Packing For The Road

 It is time for another tour! Yippee , has been way too long since my last ride (Baja 11/12) On this ride I thought I would detail my packing as Stacie had previously done on I think Baja. Anyway I don't know where I will go or end up and must take that into consideration for this particular ride. I do know I will be at Horizon Unlimited meeting in Southern Ca. at end of Oct. from there I see the Border is close. Hint , Hint.The above shows The Billy bag and what will be in it. I choose the REI 2 person tent ,smaller more compact Therma Rest for this ride. You see an extra pair of gloves , the hands must be warm and dry and I ride in all extreme's of weather.I have rain gear,pillow,shovel,hammer,duct tape,Kermit Chair,pots and pans,pot holder,dish towel,sleeping bag in water proof trash bag,1 burner stove, electrical cords for heated gloves(not shown). Last that goes with that bag on EVERY Ride is a smile and great attitude.

 See it all fits and weighs in at 36 pounds. Too much , perhaps but that is how I travel.

This is my clothes and things that go in the smaller Pannier . I'm taking my yellow bicycle jacket this time since I won't take a heavy sweater. In 1 blue compression bag are long johns and winter gear.
The other Comp. bag are 3 prs. of socks,drawers,t shirts. I have my toiletry bag,towel,riding pant liners,sweat pants( zipper legs) and comfy shorts, also clothes soap and clothes pins.A neck warmer and balaclava.

 Tight fit but it does fit. I'm good to go on that! This weighs in at 21 lbs.

 Next is the provisions. I'm the type who doesn't want to look for grocery stores or think about it . When the day is done I want to find a place to camp set it up and have my dinner on Darth ready to cook it up. I like to think 2-3 weeks of food and be self sufficient . You know just looking at all that grub makes me hungry , the only thing missing is bagels and they are yet to be purchased. No freeze Dried or Dehydrated for me . Today you can get so much better in boxes/packages of noodles,smoked salmon,tuna,ham,mac&cheese.

Room to spare on this Pannier . It weighs in at 22 pounds. the tricky part is REMEMBER as you consume it weighs less and you must redistribute from clothes pannier or heck go buy more food!

 This is what will be on my person ,in tank bag or strapped somewhere close. You see I have finally purchased a solar charger for electronics. I also purchased a Samsung 7' tablet to send Stacie e mails and such. I have my spot device with extra batteries,GPS ( I never use BUT) Contour video helmet camera ,camelbak,passport, peso's,journal for ride logging,flyer's and biz cards, oh don't forget the MP3 player , I MUST HAVE MY TUNES!

 Now onto the gym bag that will reside on top of the Rotopax 1 gal. fuel cell. set of tubes ,1st aid kit,tire pump,T. Paper ( Baja this is GOLD) headlight,oil filter,spare low beam bulb( Darth loves to burn these out regularly)Goggles,and last 2 cells of white gas for cooking.

 On one side of crash bars is my tire/tube repair kit along with all else you see here . the chalk is to mark the tire before fixing flat to ensure it remains balanced.

 That all goes in here.

The other crash bar has the rest of my tools, as you see here.

 And yes in the end this is what we resemble when fully self contained and on the road. Darth looks great with dirt and mud . This of course is The Arctic Circle. What you need to remember is , it is easy to pack all that stuff in the confines of home BUT once on the road it typically doesn't pack as well and you are always moving stuff around.

And this is what you don't want to happen when fully loaded . If no help is around then you must unload everything , eat your Wheaties and hope no muscle's are pulled when up righting your bike.
I could travel with much less BUT I'm stubborn and as I said before I want to be as self sufficient as possible.