With the increased popularity of adventure bikes, so increases the need for good camping gear suitable for your motorcycle excursions. You want gear that is lightweight and compact so you can pack all you need without exceeding your bike's maximum weight rating or your storage capacity. Looking at tents, the same criteria for backpacking fits the bill for motorcycling. It must be lightweight, but strong and waterproof, and pack into as small a package as possible. What separates your adventures from a backpacker, however, is the availability to park your motorcycle in the tent with you -- protected from the weather and safe from prying eyes -- while you sleep. Not all of my picks for best motorcycle camping tents let you do that; things like ease of assembly, quality and creature comforts took first priority.

(Continue reading for my picks for the five best motorcycle camping tents.}

Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1

If your adventures are solo or you only need to provide shelter for yourself, Big Agnes makes the Seedhouse SL1 tent in Titanium Green for $279.95. With a large D-shaped door, excellent ventilation, quick setup and waterproof nylon, the Seedhouse SL1 packs up into a roll 4 inches by 17 inches that weighs just over two and a half pounds.

That'll fit quite readily in a saddlebag or strapped across your handlebars. It's a three-season tent with reflective guylines and tent webbing so it is easy to find when making your way back from a midnight nature call. The Seedhouse SL1 has two interior mesh bags to stow your gear, and has gear loops installed to accommodate the accessory overhead gear hammock or the Big Agnes Entertainment Center loft.

Seedhouse SL1 Specifications:

Seasons:

three-season

Design type:

Free-standing

Sleeping Capacity:

1

Fly / footprint pitch weight:

1 pound 10 ounces

Average minimum weight:

2 pounds 2 ounces

Average packaged weight:

2 pounds 9 ounces

Maximum width:

43 inches

Maximum length:

113 inches

Sleeping Bay:

90 inches x 43 inches

Vestibule area:

5 square feet

Vestibules:

1

Head height:

38 inches

Foot Height:

16 inches

Doors:

1

Floor fabric:

Lightweight silicone treated nylon rip-stop with a 1,200 mm waterproof polyurethane coating

Rainfly fabric:

Lightweight silicone treated nylon rip-stop with a 1,200 mm waterproof polyurethane coating

Pole material:

TH72M aluminum

Packed size:

4 x 17 inches

Groundsheet:

sold separately


MSR ELIXIR™ 2

More than likely, your bike adventures include a friend, and the folks at Mountain Safety Research have you covered. The MSR Elixir 2 is a freestanding, lightweight two-person tent for $249.95. Easy to assemble, the Elixir 2 weighs in at just under six pounds and folds up into a 7- by 20-inch bundle to fit in a storage bag or bungee to the backrest.

With a bathtub-style floor and taped-seam rainfly, you'll stay warm and dry in this three-season shelter. It has two doors and two vestibules, which means you don't have to climb over your companion to get in or out. If assembly isn't your strong suit, the Elixir 2 features color-coded poles, clips and webbing to get you set up quickly, and interior pockets give you places to stow your gear. Of the tent choices on my five-best list, the Elixir 2 is the only one that includes the additional groundsheet.

Elixir 2 Specifications:

Seasons:

three-season

Design type:

freestanding

Sleeping Capacity:

2

Seasons:

1 pound 10 ounces

Average minimum weight:

4 pounds 10 ounces

Average packaged weight:

5 pounds 13 ounces

Maximum width:

110 inches

Maximum length:

84 inches

Design type:

29 square feet

Sleeping Bay:

84 inches x 50 inches

Sleeping Capacity:

17.5 (8.75 + 8.75) square feet

Rainfly Weight:

45 cubic feet

Average minimum weight:

40 inches

Doors:

2

Floor fabric:

70 taffeta nylon 3,000 mm Durashield polyurethane & DWR

Rainfly fabric:

68D ripstop polyester 1,500 mm Polyurethane & DWR

Average packaged weight:

40D ripstop nylon

Maximum width:

20D nylon micromesh

Maximum length:

2

Pole material:

7000 series aluminum

Packed size:

7 inches x 20 inches

Groundsheet:

Included


Hilleberg Staika

I couldn't possibly have a "best tent" list without a Hilleberg representative. The Hilleberg Staika is a dome-style, freestanding two-person tent and it is the only four-season tent on my list for those of you whose adventures include snow. (Ural sidecar->ke3079 riders, I'm looking at you.) It's also the most expensive tent on the list at $945.

You get what you pay for, though, and Hilleberg tents have weathered the worst Mother Nature has to offer even on the Arctic tundra so I'm confident it can handle the weather anywhere an adventure bike can go. Among the non-garage tents on the list, the Staika is the heaviest at almost nine pounds, but it is spacious and stable. For all its sturdiness, the Staika folds up into a manageable 8- by 22-inch bundle -- quite doable for onboard storage compartments or bungeed to your backrest.

Staika Specifications:

Seasons:

Four-season

Design type:

Dome, Freestanding

Sleeping Capacity:

2

Seasons:

7 pounds 8 ounces

Design type:

8 pounds 13 ounces

Maximum width:

55 inches

Maximum length:

90 inches

Sleeping Bay:

90 inches x 55 inches

Vestibule area:

9.7 square feet

Vestibules:

2

Average minimum weight:

43 inches

Doors:

2

Sleeping Capacity:

Kerlon 1800

Maximum length:

3

Pole material:

Aluminum

Minimum Weight:

10 mm

Packed Weight:

16 Y-Peg

Packed size:

8 inches x 22 inches

Groundsheet:

sold separately


Lone Rider Mototent

You want to sleep with your motorcycle, now admit it. The three-season Mototent from the folks at Lone Rider houses up to two people and your motorcycle and still has room for your gear and an ample "patio" area where you can sit and relax or cook out of the weather. A color-coded pole system helps you set this up quickly. The 51-inch-wide motorcycle bay is wide enough for full-size adventure bikes and attached hard cases.

At 12 pounds, this is the lighter of the two garage tents but at 9 inches by 24 inches, it is the larger bundle when folded up. Still, if it takes up too much room in a storage case, bungee it to the backrest. I like the 6-foot-plus ceiling height, and with four doors and two vestibules, you won't have to climb over your companion. As an added bonus, you can detach the inner tent and use the outer tent as a large garage for doing maintenance and repairs on your bike. The Mototent can be yours for $499.00.

Mototent Specifications:

Seasons:

three-season

Design type:

Tunnel, Non-freestanding

Sleeping Capacity:

2

Seasons:

12 pounds

Maximum width:

94.5 inches

Maximum length:

163.4 in

Sleeping Bay:

94.5 x 55 inches

Design type:

94.5 x 51.2 Inches

Vestibules:

2

Average minimum weight:

74.8 inches

Doors:

4

Floor fabric:

Ultra light, Rip-stop, Fire-Retardant CPAI84, 10 000 mm waterproof coating, 190T Nylon

Rainfly fabric:

Ultra light UV-Resistant, Rip-stop, Fire-Retardant CPAI84, 10 000 mm waterproof coating, 210T Polyester

Sleeping Capacity:

Breathable Material, Fire-Retardant CPAI84

Pole material:

Aircraft Grade Aluminium 7001-T6

Packed Weight:

19 Aircraft Grade Aluminium 7001-T6

Packed size:

9 inches x 24 inches


Redverz Atacama Expedition Motorcycle Tent

The folks at Redverz offer my last "best-list" pick with the Atacama Expedition Motorcycle Tent in green or yellow for $499.00. Another "sleep with your bike" tent, the garage bay is 36 inches wide -- not as wide as the Mototent, but wide enough for a lot of bikes out there. An improvement over prior versions of the model, the Atacama has mosquito netting, and the 10-inch bathtub floor keeps you dry. At over 14 pounds, this is the heaviest tent on the list. However, it does fold down to a manageable 9- by 21-inch bundle. The sleeping area in the Atacama holds up to three people and is spacious enough to accommodate full-size cots and all your gear. Three people and four doors means no climbing over your bunk mates.

Atacama Specification:

Seasons:

three-season

Design type:

Hoop Design, Non-freestanding

Sleeping Capacity:

3

Fly / footprint pitch weight:

6 ounces

Average minimum weight:

14 pounds

Average packaged weight:

14 pounds 6 ounces

Maximum width:

102 inches

Maximum length:

195 inches

Seasons:

54 square feet

Sleeping Bay:

92 inches x 95 inches

Design type:

102 inches x 36 inches

Vestibule area:

58 square feet

Vestibules:

1

Average minimum weight:

77 inches

Doors:

4

Floor fabric:

Rip Stop Nylon 70D 190T 10,000 mm

Rainfly fabric:

Coated ripstop nylon 68D 210T 4,000 mm

Sleeping Capacity:

75D 190T/P breathable

Design type:

Mesh B3

Maximum length:

3

Pole material:

Aluminum 7001 T6, shock cord

Minimum Weight:

11mm (2) 9.5mm (1)

Packed size:

9 inches x 21 inches

Groundsheet:

sold separately and recommended