Sojourn Chronicles

by D. Brent Miller

You have the route planned, and you are counting down the days for your two-wheeled adventure. The last thing you want to do is just start throwing things together the night before you leave … or the day of! Take some time to think about what you need and what you want to take along.

The key to a successful trip is what you need. What you want to take along depends upon the carrying capacity of your motorcycle. When I am traveling by car, and sometimes by air, I always manage to take things I don’t need. You know how it goes … “If I have some extra time, I’ll do a little reading.” So, I take a stack of books and magazines. “If I have an afternoon free, I think I’ll go hiking.” So, I take along those huge hiking boots, fanny pack, water bottles, extra maps, etc. Did I find extra time to read? No. Did I find time to go hiking? No. But I took all that stuff with me anyway. Why? Because I was thinking about what I could take instead of what I needed, and that is a huge difference on a motorcycle.

Okay, you can do this mathematically. The gross vehicle weight of the bike is _____, and it’s carrying capacity is _____, and you weigh _____ (we won’t go into specifics here). That means you can only carry so many pounds of gear (carrying capacity minus your weight equals available weight for stuff). To seriously overload the bike runs the risk of structural damage. Case in point: Ewan MacGregor and Charley Boorman and their Round-The-World ride on two BMW GSers, documented on film and book, titled Long Way Round. Somewhere in the desolate area of Asia, one of the bikes had a structural failure–too much weight, and the frame finally gave out. They needed a good welder in the middle of nowhere.

It’s not likely that you will encounter something like this, because you most likely won’t be riding around the world, trying to carry everything you want. If you go, you’ll go with what you need. Another great example is hikers on the Appalachian Trail. They all start out with huge packs and everything they think they will need. Along the trail, hikers find places to ship gear home, or leave behind for others–things they don’t want to carry anymore because the load is too heavy. They narrow the load down to what they absolutely need.

What you absolutely need is going to vary a little because of personal preferences. And, there are plenty of other resources out there for your reading pleasure. One of the best is Motorcycle Camping Made Easy by Bob Woofter. Another is Adventure Motorcycling Handbook by Chris Scott, and if you are planning an RTW, this book is for you. Online resources include Horizons Unlimited and American Motorcyclist Association.

Here is what I pack on my Honda Shadow Spirit VT1100:

• Enough clothes for the length of the ride plus one day. I always carry an extra set of basics, just in case, but I can also get by on two pairs of jeans. And I carry a pair of shoes that allow me to get out of the motorcycle boots. All of this goes into a waterproof duffle bag (purchased from Cabellas) and is strapped on the bike between me and the pillion back rest. It provides an excellent back rest for me for those long miles. If the ride will be more than six days, I plan to visit a laundromat or hotel/motel laundry facility.
• Basic tools, tire gauge, tie-downs or bungee cords, a rag or two to clean the windscreen and my helmet’s visor, and a rain suit. All of this goes into the two soft-side saddle bags. I also carry a bike cover. It is in it’s own bag and is usually strapped on either the luggage rack or on the side of the duffle bag providing additional back-rest comfort.
• My Cortech Mini Tank Bag contains maps, compact digital camera, digital voice recorder, and a reporter’s notepad. This bag is magnetic and stays in place … period. It is also very easy to remove when I stop for gas or food. It goes with me if I leave the bike.
• In the top of the waterproof duffle bag, I carry my laptop computer. I can’t say enough about how waterproof these bags are. Everything stays dry, and I was never worried when one of my most recent rides was 300 miles of rain. And … these bags are very affordable!
• The last item I carry is an optional one for me. I get by very well carrying the Canon Powershot Pro 1 in the tank bag. Most of my images on the road are made with this. It is an 8-megapixel camera with automatic and manual camera controls, and features a famous Canon “L” series lens–the ones with a red ring on the lens barrel indicating Canon’s best. But, this camera will only do about 80% of what I want on the road, which means I need to carry additional professional camera gear for those other shots if I am on a journalistic adventure. When needed, I take my Canon ID MkII camera with three lenses–a Canon 16-35mm 2.8L, Tamron 28-300mm, and a Canon standard 50mm. I could probably do without the 50mm, but it is a great lens with a 1.4f aperture. It lets in a lot of light for those low light situations. This gear is carried in a small camera backpack that straps on the luggage carrier and the back of the pillion backrest. There, it is easily accessible, but is not waterproof. It will fit into the waterproof duffle bag, but it is a tight fit with everything else in there. I also carry a light camera tripod.

What you don’t see on my list is camping equipment. I have always wanted to take a motorcycle camping trip, because camping was the way of our vacations when I was a kid. Heck, I even went camping on my first honeymoon! (Do you think there is a correlation with why that didn’t quite make it to 10 years?) Lin, my wife of almost 21 years and I have enjoyed several camping trips, but as we have grown older as a couple, we look for more relaxing accommodations. But, I still think I will go MC camping soon. So, I have thought about what I will take and how I will carry it on this bike … or … the next one!

Start making plans for your next two-wheeled adventure. See you on the highway!–DBrent