How/what do you pack on LONG trips ?
 

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 ???

Sounds like a great trip, I think I would look at redistributing the weight instead of pulling a trailer. I usually put the heavier stuff in the saddlebags, pack the tour pack with light weight stuff, and use a waterproof bag for my jackets and rain gear on the tour pack rack (they are easy to get to and don't weigh much in comparison, but are bulky). We also don't carry a lot of extras, boots for riding and usually Sperry Top Siders (or the like) for our other footwear, light weight, comfortable, and usually is appropriate for most places we go to and can also be used as slippers. Our clothing is usually something casual, but in most nice places are acceptable. Also it depends on the time of the year you are going, that has a huge influence on how we pack as does the route you take. If you are taking the Southern roads (I try to not get on major highways) in summer you will rarely need heavy winter gear, unless you are going through the Rockies...in July Independence Pass has snow. Also if you are going to stay on the West Coast for a while visiting or sightseeing, you could UPS clothing to your destination and then UPS the dirty clothes back to your home when you leave (I have not done this, a riding partner and his wife have though). Like I said, it sounds like a great trip, have fun and I hope I helped in someway.

Sounds like you have lots of experience on long trips. You did say heated gear, that good stuff light weight good wind breakers. I would use heated gear to replace all of my winter things.

As much as you can fit. Find a motel with a laundry facility and do laundry on one or 2 days.

Is simply planning what you need and buying it out on the road an option? Instead of hauling it across the country. Academy, Walmart? Or ship it somewhere and pick it up later? Hiker style.

I find I need a day of rest about every 4 or five days, so plan my clothes so I can do laundry then. I am a big believer in headed grips and inner jacket. Even on hot days, it can be cool in the morning especially at elevation.... . I ride solo so what works for me, probably wont for you. One thing for sure, if you pack high and further back, it screws with the handling, especially in stop and go rush hour situations. Two summers ago, I did 13,000 miles in ten weeks on one ride, so I tend to over-pack, especially if I am going to get remote like that Alaska run was.

Necessary items are what you must have and cannot get on the road.
!. D/L, registration and insurance certificate.
2. Prescription medications (Be sure that you have them in their proper containers especially of you're crossing the Canadian or Mexican borders).
3. Extra bike key packed in luggage (not in locked saddlebags or tour pack), extra batteries for remote(s) for security system.
4. Cell phone and charger.
5. Major credit card (2 if you have) access to ATM cash availability and enough cash to run you for several days.
6. Never go on a trip without your leathers and rain gear!
7. I pack mostly T-shirts and one or maybe two nicer shirts that can be used for "evening wear" for dinner, etc., and three pairs of leans (plus the pair that I wear).
8. I pack my old underwear and socks and toss them as necessary ;)
9. Tools-Think about what you really need and what you have the ability to use "on the road". A small mini-compressor and a tire repair kit can be a life saver!
Two-up riding requires a lot more thought as it severely limits the amount of clothing each person can take.

I have a cargo trailer (actually my second) and they came in handy when riding two-up on trips and I'd rather pull it than have the bike over-packed but when my wife rides her own bike (Heritage) she has nearly as much storage in her saddlebags and tour pack as I do on my Ultra.

Rule of thumb for packing for a road trip, put everything you both think you'll need on the bed in a pile. Immediately reduce that pile in half, half the clothes and extra what if gear in particular, once you have been out more than a week you'll find you still over packed. Can't tell you what to or not but if your honest from past experience how much shit did you haul around that didn't get used.

It's a bike trip, you need luggage take a cruise instead....

Yeah done that to the shovel a few times, :icon_beerchug:

It's amazing that many years ago "Red" and I could head out for wherever with a sleeping bag strapped to the sissy bar and a change of cloths strapped to the handle bars ... Our last trip the "Bagger" was packed tight and the Bushtec was full too :<(

Listen to this post! The absolute truth!. I've shipped stuff home before due to over packing.

A good tip ... When getting home from your trip, sort all the stuff you took on the trip into two piles ... Needed and Not Needed ... That'll help you figure out what's necessary for the next ride ... Maybe :>)

This is how we travel -The shot was taken in Spearfish Canyon .
I consider this packed and enough for a forever run for two up. (in the above pic)

along with all the usual stuff I also take a small pack of baby wipes and keep them in the top compartment of my sissy bar tour pack for easy access. I use them at gas stops for a quick face and hands cleaning. You'd be surprised at how much black road gunk comes off of your face after a couple of hours of riding. They're also good for cleaning goggles.

Please ... No "Black Face" jokes :>)

This cracks me up what to pack. Me I pack two days of changes and make them last . Also I never go without my blow up doll Maggymay

Spent a fair portion of my 20's & 30's living off a bike, suprising how little one really needs for a few weeks.

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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.

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.

True, true, true! Plus, it makes the front super light, is something my father hated during our last trip (we rode 6835 miles to North Cape last summer). I suggest placing all the lighter stuff in all upper luggage and the heavy stuff in the sidebags. Worked for us. We carried the bare minimum:
- 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.

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that is smart way of seeing it! Never actually thought about it. I'll keep it in mind for my next trip

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.

Honestly I think men are the culprits for over packing on a bike. My Ol' Lady packs less than I do on the bike but twice as much as I do anywhere else. LOL

I am a fan of riding underoos that can be cleaned in the sink & hung up to dry in the motel room. I have some compression riding socks that are the same theory that I got from Cycle Gear.
3 pairs of drawers & 2 pairs of socks.
2 pairs of regular socks & 2 pairs of regular underwear.
2 pairs of jeans.
1 pair of shorts
Sandals
Magazines (mostly porn)
3 pairs of riding glasses
2 pairs of gloves (fingerless & regular)
Jump pack

Following items in bag or strapped to luggage rack:
Hoodie, (sometimes) jacket (should be always), long sleeve riding shirt stuff to cover face.

My wife rides her own so I'm lucky to have more room than some. I used to ride a Dyna with either a tail bag or throw over bags. Now a Road King & her a Road Glide. We use those soft bags that fit in the saddle bags which are the best thing since sliced bread in my opinion. Super convenient!
I think with proper packing I could haul all of our items on just my bike.

That hitch rack by Kuryakyn is nice, I have one and it works great, just make sure what you put on there is protected from the exhaust...and not to high to block your lighting.

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Oregon Coast trip about 4 years ago
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Oregon Coast/Redwoods trip 2018

I googled the hitch rack. Wow, I didn't think people would need to bring that much stuff. I guess if you're 2 up and camping?
I like this design, but towing a trailer versus the rack ... I dunno.

Options are nice. We added some cargo space with the sidecar. Its just a bit bigger than a tourpak [the trunk] and there is some space in the foot area if the dog is the "monkey". [I think that is what the passenger is called in hack racing...] We bought the sidecar for the dog. Check - My wife wanted the sidecar for the dog. I wanted to modify a tourpak for the dog. He's only 15 lb.

As far as trip packing - I plan on having 5 riding days of clothes, and one or two of non riding clothes. So 2 pr riding pants. 5-6 Tshirts, 1 pr shorts, 7 underwear... flip-flops [or running shoes]. My wife came up with bringing laundry supplies, just to have em. Use a zip lock and some pods [x4?] and drier sheets [x4]. Use the stuff you get at home, as you may / may not know you have a soap sensitivity.

I bring tools that I wish I had previously, ha ha, as well as the things I'd need for various repairs. [Adjust/tighten highway pegs, Wal-mart parking lot oil change, reinstall and tighten intake bolt...] As a Canadian, ensure my phone is on a USA plan. A roadside assistance plan, that will deliver fuel if needed. [9 miles north of Tonopah - so close, yet so far...] Air compressor [little HD one - cheap] and a good tire gauge. A good flashlight and a backup. Sure your iPhone has a light feature, but a flashlight is just better. CR2032 batteries - for the HD Fob. Or replace in spring, your choice... I also bought a Fluke 107 multimeter. It's nice and compact, and will do most jobs you'd ever need to at home. You shouldn't have electrical problems, but you never know. I have tire plug kits, but I would guess I'd call roadside. I'd look to see if it is repairable, but... I read you should practice on an old tire at home first. Maybe some Octane boost incase you're stuck with 87 as the only option. Some will say you don't need it, but I bring it.

It's nice to have a half helmet, but I bring the modular when space is tight. I use a Sena 20 for tunes / comms with my wife or riding buddy. I've ridden without a helmet in states that allow, but not usually all day riding. Arizona comes to mind. It takes motorcycling freedom to a new level, although it does make you feel naked...

Awesome Jacket - Fox Creek Leather was my choice. Less features than the FXRG it replaced, but better quality in my opinion. My rain gear came from Motoport. It is custom-ish. It's well fitted to me. Gloves are a bit of a mix, but one for rain, one for warm, and my favourite are the Rev'it vented for late spring-early fall. I don't care for a gauntlet style, but in the cold/rain... I have Gerbing heated gloves, but uncontrolled, they get too HOT. I actually had them burn my one hand to a 1st degree blister. I'll need a temp controller for them. A heated vest is good, a heated jacket is nicer... This one is Canadian made. :) Boots - I tried a couple HD boots. They came apart in a season or two, one pair was an expensive FXRG boot. I tried to get custom boots, but it was a bit of a disaster. I ended up with Danners. Sturdy, warm, and available in w-i-d-e. Ugly laces though. I replaced them with kevlar or paracord? laces with metal grommets. Once broken in, I can walk in them all day. They do get a little warm in summer, hence the flip-flops...

I don't really camp on trips. I would like to just do a camping trip, but when we went to the Chip in '15 - Buddy and I bought matching Redverz Tents. You can park your motorcycle in the garage bit, and stand up and drink beer next to it in a pinch in a hailstorm. Good piece of kit, that is in the garage not being used. I will try to use it more in the future.

Credit Card [US Dollar - for a Canadian, you get hit with a 1-2% for all US dollar transactions using your CDN Credit Card. Lots of people don't know this, but I suggest it to everyone visiting or shopping in the USA.]Cash - I like to have some cash incase the road takes us to Las Vegas...

Plan your trip... I usually make a Google Sheets trip log to estimate my time / distance / fuel. It's not required, as you can "just go" but if there are some points you wanna see, and you need to keep in mind fuel stops, and distance. I use Google Maps and see what Google estimates the distance / time will be. I -can= ride X per day, but same some for incidentals. We were stuck at the welcome to Louisiana on the south side of I-10 fro like six hours. I splurged on a nicer hotel in Baton Rouge, only to arrive at 23:30. Disappointing to say the least. Planning takes effort, but if you are in a snow area, you have all winter to plan...

Anyhow - good to see the options out there. You can always mail it home, buy new underwear, or get that oil changed. I wish I got sponsored by these companies, but no - I do not. Biggest thing is to have fun and enjoy.

H

This my bike all packed and ready to leave on a 6 week trip, with my wife. T-Bag rack bag has a rain cover when needed. As stated previously, we packed for 8 days, did laundry on Sunday. Not a fan of lots of bungees and crap hanging all over the place, this is neat and weatherproof. Good luck.
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If you go the way of a luggage rack in the trailer hitch make sure anything heavy that you have goes in the saddle bags or tour pack. You think the weight on the tour pack is bad, overload the cargo holder from the hitch, your front end gets really light in a hurry. I have this trailer hitch box, it offers just enough extra space and an additional luggage rack but I only pack the lightest bags in there. If you go this route move your rain suits and the like to the rack and keep the weight in the saddle bags.
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Honestly everything changes the handling of a bike, from a passenger to luggage. Weight is weight. An experienced rider can adapt to the change in weight distribution and still have a safe ride. The problem I see with the trailer hitch rack is the distance from the center of gravity of the bike. Moment = Force X Distance. So the farther back it goes, the effect becomes exponential to the bike.

22 years ago we were packed very heavy, riding two up, on a 1200 Sportster. Trying to get up an entrance ramp onto the interstate. Ever time I gave her any significant throttle, the front wheel was lifting off the ground. The day that happens on my Roadie, I know I have over packed, or me and the wife need to go on a serious diet. Carry on.

I live in Australia and have been traveling to the US for many years riding around. I've done a heap of coast to coasts and been to Sturgis multiple times from the west coast and the east coast. I've crossed the US on a Wide Glide twice, on a Fatbob, a Street Bob, a Road Glide and a few times on an Ultra Classic. Every single time I've taken more stuff than I needed. Anybody who takes more jeans than 2 pair including the ones you're wearing must be sleeping in the mud. There are places in the US called laundromats where you can stop and wash stuff while you have a feed and a coffee. I've never done a trip where I haven't bought a few t-shirts so go light on them when you leave home. 3 not counting the one you're wearing is plenty. I saw some bloke says he takes a couple of good shirts for going out to dinner. Farkme. It's a bike trip. If you going out to dinner to somewhere that doesn't accept t-shirts, buy one on the road but I always took those shirts home unworn. Now I never take them. Raingear is essential. At home I change my shorts every day but on the road? Not so much. I find 4 or 5 pair at most will get me to a laundromat in plenty of time. Socks the same. Just make sure you have a jacket and gloves that can cope with the morning cold and if you wear a sweater under your jacket take ONE or buy one on the road. Also a pair of sneakers or slippers or whatever you want to relax when you get out of your boots. There's your wardrobe. Walmart has cheap clothes if you need anything else on the way. Take your medication, your tooth brush and toothpaste and keep a bottle of water on your bike at all times so the toothbrush works. I also take wipes or buy them on the road. I also take those waxy earplugs to shut out the noise of passing trucks when I'm trying to sleep but if you forget them. Walmart also has them. 4 pairs of jeans? Take a bloody tuxedo in case you get invited to a wedding. Bugger me.

I travel solo, but the concept is the same for two-up. I pack two pairs of pants and enough shirts, socks and underwear for 3-4 days. I usually find a laudromat and wash my clothes as needed. I collect HD t-shirts, and I pick them up as I go along, so I also have those to wear. I carry rain gear, a small laptop, personal items (toothbrush/paste, shampoo, deodorant, etc.) I also carry some major league pain reliever, anti-diarrhea pills (hey, there's nothing worse...), and an anti-histamine, like sudafed. I have my boots and a pair of shoes for walking around, etc. I also pack a sidearm and a couple of magazines of ammo. I also have my cell phone charger, laptop power supply and other electronics type items. I have a mesh HD armored jacket, and carry a waterproof and windproof jacket I can wear beneath it, as well as a hoody for insulation and carry light, medium and heavy weight gloves. I wear sunglasses , and carry a spare pair as well as some clear glasses for night time.

I carry a tire plug kit and a small inflator and a small set of basic hand tools and my shock absorber pump.