Packing for Off-road Adventures: the LIST.

Please: think before you pack. He didn’t.

Here’s the thing: writing about adventure motorcycling means that packing lists most assuredly figure in my fate.

So, that makes this the day to trot out the clichés:

You can’t fight fate.

Time waits for no one.

Man does not control his own fate; the women in his life do that for him.

Oh, that last one isn’t really what I’m getting at — it might be true, but not what I’m getting at….

Packing lists are the first thing many people ask me about; they’re the last thing most riders agree on. And that means I’m going to ruffle some feathers.

Rustler. Ruffler. Whatever…

But I’m not really a ruffler. So let me approach my first kick at the can this way. I’m not going to push my opinions or make any judgements. I’ll simply tell you what I pack.

But first you need a couple details.

The gear I take on any overnight adventure bike trip is always the same, whether for one night or 30. The only variable items are food.

Here’s how it works. I roll into some little town with my bike loaded up, find the local greasy spoon, and use GPS and maps to plan a route through the desert or forest to the next town. Then I provision with food to last me two to three days, top up my fuel tank and water bladders and get riding. When I reach the town I’ve targeted…well…lather rinse and repeat.

The problem’s between your legs.

The limiting factor to how far I ride in two to three days is sloshing around between my legs. The gas tank of my TE610, combined with the two litres of supplemental fuel I carry, gives me close to 300 kilometres’ range. It doesn’t seem like much distance for a three-day ride – especially if you’re used to road riding – but the terrain is often challenging, so the riding pace is slow. And I stop to take lots of photos.

Oh, and I’ve a got a problem with mornings, so I usually start riding long after the early bird has not only found but digested his worm and is looking for a copy of Reader’s Digest to peruse in the bathroom….

45 litres of luggage

Okay, that was my first long-winded explanation before I give you the list. Here’s the second: I fit all my gear in approximately 45 litres of luggage space, plus a tool tube mounted to the front of the skid plate.

My luggage breaks down like this:

• Outdoor Research Drycomp compression backpack – 30 litres *strapped to the seat with Roc Straps; my camp chair folds around the pack.
• Wolfman Enduro saddlebags (pair) – 11 litres total  *discontinued, but similar to the Wolfman Daytripper bags
• Tankbags (pair) – 4 litres total  *homemade, using two old fanny packs
• Tooltube – 2 litres total  *homemade (yes, this is a theme with me) from 4″ ABS piping

47 litres is enough volume for all my gear, 7 litres of water, food, tools and spares. 

I also have two litres of gas in bottles flanking my rear fender.

To put that in perspective, many soft saddlebag sets fall in the 60 to 80 litre range; riders usually add a tail bag as well, and these frequently offer about a 30 to 40 litre capacity. So I’m toting no more than half the 90 to 120 litre volume I see on most adventure bikes.

So that’s…50% smaller, right?

Yes: I’m doing the math and blowing my own horn. And finally – drum roll please (how many of these can I shoehorn in here?) – here’s my packing list.

General equipment

• Wallet (water resistant):
  • Passport, credit card, debit card, license, health card, auto club (CAA or AAA) card, travel health insurance card, cash, bike insurance, spare motorcycle key
• Electronics:
  • Cell phone
  • Batteries (4 x AA), USB 12V DC battery charger, 6″ USB cables (1 each, mini and micro USB)
  • Camera
  • GPS (x 2: Lowrance iFinder; Garmin Oregon 600)
  • Flash drive with motorcycle information
  • Kobo reader (mini)  *Remember: I mostly ride solo. I take this because I spend lots of time reading in the evening and don’t want to rely on my phone in a rough, dirty environment — although I do also load books onto it.

• First aid kit  *detailed list of contents in an upcoming post

• Journal and pen
• Compass
• Lighter
• Knife
• Headlamp
• Sunglasses, cloth case
• Eye drops, TUMS, Lip balm (in small Ziploc bag)
• Repair tape (Tenacious)
• 2 carabiners and z-drag (mechanical advantage) recovery kit
• Flares (x2) and launcher
• Tire gauge

Camping gear

• Camp chair  *rolled around the backpack in the bike photo above
• Ground sheet
• Sleeping mattress (Thermarest NeoAir XLite, short)  *take a repair patch
• Tent (REI Passage 1)
• Sleeping bag (down fill)
• Pillow (Cocoon ultralight inflatable)

Cooking and kitchen

• Pot (1.5 litres). Packed inside the pot:
  • Collapsible cup, homemade alcohol stove, lighter, spoon, Starbucks VIA instant coffee envelopes, drink crystal envelopes
• Windshield (metal foil)
• Alcohol fuel bottle
• 4 L water bag, with small carabiner (for hanging)
• 2 L water bag (fits in a tank bag)
• Water purification tablets
• Ziploc bags

Clothing

*all clothing items except t-shirts are synthetic; I wear cotton T-shirts because I generally ride in hot, dry weather and don’t require the wicking properties of synthetics. Plus they feel better. For cooler weather and nighttime, I change into my synthetic base-layer top.

• Baseball cap
• Toque
• Shorts, usable for swimming
• Underwear (x 2 pairs)
• Socks (x 2 pairs thin, 1 pair thicker)
• Long-sleeved fleece top
• Long-sleeved base-layer top
• T-shirts (x 2, cotton)
• Pants (1 pair)
• Waterproof stuff sack to hold it all
• Flip flops (in plastic bag)
• Jacket (synthetic PrimaLoft insulation) in compression stuff sack

Riding gear

• Boots
• Gloves
• Helmet with goggles
• Mesh jacket
• Mesh pants
• Ear plugs

Bathroom kit

• Pack towel, mini
• Toothpaste, toothbrush
• Glasses (in cloth bag)
• Contact lens solution
• Contact lens case  *I’ve cut mine in half; since my prescription is the same in both eyes, I can drop both lenses into one cup and not worry about mixing them up.
• Contact lenses  *on my eyeballs
• Contact lenses, spare pair
• Baby powder
• Sunscreen
• Soap
• Dental floss
• Prescription meds if you got ’em
• Stuff sack to hold all these items

*I pack toilet paper separately, in a Ziploc bag.

 

 

On the bike

• Saddlebags (11 litres)
• Backpack (30 litres) *my old Summit Sack holds a bit more than the new 27 litre model
• Roc Straps
• Tool tube (2 litres)  *look for upcoming posts on my tool kit. In the meantime…
• Fuel bottles (2 x 1 Litre)
• GPS mounting brackets (x 2)
• 12VDC to USB adapter for charging batteries
• Paper maps

As I am a true gourmet, you’re likely desperate to know what kind of food I might take. So the following list fits under the “Don’t blame me; you asked for it” kind of maxim.

Food — or, as Yvonne calls it, “Seriously? I’m not eating that.”

• Milk powder
• Granola
• Instant oatmeal
• Pasta and sauce prepared meals
• Instant mashed potatoes
• Ramen instant noodles
• Power bars

What’s on your list?

Let me know if I missed something, or if you want details about specific items. And hang around for future posts: I’ll fill in some gaps about camping gear, first aid kits, tools and luggage.