Mar 17, 2011
Growing up in the 60′s and 70′s there is ONE thing i distinctly remember….camping. Whether it was with the family, with my cousins at the farm or with a group of friends in some remote pasture. Those times were the best when a tent, a sleeping bag, and a few can’s of pork and beans, some smokes and a radio sufficed to set us off to the land of discovery. (Whether that was chemically induced or not). In a recent conversation with a friend in the industry that has tried to “educate” the big industry players of the pending resurgence, (as well as opportunities available) we discussed our own experiences of such times: his of recent and mine a long faded memory. So, why is “motorcycle camping” starting to have a resurgence? Is it that there are more motorcycle riders? More spare time? Weekend journeymen and women? A restless state of mind, reminiscent of my own past, where we were looking for something to bond to? To be part of? Something more than a temporal existence? Or is it just an inclination for “all things retro?” Not sure, but one thing i do know. It’s coming to a park, farm or drive-in near you! I’m hoping that someone catches on and realizes that there can be an opportunity to help shape this next gen of bikers. Will it be “you” mister magazine editor? Or ‘you” mister motorcycle manufacturer? Or “you”, mister event coordinator? Or ‘you” mister 40+ year old? One thing is for sure: This generation is embracing motorcycle camping. They are discovering for themselves the back-to-the-basic pleasures that their predecessors (aka me) on bikes enjoyed in a time when motorcycle gatherings were organic and not so commercialized (aka sturgis, daytona, las vegas, laconia, etc). They are doing it themselves and crystalizing their own community. Trend or fad? You call it, after you experience it. So next question is: Who’s ready to go camping?!
