UTV Camping

You love to use your utility terrain/task vehicle for work and play purposes, towing and hauling during the week and off-roading on the weekends. But did you know you can also take your UTV camping? Imagine a multiple-day excursion where you spend your days off-roading and trail-riding and your nights sitting around the campfire toasting marshmallows and sleeping under the stars.

But UTV camping, like anything else to do with UTVs, requires some planning in order to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Langston Motorsports of Perris is your local UTV dealer, so we’ve created this quick guide to UTV camping to help ensure you’re being safe and responsible on your trip.

Planning The Trip

In general, camping with your UTV won’t be much different than any other camping trip, but it’s important to plan for it in the same way. First, you’ll want to figure out your destination. Determine a riding site that you want to visit which has some form of campsite nearby. You’ll probably want to reserve your campsite in advance to ensure it’s available for you, and this will also make it cheaper. Make sure your campsite has the amenities you want, as well, like running water, showers, a rec room, electricity, laundry or a camp store.

Don’t forget to check the weather to make sure it’s suitable. This shouldn’t be much of a problem here in southern California, but if you’re going north or into the mountains, you could encounter snow and cold temperatures, and if you head towards the desert, the heat could be too extreme.

Preparing Your UTV

Your next step is to ready your UTV for the journey. If you’re driving it to your campsite, then it needs to be in great shape. Conduct a pre-ride inspection to make sure every component is ready. This means checking the tire pressure and condition of your tires, checking the oil and topping it off or changing it as needed, replacing filters, adding coolant, testing brakes and checking your signals and lights for functionality. Test your battery and inspect your spark plugs to make sure they’re in good shape. Fill up your gas tank before you go and make sure you have a toolkit and a spare tire and air compressor on hand for emergencies.

Pack For the Journey

You’ll need to make sure you have everything on hand that you’ll want for the duration of your trip. Naturally, this means weather-appropriate clothing and your usual riding gear like your boots and helmet, but it also means having all the typical camping supplies on hand, like your tent, sleeping bags, food and water, cooking tools, medications, hygiene products and so forth. Having a paper map of the area as well as a compass will help you out if your GPS or phone fail to get a signal. Keeping a solar charger on hand is smart as it allows you to make sure your phone and other electronic devices have sufficient charge. You’ll also want to have emergency gear like a hand-crank radio, mylar blankets and signal flares.

Letting a friend or neighbor back home know where you’re going and how long you plan to be gone can help give you peace of mind in case something goes awry. Just make sure to check in with them every so often on your trip.

Come see us at our location in Perris, California, to check out our full stock of new and used UTVs for sale. Our staff can help you locate models that would be especially ideal for camping. Langston Motorsports proudly serves the city of Temecula as well as the whole of Orange County.