How to pack for the road....

[Big Dan]

We're headed down to Clarksdale Mississippi for The Jukejoint Festival in a couple of weeks. A friend of mine has been riding for quite a while, but never done any real long trips. He just bought his first touring rig and he and his new bride wish to start doing some road-trippin' with us. So, I sent him an email with some "packing pointers." This got me to thinking, there must be a hundred things I never thought of, and it might make for some good discussion.

Here's what I sent him:

1. It is not humanly possible to under pack for a trip. Less is more. There's a Wal-Mart in every town in America, and we all have credit cards. If you can possibly live without something for these few short days, leave it at home.

2. Ya really don't need much in the way of clothing. Wear your most comfortable stuff for the ride, and wear it both days there and both days home. You'll be on the bike. Nobody's gonna notice you wearing the same funky jeans on the way home. You'll only really need 1 or 2 pair of jeans other than what you ride in. Let me revise this a little. I'll wear a pair of jeans and a shirt for both days on the road down there. When we arrive, I'll shower and change. I'll wear those fresh jeans Friday night and all day Saturday. I may or may not put on fresh ones for Sunday. Depends how they are. Like I said, we'll be on the bike headin' home, so I don't have to be pretty. Do NOT bring a lot of T-shirts. You're sure to buy a few on the trip for souvenirs. No need in packing 6 shirts, buying 10 more, and having to pack all that crap home. Bring the bare minimum... or better yet, bring less and wear the new ones later in the trip.

3. Toiletries: If you don't need your own special brand of shampoo or whatever, don't bring any. Use the stuff in the motels. If you have to have a certain kind of something, see can you buy a "travel" size of it. If you can't buy it in "travel" size, make your own. Patti's "woman bag" for a 2 week trip is smaller than the Evel Kenievel lunchbox I carried to school in the 4th grade. This is a HUGE bonus. Full-sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, etc., eat up a LOT of space in a hurry and they also get heavy in a hurry. Smaller is better.

4. When you load the bike, heavy stuff goes down low in the bags. Keep as much weight as low as you can. A top-heavy bike is NO fun to ride.  The left bag isn't as easily accessible as the right bag when the bike's on the jiffy stand, so I try to fill that with stuff I won't need to get at very often (if at all). Tool roll at the bottom, followed by rain gear and leather.

5. Start hanging on to "throw away" clothes. Got a coupla t-shirts just about ready for the trash? Wear 'em on the bike on the way down, and then throw 'em out when ya get there.

6. When you do a longer trip, plan on doing laundry at a laundromat at least once on your trip. Don't even attempt to pack 2 weeks worth of clothes on a bike. Many of the motels we've stayed at have had laundry provisions available on-site, which is extremely nice. Also, grab all the small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, etc you can. Use 'em for future trips, or use 'em to make your own travel size bottles of your own shampoo and stuff.

Anyways, that's what I sent him, and hopefully it'll save them some grief. What can you add?

[ThumperDeuce]

http://micapeak.com/checklists/mclist.html

http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/laws.asp

[lonegoosehonking]

Hell I can pack for a two week road trip in 30 minutes or less. Got it down to an art. Never know when you have to leave town. Old t-shirts and underwear and socks work best . Wear em and can them. So what if you don't look pretty...I am a biker not some Dr. / lawyer. I can dress up but unless my clothes show some fade I am not comfortable.

[Big Dan]

Hell I can pack for a two week road trip in 30 minutes or less. Got it down to an art. Never know when you have to leave town. Old t-shirts and underwear and socks work best . Wear em and can them. So what if you don't look pretty...I am a biker not some Dr. / lawyer. I can dress up but unless my clothes show some fade I am not comfortable.

Lol- I used to be able to do the same thing. Then I got a wife and a bagger.

[Rags722]

Well, I start by having a list for both my bike and my wifes.  One thing you need to be sure of is that stuff in HER list stays on her bike, not tossed in your locked tour pack ( like I have her carry MY spare keys and I carry hers.  One year I did misplace my keys, and when I asked her for the spare set I found out they were in her fanny pack, which was locked in my tour pack)
Our sample list is like this:

My Stuff                  Her Stuff
Her extra keys      My extra keys
Cable Lock      Cable Lock
Bike Cover      Bike Cover
Bike cover lock      Bike cover lock
My Pills                   Her Pills
Clothes                   Clothes
Sneakers                   Sneakers
Bathing Suit      Bathing Suit
Cell Phone      Cell Phone
Spare Glasses      Spare Glasses
Money                   Money
EZ Pass                   EZ Pass
Reg & Insurance      Reg & Insurance
Camera                  Cell Phone Charger
Camera Batteries      Leather Jacket
Cell Phone Charger      Rain Gear
I-POD      
I-Pod charger      
Leather Jacket      
Rain Gear      
First Aide Kit      
Maps      
Notepad      
Confirmation numbers      
Choice Hotel Atlas      
Empty Trash Bags   


One other side note, after our first trip and finding I was carrying not one but TWO hair dryers ( "well, the first one is the one I like , but it overheats, so I bring the other to finish up"),  Anything that she needs that I don't goes on her bike.  Our list may be longer than most, but with 2 bikes we carry what we have found works for us.  Not on the list but helpful is about 20 feet of nylon string.  After a day of riding in the rain, it can come in REAL handy to turn your motel room into a clothes line.  Just turn the heater on full blast and go to dinner.  By the time you get back most of the stuff is pretty dry.   

[lonegoosehonking]

Hell have 4 kids at home, but I have a good ole lady that packs as fast as I do. Hell she is at the bike
ready to go before I am. Plus she is a hottie ta boot. Good running  bike, good ole lady, open road, and a few bucks and life is good. Takes you back to the basics and leaves all the hype behind.

[Evo160K]

We all know what you pack and how you pack is important.  The wife came up with a method of packing our T-bag that works very well for us.  She packs a days worth of cloths for both of us in one freezer bag (rain protection).  She packs the freezer bags on end, side-by-side, like books, so there's no rummaging through the T-bag.  When we stop at night she'll just pull a freezer bag and the two toiletry bags which are on the top, saves removing the t-bag from the bike when the overnight parking is secure.  Of course, she miniaturizes all liquids, creams, etc.

[apes]

sack of tools and some of that "flat tire fix it" stuff in a can

[Big Dan]

Yeah, Goose, I'm lucky too. My Patti can pack well, and pack in a hurry. It just took us both some time to figure a lot of stuff out. Or at least figure out how it works best for us. We've gotten to the point where we both figure as long as we have my CPAP machine, all our meds, and both of our wallets, anything forgotten can be grabbed on the road. No point frettin' over a lot of stuff. And we'd both rather have not enough stuff than to have too much stuff. Damn, I love that woman.

[bhubb7]

Pack bag for the amount of days you need then mail it or grayhound bus it. Then you just need a change of clothes ,rain suit ,tools, and money

[TwistedSister]

When  ya  pick  up things  along  the  trip. . . POST  OFFICE. . . . mail  the crap instead  of  trying  to  pack  it. 

[lonegoosehonking]

 Big Dan

Well I came from a marriage where the ex wouldn't ride. Made some stupid mistakes thinking I was going to cheat the Devil out of his due. Well the Devil always gets his due!. Luckily I met this woman 3 years ago. She never rode till she met me. Took her for a ride and she wanted more. Done 700 mile days with me and thats pretty rare for a woman. Never complains and does her thinking on the bike like I do. Makes a world of difference and I am at the point where riding with her is better than riding solo. Lucky man I am!!!

[Rags722]

Forgot to mention in my list, the garbage bags are the jumbo type, and are packed where I can get to them quick.  Ditto on rain gear.  When you hit that afternoon cloudburst, I pull on my rain gear, then pull a garbage bag over the T-Bag and lash it in place with a couple of bungee cords.  It keeps the plastic in place and cuts down on the flapping for the next few hours.  Also, I swear by the spare glasses.  If you bust a pair of sunglasses, it's no big deal, but if you break your only pair of prescription glasses on the road, it can be a real PITA.  They don't take up that much room and you only need to use them once to make having them worthwhile.
Keep in mind, every hotel/motel room I have ever stayed at has running water, so you do not need a weeks worth of Tee's and underwear for a week on the road.  Wash 'em in the sink and let 'em dry by the pool while you are taking a swim.  Don't forget motel lamps also work good for drying clothes in a hurry, as does the output from the A/C- heater in the room.
We like to get started early in the day, but be settled into our motel room by late afternoon.  That give us a chance to relax, wash things, take a swim and be out for dinner before the vacationing masses are even off the highway.  It also inproves your odds of being able to park the bike right outside the motel room door so it's easy to keep an eye on things when you hear that noise in the middle of the night.

[Sonny S.]

Super Glue

[bagga]

if you don't take toilet paper along, you're asking for trouble. you haven't lived untill you have been in a truck stop restroom with out toilet paper

[Big Dan]

Good God, Goose, that's too similar to my situation. My ex hated bikes and wouldn't get on one to save her soul. We divorced 7 years ago, and I met Patti 4-1/2 years ago. Patti had ridden before, but not much. Like yours, she just can't get enough. Never complains about money spent on the bike. Always up for a ride. And just damned good company on the back of the bike. I never even dreamed life could be this good.

[mkd]

i always pack our stuff in garbage bags and then put them in gym bags,one for each of us.if it rains the clothes are still dry.i also take a few spares along as well as an extra bag to strap on the tour pack rack if we need it for stuff we buy on the way.oh yes and a few extra bungy cords.

[Snuff™]

Here how the Mrs. and I go…
Left saddlebag mine starting at the bottom: winter gloves, gaiters, raingear, extra bandannas, chaps & leather jacket.
Right saddlebag hers: 1 qt oil, roll-up tool pouch, raingear, chaps & leather jacket.
Inside Tourpack:  Left side mine: day backpack-3 jeans, 3 tshirts, 3 socks, 3-5 underwear & small shaving bag.  (All clothes are rolled tightly and rubberbanded. Socks/underwear are the holey ones I throw away as the days go)  Right side is her day backpack- all of her chit. Somewhere in there is a road atlas, extra bungee cords & air pump for the mattress.
On Top of Tourpack: Tent, Rolled Air Mattress, Cinchbag-1 down sleeping bag, 2 sheet blankets, 2 very small pillows, 2 bath towels, 2 hooded sweetshirts.
Rear Engine Guardbags: earplugs, sunblock, cigars, beef jerky, clear & yellow safety glasses.

Within the first 10 miles from home, I’ve got adjusted to the light frontend.

-Snuff

[Scooterfish]

Lonegoose , Dan   Where do you find these kind of rare women you speck off?


now back to packing

[cig]

Bike 1.     My stuff, her stuff.

Bike 2.     Her stuff.




       

[Superheat9]

Put a 1/2 gal of whiskey in one bag and tools in the other. Anything else you can find along the way. Maybe a extra pair of jeans.

[NETacomaFatboy]

I like to pack for 5-7 days as somewhere along the way, you will stay at a place with a washer/dryer (make sure you pack some wash powder & coins).  Main thing you need on the road is a change of underwear, shirt and socks.  That is it.  Add whatever else you may need and bear in mind, you will most likely pick up Tees on the road.

[thunderalley3]

I have a close friend that I have known for years, I hope when I am twice his age I have half as many miles under my belt, because I would be doing some serious riding. Anyway, I learned from him , as mentioned before, keep all your old stuff, wear it a day or two and in the garbage it goes. As you are getting road tired everything is getting lighter, and less items to go through every day or so. Plus he always had baby wipes, I can hear him now, "Thats one place I do not need chapped, I can live with chapstick on my lips, but it gets a little messy in other spots, plus it seems to lose it's flavor"

You always knew when he was headed for home, he always bought a new tshirt for the ride home.

Loose, my given name from him 20 years ago

[TwistedSister]

blue  threadlock
extra  gloves (wet ones  suck)

[deltafarmer]

Hey Dan. where are you staying in Clarksdale, and how long ? Not a lot to do  there, but enjoy the delta.