I'm surprised so many people are recommending against camping equipment in South America. The spaces are so vast and empty that camping was not only easy but sometimes necessary. Furthermore a room in some places in the south are incredibly expensive ($40+ for a shared bathroom).

There are many places in the world where camping equipment can be left behind, but for me South America would be at the very bottom of that list.

But how do you enjoy food, drink and women if you're stuck in a campground 10 miles out of town?

How did you find camping in Mexico, Cent. America? Tell me where you camped there. I lived in Guatemala and El Salvador for 3 years ... did not seem like a good place for camping? (I did camp at Tikal!)

What about Colombia, Ecuador, Peru' and Bolivia? I only spent 7 months in those countries, I never camped. Can you tell me how it went? ... especially if any where near a town or City? I found Bolivia the least camp friendly with a combo of harsh weather, people everywhere and very cheap lodging in every town. I'm quite sure it can (and has) been done, but is it enjoyable or torture? (TIP: I'm not into torture! )

My strategy was to take "breaks" along the Gringo Trail, stop in a place that was nice, rent a house or apt. or long term hotel room and hang out, re-charge the batteries and enjoy the Wine, Women and Song Throttlemeister refers to.

I would use these places as "Home Base", then take small trips around the region. I did this in Guat. Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina.

As has been mentioned, camping in Southern Chile and Argentina is really good. (if you have the gear!) But for many, the Southern reaches seem to be the only place they feel comfortable camping out.

Younger riders/travelers are probably tougher and can handle the hardships of camping better than older folks. We Fossils like our comforts!

Lunch?

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Easy, stop in town, order up a great dinner have a nice drink find a respectable brothel (if you are needing some loving) take a nice shower at the establishment before enjoying that said company and then ride off into the sunset and find a spot to lay down, been done for hundreds of years up to now. If you are really good at making friends then lots of doors just tend to open...

I think many of these non-campers on here camp to a totally different style; when I camp I find a spot, hopefully with some kind of cover overhead, and often just throw down my cot and bag and sleep. I don't build a camp fire, cook a 3 course meal, etc. I pull in after my day's riding is done and sleep, possibly cook a simple dinner on my camp stove, and dream about tomorrow's ride. And best of all it is totally free!

Even in the most populated area there are always possibilities to sleep for free if you just work a little to make a new contacts when you stop and step out of your comfort zone a little it goes a long ways. Bike clubs, fire stations and even some National guard/police stations come to mind as alternatives in more populated areas and in the countryside a quick visit with a farmer/rancher is all it takes to ask permission to sleep somewhere and more often than not you get at least a cup of coffee and maybe even a real bed.

It is best to have full control over at least one variable of your trip and sleeping for free has allowed me to turn shorter trips into a much longer one, I would never leave home without my sleeping kit.

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www.throttlemeister.net

Well as I said I think South America is the best continent for wild camping on the planet. Mexico and Central America... not so much. It's possible but that area is so populated that you it seems are never more than a few hundred meters from people. That said, I have camped in some wonderful places in central America, just more work to find.

Stealth camping does require some experience to do in comfort. For me it is just easier. To find a decent sized town, ride in circles asking people, get 10 wrong directions, find a hotel, argue the price, take all the luggage off, find a place for the bike, find out who has a key to the bathroom, get a stuffy room with a broken fan, wake up with bed-bugs, etc... That is a typical hotel stay for me. Camping is just so much simpler, easier and more comfortable.

Plus, if you feel social, asking permission to camp often lead to cultural experiences that you would never have otherwise.

So then, after several months of camping I'm pleased to say I did get used to it and it's been an absolutely fantastic experience, certainly as important to me as the riding. Camping and watching sunrise and sunsets over the Salar de Uyuni, sleeping in abandoned houses at 4,500m overlooking incredible lakes in south Bolivia, or sleeping amongst the terraces built by the Incas in the Colca Canyon, well, nothing else really compares to that for me. Also I couldn't imagine traveling now without the ability to just camp anywhere and not have to "plan" your stops. I totally with what Jordan says, I really sort of resent having to pay a load of gasoline money to stay in some dive now and much prefer being in my tent, which is clean and free of mosquitos, bedbugs, isn't sweaty, noisey, etc. No ones ever bothered me, sometimes I stealth and when I think that isn't possible I just ask the farmers and they've always been very friendly and accommodating. Obviously I always take all of my trash, even used tissues, etc!