Experiment 002: Pennsylvania MotoCamping Shakedown

A four-day test of the motorcycle, camping gear, route planning, and whether any of this is worth repeating.

My first motocamping trip did not need to be ambitious. I needed it to be useful and provide some clear outcomes.

I planned to loop through Pennsylvania: north along the Delaware, west across Route 6, through the state forests and small towns of north-central Pennsylvania, then back toward home. The route included Delaware State Forest, Wellsboro, Coudersport, Port Alleghany , Cherry Springs, Lock Haven, and roughly 661 miles of riding.

This was less a vacation than a field test. I wanted to learn what fit on my Moto Guzzi V100, what stayed dry, what became irritating after several hours, and which pieces of equipment earned a place on the next trip.

Objective

The working questions were straightforward.

• Could I carry a functional camp without overloading the motorcycle?
• Would the luggage remain secure over several days on mixed road surfaces and conditions?
• Could I keep the phone, cameras, and other electronics charged?
• Was the camping equipment comfortable enough to make another trip appealing?
• How much riding per day felt enjoyable rather than merely achievable?

I divided the route into four days, with each overnight stop serving as a checkpoint rather than an obligation. The purpose was to test the system, not prove that I could suffer through a schedule. With campsites around $15 per night, none were a required stop.

Materials and Methods

The route

Day 1: Perkiomenville to Delaware State Forest
Day 2: Delaware State Forest through Milford and Wellsboro to Colesburg
Day 3: Colesburg through Port Allegany to Cherry Springs
Day 4: Cherry Springs through Lock Haven and back to Perkiomenville

Planned distance: approximately 661 miles

The overview and daily route maps can sit here, with the overview first and each day’s map inserted into its corresponding section.

    Click on any Map for a full-sized view of the day. 

The motorcycle

The Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S was the platform for the experiment. The stock panniers provided useful enclosed storage, but they were not enough for the full camping load. An 80-liter dry bag carried the bulkier equipment and was secured across the rear of the motorcycle. That arrangement needed to survive highway speeds, repeated stops, uneven roads, and the daily unpacking and repacking cycle.

What I carried

• Kelty Starlight 2 tent
• REI Air Rail sleeping pad
• North Face 20F down bag
• Camp and riding clothes
• MSR micro stove + bottle of white gas
• GoPro Hero4, laptop and microSD reader
• Basic tools
• Mountain house dehydrated dinners and a 1 gallow water jug.
• Fly rod, chest pack, wading boots
• Rain gear

Expectations

I’m doing this for the first time, so I expect there will be some pain.  I am using 15+ year old gear and expect to learn what needs updating, what is an unnecessary luxury and what was useless.

Day 1 — The Lush Delaware River Valley

Distance: ~96 miles

Kickstand up at 11am and I expected about 2-3 hours riding for the first day on slow winding backroads through Bucks, Northampton, Monroe and Pike counties.

Observations:

• Roads were good and the traffic was light for a Friday summer afternoon.
• While the bike was really loaded up, performance loss was not noticeable.
• The bike balance was good, and loading seemed close to optimal.
• Real problem was the fishing shoes kept rotating and nearly falling off the bike.

Bonuses from the campsite –

• Previous resident left a few pieces of small firewood, so a few minutes gathering kindling provided a very small fire for ambiance.
• Being miles from any other campsites and hearing screaming rabbits and coyotes at 2 and 3 am.

Lessons:

Setup early and make sure gear is functioning.  A combination of a broken tent pole and missing pole end made the tent setup take over an hour.

Note – a driveway plow marker can be used to replace a tent pole if you can find one in a pinch and return to the rightful owner on your way out of camp the next morning!

Day 2 — Westward Through the Rain on PA Route 6

Distance: ~229 miles

I  pack up camp early with the intent to have breakfast at a diner I used to stop at with my grandfather on our way to flyfishing trips in NY. The Milford Diner is still in the same location were it sat some 42 years ago when I visited it last.  The inside seemed vaguely identical to my memory, but I thought it couldn’t possibly be original.  Apparently, 0730 is not too early for a burger and fries.  It was a most satisfying breakfast and combining the diner coffee with my powdered instant espresso got my body rocking and rolling the day of riding to beat the impending storms.

Observations:

Gray Saturdays in the summertime provide great riding conditions with plenty of the vacationers sleeping in.

Lessons:

It’s not cheating if you take a highway to bypass 35 miles of paving and single lane closure on RT6.

Day 3 — Circling the Elk Range to the Best Stargazing in Pennsylvania

Distance: ~129 miles

Observations:

A slow breakfast in the warm sunshine at Sheetz in Coudersport provided the opportunity to interact with easily 30 riders of Harleys, trikes, sport bikes and bicycles who were out to enjoy summer.  A brief question about a fellow riders’ camera setup revealed they were planning to ride PA144. I shrugged and they said go google it, it’s one of the best rides in PA.  So I quickly looked at the route and realized I could extend my planned ride to include this section.

Lessons:

I planned to test my cameras and camping gear on this outing.  I was using a dated GoPro Hero4.  When setting your camera up to take night exposures – verify the settings with a flashlight.  I collected 10G of video that was just sensor static.

Day 4 — Running Home Through Amish Farmland to Beat the Tornado Warnings

Distance: ~207 miles

Lessons:

Slowing down and letting the relaxing moments come to you rather than forcing them really made the day enjoyable. While I had a goal of getting home to beat weather, I never felt rushed or that I couldn’t stop to explore a farm market that ended up being a destination stop for my future Motocamping trips.

Experiment Conclusions:

Hypothesis 1

The V100 can comfortably support week-long motocamping expeditions.

Result: Supported.

Hypothesis 2

My existing camping gear is still adequate.

Result: Partially supported.

Hypothesis 3

Daily distances around 200 miles are sustainable.

Result: Supported, but weather changes the equation.

Key Findings

• The luggage system remained mostly secure minus the lost Orvis “Trout Bum” hat.  If you find it, I’ll pay a reward!! 
• The dry bag arrangement was successful and a several-hundred dollar variant is not necessary.
• The stove was adequate though a more modern version that does not leak so much on setup would be safer.
• I could probably carry less clothing.
• I never used my wading shoes. Perhaps these can be left at home.

It was a successful experiment and I hope to share more with you in the next months..