Comments? Looking for the two up riders who have adapted 'without the pull trailer', their thoughts on packing for the one or two weeks on the road. I'm thinking compression bags, rolling the clothes, little tricks that can make trip packing a bit easier. I also welcome those that feel it's way too much hassle for long haul, so taking the cage is the answer, use three wheels for those weekends and over nighters. Also welcome those that think less is more, a Walmart stop, mail stuff back home, but with the co-pilot on board, well you know, those things sometimes don't work out.
My basic premise is that what you carry is more important than how you carry it. Sure, compression sacks and rolling clothes can make a small difference but but that's the dog bite on the leg when the bullet in the brain is WHAT you carry. If you convince yourself to approach the problem with a minimalist strategy you'll be dealing with less to begin with and then fine tune it. For example, why carry X pair of underwear and socks when two pair of synthetic skivvies and two pair of wool socks will do, washing one pair each night when you shower after you 're done riding. The same applies to shirts and, Levis, the hell with 'em; wear nylon zip off leg pants and carry only two pair. The hardest part of the minimalist strategy is convincing the better half that it can be done. Are you on a motorcycle tour or going on a fashion runway trip?
Artillery lends dignity to what would
otherwise be a vulgar brawl.
****************************** Cognac 2014 RT-S
Another way is to pack all of your old t-shirts, underwear and socks. Throw them out after use, but wipe down the bike the next morning with the t-shirt, then throw it away. I've used this on two 7 day trips through New England and it worked out great.
2015 RTL, BajaRon Swaybar, LaMonster LED Headlights and Foglights, LaMonster Spydercuff, LaMonster LED mirror wrap, Magic Mirrors, HMT Brake Light
I just got back from 2500 miles in a week tour in the NC/TENN area.We do have a rack on top of the rear trunk and the rolling suitcase that goes in the frunk.This trip we had a washer/dryer in our Airbnb cabin but weve done trips like this before without being able to wash clothes.We pack several full changes of clothes and like 7 sets of shorts and socks,I had a jacket with removable liner and wife had 2 jackets.I dont see the need for a trailer unless your going on a month long trip to places that dont have laundromats.I actually did a trip to Nova Scotia once and we sent our dirty clothes and souveneirs back by ups at our halfway point,that was in the 90s when shipping was cheap.I haven't done it on this bike but on other bikes I have used a bungee to hold a dry roll up bag to the pass. armrest/handgrip.
Another way is to pack all of your old t-shirts, underwear and socks. Throw them out after use, but wipe down the bike the next morning with the t-shirt, then throw it away. I've used this on two 7 day trips through New England and it worked out great.
I thought of doing that way also …… however you still have to have room for the stuff when you Leave for the trip ….. it does leave more room for things you might buy while on the trip tho ………….. Mike
First off, no matter how long your trip is, only pack for a week. Use a laundry on the 7th day. Often, you can work down to 5 days. I also have a rack on my trunk which helps. My breakdown is my wife gets the frunk. The rack will hold my bag. The right side saddlebag carries raingear. If you are positive there is no rain in the forecast you will have additional storage. My left side is my maintenance. Oil, funnel, tire gauge, small air compressor, tire plug, and paper towels. My trunk carries incidentals like my ball cap, wife's brush, snacks and things we may want at a fuel stop or didn't quite fit elsewhere.
So, it can be done but don't plan to carry clothes for both cool and warm climates or formal wear.
We have taken many long trips on our RT with just the luggage space that comes with the RT. I don't have any added on racks or bags of any kind. One thing we have done that works for us is we have bought dedicated riding gear. We have Tourmaster pants and jackets we wear while riding. With dedicated riding gear you only need street clothing for when you are off the bike. Since I will be wearing my jeans for just a few hours in the evening instead of all day on the bike I can carry fewer pairs of jeans. Same goes for other clothes as well. Plan on buying things along the way? Find a post office or UPS store and ship the goodies home. Most places where you purchase items will ship if you ask and many will do it for free since you made the purchase there. Take fewer clothes and utilize the hotels laundry facilities, most hotels have them for guests and there is always the laundromat on a rainy day. We have been doing this for 40+ years and haven't really been able to find much difference between rolling the clothes up or placing them flat in the bags we use. Compression bags may give a bit more space, BUT they don't decrease the weights of the items. This is important to the handling of the bike. Bottom line is that you and your passenger are committed to spending weeks on the bike or you aren't. If you are committed than you will find a way to get by, if your not than take the car and carry all the crap you will probably never use, but it's there "just in case" There are Walmarts and other stores everywhere for those last minute toothbrush replacements. I have spent as long as eight weeks on the road solo on my Triumph and we have been on the RT two up for as long as four weeks. Getting ready to leave next week for an open ended trip on the RT. No set travel plans other than Maggie for the rally and then hit the road after. Going to have fun and come home when we are ready. It's doable if you really want the adventure.
Having a rack on the trunk ( horizontal-- so the highmount brake light shines through) makes all the difference. It holds a bag with our rain gear , half cover, detailer/cleaner, and other light weight items. Each of us get a saddlebag for clothing and we still have the frunk and trunk for anything else ( camera and tripod , shoes, toiletries,ect, ect.)
Did 2 weeks on the road to Glacier NP last month. Had a great time.
Lew L
Kaos----- Gone but not forgotten.
2014 RTS in Circuit Yellow, farkle-ing addiction down to once every few months. ECU FLASH IS GREAT.
Another way is to pack all of your old t-shirts, underwear and socks. Throw them out after use, but wipe down the bike the next morning with the t-shirt, then throw it away. I've used this on two 7 day trips through New England and it worked out great.
This is one of our ways also :-)) The south west is littered with our old t-shirts, LOL
Plus, like other answers here, pack minimalistically, zip offs are great, and we still mail back items (dirty clothes and gifts etc) on the return legs of long trips of 3 weeks or more.
Get some pointers from bicycle tourists... THOSE guys know how to pack light!
Another thing, jeans are super bulky. I might wear a pair of jeans but in the luggage goes a light pair of slacks, or even shorts (depending on the season). I also have found hospital scrub pants to be cheap, compact, and comfy. In hot weather, they go under my riding suit.
That's where on two self-contained transcontinental bicycle tours and many other shorter ones I refined my minimalist approach, along with carrying my entire house on my back a good bit of the time in a prior incarnation.
Artillery lends dignity to what would
otherwise be a vulgar brawl.
****************************** Cognac 2014 RT-S
I'm planning a cross country trip next year.
I anticipate stopping and doing wash at a laundromat every week or so.
As I try to explain to my SO, we're going cross country in the USA.
We are not going where no man has gone before.
That's a great looking bag but it looks like it will bump into your antenna(if you have one).I use a Kurakyn bag that is much smaller and it just touches my antenna.I dont need that antenna and will try to get rid of it this winter.Be careful you dont go over weight limit for rack.
Spare Oil (my RT's a V-twin!) a small bottle of brake fluid, a few tools etc go in the LHS pannier behind the skinny BRP Luggage bag that's full of my t-shirts, shorts etc in it. The Missus fills the RHS pannier with all those smaller articles of clothing and other things women like to take; we share the front rolling bag for all our 'off-bike/evening wear' & a coupla pairs of shoes etc; the BRP trunk organiser bag holds the sundries & daily meds etc, while underneath that is room for extra meds (I go thru a lot!) the travel cover, a first aid kit, a small tire repair kit, etc & even some spare fuel if it's warranted wherever we're going (just make sure it's in a well sealed non-venting container!) We also have a Rivco Extendable Trunk lid Rack that works as a whale tail spoiler to stop all the wheel spray & rain mist from being dumped down the Missus' back, and that rack also carried the Dog's gear & a day-bag/hydration pack - the Dog was quite small, so he sat in the tank bag wearing all his bike gear. And packing like that means we're good to go for a month or so... longest trip we've done so far has been 6 weeks.
Basically, we only take the riding gear we wear every day we ryde, a set of clothes for whatever we do off the bike, and a couple of changes of shorts, t-shirts, underwear etc... and everything but the riding gear is wash'n wear, dri-fit, or similar so they'll wash & dry o/nite in a motel room. Really, if you get the right riding gear you don't need to carry much else for that/any day you ryde; and once that's sorted, the luggage & storage space is more than ample to hold a change of clothes, a few different tops, a change of shoes, underwear, etc for both of us. What more do you need?
Lay out what you THINK you'll need, then toss at least half of it, making sure you have no more than 2 of anything but try to limit yourself to 'what you'll wear plus one spare....' The more you do it, the better you'll get at only packing the necessary stuff. If you don't wear something you've taken on this trip, you've really gotta question including it for the next one! And don't pack anything that you only might want to wear while you're away - if it's not a sure thing, seriously & honestly ask yourself if you really need to take it? And try to take gear that's dual purpose too... eg, if your 'off the bike' or 'sleeping shorts' can also double as swimmers, there's all your swimming & pool-side lounging sorted, and they'll also work to wear under your ryding pants if needs must!
Sue and I have done alot of touring on snowmobiles prior to owning our Spyder. We found the best pair of pants are the dual purpose ones. As previously mentioned they work as shorts or swimsuit. Usually one pair of jeans, 2 pair of socks 2 pair of undies, 2 t shirts and maybe a nice shirt to go out in. Usually leave liner out of jacket, but take a sweatshirt. The boots I am wearing. Toothbrush, paste and comb and medicine. Wife carries a bit more than I. Tools. oil and tire repair stuff, rain gear. If you can pack for a week, then you can do 2 weeks or more. As previously mentioned Walmarts are not to far away. Good riding. Bruce
New to Sue and I
2021, LTD, Asphalt Gray, 22,000 miles
Gone but not forgotten
RTS 2011 SM5, 95,000 miles
The longest I look without my 622 was 7 days on the RTL and we packed :
Frunk
Tyre Gauge, Tyre Gauge Extension, Visor and windshield cleaning cloths.
BRP Frunk bag for most of our attire, which consisted of :
underwear (socks/Jocks) for 7 days
4 TShirts each. TShirts did evening (going out for evening meal) and the next days ride
Toiletries Bag + Medications.
For colder days we each had a Techno Thermal undershirt to wear. If it gets really cold Wet Weather gear solves this
6 port USB charger for phones/tablets/helmets
Pushbike locks to attach helmets to Pillion grab rails while we walk about
Panniers
We both like our own Piilow, so they go in each of the two BRP pannier bags. Both bags leave a little bit of space in the pannier for flattened things like WW gear (mine in LHS, SO in RHS) and baseball caps
We are going on a 5 day trip next week. My wife always over packs, and we are on a F3T with a lot less storage than my RT. So I have a rack that fits on my trailer hitch. Next year I am planning a 6 week cross country trip (no passenger), and I plan on using this same setup, plus a roll up bag on the passenger seat.
2021 RTL , brake pedal from "Web Boards" chalk white
1st and foremost is good riding gear.
Other items:
1. Jeans take up a lot of space so only 1 pair. You can wear them for a week without washing them, maybe longer if you are only wearing them for a few hours a day.
2. Shorts - 1 -2 pair
3. Socks - 1 - 2 pair and switch out each day and wash the other set in a sink.
3. Underwear - 1 pair per day or washable type like Duluth trading buck naked. They will dry over night and are comfortable on the bike (Men & woman's)
4. Shirts - 1 - 2 wicking style shirts for riding - Alternate and wash. 6 shirts to wear at night. You can wear a shirt more than once unless you are a sloppy eater like me. It seems like we always buy a souvenir tee shirt or two along the way so that can be added to the mix.
5. Shoes - 1 pair of casual shoes that can be worn with everything. I usually wear hiking sandals & riding shoes
6. Jacket - I have an Olympia Air Glide 4 riding jacket that comes with a rain liner. It doubles for a jacket when needed.
7. Toiletries - Whatever you normally use at home only in small bottles. I use bar soap as it is more compact and will last 2 weeks+
We always stay in a motel that has a hair dryer for the wife. No need in packing bulky items that are readily available.
Lay everything out that you think you need and then cut it in 1/2. UPS & the post office are your friend when it comes to the beads and trinkets you buy along the way.
There are stores along the way to buy things as you need them. Don't stress over packing, just have fun seeing the sites.
Peter's last paragraph is valuable. I suggest adding to that strategy making a written list of everything you take and at the end of the trip cross off that list things you did not use and start your next trip with the shortened list. I still fine tune my lists on each trip.
Artillery lends dignity to what would
otherwise be a vulgar brawl.
****************************** Cognac 2014 RT-S
Good stuff here, thank to all that contributed, and to those who will contribute. Looks like I am concerned about little or nothing, and so the plan progresses. Hope get to the Deland FL rally to look and kick a tire or two.
I do the approach of 2-3 days of shirts, socks underwear. Quick dry variety so I can wash in the sink every day or two. I wear riding pants so only need one pair of jeans or hiking pants for evenings. Hiking pants with zip off legs double as shorts. I wear riding boots on the ride but bring a pair of flips flops and also light hiking shoes for off the bike or exercising.
Usually we lay out we need - then cut back. We have had no issues with 4-5 day trips. Longer should be no problem because you really do not need more as you are washing clothes and cycling the wear of 2-3 outfits.
My friend's girl friend used a trash compactor to compress their clothing (T-shirts socks pants under wear and etc). LOL As days went buy she mailed items home that she couldn't get repacked, long with other items she purchased on the trip. At the end of our journey her post office told her she needed a uhaul when she came to pickup all the boxes she'd mailed. It was her first long trip on a 2wheeler but she was thinking all the time.
Storage for Two Up on the RT Long Ride
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2015 RTL, BajaRon Swaybar, LaMonster LED Headlights and Foglights, LaMonster Spydercuff, LaMonster LED mirror wrap, Magic Mirrors, HMT Brake Light
Originally Posted by SpyderConvert
It seems like we always buy a souvenir tee shirt or two along the way so that can be added to the mix. 
