Nomad Hard Bags - Day Trips and Long Trips

[gleam]

When I get my Nomad on the road, it'll be the first time I've had a bike with hard bags and this much storage. On my Virago I would strap a backpack to the sissy bar and it would have my tools, water and clothes in it for my day trips around the province. Even though it looked goofy those things were important to have with me. When I went on my long trip I put soft saddlebags on it. Across the top of those I slung a huge waterproof (used for rafting) duffle bag that had a ton of stuff in it. Since it was my first trip like that, I played it closer to the safe side and brought quite a lot of stuff with me. It made for an excellent backrest, but it was way too much.

In this thread I'm curious to hear what sorts of things people daily carry with them in the hard bags on the Nomad. Any tips and tricks that people have found through experience would be very much appreciated. I've read the things on the Gadget site, and I'd love to do the shelves some day. I have 12v power adapters and if I can figure out a satisfactory way to get a waterproof penetration in the back of the bags, I'll be rigging that up. Beyond that I won't have much money left to do anything too interesting with all the extra repairs that I've had to do.

I found some small zip-top bags like pencil cases but bigger at a thrift store. I used these for my hand tools last year, and they were perfect. They're made for makeup I think, so they have this vinyl waterproof material. I won't be able to get the luggage inserts, but I'll be doing something similar by compartmentalizing things into smaller bags, rather than having things loose in the hard bags.

I'll hopefully be taking another long trip like that here soon, and my plan is to try to do it with only the two hard bags. I'll be gone for a couple weeks, so I'm not sure I'll be able to pull that off. The bike is stripped down to be solo, so there's nothing on the rear fender. If I have to I'll find a way to sling a bag over that but it would be cool to trim things down to just the essentials in the hard bags.

So what do you guys like to carry for day trips and for longer trips?

[cnc]

I always have a certain amount of stuff that just stays on the bike for day or extended trips. 12v compressor and tire plugs, shock pump, a big pencil case type bag with tools, Brad's wire, electrical tape and masking tape, a small booster pack, first aid kit, a 500ml bottle of engine oil, rain suit, rain gloves, an extra fleece and nylon shell jacket. Clothes and other baggage will depend on the length of any extended trip.

[twowheeladdict]

I have rain proof bags in different sizes that I picked up in the camping section. I labeled them with permanent marker so I know what's what when needed.

'Roadside' bag has tools, compressor, tire repair, first aide, duck tape, and zip ties.
'Rain Gear' bag has rain gear.
'Riding layers' bag has heated vest, neck gaiter, etc.
'Gloves' bag has different thickness gloves.
'Essentials' bag has my spare glasses, flashlight, multi-tool, fire starter, etc.

You get the idea. Organization is the key.

On long trips I like to strap a waterproof T-bag with clothing and pillow on the passenger seat because it makes a nice rider backrest. I also carry 10 inch by 24 inch dry bags with D rings on them in case I need to shed some riding gear and need to strap it down.

[scooter1600]

Longer trips need more gear

full camping including a sink
stop anywhere and were set for a few days

normal day to day
pump* tools* gloves* wet weather overs*cleaning cloths*

[DragonLady58]

Daily stuff is a complete rollup tool kit in my right bag, hand cleaner&rags, plus 4 bunkie cords. In left, is a softcase (old doublesided cassette carrier with plastic cassette holders remover), is a slim kit for tires, mini-air compressor, tire plug kit, wire ties, some soft metal wire, complete fuse kit, 1 qt. of motor oil, 2 replacement bulbs.

During trips, the saddlebag liners go in, right liner is a little less packed, so to make room for a small gas container (Peda gas can from Amazon) that fits rear slop of saddlebag.
Then a Saddlemen TS3200DE Tail Bag (holds the bulky cloths and stuff needed fast) straps down to the luggage racks mounted on top of the Saddlebags. Then the toolroll attaches to the tailbags rear, and the softcase to the tailbags front. Ontop of tailbag, rainsuit.
The TS3200 holds alot of cloths, and has plenty of Drings for attaching additional pouches. It fits across the saddlebags and rear fender, with a raised spot in the center to sit on the pass. seat. since my bike is setup solo, theres a gap between the fender and the bag. I shove a towel in there for summer use, along with some heavy duty handwipes. Sprayed with waterproofing spray, will stay pretty dry even thru heavy downpours....

When on Long trips for 5 days or longer, I use a trailer (totally customized Harbor Freight unit), all necessary stuff (saddlebag liners, and saddlemen tail bag, tent) goes in trailer, and the hard bags are the used for the toolroll, the softcase, drinks, other assorted items....
If I buy a bunch of stuff like at Sturgis, The liners go back in hardbags, tailbag goes back on bike, and the rest go in trailer....

[pete]

My longest trip was 4 weeks on the road. Carried all I needed in the two panniers and a soft tail bag(27L) with a swag rolled up on the rear seat.

Left side pannier held backpack with three lots of basic clothing, pair of thongs(flipflops lol )and running shoes.
Right side had repair/1st aid kit, jacket and bathroom stuff.
Soft tail bag had clothes that I changed/swapped out of during the day.
So very do-able with just panniers and a tail bag mate :)

[Jllm02199]

Originally Posted by gleam

When I get my Nomad on the road, it'll be the first time I've had a bike with hard bags and this much storage. On my Virago I would strap a backpack to the sissy bar and it would have my tools, water and clothes in it for my day trips around the province. Even though it looked goofy those things were important to have with me. When I went on my long trip I put soft saddlebags on it. Across the top of those I slung a huge waterproof (used for rafting) duffle bag that had a ton of stuff in it. Since it was my first trip like that, I played it closer to the safe side and brought quite a lot of stuff with me. It made for an excellent backrest, but it was way too much.

So what do you guys like to carry for day trips and for longer trips?

I have a waterproof t-bag for trips. My saddle bags have riding gear, bike cover, and tools all the time.

[jrecken]

I didn't notice anyone saying they carried extra fuel. I have an 2001 Nomad with the 4.2 gallon tank when I go on trips with others they all have larger tanks. I have found a quart container of a non ethanol premium fuel that I plan to buy and carry in the saddle bag. I see a lot of good ideas in the other posts that I will also consider.

[gleam]

I was gone for three weeks last time. I had hoped to do four this year but it's still a bit up in the air given how long it's taken me to build it. I ended up using maybe 1/3 of the items I brought, so I'll be reviewing that. If I can find the pictures I might share that as well. People might get a kick out of how much I actually brought.

One thing that I thought I would use more than I did was a soft mini-cooler in which I kept ice packs. The idea was to keep food cold for lunch, but I ended up stopping at places for quick meals instead. I wasn't exactly in the wilderness. The other thing is that I wasn't camping, so that elminated a lot of gear. I would really like to get into that, but it won't happen this year unfortunately.

One thing that I was very grateful to have quick at hand, and not deep in my main luggage, was a large ziplock bag. It contained a clean t-shirt, clean underwear, clean socks, and a few of these moit-towelette type things made for your body not your hands. I was pretty grateful for my foresight on the day I needed that, lol.

I guess the challenge here will be to do it all with just the hard bags this time. I don't see how I could rig up a tail bag without scratching the fender.

[hayes]

I always have my chaps, jacket, 2 rain suits, 3 pairs of gloves (light, medium, heavy), Kawasaki air shock pump, kick stand thingie for dirt and soft tar, phone charger, Bluetooth headset charger, Hoo-Rags. That gear covers anything for a day trip. when it comes to overnight, I pack a back with non-motorcycle stuff.

[DragonLady58]

----I didn't notice anyone saying they carried extra fuel. I have an 2001 Nomad with the 4.2 gallon tank when I go on trips with others they all have larger tanks. I have found a quart container of a non ethanol premium fuel that I plan to buy and carry in the saddle bag. I see a lot of good ideas in the other posts that I will also consider.-----

This puppy fits the rear slope of the Nomad Hard Bags perfectly! Carry it whenever on trips....doesn't leak, put wet rag over filler to keep gas smell at bay (very little smell escapes this can).
Its a life saver on the road! Fill to .8 gallons, perfect!
Amazon.com: Reda Portable Motorcycle Gas Can - 1 Gallon: Automotive

[JD Hog]

This is what I keep in my saddle bag all the time and it never gives off any fumes.

http://powersportsonlinemarket.com/p...cy-petrol-can/

I picked it up from another source for $20.00 but they don't stock them anymore.

[scooter1600]

Extra fuel 5lt plastic container in each side
1/2 a tank extra just to be sure.
came in handy a few times.
not just for me but helping out others

[pete]

Originally Posted by scooter1600

Extra fuel 5lt plastic container in each side
1/2 a tank extra just to be sure.
came in handy a few times.
not just for me but helping out others

Pulling a trailer definitely handy
No trailer but def taking 5L extra for those long stretch's through W.A. and N.T.

[DragonLady58]

Oh yes, on other thing that goes in my bags, A spray bottle of bike wash or cleaner. They make the stuff thats just for touchups, since I have a custom paint job. Theres Turlewax, S100 and others, but for long trips, the bike will get funky, and dirty.
Use a damp cloth, wipe it down, then spray on your cleaner, then a light wipe down....its usually good for both paint and chrome. While your cleaning your bike, your able to spot alot of problems before they happen out on the road.