Gearing up for big two week trip.

[terryd]

My brothers and I are going on a two week trip through the northwest Rockies and Pacific Northwest starting the third week in June and we'll be camping most of the time. I'm guessing we will cover between 3500 and 4000 miles. I'm looking for any advice from those of you who have done similar trips as to what to bring and how you brought it. So far I have acquired a 30 liter waterproof bag that holds my tent, sleeping bag, air mattress and a few other small items. I also have a large two piece leather T-bag that will go on the luggage rack. And of course there are the two hard saddle bags on the1700 Nomad. Don't leave out mistakes you made so I can avoid them.

[recumbentbob]

Take a spare key and wear it on a chain around your neck.
A lost key can ruin a trip.

[Ridefree]

The biggest mistake I ever made was not having a plug kit and a slime air pump . I could have been back on the road in a matter of minutes but had to wait hours for the repair .
A wiring kit for splicing and some extra wire can come in handy too . Always take some water just in case .

[Kawalski Rider]

Originally Posted by recumbentbob

Take a spare key and wear it on a chain around your neck.
A lost key can ruin a trip.

That is great advise.. I sent several hours looking for what was a lost key, only to discover I had put it in a pocket I don't frequently use, (too many pockets in my riding gear). Embarrassing to say the least. Especially, as I was was traveling with a group of friends. Yeah I still hear about it from time to time when the group travels each year. Counting the hideout set on the bike, I have 3 sets with me most of the time... Good luck on your trip.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[terryd]

Got the pump and plug kit. Even have a can of slime in case a hole is too irregular to plug. I only have one spare key though.

[terryd]

Originally Posted by recumbentbob

Take a spare key and wear it on a chain around your neck.
A lost key can ruin a trip.

That's actually a great idea for the main key since we don't have to leave it in the ignition on these newer Vulcans.

[Sabre-t]

If you have a some place for it, get an extra gas container (for each bike). A one gallon that is designed to fit in hard saddlebags or a Rotopax mounted on a sissy bar rack. Depending on what roads you are on, it can be really hard to find gas sometimes in the sparsely populated areas out there.

[schoeney]

Roll up your clothes vs. Fold them.
Fill gaps /shoes with small items.
When you arrive each day jump in the shower with your clothes on, socks too....wash them (with shampoo or soap) then hang them up to air dry. You will only need 2-3 sets this way.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[gv550]

Originally Posted by terryd

My brothers and I are going on a two week trip through the northwest Rockies and Pacific Northwest starting the third week in June and we'll be camping most of the time. I'm guessing we will cover between 3500 and 4000 miles. I'm looking for any advice from those of you who have done similar trips as to what to bring and how you brought it. So far I have acquired a 30 liter waterproof bag that holds my tent, sleeping bag, air mattress and a few other small items. I also have a large two piece leather T-bag that will go on the luggage rack. And of course there are the two hard saddle bags on the1700 Nomad. Don't leave out mistakes you made so I can avoid them.

I do a 4-6 week tour every year, the biggest mistake is carrying too much stuff and packing it too high and too far back on the bike.
My left saddlebag has tent, sleeping bag, air mattress, pillow and ground sheet.
Right saddlebag has rain gear and enough clothes for 10 days, then do laundry.
Tank bag carries heavy stuff, shoes, sandals, tool kit.
Trunk has only my camera and iPad, so I have room to lock my helmet and jacket inside whenever I leave the bike to sightsee.
Back seat is empty so I can pick up ladies enroute.

[terryd]

Originally Posted by schoeney

Roll up your clothes vs. Fold them.
Fill gaps /shoes with small items.
When you arrive each day jump in the shower with your clothes on, socks too....wash them (with shampoo or soap) then hang them up to air dry. You will only need 2-3 sets this way.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Now that's getting creative!

[schoeney]

Originally Posted by terryd

Now that's getting creative!

Haha. I only need to resort to these space saving tactics when my wife travels with me.

Really honey...you need to bring a curling iron? :)

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Johnny Y]

Originally Posted by schoeney

Roll up your clothes vs. Fold them.
Fill gaps /shoes with small items.
When you arrive each day jump in the shower with your clothes on, socks too....wash them (with shampoo or soap) then hang them up to air dry. You will only need 2-3 sets this way.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

That sounds like a good idea for a 2 week trip, I haven't done one yet. During the year I put aside clothes that are on the verge of being thrown out. I change every other day & toss the clothes. That frees up room for souvenirs.

[coolwazabi]

Just did the run for the wall which is cali to dc. Did about 6500 miles in 2 weeks. I recommend a lot of polyester clothing. You can rinse them at night and hang them and theyll be dry in hours. Also we did camping and we camped in AZ, NM, CO and CA. The mornings were low 40's but during the day it was low 80's. Air pump, tire repair kit, simple tools. Monkey butt and maybe double up on underwear to reduce friction. Back brace to improve posture and every general medicine like. Headache,bodyache,stomach,bengay, sunscreen, and ass wipes. Bring crappy clothing and buy some cool merch along the way as you toss your old shirts/pants/socks. Full face or modular helmet. Rain hurts. Sun hurts. Wind over thousands of miles hurts. Ear plugs saved me big time so I could get a quiet ride when I needed it.

[ZXryder]

Duct tape and zip ties.. always find uses for those

[Snake Ranch]

Originally Posted by Sabre-t

If you have a some place for it, get an extra gas container (for each bike). A one gallon that is designed to fit in hard saddlebags or a Rotopax mounted on a sissy bar rack. Depending on what roads you are on, it can be really hard to find gas sometimes in the sparsely populated areas out there.

I went to REI and bought the fuel bottles the backpackers use. They are a quart each, made of aluminum, they don't leak, and are easy to fill.

Using these made it possible to fit them in small spaces.

https://www.rei.com/search.html?q=fu...bottles&page=1

The only drawback I see is the cost. But I figured I would pay more for gas if I was stranded

The other thing to consider: I saw a small kit at America's Tire one day. It's a adaptor that will allow you to use a CO2 cartridge to speed up the tire filling process.

It has a 90 degree adaptor that will puncture the CO2 cartridges and 3 CO2 cartridges with a little plastic storage pouch.

I would check to make sure it will connect to your valve stems before you need to use it. I was out on the road one time and wanted to check my tire pressure and found I couldn't because of the clearance issues I was having with the tire rim and everything else that was in the way.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...=3JH16P3CV7FF6

Another thought : if you find a problem with the valve stem angle on your skoot you can purchase small adaptors to change the angle when checking or filling the tires. Les Schwab sells a variety of adapters for less than 5 dollars.


Hope this helps.