Planning Your First Canadian RV And Cycle Trip

When you combine the fact that Canada offers fantastic cycle trails and cycling is a favourite activity of many RVers, it’s hardly a surprise that many RV’s carry bicycles. After all, it’s a great feeling to be able to wake up and know that you are only in striking distance for the day’s great cycle ride. When you travel in an RV, you can also look forward to sipping your favourite drink by a campfire instead of having to make the long journey home. If this all sounds like a dream come true, then an RV vacation could be the perfect trip for you. Travelling in an RV means you can stay longer wherever you choose to go, as you will be taking your home with you out on the road. But if it’s your first time, it can feel like a daunting jump from simple car camping and backpacking to a full RV road trip. However, with some research and pre-trip planning, you’ll be surprised at just how easy it can be.

What to Pack

You’ll want to pack essentials such as warm and water-resistant clothing, a comprehensive first aid kit, backpack, headlamp and good quality trail shoes. A great thing about vacationing in an RV is that you can pack some of those more luxury items that you usually have to leave at home when you go camping. For instance, towels, toiletries, camp chairs, favourite foods and firewood. You’ll also have room for bikes and to store your things. Packing a cooler with water and food means you can avoid having to make frequent stops at restaurants and gas stations. As you’ll no doubt want to venture out of the RV once you’ve parked up, maybe for a hike or to get on your bicycle, being outside for any length of time means you will likely be exposed to insects. Mosquitoes in Canada can be vicious, particularly during the summer, so pack mosquito repellent and bite cream along with mosquito coils or citronella candles.

RVing With Your Bike

Biking and camping make perfect vacation partners, whether you enjoy a leisurely ride over the roads by the campground or enjoy mountain biking through the wilderness. It’s also just a great way to get around when it’s not easy to take the RV. When you take a bike on an RV vacation, you’ll need to make sure that the bike is right for you and what you want to do during your trip. If you plan to do trail riding over rough ground, then you’ll likely need a mountain bike. Even if you don’t plan to do much wilderness riding but will likely be riding across campgrounds with rough terrains, a good quality mountain bike is ideal for durability. A street or hybrid bike is ideal if you will likely just use your bike as a way of getting around town and cities, while a beach cruiser that can handle sand is a wise choice if you’ll only be camping on beaches. A bike rack on an RV is ideal to transport your family’s bikes and you can use an adapter to install the bumper rack while also towing a vehicle behind.

Planning Your RV Itinerary

There are endless choices to where you can go in Canada in your RV. From National Parks and cross-country to coastal drives and the mountains. It can also be tempting to just wing it and simply see where your drive takes you. But it’s worth remembering that the best campsites will likely get booked up quickly, especially at Canada’s more popular locations and during the summer months. If you enjoy nature riding then make sure the campground you choose has good biking trails around it. If you prefer to ride on smooth, paved roads then book a campground spot that has smooth finished roads. Travelling in an RV is often much slower than your average road trip, so ideally choose overnight stops that are no more than four hours. Less time travelling, means more time to enjoy spending time in your RV and make the most out of your stops. The free Navmii Canada GPS app, which can even work offline, can help you plan your journey and also show you where the nearest fuel stations are.

Once you’ve got to grips with the basics of camping with your bike, you are ready to hit the road and enjoy the trip of your life. Camping and biking are two of the best activities in Canada to enjoy, so what’s stopping you?