Best Tent for Motorcycle Camping (2026): 10 Motorcycle Tents Compared

On a motorcycle, the best tent is rarely the lightest one. It is the one that fits the luggage you already have, pitches in the rain before your gear gets wet, and leaves room for a riding kit that takes up more space than you do.

That changes which numbers matter. Backpacking reviews rank tents by trail weight, because a hiker carries every gram on their back. A rider carries it on a machine that weighs 200 kg, so an extra kilo barely registers. Two other numbers do: the packed length, which decides whether the tent goes inside a pannier or rides on the rack, and, for a garage tent, the garage length, which decides whether your bike fits at all. This guide puts both in the table next to the usual specs.

Every figure below comes from the maker’s own product page, PDF or size diagram, read on 28 September 2026: not a retailer listing, and not a number carried over from last year. That turned out to matter. Several popular motorcycle tents have changed generation since most comparison articles were written, and a few widely repeated weights are simply wrong. We have not pitched these tents ourselves. Where a rider or a magazine has lived with one for months, we say who and what they found.

Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

All 10 Motorcycle Tents at a Glance

Sort by what matters to you. Packed weight is the maker’s figure for everything in the bag. Pack length is the long side of the stuff sack, which is the number to hold up against your pannier. Prices are the makers’ own list prices on 28 September 2026.

StableEase figures come from the seller’s Amazon listing, not a maker’s spec page — see its section for why that matters.

How We Chose, and What We Didn’t Do

This is a research guide, not a review. We started with the tents motorcycle riders actually buy and discuss: the products Google shows for “motorcycle camping tent”, the ones in rider forums, and the ones other comparison articles recommend. We then checked each against the maker’s own current specification. Three things came out of that check.

Some famous tents are a generation out of date elsewhere. MSR’s parts pages date the Hubba Hubba NX series to 2014–2021, yet at least two of the 2026 guides we read still recommend it. The current tents are the Hubba Hubba LT and HD. Big Agnes has moved the Copper Spur to a new HyperBead fabric, and the “HV” name now survives only on a discounted leftover. Naturehike sells the 20D Cloud Up as clearance, to be replaced by the Cloud Up Pro. We list the current tents.

Some widely repeated numbers are wrong. Three of the five comparison articles we read still give the Lone Rider MotoTent as 5.44 kg. Lone Rider’s own page says 6.42 kg including the groundsheet, and MCN’s long-term test lists the same 6.42 kg.

We ranked for motorcycles, not backpacks. That means pack length over grams, vestibule space for a riding kit, fabric that copes with sun and wet, and, for garage tents, a real comparison of garage length against real motorcycle dimensions from Yamaha’s and BMW’s own published data.

What we left out, and why, is listed at the end of the guide under “Where these numbers come from.”

The Two Numbers That Decide Whether a Tent Works on a Bike

Pack length, and the pole length inside it

A tent’s poles set its packed length. Dome poles fold into sections, and the longest section is roughly the length of the bag. That is why the same brand’s tents can differ by 20 cm in pack length:

• 30 cm poles — Big Agnes’ Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack uses 12-inch “ShortStik” poles and packs to 41 x 14 cm. This is the only class of tent here that fits a tail bag or a small pannier with room to spare.
• 40–43 cm packs — the Naturehike Cloud Up Pro 2 (40 cm), Kelty Late Start 2P (41 cm), Lone Rider ADVTent (42 cm) and Snugpak Scorpion 2 (43 cm). These fit most mid-size side cases lengthways, but check yours.
• 51–53 cm packs — the MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2 (51 cm) and Redverz Atacama (53 cm, with 52 cm pole sections).
• 58–61 cm packs — the MSR Hubba Hubba HD 2 (58 cm), Lone Rider MotoTent (about 60 cm) and StableEase (61 cm per its listing). Plan on these riding across the rack.

Measure the inside of your pannier, not the outside. A case that looks big enough loses several centimetres to its walls, lid and mounting hardware. If the bag won’t fit, the usual fix is to split the load: poles inside, tent body on the rack. There’s more on this in how to pack a tent on a motorcycle below. The same logic drives the soft vs hard panniers decision. Soft luggage swallows long, thin loads that a rigid case won’t take.

Garage length against bike length

A garage tent is only as useful as the bike that fits in it. The maker figures give a clear answer for two popular bikes: the MotoTent’s roughly 240 cm garage takes a 2026 Ténéré 700 (237 cm long per Yamaha) with a few centimetres to spare. Redverz parks the bike crosswise in a bay about 254 cm wide. The full comparison is in the garage section below.

1. Lone Rider ADVTent — Best Motorcycle Tent Overall

Most tents in this guide were designed for hikers and happen to suit motorcycles. The Lone Rider ADVTent was designed the other way round, by a company that makes motorcycle luggage, and on a mid-size or big adventure bike that shows. It isn’t the lightest tent here, but it’s the one built around what a rider actually carries.

Specs from Lone Rider (product page and its size diagrams):

• Weight: 3.50 kg (7.71 lb). That total includes poles, inner and outer tent, 18 aluminium pegs, the “SOS” groundsheet and an awning kit, so compare it with other tents plus their footprint.
• Packed size: 42 x 14 cm (16.5 x 5.5 in). That’s short enough for most mid-size side cases.
• Inner: 203 x 122 cm floor, 100 cm peak height, with a 65 cm deep vestibule on each side.
• Fabrics: 210T polyester fly with a 10,000 mm coating, 190T nylon floor at 10,000 mm, taped seams, fire-retardant to CPAI-84.
• Poles: one-piece 7001-T6 aluminium frame. Lone Rider says the single-piece structure avoids missing sections and keeps the packed size small.
• Price: $568 on Lone Rider’s store.

Its best idea is the layout. The inner is 122 cm wide with a door on each long side, and each door opens into its own 65 cm deep vestibule. Two riders each get an exit and a porch for boots, a wet jacket and a helmet. A solo rider gets a bedroom on one side and a gear room on the other. The 42 cm bag fits many mid-size side cases, which leaves the rack free for a dry bag. The fly is polyester, which is the more durable choice for a tent that spends weeks in the sun (see nylon or polyester below).

You pay for that in weight. At 3.5 kg all-in, it’s more than twice an MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2. That’s barely noticeable on a 700 cc adventure bike, but you’ll feel it on a 300 with a tail bag. It also isn’t built for bare rock. Lone Rider’s setup instructions begin by staking out the floor, and the company publishes neither a freestanding claim nor a stripped-down trail weight.

Buyer ratings are positive but thin as evidence: 423 reviews averaging 4.9 on Lone Rider’s own store, and 4.5 stars from 8 reviews on the Amazon listing, both checked on 28 September 2026. Neither is a test. Lone Rider sells the tent on its own store ($568) and through that Amazon listing, and the two prices can differ, so check both.

Check the Lone Rider ADVTent on Amazon →

2. MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2 — Best Lightweight Tent for Small and Mid-Size Bikes

On a 250–500 cc dual-sport, or any bike where the tent lives in a tail bag, weight starts to matter again. The MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2 is the current version of the tent that “best motorcycle tent” lists have leaned on for a decade. It’s the one to buy, not the NX that many of those lists still name.

Specs from MSR (Hubba Hubba LT 2):

• Weight: 1.36 kg minimum, 1.54 kg packaged (3 lb 6 oz)
• Packed size: 51 x 14 cm
• Floor: 2.95 m² (32 sq ft) with no taper at the foot, so two rectangular pads fit side by side
• Vestibules: 1.48 m² (16 sq ft) in total, split across two doors
• Peak height: 102 cm
• Fabrics: 20D ripstop nylon fly at 1,200 mm, 20D floor at 1,800 mm
• Poles: DAC NFL 9.3 mm aluminium, with eight Mini Groundhog stakes included
• Price: $549.95

What you get for 1.54 kg is the layout riders want: two doors, a vestibule on each side with 1.48 m² between them, and a floor with no taper. A riding jacket can lie flat at the foot, and two rectangular pads fit side by side. MSR has also updated the kickstand vents on the fly for more airflow. The tent is sold by Amazon.com itself, which keeps returns simple if it turns out not to fit your luggage.

Its numbers are those of a three-season backpacking tent: a 1,200 mm fly and a 20D floor at 1,800 mm. That’s normal for the class and fine in rain. If you ride in the mountains or into autumn, though, the HD 2 below uses the same design with a 3,000 mm fly and a 6,000 mm floor. Budget for a footprint too. MSR’s LT 2 page pairs it with the Universal 2-Person Large footprint. The Universal comes in Regular and Large, so check the size.

Older reviews may describe a different tent. The previous version of this guide praised the Hubba Hubba’s composite Easton Syclone poles, but MSR’s pages for the current LT and HD list aluminium DAC NFL poles. Any article built around the composite poles is describing an older generation.

Check the Hubba Hubba LT 2 on Amazon →

3. Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack — Best Tent That Packs Inside a Pannier

When the problem is space rather than weight, look at bikepacking tents. They take a popular backpacking tent and shorten the poles so the whole thing fits in a bicycle’s handlebar roll. On a motorcycle, that means it fits almost anywhere. Big Agnes’ Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack has the shortest poles in this guide.

Specs from Big Agnes (Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack):

• Weight: 1.33 kg trail (2 lb 15 oz), 1.67 kg total (3 lb 11 oz)
• Packed size: 41 x 14 cm (16 x 5.5 in)
• Poles: DAC Featherlite NSL with 12-inch (30 cm) “ShortStik” sections
• Floor: 2.7 m² (29 sq ft), with two 0.84 m² (9 sq ft) vestibules
• Head height: 102 cm (40 in)
• Fabrics: HyperBead 15D nylon ripstop with a 1,500 mm rating on both the fly and the floor
• Stuff sack: a waterproof dry bag
• Price: $649.95

Thirty-centimetre poles change where a tent can ride. They go across the bottom of a pannier, inside a tail bag, even into a tank bag’s side pocket, and the rack stays free. The stuff sack is a waterproof dry bag, so the tent can also ride outside in the rain without a second bag around it. Big Agnes calls it a “three-season, freestanding” tent, which helps on gravel, rock and wooden platforms where stakes won’t go in.

At $649.95, it’s the most expensive dome here. The 15D HyperBead fabric that keeps it light is also the thinnest in the guide, so Big Agnes’ $100 Bikepack footprint is worth adding. Some sellers still list the previous Copper Spur HV Bikepack, so check that the name says UL.

Two alternatives with the same idea

• NEMO Dragonfly Bikepack OSMO 2P ($599.95) — 1.7 kg packed, 40 x 16.5 cm, freestanding, two doors with 0.8 m² vestibules each, 1,500 mm fly and floor (NEMO’s specs). It comes with a bike-optimised dry bag, and it’s $50 cheaper than the Big Agnes.
• MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepack 2 ($579.95) — 1.71 kg packaged, 37 x 18 x 13 cm, 1,200 mm fly and floor, and a handlebar bag included (MSR’s specs). Its 37 cm pack is the shortest of any two-person tent here. The squarer bag trades a few centimetres of length for width.

Check the Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack on Amazon →

Check the Dragonfly Bikepack 2P on Amazon →

Check the Hubba Hubba Bikepack 2 on Amazon →

4. MSR Hubba Hubba HD 2 — Best Dome for Bad Weather

The MSR Hubba Hubba HD 2 is the LT 2 built for worse weather: the mountains, the north, the shoulder months. And the upgrade is in the right place.

Specs from MSR (Hubba Hubba HD 2):

• Weight: 1.61 kg minimum, 1.80 kg packaged
• Packed size: 58 x 13 cm
• Floor and vestibules: 2.95 m² of floor plus 1.53 m² of vestibule
• Peak height: 102 cm
• Fabrics: 20D ripstop nylon fly at 3,000 mm, and a 30D floor at 6,000 mm
• Guying: extra guy lines included
• Price: $599.95

Most of that upgrade goes into the floor: 30D fabric instead of 20D, rated at 6,000 mm against the LT 2’s 1,800 mm. You kneel, lie and drag panniers across a tent floor, often on wet ground, so for a rider that matters more than a lighter fly. The fly still goes up to 3,000 mm, MSR adds extra guy lines for windy pitches, and the whole upgrade costs 260 g over the LT 2.

The snag is the bag. At 58 cm, it’s the second-longest pack here and too long for most side cases, so plan on strapping it to the rack. If pack length is your limit and weather is your worry, the Snugpak Scorpion 2 below packs to 43 cm with a 5,000 mm fly, but it’s a narrower tent with one door.

Check the Hubba Hubba HD 2 on Amazon →

5. Lone Rider MotoTent — Best Motorcycle Tent With a Garage

The Lone Rider MotoTent is the tent people mean when they search for a “motorcycle tent with garage.” It has a sleeping room at one end and a covered garage at the other, big enough to wheel a loaded adventure bike inside.

Specs from Lone Rider (MotoTent):

• Weight: 6.42 kg (14.15 lb), including poles, inner and outer, pegs and groundsheet
• Packed size: about 60 x 20 cm (24 x 8 in)
• Garage: about 240 cm long x 130 cm wide x 190 cm high
• Fabrics: 210T polyester fly at 10,000 mm, 190T nylon floor at 10,000 mm, fire-retardant
• Sleeping area: three doors, each with a mosquito net
• Price: $682, or $783 with the awning kit

Why you’d want a garage

• Security. The bike and your luggage are out of sight overnight.
• A dry bike and a dry seat in the morning. Everything stays under the fly overnight.
• Standing room. At 190 cm high, the garage is somewhere to dress, pack and work on the bike out of the rain.

What a long-term test found

MCN’s Justin Hayzelden used a MotoTent for five months and seven nights and gave it 4 out of 5. He liked being able to dress standing up and park the bike inside. But he found the large panels hard to keep taut with only four guy lines, and one gust caught the tent with two main doors open and tore off a peg loop. His conclusion was that he would rather “pack smaller and take more” (MCN’s buying guide).

That fits the numbers. A 6.42 kg, 60 cm bag is too big for most side cases. On a big bike with a rack it’s manageable, but on anything smaller it takes most of your luggage. If you buy one, pack extra guy lines and stakes; the MSR Groundhog kit further down is a cheap way to add holding power in wind. Lone Rider sells the MotoTent through its own store and through an Amazon listing it sells itself, and the two prices can be far apart, so compare them before you buy.

Check the Lone Rider MotoTent on Amazon →

6. Redverz Atacama Expedition — Best for Two-Up Touring

If you ride two-up, or you want the biggest garage of any tent here, the Redverz Atacama Expedition is the established choice. It isn’t sold on Amazon; you buy it from Redverz.

Specs from Redverz (Atacama Expedition):

• Weight: 6.6 kg (14.6 lb) including poles and pegs
• Packed size: 53 x 25 cm (21 x 10 in), with 52 cm (20.5 in) pole sections
• Overall size: 495 cm long x 259 cm wide (195 x 102 in), with a 196 cm (77 in) peak
• Fabrics: 68D 210T polyester fly at 4,000 mm, 70D 190T polyester floor at 10,000 mm, factory-sealed seams, bathtub floor
• Poles: 7001-T6 aluminium, pre-bent
• Price: $649, listed in stock on 28 September 2026. Groundsheets and dry bags are sold separately.

How the garage works

Redverz’s floor plan explains a lot. The bike doesn’t park lengthways. It rides in through one of two opposing J-doors and parks crosswise in a bay about 254 cm (100 in) wide. There’s a 158 cm (62 in) vestibule in front of the bay and a 241 x 234 cm (95 x 92 in) sleeping room behind it. Redverz calls the sleeping room queen-size for two, and workable for three.

A BMW R 1300 GS Adventure is 2,208 mm long, or 2,280 mm with its top-case holder, per BMW’s rider’s manual. That fits across a 254 cm bay with room to spare, and Redverz says a full-size adventure tourer rides in “panniers on.”

All that space has a footprint to match. At 6.6 kg and nearly 5 m long, this is the heaviest tent and the longest pitch in the guide, and it needs a big, flat site. The 52 cm pole sections are longer than the inside of many side cases, so the bag usually rides on the rack. The fly, at 4,000 mm, is rated lower than the Lone Rider tents’ 10,000 mm. Redverz saves its highest rating for the floor, where standing water gets in.

See the Atacama Expedition on Redverz’s store →

7. Naturehike Cloud Up Pro 2 — Best Budget Motorcycle Camping Tent

If you’re new to moto camping, or you want a tent that won’t hurt if it gets damaged on a gravel pitch, the Naturehike Cloud Up Pro 2 is the budget answer. It’s the tent that replaces the old 20D Cloud Up, a long-time favourite with budget riders that Naturehike now sells as clearance.

Specs from Naturehike (Cloud Up Pro 2):

• Weight: 1.36 kg minimum, 1.53 kg packed
• Packed size: 13 cm diameter x 40 cm
• Pitched size: about 210 x 130 x 105 cm
• Fabrics: 20D nylon ripstop fly with a silicone coating (PU 3,000 mm+), and a 210T polyester floor rated PU 5,000 mm+
• Structure: freestanding, with Naturehike’s “Yuksom” aluminium poles
• Price: $159–169 on Naturehike’s store; the Amazon listing includes a footprint

For $159–169, you get numbers premium domes charge three times as much for: a 40 cm pack, 1.53 kg, a freestanding frame and a floor rated at 5,000 mm, higher than MSR’s LT 2. Naturehike also says it spaced the inner and the fly for airflow, to cut condensation.

What you give up is information. Naturehike’s spec list has no vestibule area and no door count, both of which MSR, Big Agnes and NEMO publish. The fly is 20D nylon, which stretches more when wet than polyester does. On Amazon, several look-alike Cloud Up Pro listings are sold by third parties. The one linked below is sold by “Naturehike US Official.”

What long-term users found on the earlier Cloud Up

The Pro 2 is new, so the long-term evidence belongs to the 20D Cloud Up 2 it replaces. It shares the hubbed, freestanding design and the 40 cm pack. Two published reviews are worth knowing about, and they agree:

• Rain is not the problem. CleverHiker’s rain test found “no signs of interior seepage, leaking, or sagging.” Over three years of bicycle touring, Cycloscope’s Daniele Giannotta “never experienced any leaks.” His one caveat was condensation where the floor sits on wet ground, which a footprint helps.
• Wind is. CleverHiker found the broad side panels catch a crosswind, so pitch it end-on and use every guy-out. In Cycloscope’s three years, a severe storm near the Arctic Circle in Norway snapped a pole and tore the fly. Treat it as a three-season tent for sheltered pitches, not an exposed headland.
• Two people is a squeeze. One door and one vestibule meant one person climbed over the other, and CleverHiker found it too short for anyone over 6 ft. On a bike, think of it as a roomy solo tent with space for riding kit.

CleverHiker weighed its Cloud Up 2 at 3 lb 7 oz (about 1.56 kg). Sources: Lawrence McLinden, “Naturehike Cloud Up 2 Review,” CleverHiker; Daniele Giannotta, “Naturehike Cloud-Up 1, 2, 3 Persons: 3-Years Test,” Cycloscope (updated January 2026).

The budget bikepack option

If you want short poles on a budget, Naturehike’s Cloud Trek 2 bikepacking tent costs $139, weighs 1.8 kg and packs to 40 x 15 x 15 cm. It has a 3,000 mm fly and a 4,000 mm floor (Naturehike’s specs). We couldn’t find it on Amazon US, so buy it from Naturehike.

Check the Naturehike Cloud Up Pro 2 on Amazon →

8. Kelty Late Start 2P — Best Budget Tent With Pannier-Length Poles

The Kelty Late Start 2P is the only tent here whose maker says outright that it was designed for motorcycle luggage. Kelty’s spec page says its aluminium poles have “short segments to fit bike/motorcycle panniers.”

Specs from Kelty (Late Start 2P):

• Weight: 1.9 kg minimum, 2.1 kg packaged
• Packed size: 41 x 17 x 17 cm (16 x 6.5 x 6.5 in)
• Pitched size: 226 x 137 x 108 cm, with a 2.8 m² floor
• Door and vestibule: one door, one 0.69 m² vestibule
• Fabrics: 68D polyester on both the fly and the floor, each rated 1,200 mm
• Setup: Kelty’s “Quick Corners” for fast pitching
• Price: $159.95. A matching footprint costs $34.95.

Short poles aside, the Late Start’s case is its fabric. Both the fly and the floor are 68D polyester, far thicker yarn than the 15–20D nylon on the ultralight domes, and polyester stretches less when wet. It’s about 500 g heavier than the Cloud Up Pro, which few riders will notice, and there’s a vent in the fly for moisture.

The compromise is the layout: one door and a single 0.69 m² vestibule. That’s room for a helmet and boots, not two riders’ kit, so treat it as a solo tent with your gear inside, or a tight fit for two. Amazon US carries only the 1-person and 4-person versions, so buy the 2P from Kelty.

See the Late Start 2P on Kelty’s store →

9. Snugpak Scorpion 2 — Best for Storms and the Cold Months

The Snugpak Scorpion 2 comes from military and bushcraft kit rather than backpacking, and its specs show it. If you ride into autumn and early spring, or anywhere the wind comes off the sea, this is the compact tent built for weather.

Specs from Snugpak (UK product page; US distributor’s spec sheet):

• Weight: 2.2 kg trail, 2.7 kg packed (with stakes, guy ropes and compression bag)
• Packed size: 43 x 19 cm (17 x 7 in)
• Fabrics: 210T polyester ripstop fly at 5,000 mm with taped seams, and a 190T nylon bathtub floor at 5,000 mm
• Poles: 7001 aluminium
• Pitching: fly-first, so the inner stays dry when you pitch in rain
• Price: $499 US MSRP (£403 on Snugpak’s UK store)

What sets it apart is how it pitches. The Scorpion goes up fly-first: the waterproof outer first, then the inner clipped in underneath, already under cover, so your bedroom never gets rained on during a wet pitch. (The MotoTent gets a similar result a different way, because Lone Rider ships its inner and outer pre-attached.) The fly is taped 210T polyester rated at 5,000 mm. Snugpak says its opposing-pole design keeps condensation to a minimum, its US spec sheet lists three vents, and it sells the tent as four-season.

Take the “two-person” label with care, though. Snugpak’s own drawing shows a 205 cm inner that tapers from 110 cm to 78 cm, and it describes two people sleeping “top-toe”. There’s one door and 95 cm of inner height. For one rider and a riding kit, that’s a well-sealed shelter. For two riders, it’s a squeeze.

Check the Snugpak Scorpion 2 on Amazon →

10. StableEase 2-Person Motorcycle Tent — The Budget Garage (Read the Caveats)

The cheap end of the garage-tent market is Amazon-only tunnel tents. The StableEase 2-Person Motorcycle Tent is the best-documented one we found: a two-person bedroom behind a large porch for the bike.

Specs from the seller’s Amazon listing (no maker’s site publishes them):

• Weight: 14.5 lb (6.6 kg)
• Packed size: 24 x 13 in (61 x 33 cm)
• Sleeping area: 48.4 x 98.4 x 72.8 in
• Porch: 93.7 x 98.4 x 72.8 in (238 x 250 x 185 cm)
• Fabric: 210T polyester with a 3,000 mm PU coating and sealed seams
• Poles: three aluminium poles
• Reviews: 4.1 stars from 46 reviews on 28 September 2026

The caveats

Every number above is the seller’s. No brand site, independent test or long-term owner report backs them, and 46 reviews is a small sample. The tent is no lighter than the MotoTent, and its pack is bigger. What you’re buying is the price, so check the porch dimensions against your bike, and the return policy, before you commit.

Check the StableEase motorcycle tent on Amazon →

Motorcycle Tents With a Garage: Will Your Bike Fit?

“Motorcycle tent with garage” is one of the most searched tent phrases, and the most common disappointment is a bike that doesn’t fit. Here are the four tents in this guide that give the bike, or at least your luggage, a room of its own:

Seller’s listing figures.

Now the two bikes, using the manufacturers’ own figures:

What that means in practice:

• MotoTent (about 240 x 130 x 190 cm): both bikes fit. The GS Adventure has 12–19 cm of length to spare. The Ténéré 700 has only a few centimetres, and Lone Rider gives the garage length as approximate, so ride it in straight and don’t expect to walk round the front. Width and height are fine for both, but measure across your panniers, which can be wider than the hand guards.
• Redverz Atacama (bike across a bay about 254 cm wide): both bikes fit lengthways across the bay, the GS Adventure with about 26 cm to spare.
• DOD Moto 1Pull (140 cm high): DOD says the front room is a place to park “a bicycle, motorcycle, or gear”. At 140 cm, though, it’s lower than both of these bikes, so on an adventure bike it’s a luggage room.
• StableEase: the porch figures are the seller’s own. They suggest room for a mid-size bike, but check them against your bike before you rely on them.

If you’re wild camping rather than using campsites, a garage also keeps the bike out of sight, which matters in the countries where wild camping is tolerated rather than welcome. The colours help too: the MotoTent comes in dark green, the Atacama in green or ivory, and the Snugpak Scorpion in olive. Our Europe wild camping legal guide covers country-by-country rules.

Other Shapes Riders Ask About: Pop-Up, Swag, Bivy and Hammock

Pop-up and instant tents. “Best pop up tent for motorcycle camping” is a common search, and the appeal is obvious after a long day. The trade-off is pack shape and weight. DOD’s Moto 1Pull is a two-room instant tent made for motorcycle campers. DOD gives it as 5.5 kg, packing to 23 x 61.5 cm, with a 200 x 125 cm inner and $249 on DOD’s store (DOD’s specs). As the garage table shows, its 140 cm height makes the front room a luggage room on an adventure bike. It currently has no direct Amazon buy button, so we don’t link it there.

Swags and all-in-one systems. Australian-style swags and UK “all-in-one” systems combine the tent and mattress in one roll. Wingman of the Road’s Goose (£335 on its UK store) is the one MCN tested for six months and rated 4 out of 5. MCN lists it at 10 kg and 63 x 34 cm packed, with a sleeping area of 200 x 75 x 70 cm and a sleeping mat included. Its tester praised its comfort and low, discreet profile, but noted that riders over 6 ft need the larger model and that it isn’t the most portable option. It’s only practical on a big bike.

The Outlaw tent. 2Wheels1Lane’s Outlaw is the other all-in-one people search for: a single-rider canvas tent with a foam mattress and quilt included, about 198 x 75 x 70 cm inside, front and rear entry, and a roll-up bag made to strap to a bike. 2Wheels1Lane lists the full kit at about 8.5 kg, and also sells a longer 220 version for tall riders. It’s sold direct from 2Wheels1Lane’s store, not on Amazon. The case for it is comfort: canvas and a built-in bed for a rider who stays put for a night or two. The case against is the same as the swag’s: weight and bulk. It doesn’t shelter the bike either, so if that’s the point, look at the MotoTent or the Redverz above.

Bivy bags and hammocks. A bivy is the lightest, smallest shelter there is, but it leaves nowhere for riding gear. A hammock needs trees and, again, has no room for a riding kit. Both suit minimalist riders on small bikes more than touring riders. For the lightest tents, see our ultralight tent guide, which ranks sub-1.5 kg shelters by weight and pole length.

Motorcycle storage tents are a different product. Searches for “motorcycle tent” also bring up hard-shell “garage pods” and storage shelters. These are for keeping a bike covered at home, not for sleeping in.

How to Choose a Motorcycle Camping Tent

1. Size: buy one person bigger than you need

Every rider should buy a two-person tent. A helmet, jacket, pants, boots and a tank bag need somewhere dry, and the extra few hundred grams are worth it. Check the vestibule as well as the floor. The Kelty Late Start 2P has a generous 2.8 m² floor but only 0.69 m² of vestibule, while MSR’s LT 2 splits 1.48 m² between two doors. For two riders, look for two doors and two vestibules, or a garage tent.

“Two-person” can also mean very different sizes. Snugpak’s Scorpion 2 is a two-person tent with a tapered 110-to-78 cm inner, sleeping two people head-to-toe. The Redverz Atacama calls its 241 x 234 cm sleeping room queen-size. Always read the floor dimensions, not just the capacity.

2. Waterproof ratings: what the numbers mean

The mm figure is a hydrostatic head: as MSR puts it, how much water “can be sustained on top of the coated fabric” before it leaks through (MSR’s tent fabric guide). Three things to know:

• Higher isn’t automatically better. MSR says it chooses each tent’s coating to stay waterproof “without compromising tear-strength”. In other words, more coating isn’t free. That’s why the ultralight domes sit at 1,200–1,500 mm on the fly and are still sold as rain-proof three-season tents.
• The floor matters more than the fly. You kneel, lie and drag gear across the floor, often on wet ground. Redverz makes the same point to explain its 10,000 mm floor under a 4,000 mm fly. Look at the floor rating first.
• The ratings in this guide: 1,200 mm fly (MSR LT 2, MSR Bikepack 2, Kelty), 1,500 mm (Big Agnes, NEMO), 3,000 mm (MSR HD 2, Naturehike), 4,000 mm (Redverz), 5,000 mm (Snugpak) and 10,000 mm (both Lone Riders).

3. Fabric: nylon or polyester

Most ultralight domes use nylon. The Lone Riders, Redverz, Kelty, Snugpak and StableEase use polyester flies. MSR’s own fabric guide says polyester stretches less than nylon and is naturally more UV- and water-resistant. That’s worth weighing on a long summer trip, where a fly spends weeks in the sun. The number after the fabric (15D, 20D, 68D) is the denier, a measure of how thick the yarn is. Higher means tougher and heavier.

4. Freestanding or not

A freestanding tent holds its shape on its poles alone, so you can pitch it on rock, gravel or a wooden platform and weigh the corners down with stones. Big Agnes, NEMO, MSR’s Bikepack and Naturehike’s Cloud Up Pro are all described as freestanding by their makers. Snugpak doesn’t describe the Scorpion that way, and Lone Rider’s ADVTent instructions start by staking out the floor. If you camp on beaches and rocky bays, freestanding is worth paying for.

5. Pack length before weight

This is the rule the whole guide is built on. On a motorcycle, a tent that fits inside your luggage beats a lighter tent that doesn’t. Check the pack length against the inside of your panniers, then worry about grams.

6. Three-season or four-season

Almost every rider needs a three-season tent, for spring to autumn, rain and wind but not snow. Four-season designs trade ventilation and weight for strength under snow, which few motorcycle trips need. If you ride late in the year, look at the heavier-duty options here: MSR’s HD 2 is a three-season dome built up for bad weather, and Snugpak sells the Scorpion 2 as a four-season tent.

7. Ventilation and condensation

Every tent collects condensation on a cold, still night. It’s moisture from your breath, your body and anything wet you bring inside, settling on a cold fly. NEMO’s guide to reducing it (NEMO on condensation) comes down to four things:

• open the doors, windows and vents for airflow
• pitch the tent taut
• pitch away from bodies of water, on higher ground where there’s some breeze
• don’t dry wet gear inside the tent

The last one is the rider’s version of the problem. A soaked jacket, gloves and boots in the inner will fog it up by morning, which is exactly what vestibules and a garage are for. Two doors let you open both a little for cross-flow.

Among these tents:

• MSR has updated the kickstand vents on the LT and HD flies.
• The MotoTent’s sleeping area has three mesh doors.
• Snugpak lists three vents on the Scorpion.
• Kelty puts a vent in the Late Start’s fly.
• Naturehike says it spaced the Cloud Up Pro’s layers for airflow.

If the only flat ground is by the water, open the vents wider. NEMO’s advice for the morning is simply to wipe the condensation off the walls before you pack up.

How to Pack a Tent on a Motorcycle

1. Split the tent into poles and body. If the pole bag is shorter than the inside of your pannier, the poles and stakes go in the pannier, and the soft body goes on the rack.
2. Keep the body in a dry bag, low across the rack or pillion seat. A roll-top bag protects it from road spray. Our dry bag guide covers sizes and straps.
3. Use proper straps, not a tangle of bungees. Adjustable stretch straps with closed loops, such as ROK Straps, fasten without open hooks.
4. Pack the tent last so it comes out first. When you arrive in rain, you want the tent up before anything else comes off the bike.
5. Pack a wet fly separately from the inner. It keeps the sleeping space dry for the next night. It’s also the reason fly-first tents like the Snugpak make sense for wet trips.

For the rest of the kit, including sleeping bag, pad, stove and chair, the motorcycle camping gear checklist goes category by category, and the adventure motorcycle camping guide covers planning a trip around it.

Looking After a Tent on a Long Trip

• Dry it whenever you can. A tent packed wet day after day can mildew. Air it out during a lunch stop. Our guide to camping in the rain has the full routine.
• Keep the zips clean. Grit is hard on zips. Shake the tent out before you pack it, and clean the zips when they start to stick.
• Carry a small repair kit. A roll of repair tape patches a torn fly or floor, and seam sealer fixes a leaking seam.
• Carry extra stakes. On hard ground or in wind, a set of Y-section stakes like MSR’s Groundhogs adds holding power, especially for garage tents with large panels.
• Never cook inside the tent, vestibule or garage. MSR’s stove instructions warn that stoves can produce odourless carbon monoxide and must not be used in an enclosed space such as a tent. Cook in the open, well away from the fabric. Our camp stove guide covers stoves that pack small for a bike.

Check MSR Groundhog stakes on Amazon →

Check Tenacious Tape on Amazon →

Check the Seam Grip repair kit on Amazon →

Which Tent for Which Rider?

• Most adventure riders, any bike 650 cc and up: Lone Rider ADVTent. Short pack, gear porches both sides, 10,000 mm polyester.
• Small dual-sport or light bike, tail bag only: MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2, or a bikepack tent if the pack length is too long.
• Luggage full, weight not a problem: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack with its 30 cm poles, or the NEMO or MSR Bikepack alternatives.
• Mountains, wind and shoulder seasons: MSR Hubba Hubba HD 2, or the Snugpak Scorpion 2 if you ride solo and want the shorter pack.
• Big bike, you want it under cover: Lone Rider MotoTent. Carry extra guy lines.
• Two-up on a full-size adventure bike: Redverz Atacama Expedition.
• First trip, tight budget: Naturehike Cloud Up Pro 2, or the Kelty Late Start 2P if you want pannier-length poles and tough polyester.
• Garage tent on a budget: StableEase, knowing its specs come from the seller.

The tent is only part of your sleep system. Pair it with the right sleeping bag and sleeping pad, or a camping cot if you have room in a garage tent.

Where These Numbers Come From

Tent specs come from each maker’s own product page or size diagram, read on 28 September 2026:

• Lone Rider: the ADVTent and MotoTent pages, plus the ADVTent’s size diagrams
• MSR (Cascade Designs): Hubba Hubba LT 2, HD 2 and Bikepack 2
• Big Agnes: Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack and Copper Spur UL2
• NEMO: Dragonfly Bikepack OSMO
• Redverz: the Atacama page and its floor-plan diagram
• Naturehike: Cloud Up Pro 2, Cloud Trek 2, and the Cloud Up page that marks the 20D model as clearance
• Kelty: Late Start 2P
• Snugpak: the UK Scorpion 2 IX page and the US distributor’s dimensions sheet
• DOD Outdoors: Moto 1Pull

Bike dimensions:

• Yamaha’s 2026 Ténéré 700 US specification page
• BMW’s R 1300 GS Adventure US rider’s manual, page 278

Other sources:

• Fabric and waterproofing: MSR’s own tent fabric guide
• Stove safety: MSR’s WhisperLite Universal instructions
• Long-term tests: MCN’s motorcycle camping tent buying guide, for the MotoTent and the Wingman Goose; CleverHiker and Cycloscope, for the earlier Naturehike Cloud Up 2
• Outlaw: 2Wheels1Lane’s own system and product pages
• StableEase: the seller’s Amazon listing, labelled as such wherever it appears

Prices are the makers’ own list prices on that date. For StableEase, which has no maker’s store, we give no price. Amazon prices change constantly and we don’t quote them.

What we deliberately left out:

• ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 2: its Amazon listings had no buy box, and we couldn’t reach the maker’s specs.
• Wolf Walker: a garage tent that other guides recommend, but we couldn’t find it on Amazon US.
• Performance claims: we give no pitching times, “survived X km/h wind” claims or star ratings. We haven’t pitched these tents, and none of the makers publishes a test method we could check.

Related Guides

• Best ultralight tents for motorcycle camping — the sub-1.5 kg shelters, ranked by weight and pole length.
• Motorcycle camping gear checklist — the whole kit, category by category.
• Motorcycle camping in the rain — pitching, venting and drying a tent in bad weather.
• Best adventure motorcycle panniers — the luggage your tent has to fit into.

Disclosure: some of the links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps fund the research behind these guides. No brand paid for placement, and none saw this guide before publication.

A note on prices: the figures above are makers’ own list prices checked on 28 September 2026. Prices change and vary by region and retailer, so the price on the linked page is the one that counts.