How to Choose an Electric Bike for Camping

One of the best parts about camping is exploring an environment different than your home or backyard. The sights, sounds, and scents are all new and exciting. This fresh perspective often reinvigorates the soul and the body which is precisely what most people aim to get out of a camping trip. 

Utilizing an e-bike on your next camping trip will make exploring your campsite and neighboring trails easy and rewarding. You can cover more ground, visit more locations, and rest easy knowing you have the option to pedal or simply allow the quiet motor and throttle to carry you along. 

However, you might wonder which features are the most useful and how to choose the best electric bike for camping in general. Look no further! Below we detail 5 important topics to consider when bike camping. No matter if you want to sit around the campfire roasting marshmallows and go for an occasional ride, or you want to explore mountain climbing paths at sunrise far away from camp, considering these features should help you choose an electric bike for camping. 

Battery Life

Battery life is one of the most important topics to consider when choosing an e-bike in general. It is even more important when choosing a camping bike. You may have no access or only limited access to a charging port while you are camping, so you will need a battery that can last you throughout the trip. 

Not all e-bike batteries are created equal. Some will only provide you with 20 miles of range and may leave you pedaling back to camp if you run out of juice. Thankfully, there are bikes available such as our e-bikes at Himiway, which provide 45-60 miles of range on a single charge. The battery life can be impacted by the rider’s weight, the amount of cargo on the bike and the level of pedal-assist chosen by the rider.

Another way to get more battery life is to bring a fully-charged backup battery pack for those campsites where you may not have an outlet to charge your bike. Himiway batteries can be removed without disconnecting any wires to switch out low batteries for full ones for extended riding. If you don’t want to bring an extra battery, just call ahead before booking your campsite to ensure charging options are available. Many parks which accommodate RVs will have electric hook-ups. They may cost money, but being able to increase the length of your adventure may be very well worth it. 

Motor

Maybe you want to catch a sunrise or a sunset, and time is of the essence. Therefore, you’ll want enough power to get you to your camping destination on time. Perhaps you have some extra gear for the campsite that you are hauling. Whatever the situation, it’s good to have enough power to handle it. For that, you’ll want at least a 750-watt motor on your e-bike. This helps with maintaining speed, quick acceleration, and climbing the steepest hills or trails.

Most electric mountain bikes will have between 750—1500 watts of power. The most cost-effective and energy-efficient models tend to be 750 watts as they will give you the speed you need without running down your battery too quickly. Himiway bikes are well-known for their speed and pick-up when you hit the throttle. It is difficult to describe the sheer glee you can experience flying through the woods on an e-bike. 

An added benefit to Himiway bikes is the ability to reduce your top speed to ensure you are following all state and park laws regarding speed limits. Just open the settings, manually change the top speed down to a Class 2 e-bike, and you can visit more areas legally. 

Waterproof

Whichever bike you choose, you’ll want to make sure it is waterproof. You never know what kind of weather you may get when you are camping. The last thing you need is a heavy downpour ruining your new e-bike. Humidity can be detrimental to cheap e-bikes, especially when you are out in the forest or near lakes and rivers. 

Most high-quality e-bikes these days have some amount of waterproofing. However, you’ll want to make sure your bike is sealed well enough to perform in light to moderate rain. No e-bike should be ridden through deep puddles or rivers, as the electric components may get damaged, but you shouldn’t have any issues in a little bit of rain. If you expect to experience some rainfall on your camping trip, take extra precautions such as using rust protection spray or covering your e-bike’s LCD screen. 

Tires

One of the best features of e-bikes like Himiway is the fat tires which can easily handle a variety of terrain. Not only do the wider tires provide more comfort on bumpy dirt trails and roads, but they also provide more traction. Mud, rain, snow, or sand are all much easier to ride through with fat tires. 

Some of the most remote campgrounds will be difficult to traverse on foot or with skinny traditional tires. With fat tires, these challenging trails become a breeze. One trick to improve traction and rideability in sand or snow is to decrease the pressure in your tires a bit.

Noise

One of the best benefits of camping is the peace and quiet you can experience. Camping is one of the few vacations you can take to get away from the hustle and bustle of cities and streets and reconnect with nature. Don’t ruin the tranquility of the forest with a loud engine of an ATV or moped. The whisper-quiet motor and battery system of e-bikes is designed to be as silent as possible. Your campground neighbors likely won’t even know you are on an e-bike. The quieter your transportation, the more likely it is you will be able to catch sight of rare animals such as a deer or a fox.

As you can see, there are many features to consider when choosing which e-bike is best for camping. A long battery life, lots of power, rain-resistant frame, fat tires, and quiet motor all combine to give you the best experience possible while bike camping. Himiway electric bikes check the box on all 5 categories and are a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts. Don’t forget to read our recent guide to bike bags to select the perfect bag with which to carry your camping supplies. Happy camping!