Lets start with tools:
Tire repair kit: fits
under the seat, along with 5 CO2 canisters and a nice mini CO2 re-filling tool
from my cycling gear (for airing up tires as needed)
Each bike is different so your tools will differ as well,
but the process of figuring out what to bring is the same.
First grab a sheet of paper and pen and head for the garage;
staring at the front of the bike check each nut for size and work your way to
the back of the bike, best to have a wrench screwdriver or socket for anything
that might come loose or need maintenance for your trip. You will need to make minor adjustments to
the bike during your trip so pay special attention to these areas (chain tensioner,
levers, shifter breaks and oil drain plug, your filter can stay in place longer
than the oil can, so in my case, 7,000 miles, I don’t need the filter wrench, I
can also barrow one when I change my oil at the half way point (Auto zone will
lone tools for free and there are three of them in Anchorage).
Once you have all the tools noted down pull the tool kit
from the bike and start checking off your list, I found that the majority of
the tools were provided by the factory and I only needed a few items added to
the tool kit, it’s all now a permanent part of my kit on the bike.
Add to the tools kit some cable ties (zip ties) I added 4
long and 4 short to my kit. They will help when you lose that bolt or two that
should have seen some lock tight before you left.
Camping gear!
OK this is the fun stuff, I love my camping gear, after years of Backpacking I
have accumulated the gear that works well for motorcycle camping. Plus so many
lessons learned I think I could fill a book
Let’s start with four lessons learned:
Lesson one: bringing
the right gear is always better than bringing the most gear
The mantra is: “Everything you pack must have
at least one mandatory purpose you can’t live without, and everything else
is extra”
(Lots of extras in my pack!)
Lesson two:
comfort is mandatory (it’s not just survival it should also be a good time)
Lesson three: learn
what can be had on the trail/road and try not to bring it all, you can shop
along the way.
Lesson four: you
can do laundry along the way, pack as little as possible.
How much does it all weigh
You may want to weigh all your kit, it will give you a
better idea of the magnitude of stuff you are attempting to bring and this step
helps keep things manageable.
In backpacking my limit was always 30lbs, on my last trip, I
decided to do the test and I tipped the scale at 50lbs, time to re think my
kit!
It helps to ask yourself a few questions before you go, try
and be firm with decisions: are you going to camp. What are the possibilities
for weather? The more possibilities for
change the more gear you will bring.
Do you really want to
camp
I don’t think the
decision to camp should be a maybe, there is just too much gear involved, and
its really easy to just get a hotel,
your bike will be much lighter you will get better fuel economy and you
may enjoy your ride all that much more with a good night’s sleep and a shower.
For me, I’m camping on this trip, I want the outdoor experience
and I just love camping, so the camping gear is in! Now I have an extra 30 + lbs
of kit on my bike.
Here is a photo of all my kit, a practice packing three
weeks prior to departure, missing is my camera gear, towel and extra clothing
Clothing: I will cover this next time (less is more?)
Tent: REI Half Some 2 Plus
Stove: Brunton Vapor AF (this will run on any gas! but it is also vary loud)
Sleeping Bag: The
North Face -30 cold weather bag
Air mattress:
Therm-arest NeoAir Xlite (light and small also reflects heat back to your body)
Water purifier:
MSR (cleanable, reliable and fits on the end of my water bottle for easy
pumping)
Note: not all campgrounds in BC have
potable water
Kitchen utensils:
Fork, Plate, Cup (doubles as measuring cup) and one Pot, top and removable handle,
Cleaning pad, and soap, Hiking knife
Hatchet: (2 lbs)
for splitting fire wood (campgrounds always give you big pieces
of wood that are hard to start; the hatchet will cut smaller pieces off and
make it easier to start).
Chair: (1lb)
Alite Mayfly (if your camping
you need a chair to sit in at the end of a long day, this one is tiny)
Close line: Part of my backpacking gear it’s a tiny little
thing with clips works well to dry things out when they get wet.
Miskito repellant:
98% deet for the hardcore mosquitoes and second one that does not melt plastic
or make your face go numb, in case they are not too bad.
Rain Gear: (North
Face) Light and new (bad things
happen when you put your gear away wet and forget about it for a long, long
time)
Hat: oops! I forgot it, “putting that in now”
Shoes: Viberam FiveFingers; Vary light and can be used in
the water and will be great around camp
Stuff Sacs: these
are light and help keep gear organized, nearly impossible to pack my side cases
without them, they also work well as a pillow,
just stuff a jacket in and fluff it in to position!
Food: I’m
bringing too much food, dinners for each night and some oat meal for a few breakfasts
and some coffee (still on the shopping list), everything else I will pick up on
the road. Why all the dinners, I recently bought some extra Backpacking food on
sale, so it was hard to leave it behind when I had it sitting there. All this
is available on the road so I really did not need to bring all this food, one
or two dinners would be normal.
Motorcycle straps: these
are in case I decide on the inside passage on the return trip, I want good
straps to anchor my bike to the deck of the ferry
