packing for a long trip ran out of space

[krotchrocketgrampa]

getting ready to do a 2,300 mile trip,eight days.

where will I put all the stuff that dosent fit in the bags and trunk and tank bag.

have been eliminating all but the essentials and still need more room or a support truck.

dont know how people do it.

riding buddy says dont take any under wear or socks,my idea is you can get four days out of one pair of shorts if turn them inside out and front to back.

if I was riding a harley I could go without any shorts but that takes a real man.

all this dosent include the camping gear in a bag on the passenger seat.

what would you do if the wife wanted to go,no room for her stuff,guess she'll drive the support truck.

that must be why one of my buddies used to haul a trailer when his wife went.

feel free to jump in

 

[puppychow]

getting ready to do a 2,300 mile trip,eight days.where will I put all the stuff that dosent fit in the bags and trunk and tank bag.

have been eliminating all but the essentials and still need more room or a support truck.

dont know how people do it.

riding buddy says dont take any under wear or socks,my idea is you can get four days out of one pair of shorts if turn them inside out and front to back.

if I was riding a harley I could go without any shorts but that takes a real man.

all this dosent include the camping gear in a bag on the passenger seat.

what would you do if the wife wanted to go,no room for her stuff,guess she'll drive the support truck.

that must be why one of my buddies used to haul a trailer when his wife went.

feel free to jump in

You are tempting the dog pile Gods....that is all I have to say!

 

[Big-D]

People tend to try and take way too much stuff. I had to resort back to my back packing days and leave most of the stuff I thought I needed to fix the bike if something happened to it. Now, I rely on my towing service if I break down. (knock on wood).

Try laying all of your stuff out on a table along with your bags or other containers you plan on using and start the process of elimination as you pack. Don't be a hoarder! I use a (waterproof) nylon bag that is three feet wide to carry a bunch of stuff across my rear seat. But my wife generally doesn't ride.

Good luck!

 

[krotchrocketgrampa]

getting ready to do a 2,300 mile trip,eight days.where will I put all the stuff that dosent fit in the bags and trunk and tank bag.

have been eliminating all but the essentials and still need more room or a support truck.

dont know how people do it.

riding buddy says dont take any under wear or socks,my idea is you can get four days out of one pair of shorts if turn them inside out and front to back.

if I was riding a harley I could go without any shorts but that takes a real man.

all this dosent include the camping gear in a bag on the passenger seat.

what would you do if the wife wanted to go,no room for her stuff,guess she'll drive the support truck.

that must be why one of my buddies used to haul a trailer when his wife went.

feel free to jump in

You are tempting the dog pile Gods....that is all I have to say!

been piled before jump on !!!!!!!!!

People tend to try and take way too much stuff. I had to resort back to my back packing days and leave most of the stuff I thought I needed to fix the bike if something happened to it. Now, I rely on my towing service if I break down. (knock on wood). Try laying all of your stuff out on a table along with your bags or other containers you plan on using and start the process of elimination as you pack. Don't be a hoarder! I use a (waterproof) nylon bag that is three feet wide to carry a bunch of stuff across my rear seat. But my wife generally doesn't ride.

Good luck!

thanks,thats good information

 

[fjrob1300]

Well now. My daughter and I went away and we packed no problem. I also Kayak so all my gear is micro sized. We were assigned one side case each for our clothes and such. The top case held 2 tents 2 sleeping bags one laptop (a must). my tank bag held my Apnea machine. The second tank bag on the top case held cooking items. A dry bag was strapped to the top of a side case with 2 therma-rest mattresses and our shoes. We even strapped a soft cooler to the other sid case.

This was from a month long trip around Florida. I can't even begin to tell you what extra crap we carried that was never used. Good luck.

 

[puppychow]

Find a 24 hour coin laundry facility somewhere along the trip and do laundry while you are stopped for the night. Might cut your luggage by 50% or so. Hope that helps

 

[majicmaker]

Find a 24 hour coin laundry facility somewhere along the trip and do laundry while you are stopped for the night. Might cut your luggage by 50% or so. Hope that helps

Please take puppychow's advice and end this thread before my head explodes!! PLEEEEASE!! You can't be serious. :close_tema: :russian_roulette:

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

You can do what I did. Give the wife a plane ticket, ride 1000 miles to Vegas, have fun and say goodbye as you ride back home.

Or bring credit cards, don't camp when the SO is along (motel it) and buy or wash what clothes you need as you go.

Bring things that fold. If they don't (that extra pair of shoes you don't need, for instance) leave it home.

Keep your drugs in a condom up your butt. (dogpile joke).

 

[Bounce]

Pack for only a 3 day trip with some things as multi-use (one pair of shoes, etc.). Every 3rd day to laundry. Get rid of things that you don't need (the tux is right out).

 

[SnowAviation]

Packing for a long trip, ran out of space.

Duh.

Get more space.

 

[CRMH Eagle]

Dogpile time..... if you really need to take a LOT more stuff than what your bike can SAFELY carry then leave the feej at home and take the cager. One reason why we ride bikes is to minimize the pressure of society that we need a lot of stuff.

 

[dustyrains]

I guess I'll trot out that old gem I read in a bike mag many years ago. When packing a bike for a long trip, lay out everything you think you'll need and put all the money in your wallet you think you will need. Then throw out half the stuff and take twice the money.

 

[user 213]

One month, 3 days, it's all the same. You never need more than three days of clothes. LD Comfort riding shorts can easily be washed in the sink in a hotel and will be dry enough to wear immediatly after you roll them in a towel and squeeze, then take out.

Cooking gear? Dump it all. What? You never heard of restaurants? Or Bears?

 

[majicmaker]

I guess I'll trot out that old gem I read in a bike mag many years ago. When packing a bike for a long trip, lay out everything you think you'll need and put all the money in your wallet you think you will need. Then throw out half the stuff and take twice the money.

This is True! If you're going for an eight day ride, Pack for a weekend and bring a roll of quarters. :clapping:

An ice cold beer while airing out the buttcheeks at a laundromat works wonders for the soul!

Anything else that you bring is just wasted space! Have Fun!!! :yahoo:

 

[rickcorwn]

One month, 3 days, it's all the same. You never need more than three days of clothes. LD Comfort riding shorts can easily be washed in the sink in a hotel and will be dry enough to wear immediatly after you roll them in a towel and squeeze, then take out.
Cooking gear? Dump it all. What? You never heard of restaurants? Or Bears?

+1 on the LD Comfort shorts. Add a couple of synthetic T-shits from Target, a couple of pairs of synthetic socks, a pair of nylon convertible pants a couple of T-shirts that say something cool and a fleece top and your good for months. Everything washes in the sink and dries overnight.

 

[eg23232]

Lose anything cotton; no jeans, no cotton shirts, definitely no cotton socks. Buy some good quality Columbia Sportswear Titanium pants (or similar brand), and you'll only need two pair. They make pants which you can unzip the legs and covert to shorts, so no having to take both. With shirts, go non-cotton with Columbia or REI or such. They don't wrinkle and they're moisture wicking. Don't keep wearing dirty socks....that's the easiest way to get blisters. Use synthetic socks and wash them. As with the pants and shirts, just wash in the sink and hang to dry and you'll be good for the next day's ride.

Roll, don't fold clothing.

Use compression sacks to decrease volume and help keep you organized.

Dress in layers as you would if hiking, with a poly base layer, warm insualting second layer (fleece, windstopper, or other synthetic), then your outer motorcycle gear on top. For on the bike, I use poly pants and a shirt (such as Under Armour) for a base layer and then one of several mid layer shirts in my wardrobe for warmth. (Okay when it's really cold I've got the Gerbing's liner too). I hardly ever wear a second layer on my legs because they really never get uncomfortably cold.

Don't take your motorcyle jacket/pant liners as they only serve one purpose and take up space. Dressing in layers lets you multitask your clothing. A light waterproof shell for off the bike.

Shoes are the biggest PITA for me. I like to take my Tevas for kicking around, but I don't always want sandals. Tennis shoes are the worst for packing, except for maybe hiking boots. A pair of Merrell slip-ons pack small and will get you through just about anything off the bike.

A hat such as Outdoor Research's Seattle Sombrero is great for off the bike both in sun and rain.

If you want some more hints, try this little book: https://www.soundrider.com/plpr/

 

[SacramentoMike]

I love to camp on long trips, but each time I take less and less. The latest thing I abandoned was cooking gear, which I was using pretty much only to make coffee in the mornings. Takes a lot of room and a lot of time you could be packing up and getting going. Compression sack holds sleeping bag and a feather pillow with half the feathers pulled out and re-sewn (just can't sleep without a pillow). You can hike in Teva's (and wear them into a grubby campground shower), and you can wear your m/c boots to a restaurant. And some nylon rain gear also makes an excellent windbreaker, killing two more birds. Don't really kill birds. That's just an expression.

I bought a package of Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets at Costco, just for trips. It's just a disposable sheet that you toss in the washing machine and it's soap, leave with the load when you put it into the dryer and it's fabric softener (I don't know what the third thing it does is). Ever buy soap in a freakin' laundromat? Ridiculous. Half a dozen of those sheets in a baggie take up about the same amount of space as the same number of sheets of notebook paper folded in quarters. That's the cheapness thing more than the space thing, but it's a pretty good suggestion.

All that said, riding two up, you've gotta be awful tight when you're looking at that pile of "stuff" you laid out. Good luck.

 

[oldryder]

I've traveled cross country many times 2 up and have never been short of space. heres how I pack

in general heavy stuff is loaded as low as possible. ready access for riding gear is maintained.

1. tools includes sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, duct tape, tie wraps, & tire repair kit. this all goes in the bottom of one of the saddle bags. also a siphon (Aerostitch has one that is excellent)

2. rain suits (which double as extra cold weather gear) go in the duffel on the luggage rack or on top of the trunk.

3. rider and passenger each get the remaining space in one saddle bag for personal gear. after 4-5 days you need to do laundry.

4. maps, sun screen, aspirin/advil, hair brushes, hats, windsheild cleaner, and other stuff you'll need during the day go in the trunk or in a duffel on the luggage rack. a duffel with lots of pockets helps by providing easily accessed compartments for all the little stuff.

5. a tank bag holds a camera, sunglasses, wallet, change for tolls, gloves, a scarf, ipod, and other little stuff.

6. rider and passenger each have their own water bottle accessible while riding.

I've ridden on trips with a daughter with a low of 36 degrees and a high of 92 on the same trip and we always had adequate gear for the conditions.

couple other notes:

I take a nylon "ninja mask" for each person. they take essentially zero space but can make a real difference how comfortable you are on a really cold morning. ditto for a silk scarf.

I also take spare ipod headset as it also takes near zero space. Dad's a real hero when daughter's headset fails and he magically pulls a replacement from some nook or cranny on the bike.

duct tape a necessity. so far I've repaired a torn rainsuit, a busted sheild, and a failed zipper on a duffel.

store your bikes registration and insurance paperwork somewhere that doesn't require unpacking anything to get to it. I tape mine in a envelope to the inside of a trunk lid.

we don't wear underwear or t shirts more than one day.

 

[Flybum]

you can do it. it's amazing what you can do with out when you are forced to. I did a 3 month deployment with only 30 lbs of stuff and routinely do 6 months with a 70 lb limit. granted, deployments are a bit different, getting a barracks room or a nice air conditioned tent already set up is nice, but being aircrew, you never know where you might have to land for the night so we always have to carry gear for what ever climate.