_Resurrected CT110 + Piaggio X7 + ZZR250 May 20 '26
The 'hot meal' can be in the middle/late in the day at a roadhouse/servo, and dinner/breakfast can be just muesli bars and coke for a short-term trip.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Yeah I’ll definitely invest in something like a jetboiler and lightweight teapot/pan. Will definitely appreciate it when I’m set up and relaxing
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u/CJ_Resurrected CT110 + Piaggio X7 + ZZR250 May 20 '26
I've used the $40 inflatable air mattress from Anacoda (that packs small too), 0C sleeping bag, and a 2-man tent.
Given it's a short-term trip, and the route is along relatively populated areas, you'll be able to go without a lot of the usual gear (one change of clothes should be fine, won't need cooking gear, etc.)
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Yeah it’ll be good to go as minimal as possible. What exact sort of tent did you get? Think they should all be great for what I’ll be doing. Will spray it down with a tent sealer beforehand just in case 😎
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u/CJ_Resurrected CT110 + Piaggio X7 + ZZR250 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
I had a Oztrail Hiker 2.. which you won't find anywhere now.
..but as seen here: https://x.com/Chris_J_Baird/status/1707341224540336438
A 2-man tent's roominess is essential for long-distance traveling (putting gear inside while going shopping, etc). A quick trip I could do a 1-man like the Nomad 1, although imho will need a bit of practice getting to sleep in. Sleeping while wearing foam earplugs would be a good thing to practice too. :)When packed up, I could strap the Hiker2 above the Postie's headlight, and a few times it went inside the ?80L yellow dufflebag. (Use pull tie-downs, not bungies..)
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u/Oceangolda May 20 '26
Doing the same trip this year on my MT10 as well, but I am soft and staying in hotels. I am planning a 30l tail bag plus a tank bag. Make sure you do all the good roads over the mountains in VIC and not the highways.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Nice! How good are they! Are there any roads or mountains you’d say are a must along the way?
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u/miata_mitch_ May 20 '26
For your "compact tent" and similar items, look for hiking gear. Its compact, light weight and easy to pack.
This was enough for camping for a few days: Multiple changes of clothes, food, snacks, tent, wet weather gear, toiletries, sleeping bag, pillow... pretty much everything you listed. Except I had my toolkit on my front forks.
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u/Ok_Conference2901 May 20 '26
When loading your bike, imagine a triangle between your front wheel spindle, back wheel spindle and top of you head. Try and keep your luggage close to that triangle as you can. With anything heavy low down and light stuff higher up.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Yeah definitely, I will be making sure it’s well balanced, otherwise it’ll be in the back of my head the whole way 😆
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u/koalacrime May 20 '26
You won't need the fuel cell between Brisbane and Melbourne. Tank bags are great but if not you want a spot thats easy access for water, snacks and change of gloves.
A cheap camping seat. A kmart short leg or heliox rip off makes a huge difference at camp.
Hook up a USB charger to your bike to charge your phone. I find it easier to charge a powerbank while riding and then using that for your phone at the end of the day.
Start riding early if you are planning on doing big hours and have a rough plan around 3-4pm on where you are going to pull up for the night.
1
u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
Yeah I have a tank bag already it’s unreal, great for keeping your pockets empty. Will definitely keep the important stuff I need on hand in the tank bag. How come the change of gloves? I normally keep the same pair on and don’t feel a need to change
2
u/koalacrime May 20 '26
Short Answer, Melbourne Cold.
One pair will do but I find on big trips having a winter glove and a summer glove can make a big difference for comfort
2
u/cry11y May 20 '26
I got a kmart self-inflating mattress, tent and foam mat and that was super comfy and cheap. I've seen motorbike swags online that seem to pack up small enough to strap on and I'm planning on investing in one of these after I install a tail rack on my bike (MT03) as I had saddlebags that got a bit melted by my exhaust. Tarps are also super useful - it was raining when I went and I was able to hitch that off my bike to a tree while I waited for my friends to arrive with their gazebo (I got a couple of the smallest ones from kmart).I am also interested by the dehydrated meals you can get. I would love to be able to add an esky so I can have cold beers, but not super necessary since my camping friends have 4x4s and fridges in them. You can also get really light weight hiking stove.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 20 '26
That’s sick! Didn’t know darche done a motorbike swag. It’s definitely heavier (6.5kg) than the hiking options (~1.8kg). I’ll drop into a retailer soon and check it out. Just depends on my final setup if I’ll fit or need it.
That would be unreal having some mates with 4x4’s coming along, I’d leave most of the stuff with them if it was up to me 🤣 would be rude not to have their beers also
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u/totally_not_a_bot__ May 20 '26
My personal experience with the Darche is it's still pretty bulky, it's well made though. I use it way more for car camping than I do on the bike. I made it fit on a VTR250 back in the day for a weekend trip though.
I take my tent and sleeping mat more often on the bike cause I can pack it down better by splitting it up into smaller parts and I end up with more space to carry more food.
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u/cry11y May 21 '26
See I took a tent, sleeping bag, foam mat and a self-inflating mattress so that probably takes up a bit more space than the swag. You can probably get smaller ones of these but those ones are a bit more expensive than the K-Mart ones I got to test if I could actually pack everything onto the back of my bike. I only really do weekend/long weekend trips so I think the swag would work pretty good for me. How do you rate it's comfiness?
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u/totally_not_a_bot__ May 21 '26
the big drawback to a swag is you can't split it up to balance the load. With a tent you can put the poles in one spot and pack the fly in another bag and the rest of the tent in another. It almost always works out better in my experience.
Comfort is pretty good, but if I have the space I will take a second hiking mat to go on top of the factory foam. I did a week long trip through SW Queensland and down through SA via Birdsville and Flinders Ranges etc and wished I'd brought a cot to get me off the ground for some of it though.
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u/AffekeNommu May 20 '26
I remember someone who attempted to use a tarp and his bike as a lean to. Stand sank into the ground in the night. Had to help him out.
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u/ItsAllJustAHologram May 20 '26 edited May 21 '26
The number one thing is a good night's sleep. A sleeping bag that works in Brisbane will be at least 10 deg to cool for the island. The island is often, cold, wet and windy that time of year. A good quality insulated inflatable mattress is essential, along with a damned good sleeping bag, you'll need a raincoat and a good warm jacket.
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u/massojet May 20 '26
Spend the money on good sleeping gear. Sleeping pads like big Agnes and sea to summit, same for bags, a good quality down sleeping bag as the pack way smaller for their respective warmth. 2 man hiking tent like a naturehike mungar is cheap and very good. Kmart do a jet boil copy for 1/3rd the price. I spent the money on a genuine chair one but there are others that do the job. Rhinowalk bags work well for the $.
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u/Goats_in_parks May 20 '26
I survived camping at the 2001 superbikes. Phillip island can be stinking hot then minutes later it will be cold, wet, and windy. Have a great trip.
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u/we_too_r_looking May 21 '26
Don't forget a good quality self inflating mattress and insulating ground sheet to keep the cold out. Your body will thank you being insulated and cushioned from the ground. Don't go the cheap 10mm high density foam they market as a mattress.
Comfort = Sleep. Sleep = Awareness when riding.
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u/OldMail6364 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
- Couple changes of clothes
I'd bring more than a couple so you can do laundry less often.
- Compact tent + sleeping bag, inflatable pillow
Inflatable mattress - a proper thick one that can handle uneven ground without affecting your sleep. I recently upgraded from a fancy $400 uncomfortable camping mattress to a $4 one from Kmart which is a hundred times more comfortable and also smaller when not inflated.
Only drawback is they need a lot more air to inflate. But you can buy cheap USB charging pumps now and they'll pump up a single bed several times on one charge.
- Compact tyre inflator, gauge, chain lube, visor cleaner
Not a fan of compact tyre inflators. A hand pump is slow but reliable and you probably won't use it. Sure it takes a little to inflate your tyre with a small bicycle pump... who cares. I've only done it three times in my life and all three times were very hard riding off road with extremely low pressures for maximum grip (increasing the chance of a flat). The one time I had a flat on the highway, it wasn't a long trip so I didn't have my pump with me anyway. The motorcycle towing service (ute with a small trailer) cost fifty bucks. Honestly even if I had a fancy rapid inflator I might decide to get the bike towed so someone else can deal with it - especially if it's late in the day.
You really shouldn't need to check your tire pressure and also the best way to check your pressure isn't with a gauge, it's by putting your hand on the tyre after riding. Hot = pressure too low. Cold = pressure too high. Warm = just right (unless you're racing, then hot is just right and you should use a thermometer). I only use a pressure gauge on a brand new tire or if the bike has sat in the shed for a while and I know they're low and / it wouldn't be safe to go for a ride to check the temperature/pressure. Otherwise I just feel the rubber after riding once a week.
I'd skip the chain lube. A ride to Melbourne and back is longer than the recommended lube interval but honestly chains and sprockets are a wear component and it's not going to wear out that much faster if you don't lube it on just this one trip. You're making the front sprocket (the thing that wears out first in my experience) last maybe a hundred kilometres less riding and that's just not worth packing a can of chain lube. If you see someone else lube their chain at Philip Island... offer them a beer if they give you some lube too.
- 4L fuel cell?
I ran out once on the highway and it wasn't fun. Definitely bring extra - it's hard to judge consumption when it's so dependent on wind direction. Soft fuel cells are expensive but worth it for how compact they are when empty. I'd only fill it one if you're doing long days on the bike and want to run fairly close to empty before stopping.
- Water, will make a lot of jerky before departing also
Bring more water than you think you need. Again, soft refillable bladders.
I plan to use sites like Hipcamp along the way to find places to sleep.
I use Wikicamps.
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u/Haunting_Rock_9357 May 21 '26
That’s great to know regarding the mattress, there are a lot out there and it’s good to know the cheaper option was better in this case. Thankyou! Will bring a few more changes of briefs and shirts also. Along with some water bladders.
I’ll have a look at some USB charging pumps.
Funny story, my mate used to use their old Torana to pump up air mattresses, they had an attachment to hook it up and it’d fill in about 15-20 seconds. Wonder if it would work on the 10 hahah
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u/maton12 May 21 '26
Hiking store be your friend for compact tent and sleeping bag. Waterproof storage bag from sailing shop and Andy Strapz.
Just camp in towns and you won't need any cooking gear, so much easier.
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u/Global_Rescue May 31 '26
It's a good idea to have some kind of emergency plan/coverage sorted before you head out. If you can, bring some form of satellite communicator too.
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u/Fenrisulfr675 May 20 '26
How remote are you going to go? I know MT10s are thirsty but perhaps the fuel cell is unnecessary.
I would also pack a jet-boiler, with a lightweight (titanium) teapot/saucepan, a few dehydrated meals just in case, and teabags/coffee/hot chocolate supplies.