Whether your motorcycle takes you through the Historic Route 66 or the breathtaking views of the Pacific Coast Highway, you need a good night’s sleep to keep you going.
There are plenty of great lightweight tents suitable for motorcycle camping, but of course a few of them stand out because of their features and overall build quality.
As you make your way towards your final destination, the last thing you want is to waste precious time trying to set up your tent for the night. You could’ve spent that time relaxing and unwinding, cooking your food, having a beer with friends or strangers, and even set up a camp fire.
For motorcycle camping the ALPS Mountaineering Lynx is a great choice because it’s lightweight, easy to set up, and extremely compact. For more options, see the list below.
Identifying the top lightweight tents for motorcycle camping
We researched and reviewed the best options on the market, as well as educated ourselves to get a better understanding of the requirements and expectations to a motorcycle-friendly tent.
Our findings taught us that these are the most important factors in general when shopping for a lightweight tent for motorcycle camping:
- Size and shape
- Build quality
- Ease of use
- Versatility
Every time we went on a camping trip, the above criteria have weighed the most when “in the field” and setting up the tent. Size and shape matter because you want your tent to take as little storage space as possible while still providing an ample sleeping space, build quality is important because we want our investments to last more than a few trips, and of course we don’t want to waste time fiddling with a manual just to figure out how to pitch the tent. Finally, we also want a tent that doesn’t limit our possibilities when traveling, so it has to offer great ventilation, adjustment options, and a flexible interior space.
Best 1-person tent: ALPS Mountaineering Lynx
ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1-Person Tent
- Weighs only 4 pounds
- Compact design – easily fits most backpacks
- Easy assembly
What we like: The Lynx 1-Person Tent by Alps Mountaineering slots in at the top position on this list of best lightweight tents for motorcycling for several reasons, starting with its no-assembly, free-standing aluminum two-pole design. Tipping the scales at just 4 lbs, the Lynx 1-person tent measures 2’8 x 7’6 at the base, and stands 36 inches tall. It showcases an appealing clay/rust color, and is water and UV resistant, so you can rest assured it will last you for several years to come.
The Lynx 1-person tent is equipped with storage pockets, stakes, gear loft, guy ropes #8 zippers, and even a single doorway. Adding to this, it comes with a vestibule, which allows you to stash your gear out of the way or change out of wet muddy gear in a dry area. It features factory seals and fly to provide the bets weather protection, and comes with a poly taffeta floor that’s complete with a 2000mm coating. The Lynx tent is easy to assemble, where you simply use the pole clips to snap them over the poles.
For a 1-person motorcycle camping trip, the Lynx tent is a winner.
Trade-offs: Obviously, one of the biggest disadvantages is its size. You can’t fit more than a simple sleeping bag inside this tent along with your bare essentials such as your smartphone and other small gadgets.
Best 2-person tent: ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr
ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr
- Two vestibules for storage and entrance
- Great ventilation from all sides
- Spacious enough for two persons
What we like: The ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr is a spacious 2-person tent suitable for motorcycle camping. It offers plenty of space for two person’s gear and sleeping bags, and you’ll get a good night’s sleep thanks to the interior mesh walls. They’ll provide plenty of ventilation while the fly keeps you covered from rain and wind.
This tent has a practical interior layout with a vestibule on each side so both persons are able to enter and exit without causing inconvenience. Each vestibule can also be used to store essential equipment, and inside the tent you’ll find useful mesh storage pockets as well as a gear loft that will keep everything dry and organized.
For those in need of a minimalistic, lightweight tent for motorcycle camping, the ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr is definitely worth considering.
Trade-offs: While the mesh walls provide great ventilation and keeps the tent cool during the summer nights, it does the same thing during winter. It isn’t nearly as suitable for winter camping due to t