Top Accessories For Camping With Your ATV

Two Hobbies Made for Each Other
by Jason Giacchino

With summer arriving for much of the nation (finally) the urge to take the ol ATV into the great outdoors for a little camping is likely manifesting. After all, how better to get you and your gear to the farthest reaches of the planet in comfort & style?

The following article covers some of the must have essentials to insure that you not only arrive to your secluded destination of choice, but make back home to brag to your buddies about it as well. Without further ado:

Luggage:

It sounds obvious but selecting an ATV without the benefit of racks (or better still a dedicated trailer for transporting) leaves very little opportunity for storage, save for perhaps a backpack/hip pack. The idea here is to be over-prepared; better to have things with you and not need them than to need things and discover you don’t have them.

With that in mind, select suitable luggage that will hold up and keep your things dry, even in the most inclement weather conditions. If all you have are packs/cases that cannot, consider placing your items wrapped tightly within garbage bags inside.

Of course the same considerations apply to UTV packing as well.

Fuel Depot:

There is a certain conundrum that all riders face: the further we escape civilization, the more fuel we consume in transit. Of course on the same token the further we escape civilization, the less opportunities we have to refuel.

Think ahead; it is always better to arrive home with fuel in reserve than to run out in the middle of nowhere.

Small stackable plastic containers make transporting extra fuel a no-brainer. We bungee these to ATV racks, bring them in a UTVs truck and have actually witnessed riders who have welded small custom built cages to hold a couple of gas cans to their ATVs’ trailer hitch.

H2O:

While we’re on the subject of transporting liquid, it is always wise to bring with you as much clean/drinkable water as you can carry. Medical emergencies, even risk of dehydration from unanticipated conditions such as diarrhea, all require a source of clean water on tap.

In a pinch, pen-like devices that emit ultraviolet light can sterilize standing water by killing 99.9% of the bacteria present. However, bacteria or otherwise, the idea of drinking swamp water isn’t exactly appealing.

Tire Inflator/ Repair Kit:

A flat could be catastrophic if you’re miles from society. Fortunately tire repair kits are compact, portable, and generally include everything required to repair most punctures. Just be sure to include a means of inflation whether it is a battery-powered compressor or CO2 canisters.

Tool Set:

Again, simple and logical, but it’s only once you’re deep in unfamiliar terrain without that the true importance of having the right tool becomes clear. Of course the tough one here is just how many tools is enough? A full mobile garage would be ideal, but since the tools you carry are likely limited to a corner of your luggage pack, we’ve got to be realistic.

The best bet is to carry a kit that offers the largest variety of tools in the smallest amount of space. If push comes to shove, select those tools that serve the widest range of purpose: Crescent wrenches that can be adjusted for bolts/nuts of multiple sizes, screwdrivers with interchangeable bits and so on. At the very least a multi-tool is a must.

GPS:

Hey 2011 may not have given us flying cars, jetpacks, and recreational moon-trips (yet), but GPS is certainly a technology at our disposal that is straight out of science fiction. For under a hundred bucks, a handheld GPS unit can make all the difference between getting hopelessly lost and an enjoyable night by the campfire.

ATVs have the additional benefit of being able to use motorcycle-specific bar mounted GPS units (which generally have bigger displays/more options than hiking-oriented handhelds).

Finally companies like Spot use GPS technology in their devices for tracking (using Google Maps, emergency, assist, check in, custom messages progress tracking.)

Cell Phone:

Make sure the phone is charged before your trip. Even though you should plan on encountering dead zones, it’s still tough to argue with the sense of security that can be found in knowing your cellular phone is with you. We often carry ours in a sealed zipper baggie in the storage compartment under the seat of our ATV to keep it dry and perhaps most importantly, safe, even if the rest of our luggage was lost in transit. As a bonus tip, it’s not a bad idea to put a few packs of matches in said zipped sandwich bag.