A lot of people who ride dirt bikes end up camping, and a lot of people who camp end up buying dirt bikes. Sooner or later both groups ask the same question: can one trailer haul the bikes to the trailhead and then become camp for the weekend?
Sometimes, yes. Often, not the way people picture it. The answer comes down to three things you can measure in your driveway: how long your bike is, how big the trailer bed is, and how much weight your tow vehicle and trailer can carry. We build an off-road camping trailer, and we get this question a lot, so this guide walks through the numbers, the setups that work, and the cases where we'd point you toward a different trailer than ours.
Start with the bike, not the trailer
Most of the frustration with "two-job" trailers comes from buying the trailer first and measuring the bike second. Dirt bikes vary in length far more than people expect. Here are manufacturer figures for a few common trail bikes:
| Bike | Overall length | Width | Height | Weight (ready to ride) | Fuel capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda CRF110F | 60.7 in | 26.7 in | 36.3 in | 169 lb (curb) | 1.0 gal |
| Yamaha TT-R125LE | 74.2 in | 31.3 in | 42.7 in | 198 lb (wet) | 1.6 gal |
| Sur-Ron Light Bee X | about 73.2 in (1,860 mm) | about 30.7 in (780 mm) | about 41.3 in (1,050 mm) | about 104 lb (47 kg) | Electric |
| Honda CRF250F | 83.0 in | 31.4 in | 46.7 in | 265 lb (curb) | 1.6 gal |
Sources: Honda CRF110F specs, Yamaha TT-R125LE specs, Sur-Ron Light Bee X specs via 1000PS, Honda CRF250F specs.
A full-size trail bike like the Honda CRF250F is 83 inches long. That is longer than the bed of most compact off-road trailers, including ours. Even a youth-size Yamaha TT-R125LE is over six feet long. Width matters too: handlebars around 31 inches wide mean two bikes side by side need at least 62 inches of floor, before you leave any room to stagger them or reach the straps.
So before you look at trailers, write down three numbers for each bike you plan to haul: length, handlebar width, and height. Then add them up for the number of bikes you actually own, not the number you hope to own.
Five ways to haul bikes and camp from one rig
There is no single right answer here. The best setup depends on whether you drive a pickup or an SUV, how many bikes you carry, and how rough the road to camp is.
| Setup | Best for | Full-size bikes? | Off-road ability | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bikes in the truck bed, camp in an off-road trailer | Pickup owners with one or two bikes | Yes, in the truck bed | Good to excellent | Bike weight counts against truck payload |
| Open flatbed or utility trailer with bikes and a tent | Several bikes, maintained roads | Yes | Limited | Gear exposed to weather and theft; little suspension travel |
| Purpose-built bike-and-camp trailer | Riders who want one dedicated rig | Yes | Varies by build | Few options in the U.S.; usually expensive |
| Toy hauler travel trailer | Families, campgrounds, RV parks | Yes | Poor | Heavy; not built for rough trails |
| Small bike inside an enclosed tub trailer | Pit bikes, kids' bikes, some e-bikes | No | Good to excellent | Bed length limits the bike; lid and tent rack get in the way |
Bikes in the truck bed, camp in the trailer
If you drive a pickup, this is usually the setup we recommend, because each part does what it is good at. The truck bed, with the tailgate down, handles bike length. The trailer carries water, the kitchen, the tent, and everything that should stay dry and locked. At camp you unhitch, unload the bikes, and ride straight from the trailer. You have both jobs covered without compromising either one.
The catch is payload. Two Honda CRF250Fs weigh 530 lb ready to ride, plus ramps, gear, and fuel cans, and all of that counts against your truck's payload rating along with the trailer's tongue weight. Check the payload sticker on your driver's door jamb before you assume it fits.
Open flatbed or utility trailer
A flatbed or utility trailer with wheel chocks is the cheapest way to haul several full-size bikes. Many riders throw a ground tent or a rack-mounted rooftop tent on the same trailer and call it camp. It works on graded roads. On rough trails, a typical leaf-spring utility trailer rides hard and offers little ground clearance, and everything you bring is open to dust, rain, and anyone walking by. We covered the camping side of this in our guide to utility trailer camping.
Purpose-built bike-and-camp trailers
Some builders make trailers designed to do both jobs. Australian builder Offline Campers' Ryder, for example, pairs a three-bike deck with a platform for a rooftop tent, according to RideApart. If you haul two or three full-size bikes every trip and want one rig, a dedicated design is worth the search. Expect fewer choices in the U.S. and higher prices than a standard camping trailer.
Toy haulers
A toy hauler travel trailer has a garage in the back and living space up front. It is the most comfortable option for families at campgrounds, but it is heavy and built for pavement and gravel, not for ledges and washouts.
A small bike inside an enclosed tub trailer
M416-style tub trailers, including ours, are built first for camping and gear. They can carry a small bike, but the bed sets hard limits, and owners who try to make them full-size bike haulers usually end up frustrated. On the Expedition Portal forum, one M416 owner asking about a front-mounted motorcycle carrier noted that a bike would likely be too wide and heavy and would push tongue weight too high. Another rider described carrying a full-size bike on a tongue rack and two smaller bikes elsewhere on a different trailer, and warned that tongue weight takes careful loading.
What fits in a YT416
We'll be specific about our own trailer, because honest dimensions save everyone time.
The YOLO YT416 Overland Edition has a 48 x 72-inch steel bed, a 2,200 lb GVWR, and a 1,100 lb cargo capacity. The tailgate opening is 35 inches wide by 19 inches tall with the lid closed. Here is what that means for bikes:
- A Honda CRF110F (60.7 in long, 26.7 in wide) fits the bed footprint. It stands 36.3 inches tall, so it won't roll through the tailgate with the lid closed; you'd load it with the lid open. Whether the lid closes over a given bike depends on its height with the bars turned, so measure your bike and ask us before you count on it.
- A Yamaha TT-R125LE or Sur-Ron Light Bee X is just over 72 inches long, so it won't lie flat lengthwise in a 72-inch bed.
- A full-size bike like the Honda CRF250F is 83 inches long and won't fit inside. For full-size bikes, carry them in a truck bed and let the trailer handle camp.
- The E-track on the interior front and side walls gives you strap anchors for a small bike, a mountain bike, or gear.
That is why we describe the YT416 as a camping trailer that can haul a small bike, not a dirt bike trailer. If full-size bikes are the main job, a flatbed or a purpose-built moto trailer will serve you better.
Do the weight math before the trip
Every combination of bikes and camping gear has to pass three weight checks: the trailer's GVWR, the trailer's tongue weight, and your tow vehicle's payload and towing ratings.
Here is a worked example using published figures and one estimate:
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| YT416 dry weight | 1,100 lb |
| Honda CRF110F, ready to ride | 169 lb |
| Camping gear, water, and food (our estimate for a weekend) | 400 lb |
| Loaded trailer total | 1,669 lb |
| GVWR | 2,200 lb |
| Estimated tongue weight at 10 to 15 percent | about 167 to 250 lb |
GMC's towing guidance says proper tongue weight for a conventional ball-hitch trailer is roughly 10 to 15 percent of the loaded trailer weight. A bike is a dense, heavy object, so where you strap it changes tongue weight a lot. Too far back and the trailer can get light on the hitch and sway. Too far forward and you overload the hitch and the rear axle of your tow vehicle. Weigh the loaded tongue with a tongue-weight scale or at a CAT scale the first time you load a new combination.
If you're still choosing a tow vehicle, our guide on how to pick the right tow vehicle and our breakdown of whether a Toyota 4Runner can tow an overland trailer walk through the ratings. One note for SUV drivers: a hitch-mounted bike carrier and a trailer can't share the same receiver, which is why many SUV owners end up with either a bike trailer or a camping trailer, not both.
Strapping bikes down for rough roads
Washboard roads are harder on tie-downs than highways. A few habits help:
- Use four straps when you can. Risk Racing's tie-down guide recommends four nylon straps for most dirt bikes and notes that two straps let the rear of the bike wander on rough roads.
- Compress the suspension, but not all the way. Pull the forks down enough that the bike can't bounce, but don't bottom them out for long periods. The same guide warns that over-compressing can damage fork seals.
- Keep strap angles reasonable. Very steep or very shallow angles reduce how well the strap holds.
- Use soft loops on painted or plastic parts so hooks don't chew up handlebars or triple clamps.
- Check the straps after the first few miles of dirt. They almost always loosen.
Keep fuel away from where you sleep
This is the part people skip. Gas bikes carry fuel, and most riders bring a can or two for a weekend. The Texas Department of Insurance notes that gasoline vapor is heavier than air and collects in low, confined spaces, and it warns against carrying gas containers in a vehicle's passenger compartment.
At camp, unload the bikes, store fuel cans upright in the shade away from the tent, stove, and fire, and never sleep in a closed space with a fueled bike or a gas can. If you carry a bike inside a tub trailer, open it up and ventilate it before you set up camp.
Basecamp is where the two-job idea shines
The best part of combining bikes and camping isn't the haul. It's the basecamp. You tow in once, drop the trailer at a good site, and spend the weekend riding loops from camp without breaking down the kitchen or the tent every morning. That is exactly what an off-road trailer is built for.
The YOLO YT416 Overland Edition is a 1,100-pound all-steel M416-style overland trailer built in North Texas, listing at $11,495 with free shipping within Texas. It uses Timbren axle-less independent suspension rated at 2,200 lb, Dexter electric brakes, 31-inch Falken Rubitrek all-terrain tires, and a bolt-on rooftop tent rack, so it can follow a truck carrying bikes down the same trail the bikes are headed for.
Where it loses: it isn't a full-size dirt bike hauler, and if your main goal is moving two or three 250s, a flatbed or a dedicated moto trailer is the better buy. If your goal is a durable camp that keeps up with your truck while the bikes ride in the bed, take a look at the full specs on the YT416 Overland Edition product page. For a broader look at the market, see our honest comparison of off-road trailers under $15,000 and our overland trailer buyer's guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can one trailer haul dirt bikes and work as a camping trailer?
Yes, but it depends on the bikes. Full-size trail bikes are often 80 inches or longer, which exceeds the bed of most compact off-road camping trailers. Common solutions are carrying bikes in a pickup bed while the trailer handles camp, using a flatbed or utility trailer for both, or buying a purpose-built bike-and-camp trailer.
Will a dirt bike fit in an M416-style trailer?
Usually only a small one. The original military M416 bed is about 41 by 72 inches, and the YOLO YT416 bed is 48 by 72 inches. A Honda CRF110F at 60.7 inches long fits that footprint, but a Honda CRF250F at 83 inches does not.
How long is a typical dirt bike?
It varies widely. Honda lists the CRF110F at 60.7 inches long, Yamaha lists the TT-R125LE at 74.2 inches, and Honda lists the full-size CRF250F at 83.0 inches. Measure your own bike before choosing a trailer.
How much tongue weight should a trailer carrying a dirt bike have?
For conventional ball-hitch trailers, GMC recommends roughly 10 to 15 percent of the loaded trailer weight. A bike's position changes tongue weight significantly, so weigh the loaded tongue the first time you load a new combination.
How many straps do I need to tie down a dirt bike on a trailer?
Four straps are the safer choice, especially on rough roads. Two straps can work on light bikes against a wall or chock, but they let the rear of the bike wander. Compress the suspension enough to stop bouncing without bottoming out the forks.
Is it safe to camp with a dirt bike in the trailer?
Unload it first if you can. Gasoline vapor is heavier than air and collects in low, enclosed spaces, so store fueled bikes and gas cans outside, upright, and away from your tent, stove, and fire.
Can the YOLO YT416 haul a dirt bike?
It can carry a small bike such as a Honda CRF110F, and its interior E-track gives you anchor points. It is not designed for full-size dirt bikes, which are longer than its 72-inch bed. Most owners with full-size bikes carry them in a truck bed and use the YT416 as camp.