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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...e15c9372d8.jpg
I'm a notorious overpacker, but I've learned to pare my stuff down (don't want to mess up the clean look of the SG, you know). Here's my loaded bike on the last leg of last summer's 2600 mile Utah trip with the wife. We take 2-3 days of clothes max, just about every place has a guest laundry nowadays. Have yet to have to use a laundromat. We use packing cubes and compression stuff sacks for things we don't care about getting wrinkled (well really I don't care if any of it gets wrinkled, but the wife does). :icon_mrgreen: As someone previously mentioned, I've also got a pair of low-profile deck shoes that don't take up much space and flip-flops. I also bring a small electric coffee pot because I can't stand weak-ass motel coffee. Where we don't skimp is our riding gear, which takes up the most space if it gets hot and we have to store it. The heaviest stuff goes in the saddlebags, lightweight stuff and odds/ends go inside the tour-pak and the riding gear goes on the top bag. That still leaves a little extra room for leftover beers from the night before and souvenirs. BTW congrats on your retirement, I'm not there yet, but the first thing I'll be doing is a long road trip too. |
We have a 2005 Road Glide, King Tour Pak and T-Bags Rack bag. Not sure what some of you have on your bike that you are only packing 2 days worth of clothes. We don't like to do laundry if avoidable, sometimes it is not. Are usual routine is 9 days worth of clothes, this leaves me with room on the bike for an incidental or more importantly to remove some layers as it gets hot. For us 9 days of clean clothes means 9 pairs of socks, 9 underwear and 9 clean t shirts. Something to sleep in and 1 clean pair of jeans. Rain gear, leather, a warm long sleeve shirt, some tools and our lap top. We did 6 weeks and 10k miles like this, packed for 8 days doing laundry on Sunday. We like one extra st in case we hit some bad weather and get wet, it happens. Of course with the stuff and her the bike feels heavy, but never top heavy. You get used to the feel of the loaded bike pretty fast. We have cruised thru California Mountains, Blue Ridge, Tail of the Dragon etc fully loaded, the bike does all the heavy lifting.
Leaving some space for taking off layers is important, bike should truly only be fully loaded on a hot day when you have the least amount of gear on. Also no shame in hitting the Post Office and sending some stuff home when you realize you don't need it. We were in Utah last year, brought some serious cold weather gear, damn temps never went below 90!!! Mailed it all home in Arizona. Good luck. |
"What do I pack?"
2 large bags. 1 I check 1 I carry on. |
Riding gear is a must, and clean underwear.... unless you do commando....
Newer synthetic "drawers" you can wash in a sink and they dry pretty quick. Or just buy you some new skivvy's on the road. Deodorant, toothbrush etc. 2 changes of jeans, and shirts. pair of flip flops or shoes. shorts or whatever you wear to bed. if camping, small solo tent and sleeping bag in a compression bag And I always liked the water proof bags for white water rafting to put clothes in.... Good flashlight, spare battery's. small basic roll of tools, spare spark plugs etc. If you're not camping, that free's up space. |
After 10 years and 120k miles my wife and I have it down to a science. We just got back from a two up 8 day ride to the Florida Keys from NC. Round trip was 2047 miles. We purchased the Dry Spec D66 luggage and loved it. No more having to put a rain cover over the Harley stuff. The main bottom bag has a lot of room. We added light weight mess zip up containers inside for our underwear to keep it separated. The smaller top bag allowed for expansion as we bought t-shirts along the way and a place to put our zip out jack liners from the three season jackets. Forget the straps that come with it. ROK straps work much better, are very secure and easy to use. We wear one pair of jeans, take on extra pair, two shirts and four changes of underwear. We try to plan to be in a hotel that has a laundry every 4th day. The wife carries the Tide pods and keeps plenty of quarters! She has the ride saddle bag for rain gear, gloves, glasses,water, etc. I have the left bag for the same. We try to keep the tour pak as clean as possible for helmets when stopped and for snacks and any other miscellaneous items. Less is better. What happens to us most times is we pack everything we want to take. Then we realize we have way too much. Then we step back and determine what we really need. Good luck and enjoy the trip! |
I carry the typical stuff listed in the previous comments. This year, I carried a Jetboil stove and a coffee cup. I would pick up a muffin or something the day before for breakfast.
I roll a t shirt, pair of boxers and a pair of socks up and put in a gallon Ziploc. I have a complete change of clothes and I can roll up the dirty clothes and put in the ziploc to keep them separated from other clean clothes. I roll the dirty ones with a sock on the outside so I don't carry a dirty set to the bathhouse. |
Originally Posted by Budco37
(Post 17888314)
My wife and I are going to do a west coast trip from Jacksonville Fl this spring. We;'re both retired so time on the road is not an issue. We have done several 2000+ mile trips the last couple years and have learned a few things that work for us. We do two full days of riding to a destination, then stay there for two days for a break. Our main issue is what to pack for this trip. We need to have clothes for all temperatures and weather so I'm thinking of either getting heated vests or multi-layer jackets/pants. Last trip we took two extra sets of clothes plus what we have on. Besides our clothes we bring tennis shoes, bathroom needs plus misc crap. My main issue the on last couple trips we have a bag that we secure to the luggage rack (with all our clothes) and it makes the bike (2014 Ultra Limited) even more top heavy than it is now. The main reason we put all our clothes in one bag is it makes things easier when getting to and leaving the hotel. We use one saddlebag for my small tool kit and our rain suits. The other bag has shoes/flip flops, bathroom stuff and some misc crap. We use the tourpak for things we usually need during the trip such as gloves, meds or snacks. I'm thinking we're going to need more room for this trip and I don't want to pull a trailer. I was thinking of putting a tow hitch on and putting a hitch rack in it to put the clothes bag in instead of on the tour pack. That will help with being so top heavy and when we get to our destination days we can put the rack in the hotel room out of the way. Can anyone offer any tips that would help on the trip? We're thinking it's going to be at least a 3 week trip so we want to have a routine to make things easier. What works for you ???
- fishermen's water proof outfit (it worked pretty good, i do not remember the brand now, but if you are interested i'll check later and write it down) - underware - toiletries - 5 shirts - 2 pair of motorcycle jeans - 2 pair or regular jeans - 1 pair of **** shoes - tool set -road glide pump (some models had issues, we wanted to play it safe) all this per person. My parents were riding on my father Road Glide Ultra and i was on a Dyna Superglide (had a Big Dyna saddlebag, a Big Round toolbag and a soft tour pack i bought in a HD store). It worked very well for us, we did laundry at laudrymat or, when we were lucky, directly at the motels. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...a6e5f526b1.jpg |
Have a clear out, take old shit with you that you can wear and throw away once finished. Lightens the load on return trip and no clothes washing to do on trip or when you get home! |
Originally Posted by K9F
(Post 17932193)
Have a clear out, take old shit with you that you can wear and throw away once finished. Lightens the load on return trip and no clothes washing to do on trip or when you get home! |
I have used the mail a few times for the return trip. The wife does a great job packing but more is not always the best. Keep the heavier stuff down low as mentioned for better balance.
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