If you have been riding motorcycles for awhile, you may be wondering what it would be like to take a extended trip on your bike. Taking a extended trip on your motorcycle takes a bit more planning that taking a trip in a car. You need to pack light and only bring the essentials.
Below I will list out all the things you need to consider and what packing options are available for you. There will also be some helpful trip and tricks along the way.
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What you need to Pack
I feel like you can split the items into two categories, Motorcycle and Non-Motorcycle items. Non-Motorcycles items (to me) are things like clothes, water, food, and electronics. While motorcycle items include things like tool kits, first aid kit, and gear.
Non-Motorcycle Related Items
Clothes – Two Shirts, two Pants, two pairs Socks and underwear. You will also want one pair of non-riding shoes. (your everyday shoes) Most riding shoes are not designed to be walked in and having a regular pair of shoes for when you are not on the motorcycle will be nice.
Pro Tip: Try to avoid cotton and use synthetics instead. Most workout clothes tend to be made from synthetic materials. They can pack down smaller and dry much faster.
Items that have Multi-Functions – The trick to packing light is to pack items that have more than one use. That way you do not need to waste space with multiple items. Space is sacred and we need to save as much of it as we can.
Water and Power Bars – Riding for long periods of time will physically drain you faster than driving a car. Keeping water and food with you will help fight off the physical fatigue. Getting tired causes the same physical and mental effects as if you were under the influence of alcohol. Eating a drinking water will allow you to put more miles in the saddle each day.
Sunglasses and Sun Screen – Sunglasses are nice to gave if you do not have a tinted visor. You will also want to have some sun screen to put on any exposed area of skin. Being in sunlight all day, without the protection of a roof, could cause you to get burned if you are riding all day.
Neck Tube / Bandanna – The one area that a lot of people of over look is the neck. Having a neck tube will help keep bugs, rain and sun off your neck. They also help keep air from going up your helmet to stay warm.
A Hat – Its nice to have a regular hat to put on to hide your helmet hair when you get off the motorcycle. Or you may want a hat because you enjoy wearing one, it is completely up to you.
Phone Chargers – Bring the chargers for all your electronic devices so when you stop at the end of the day you can charge everything. You might want to also consider getting a solar battery bank you can strap to your motorcycle. That way it can charge while you ride and you will have emergency power if you need it.
Motorcycle Related Items
Tool Kit – Get kit that has tools that match the motorcycle’s hardware SAE or Metric. Most Motorcycles use metric, but check before you get anything
First Aid Kit – I hope you never have to use it, but you will be thankful you have it, if it is needed. If you want a small one, I would recommend this Small First Aid Kit
Rain Suit – The weather is never reliable and you do not want to get cold and wet.
Ear Plugs – Some people believe that having ear plugs in is not safe. That is not true, you are still able to hear things, but it helps keep the wind noise at a minimum. Wind noise over a extended period of time, can cause damage to your ears. Trust me, riding will be more relaxing when it is a bit quieter in your helmet.
Cold weather Jacket and Gloves – Most mornings start off pretty chilly and warm up as the day goes on. Plus if you are traveling far, you never know what weather you will run into.
Extra Tie Downs – You need something to hold your bags down to your motorcycle. Keep a few extra with you in case one breaks or you need extra holding power when repacking items.
Paper Road Maps – As nice as GPS is, you do not want to fully rely on them. Keep a map of the area you will be traveling in just in case your phone or GPS’s battery dies.
Other Items you May want to Consider
- Small 1 Gallon Gas Can
- Pains Killers (Aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen)
- Extra Electronic Devices (Laptop, Action Camera, MP3 player)
- USB Adapter for Motorcycle to charge devices on the go.
These items are not necessary, but they might be nice to have when you stop for the day.
How to pack it onto the Motorcycle
Now that we basically have everything we need, we now just need to somehow get all of it to fit onto the motorcycle. Below we will go over what are the common methodologies, storage options, and how to actually pack the items into the bags.
Packing Methodologies
Some people have different ideas when it comes to how they want to deal with the items they bring and what to do with them after they have been used. I have listed the three methods that I have heard about, in order of what I found to be most popular.
- Bring what clothes you need and wash them at a laundry mat.
- Bring only clothes you don’t mind throwing away and buy new as you go.
- Bring clothes, then when dirty, mail home to yourself and buy new.
If you are traveling to a friend or family member’s home, ask them if you can do some laundry during your stay. This way you only have to bring two sets of clothes with you. Plus you do not have to bring soap with you.
There is no right or wrong method to how you deal with your dirty clothes. Some people hate being at a laundry mat and would rather buy new. Just do what resonates best with you.
What storage Options are Available for you?
Back Packs – This is the easiest one to get and probably one you already have. The back pack is great for one or two night trips. The pack has enough room to hold two days worth of of clothes, and a few other accessories like phone chargers and your normal toiletries.
You do not have to use any special backpack, but you want to make sure it is secured to you and will not fall off. The ones that have the buckle across the chest work great.
Tank Bags – A tank bag is a small bag that sits on top of your gas tank. They are usually pretty affordable. The average price of one of these are between $20-$100. It really depends on how much space you want and the bells and whistles included. Most usually have a see through part, that allows you to put a map or GPS into it. This can free up some space on your handlebars. You can pick up this Tank Bag that has all the nice basic features on Amazon for under $25.
This type of bag would be perfect to store all your small valuables. Since most of them use magnets to secure to the tank, it is easy to remove when you get off the bike. That way you can bring all your valuables with you in one bag.
Saddle Bags – These bags usually sit on each side of the motorcycle. They can either be a soft shell or hard shells. Soft shells are good for fitting weirdly shaped objects into, but are not usually water-proof. Hard shells are easier to remove and water-proof, but can be hard to pack strange items into. One other item to note with hard shells, if the motorcycle falls over with these installed, they usually get broken. Soft shell bags mostly avoid this issue.
There are different styles and fitments that you can get for your motorcycle. They make leather bags for cruisers and synthetic material bags for more sporty motorcycles.
These bags usually have the best capacity to hold things. These are the bags that will hold most of your items that you need on your motorcycle trip. These are also going to be the most expensive bags you can buy for your motorcycle.
Tail / Sissy Bar Bags – These bags are a hybrid between a back pack and a saddle bag. These bags usually strap down to your rear seat or your sissy bar. Here is an example of a nice Tail Bag (with a few options) on Amazon.
How to pack your Items into the Bags
When you pack your items into the bags, you need to think a little ahead on where you pack things and how you pack them. You also need to take water-proofing into consideration. Check local dollar stores for cheap waterproof bags. There you will want to put electronics and items you do not want to get wet.
Pro Tip: Line all your luggage bags with plastic trash bags. Even if your bag claims to be water-prof. It never hurts to add a second layer of protection.
Roll Your Clothes!
Rolling your clothes, instead of folding them, will change your life. It is way easier to do and rolling clothes is space saving. If you do not believe me, take a full dresser drawer with folded clothes, and repack them by rolling them and see what happens.
Pro Tip: Seriously, start rolling your clothes!
After learning this trick, I roll all my clothes. You can even roll complete outfits together into a single bundle. That way you only need to grab a single bundle of clothes for the whole day. Plus it keeps the wrinkles to an minimum.
Put the Heavy Stuff on the Bottom
Putting the heavier items on the bottom will help keep the motorcycle’s center of gravity low to the ground. This will make it easier for you to balance the motorcycle at slower speeds. The higher the center of gravity, the harder the motorcycle will be to control.
Spread the Weight and pack onto the Correct Side
Items that you do not need access to very often (like clothes) get packed into left saddle bag, while first aid kits, tools, rain gear get packed into right bag. This is so you are not standing near traffic if you need to pull over on the side of the road. (This is based on the lane directions of the United States, reverse the order if you drive in different lanes)
You do not want to find yourself on the side of the road trying to go through your bags with fast moving traffic right behind you.
You Will Forget Something.
No matter how much you think you got everything, you will forget something. It happens to everyone and it is a normal thing that everyone has to deal with. When it does happen, you can always stop at a store and pickup whatever you forgot.
Pro Tip: If you do have to get something, get the smallest amount possible of that item. It makes it easy to pack away on the motorcycle.
At the end of the day you don’t have to beat yourself up and you just need to enjoy your trip. Its best to not pack everything completely full and leave room for any small things you may have forgotten.
A Fun Idea
If you plan on visiting a lot of places, you might want to consider taking photos of you and your motorcycle. Then when you get home, cut those photos into the shape of the state and place it on a map. And the more states you visit the more pictures you can add to your map.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the goal is to enjoy the ride. After you get a few trips in the saddle, you will figure out what works best for you and what you need. Once you have all the basic necessities and a plan on where you are going, the fun is in the journey. Hope to see you sometime down the road.