Used: MOTOTENT by Lone Rider

Since wild camping in the UK is generally regarded as trespassing, I opted for a crowded campsite in the heart of Sussex, open fires allowed, to see if the MOTOTENT is worth the £399 price tag.

On the face of it the MOTOTENT is essentially a two man dome tent with a porch, Well I can pick up one of those up from Argos for £100 or less. Also I was struggling to understand why you would buy a tent that you can sleep in and store your bike in overnight, certainly in the UK most places you are likely to stay are fairly secure campsites.

I took my Honda CRF250 greenlaning, strapped the tent on the back and found a campsite at the end of the day to give it a try. Here are my likes and dislikes;

Likes

The bag it comes in is adjustable and has space to store more stuff, brilliant when you are trying to keep bags to a minimum.

The quality of the parts is very high. From the Red aircraft grade aluminium pegs, through to the waterproof zips and the thickness of the elasticated bands inside the tent poles. You can tell that the MOTOTENT is not made on the cheap.

It takes one man 10 minutes to put it up. External poles and a pre-attached inner tent mean setting up in the rain will always leave you somewhere dry to go at the end.

The attention to detail is superb, the access doors, vents, fly screens and internal pockets are perfectly placed. The way the guy ropes have been put together is excellent, tangle free and effective.

Two bikes fitted in the porch and you can still get in and out of the sleeping area, just. With one bike there is room to work on and around the bike if you need to, useful for track day and Enduro racers alike. If you have GS that will fit in too!

The inner sleeping quarter can be removed turning the tent into a garage.

Fire-retardant rip-stop fabric means that hot motorcycles won’t burn it.

I love the colours.

Dislikes

Sitting by the tent cooking a burger with the bike inside and the words LoneRider written down the side is a touch cliché for me; I would prefer it to say MOTOTENT, or nothing at all.             

Is there a need for this tent in the UK?

The campsite I stayed on was a touch rough and an unattended CRF is a thieve-in-a-vans dream come true. I was very please to hide the bike away and have it close by me over night.

If I was touring and camping with my bike a lot then I would opt for the MOTOTENT over a cheaper non bike specific alternative simply because the MOTOTENT matches other tents in its price tag for quality of components.

The peace of mind the porch offers and the practicality of the layout being designed with motorcycle dimensions in mind combined with the ease of setting up make it worth the £450 all day long.

You can buy the Mototent from the UK retailer here

By Andy Stevens