What Is The Best Motorcycle Camper?
Many motorcyclists love the appeal of the open road and the freedom of traveling. But those extended road trips can start to feel pretty long if you don’t have a comfortable place to sleep every night. Although you could pay for hotels along the way, many are starting to see the appeal of getting a motorcycle camper to take on the trip!
As the name implies, motorcycle campers are small, lightweight trailers that can be pulled behind a motorcycle. These are usually quite simple, but contain enough space for a bed, some storage space, and maybe even a few extra luxuries like an outdoor kitchen. Below are a couple of our top picks for the best models on the market.
The Best Pop-Out Motorcycle Camper: Mini Mate Camper
Some of the best motorcycle campers are pop-out models. These are more lightweight than traditional campers, plus they can usually fit extra storage space. They can also expand and contract to fit the needs of the campsite or the open road!
The Mini Mate Camper from Kompact Kamp is a fantastic model for motorcyclists who are looking for a comfortable little space to spend their nights. This model weighs in at 260 lb (plus 25 more for the tongue weight). This extra weight won’t slow down your ride much, and the compact design makes it fairly aerodynamic as well.
This motorcycle camper comes with a variety of benefits and was constructed with a thoughtful design. It has a full fiberglass body that is lightweight and sturdy. Once it is fully expanded, there is a maximum height of 6′ 4″, which should accommodate even the tallest motorcyclists! The mattress measures 54″ x 78″ so one person can sleep in comfort. Plus, the total setup time is only 2 minutes, so you don’t have to spend a long time preparing your campsite.
Carpet is included in all of the living spaces, and this little camper provides 15 cubic feet of storage space. LED lights are also built into the unit, so you’ll never have to operate in the dark. The tent canvas sections are also made of a material that is resistant to UV damage and water. There are also a variety of optional upgrades and add-ons so you can personalize this unit for your needs.
The Mini Mate Camper is compact, affordable, and can provide some of the comforts of home when you’re on the road. The extra storage space is worth considering too!
Best Teardrop Trailer for Motorcycles
If you prefer hard-sided trailers instead of tent-like ones, you might want to consider a teardrop trailer. These are miniature travel trailers that offer more all-season versatility at the cost of pulling extra weight. These little campers are ideal for travelers who will be spending their nights in cold or rainy conditions. You’ll be safe from the weather and can enjoy a bit of extra privacy as well.
The Tuco from Vintage Overland is our top pick for a motorcycle camper. It’s built to handle tough off-roading conditions and can manage any conditions that your large-capacity motorcycle can handle. It is considerably heavier than the previous model and weighs in at 600 lbs. This extra weight will slow you down a bit, plus you’ll need to spend more money on gas.
However, in terms of comfort, it’s hard to beat the Tuco’s offerings. Each caravan is hand-crafted, and there is a lot of attention to detail. There is a lot of room for customization when you order your trailer from Vintage Overland, but even the most simple base model will work just fine! Although the design was inspired by Danish engineering, each trailer is made in America (mainly in Colorado).
Interior
Each Tuco trailer comes with a single memory foam mattress. There are tinted windows for extra privacy and the interior is crafted with beautiful hardwood birch. LED lights are built into the interior, and there is also a vent and fan to improve airflow.
Exterior
As far as the exterior goes, the UV-treated aluminum exterior is rounded to provide better aerodynamics on the road. These trailers are also equipped with solar panel technology so you can power up as you go. There are also powder-coated frames and fenders, as well as diamond-plate reinforcement.
Some of the upgraded models include extra space in the back that can be used for an outdoor kitchen or just extra storage space. Check out the Vintage Overland website for more details and build options.
Pros and cons of motorcycle campers
Many people might think that the worlds of motorcycling and RVing are separated from each other. But as technology continues to advance, these two lifestyles have been brought closer than ever before!
Not every motorcyclist may be drawn to the idea of towing a camper behind them though. Let’s explore a few pros and cons of this practice so you can decide if it’s a good fit for you.
Pros
The first benefit of using a motorcycle camper is the mobile sleeping space you can bring on every trip. As we mentioned above, it can get expensive to pay for hotels every night of your adventure. Although a camper might initially be expensive, over time it might begin to pay for itself if you use it often enough.
Bringing a camper along also means you have access to additional storage space. You can’t bring too much gear on a motorcycle, even if you have storage units added on. If you want to bring bulkier gear, you might find that a camper is a good place to store it.
Cons
The biggest con of a motorcycle camper is fairly obvious: it’s a large, heavy item that you tow behind you. It will inevitably slow you down a bit and will reduce your miles per gallon. You’ll have to stop more frequently and refill your gas tank, which can add up over time.
These campers are also only big enough for one, maybe two people at a time. If you travel with a large group and love to spend time together, you may not appreciate this sense of isolation. Then again, maybe some extra privacy is a good thing.
Only you can decide if a motorcycle camper is a good fit for you, but rest assured that there are great options out there if you’re interested!
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Another vote here for the TimeOut. Set up is by far the biggest popup for motorcycles and provides the most interior room. Includes a queen sized sleeping area and pedestal table at the foot of the bed, and still leaves enough room to change clothes in. We pulled our TimeOut over 10k miles with our ’95 GL1500 and ’03 GL1800 with no problems. Has room on the tongue for the optional cooler mount which came in very handy. The biggest advantage to the TimeOut is the entire interior is elevated off of the ground, so if it rains, you are not on the wet ground. https://www.timeouttrailers.org/
I still have my Kwik Kamp trailer. It has traveled many miles with a Gold Wing. Easily sleeps two and quite a bit of storage including a separate compartment for an ice chest. Sorry they are out of business now.
Look up Mini Mate , the name has been changed and they are still in business. They go by both names.
The name has not changed. Kompact Kamp is the company and Mini Mate is the model.
You also need to consider the Time Out Camper. We pulled one for years, and loved it. Electric brakes are also an available option.
https://www.timeouttrailers.org
I pulled a bunkhouse for thousands of miles with my 1995 GL1500 and my 2007 GL2800. Easy to set up was easy and take down was almost as easy. Living in south Louisiana we even found room for a small air conditioner that would fit in a special vent. But all those convenience things can add too much weight quickly. Sure these big bikes have plenty of muscle to get them going, but not stop easily in an emergency. I discovered that following a bunch of tent campers and went into a turn a little hot and a little high in the curve. While slowing, the trailer kept pushing the bike forward, keeping the bike from leaning. Press as I might, it wouldn’t turn. With the edge of the road coming up, I had to do something else, and that was get off the brake, downshift, get on the throttle, and press hard on the turn side handlebar handgrip. That pulled me out of the turn and not left us on a statistic board somewhere. The next month we took it to the Bunkhouse factory and electric/hydraulic disk breaks installed. One more thing, all though you look pretty impressive going down the interstate, they take all the joy out of the twisties, at least it did for me.
Aspen stopped making trailers in 2020.
The best, by far, is the Bunkhouse trailer. It’s lightweight and comes with a changing room that you can stand up in it and take only 45 seconds to set up. Has lots of storage space.
Had an older bunkhouse with the Add-A-Room feature. It zipped along the top of the popup and had three poles on the opposite end. No floor but zip-able side doors and windows. Made a nice living/dressing/storage room. Satellite radio boom box made it pretty nice for the room.
Agree.
The aspen is definitely the best !!
The Aspen is a clone of the Bunkhouse. They did add a few nice things, like the all internal poles, but the Bunkhouse was out first.
When Bushtec bought out Bunkhouse, they decided to discontinue it. Big mistake.
Aspen also stopped making their trailers.
Both of these are in high demand used.
Wrong! The best pop-up camper is an aspen! We had one and traveled many miles with it. Lots of room inside Lots of storage easy to pull
You left put the most dangerous item with motorcycle trailers. A rough road or wet conditions can cause a trailers to bounce f r om one side to the other thereby pull the rear of the motorcycle making it prone to loss of control
Your review only shows 2 models. The Kompact Camp is ideal for one person, a little small for two people.
The Tuco, at 600 lbs, is probably too heavy for a motorcycle. The website doesn’t list a tongue weight, but motorcycle are pretty much limited to under 50lbs. And it still only sleeps one.
Time out, Aspen, Bunkhouse and Leisure Light are designed to be pulled by motorcycles. All of then weight less than 400lbs with tongue weight under 50lbs.
They have King size beds. And though they are basically tents on wheels, set up take only about 10-15 minutes. All of them have ample storage for all the camping needs.
For what it’s worth: Aspen has a banner that says they are no longer manufacturing trailers as of last year. I can’t find a Bunkhouse website and I believe you’re referring to Lee-sure Lite which seems to be Eastern US and Canada. At least having some names gives options. I didn’t see Kingsize beds necessarily.
you may want to ad this unit – built in Bristish Columbia, Canada. we have owned one for several years and absolutely love it!
https://www.leesurelitetrailers.ca
Leisurelite’s are the best, pull great plenty of room for two.