How to pack up

[Boris]

Some, can seemingly travel & camp with everything they need & seemingly take a miniscule amount of gear, others load the bike like a pack horse ( I certainly don't fall into the first category...)

Phil

I can do a good few days with everything in the two Honda 35l panniers. The only things I need to put in the top box are the stove, food (read Beer), my trusty bushman's hat and a pair of shorts if its a warm day. If its going to be cold I take trainers (topbox) otherwise it's flipflops which go in a pannier.

Keeping the topbox clear lets me leave my helmet and satnav safe when I stop.

I suspect for the two weeks in Germany this year I may take a drybag across the seat aswell but just so I can bring the tarp and other luxuries. Maybe not. I'll see how the packing goes nearer the time.

I liked the fishing shelter two of the guys brought to Ullapool for cooking in. I think I have one lying about and may well bring that too.

[davsato]

if your only going camping for a couple of nights, and you want to do your own cooking, then all you need is to be able to boil a pint of water at a time.
in the morning this will give you plenty of water for a brew and hot water for a wash afterwards, lunch out hopefully, (who goes bike camping and stays put?)
for dinner get some boil in the bag food, or pouch meals you put hot water into, or just gently heat the pierced tin in the water, the point is you dont contaminate your tea/coffee water, see?
so no washing up, and a crusader cup system or swedish army trangia is all you need.

shaving is for pussies, carry a pack of bum wetwipes in your cargo pocket (campsite loo role is elusive), and i even had a toothbrush that was preloaded with paste like a syringe, that was cool!
clothing at your discretion, if you dont get wet or crap your pants in your sleep then i wouldnt bother changing other than a clean teeshirt, and yesterdays tee is todays towel.

i went to france for a 10days with a guy running a constant loss system, he bought all his oldest clothes in a thick industrial binliner bungeed on the back and chucked everything as he used it. his dobie kit was a wilko toothbrush, tiny travel size deo spray and toothpaste and some sachets of showergel he "found" in the maids trolley on the ferry. on the way home it looked like he was on a day trip

[Boris]

shaving is for pussies

Careful now. This is a family forum

[davsato]

glad someone got it

[Whealie]

glad someone got it

He got it did he? The joke or the pussy?

[Yahoo]

The general rule for me is:
Left pannier - house and bedroom
Right pannier - kitchen and garage
Duffle on seat - Wardrobe/backrest
Tankbag - Lounge/misc.

The photo was taken on our first real tour of scotland, so wildcamping and cooking for ten days for two people.
Like the guys on here have said you'll scale down after the first few trips, I've now only got the duffle on the back, the panniers and the tankbag. None of which are full.

The best way to learn what you need is to do a trip and then buy stuff. You'll get your setup after a few days on the road.

Happy trails bud!

[mad4it028]

weeks trip to newquay lay everything on the bike then bungy strap it to hell zx6r i do not recomend for touring i needed the week in newquay to recover my back from the ride 450ish miles lol


beleave it or not we hit speeds of up to 140mph on the private roads with out loosing anything

[davsato]

He got it did he? The joke or the pussy?

only the joke, have you seen him? looks like a giraffe the poor bugger.


reading everyones posts, i think the point here is that there is no perfect setup that would make us all happy, so any advice given should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially mine- i carry tons of stuff i dont need because i can, simple as that.
ive got a huge bike with loads of luggage and no pillion, so i can afford the weight and space for a few luxuries like a big rubber airbed and an electric pump, a big 3 man tent, a big comfy sleeping bag, a decent folding chair etc.
i could go minimal and use a cokecan stove with a metal cup, a little hiking tent, a thin coconut sized snugpak bag etc but why should i?

[Mudwiz]

Very little, very light, but I can't find the photos!

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[j]

Very little, very light, but I can't find the photos!

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Chis isn't, it sleeping bag,waterproofs and red wine