Packing the bike thread

[Lost Rider]

I use one of these for clothes, which works very well. They are like a giant zip lock, except they have several one way valves, so after you close the zip lock, you start to compress and air goes out, does not come back in. (What looks like some kind of Italian food in this picture is actually clothing!)

Where did you buy these zip-lock type bags?
They look to be very useful.
Thanks

[munchmeister]

Where did you buy these zip-lock type bags?
They look to be very useful.
Thanks

You can get them at REI, on the 'net or in their stores. Coleman stores and web sites also sell them, sometimes in a set of three and many others. Look for retailers "travel" department. Much tougher than regular, big zip locks and once you have the zip lock part closed you can really crunch down on them and squeeze the air out of the one-way valves opposite the zip lock. Of course, you'll have a wrinkle or two in your clothes

[RForestR]

And RForestR's (Run, Forest, Run?) post reminded...

You got it wncbmw, ...my cat's name is Forest, he's been around since before the movie, and well, it just kinda fit nicely with the R...

Cheers,
Chris

[tor1150r]

ChiTown's got the idea!!
That's basically how I approached the packing issue for our 3-month trip.
Had we no other commitments, we would have stayed on the road another 2-3 weeks - we had all we needed.

It's totally do-able.

The Helen2wheels duffle bags were amazing (no leaks, as long as you can roll the top over 3-4 times). They take a real beating.

ROK straps are ingenious. I'll use nothing but them in the future.

The rear perch is pretty sturdy too. I was going to get a Givi bracket at the last minute, but cheaped out - and the stock perch held up fine even on the worst roads. I kept the weight on it to 5 kg (ok, maybe 6 at times).

What we found extra-convinient were 2 x 10 litre, oval dry bags strapped to the top of the Helen2wheels bags. We called these our 'LayerBags' (patent pending LOL). We used these for, well, layers. We could remove our heavy gloves or jacket liners and quickly stuff them in these bags without dismantling anything. They double as air pillows too!!

pics on my site
motorcycle-overland.com

[wncbmw]

Where did you buy these zip-lock type bags?

Target, Wally World, luggage stores and I have also used the real Zip Locks, the large freezer version!

[MIXR]

When you run out of room, go UP!

[wncbmw]

Amazing utilization of space folks!

My goal has always been to keep the load as light and low as possible, however. You give up enough nimbleness with the extra weight as it is. But we have certainly proven the 1150R can do the long haul!

[cc]

Amazing utilization of space folks!

Here is my R packed for indefinite length travel. Includes 2 man tent, sleeping bag, thermarest, clothes etc. The tank bag expands up 1½ inches to accomodate my 4-man tent when I have company.

[Xray28]

My "system" is constantly evolving. Currently everything's packed for a trip to Quincy, Ca. This time I tried to keep all the weight low. Meaning that the tent poles went in one system bag, my monster tent pins go in the other, etc. All I've got up in the dry bag is my two man tent, sleeping bag (In it's compression bag), and clothes.
As to the Loft question. I concur that leaving any bag compressed for a long time is a bad idea, but you do what you must. After all ... they're only tools to keep you from dieing in the freezing night.

[wncbmw]

Here is another entry into our bike packing thread! Saw this one on the streets this week while on the job.



Notice the trailer!



Certainly has character, don't you think?

[Airman]

Nice. And the rear is lashed down with.... what's that, crime scene tape ??

[Xray28]

My packing is continually evolving through continuious experimentation. My most recent trip involved camping and I found these three new things worked well.
1) a .5 mil (that's .0005 inch) painter's poly drop cloth worked well to shelter my bike from the morning frost and dew that plagued a few others at the event. This stuff is hard to work with since it's about as thin as spider web and as easy to untangle. It melts in a microsecond so the bike has to be dead cold before draping it over the bike. It cost me $00.89, lasted two days and is immanently disposable. and when you buy it it is about as thick as six sheets of paper.
2) a 2 mill painter's drop cloth worked great for a "Ground Cloth" for my tent. I staked it out taught then staked my tent on top. It came as a bundle about as thick as a dozen sheets of paper. Once again it was disposable. I wouldnt' try to repack either of the above items. They would take up three times as much space.
3) I took two SeaLine dry bags one full, one empty. As I accumulated dirty clothes I filled the empty bag. They were both held on the back of my bike with a bungie net. Everything stayed dry through several hours of light rain. I didn't have to mix clean and dirty.

[pedro25]

i wish i would have read this before my trip, but i have learned on my own some of the same things. i have the standard system cases, tank bag, and soft top case. i added two ortlieb dry bags that i got from aerostich and tie them down with their quick release cargo straps. i then bungee the sleeping bag (in waterproof stuff sack) on top of them. the ortlieb bags are great because they can be strapped together.

sorry the photo is blurry, but you get the idea. that is a giant redwood in the background along the avenue of the giants.



it took me a few weeks to get the things that i needed on a regular basis (tent, thermarest, clothes, toiletries) in as few bags as possible, typically just the ortlieb and tank bags. then i only had to unload those. things that didn't need to get unloaded all of the time (oil, rain gear, cold weather gear) went in the system cases and top case.

my wife also got me the built ny 32 oz tote which holds the popular nalgene bottles for watter, saving space in the bags. you can see it just below the yellow ortlieb bag.

this is my first long trip (six weeks), and i definitely overpacked. i don't know if i would have any fewer bags next time, but i would have more free space in them.

i will definitely check this post again before my next long trip. thanks for all of the tips.

pedro

[munchmeister]

my first long trip (six weeks),
pedro

Six weeks ? Man, I am jealous . One of these days I'm gonna have time to do some serious travelin'.

So what did you take that you would elimate from your next long trip?

[pedro25]

i brought three pairs of shoes/boots, a pair of wesco jobmaster boots with a steel toe that i always use for riding, a pair of north face hiking boots, and a pair of bmw street sneakers. i brought the street sneakers thinking that if it were very hot (i planned this trip when it was about 95 degrees in chicago), i would rather wear those. i didn't even wear them once, so those could be eliminated.

i also brought a battery tender, just in case, which also was never used, so that could be eliminated as well.

since i was planning on doing some camping, i bought a rand mcnally atlas that included a huge list of camping and rv sites across the country. it was very big and bulky. i should have gotten a smaller atlas that could pack more easily, or just individual state maps covering the route i would be taking. the big atlas could have been eliminated, but it would have been replaced with something smaller.

i brought a lot of little things, extra toiletries, miscellaneous camping stuff, that were never used. if i did ever need anything, i could always stop somewhere to get it.

since i almost stayed exclusively at koa campgrounds (discovered them after starting trip) when i wasn't staying with friends or family, i was never "roughing it" too much.

since it was such a long trip, i brought some guide books and other reading material (ted simon's jupiter's travels and neil peart's ghost rider). if it wasn't such a long trip, those could have been eliminated.

since i am keeping a blog as i go, i also have a laptop and digital camera with all of the power and usb cables. i assume everyone would want a camera on a good road trip, but if i wasn't blogging, i could probably eliminate the laptop. i also use the laptop for updating routes on may navigator ii gps, but for a shorter trip this probably wouldn't be necessary.

individually, none of these things took up that much room, but all together they take up a lot of space.

i initially used some packing lists that i found on the internet. they were very helpful, because there were things that i never even thought of bringing. having never done a trip like this before, i didn't know any better on what to bring or not to bring. i think i would do it much better the next time, not just from this experience but from reading all the tips from this thread.

i hope this helps.

pedro

[JCsman]

Certainly has character, don't you think?

With those blue lights up front, are you sure it isn't a cop bike?

Not sure I'd pull over though....

Plus I wonder at the life expectancy of the trailer wheel bearings at (say) 80 mph.

[Brownw3]

I can easily pack everything I need for a 7 day camping trip in tank bag and touring cases, with only my bedrol strapped to the bike.

Go to Helen Two Wheels for packing systems. She is the goddess of cargo, the princess of luggage, the mistress of managing baggage....

She rides about 30,000 miles a year, everything she needs is on the bike and stops at dealers to sell her fabulous wares.

[johno]

wncbmw, Maybe a dumb question, do you leave your pillion seat off? I cant see in the photos if it is or not.