What do you need to pack for a long motorcycle trip?

**All credit for this blog goes to Rob (Lawdog) Layman**

Blog-Well we talked about planning your trip, now I want to talk about what you will need.

Weather is important you never know what you are going to come across especially if you are traveling great distances maybe over mountains or through deserts.  On your motorcycle if you have ever taken a trip you know your packing space is extremely limited especially if you ride two up.  It’s easy to take off a sweatshirt and go down to a t-shirt in heat but how do you pack light and provide for cold weather?  I purchased a heated coat from ANSAI.  The coat I selected runs off a small battery pack.  The coat was $150 with a battery and charger.  At 25% heat it will last 8 hours, under your leather coat 25% is usually sufficient.  The coat works great for a light weight jacket in the evenings as well.  The reason I selected this coat rather than a coat that plugs into the bike is I can use it away from the bike.  My coat has gone to Seahawks games, duck hunting and other outdoor winter activities.

I base my packing off what cities will I be staying in and try to plan a short day into a bigger city (more than a one hotel town).  If you leave yourself a little time when you arrive or the next morning stop by a laundry mat and wash your clothes.  If you are gone for 7 days pack for 4, if you’re gone for a month pack for 5 and plan a stop for laundry every 5 days.  I used a laundry mat in Cody, WY and they had an attendant on duty it was a few dollars per pound.  I dropped off all my clothes came back a few hours later the attendant had all my clothes washed, dried and folded ready to go.

If you are like me and you like to buy souvenirs for yourself, kids, grandkids, etc. how are you going to fit all that in your bike?  What can brown do for you?  They can ship all my extra crap (Harley shirts) I buy home.  I shipped it from Cody, WY and when I got home 3 days later it was waiting for me at work.  Typically a UPS store will have the packaging materials you need and are very helpful and understanding.

Make sure you have sun screen and Chap Stick.  You have to be ready for the sun to beat down on you for 8 hours a day accompanied by 75+ mph winds (Chap stick can be a life saver).  If you don’t think you need sun screen because you work outside all the time.  Wait until you get that haircut before you leave, wear different clothes riding than you do working and get burned on day 1.  The rest of your trip will be miserable. I also suggest an after sun lotion, I swear by Banana Boat After Sun despite two shirt and sunscreen I still needed it after a trip through Yellowstone. I ride a streetglide, so I have fairing pouches and I keep a small flashlight just in case I ride into the night and need to find something in my bags or god forbid I have a break down.  I also carry something to clean my sun glasses and a pocket knife.  If you are a LEO a couple challenge coins never hurt.

If you have a tour pak on your bike a helpful tool is the lid organizer.  When you have large suitcases (saddle bag liners) the last thing you want to be doing is digging for a small item at the bottom of your bag.

Make sure you provide some room for some shoes other than your riding boots.  Even if it’s just a pair of sandals something different for at the end of the day when you go down for a drink, swim trunks are nice as well the hot tub can really help the body when you have been riding all day.

If you are like me, I live in a helmet law state unfortunately.  The first thing I do is get that dang thing off when I cross state lines.  Make sure you know what the laws are in different states.  If you are lucky enough to live in a no helmet state, keep in mind you might head into one and pack accordingly.

This is a good basis for your trip and what the heck there is a Wal-Mart every 100 miles if you forget something.  In the end enjoy the ride!

I just want to send out a special thanks to my Uncle Carl for all your help teaching me how to plan trips and giving me pointers along the way!

**All credit for this blog goes to Rob (Lawdog) Layman**