After a being in South America for 2 years and riding over 60,000 miles, Eric Lange from RideAdventures takes some time out and shares what he’s learned about packing for a motorcycle trip. I really appreciate Eric devoting time to share with the rest of the ADV community on this subject. I’m pretty confident he’s figured out what works best for him and his setup after a trip such as this. Thanks again Eric!

How to Pack for Your Motorcycle Trip – Part 1

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How to Pack for Your Motorcycle Trip – Part 2

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Stay tuned for Part 3…

For the adventure rider, what makes it so great is it has topographic maps, so you can really find the good campgrounds that will also be a nice ride to get there! And more importantly, if you click on a campground icon, it gives you detailed information about the site, including GPS coordinates!! You can even download a regional file to upload to your GPS that includes all of the campgrounds for that region.

Here’s a snapshot of the satellite map for Missouri:

Don’t forget to bookmark this one!

All Public Campgrounds : www.uscampgrounds.info

Notes on how I packed for this overnight trip down to Mark Twain National Forest.

Wolfman Duffel

• Eureka Spitfire 2 Tent
• Big Agnes Air Core Insulated  Sleeping Pad
• Tent Poles
• Bottle of Heet (for Stever stoves)
• Frogg Toggs Road Toad Suit (pants/jacket)
• Lighter / Fire starters

Dry Bag (SealLine)

• 30 Degree Sleeping Bag
• Jogging Pants
• 2 Pair Socks
• Hoodie
• Shirt
• Camp Shoes
• Book

Wolfman Enduro Saddle Bags

Shifter side

• 18″ Tool Roll
• Tarp
• Small can WD40
• Aspirin Bottle (loctite, fuses, masterlink)

Brake Side

• Stove Pot/Stove (inside Stever & Simmer stove, 18oz. cup, tea, sugar, oatmeal)
• Spork
• Toilet Paper (half roll)
• Ball Cap
• Winter gloves

Wolfman Enduro Tank Bag

• Balcalava
• Tour Master Silk Glove Liners
• Small Zippered Box (iPhone, USB cable, USB/Powerlet charger, contact case, contact solution, glasses, chapstick)
• Flip Video Recorder & Tripod
• Digital Camera

Moose Fender Bag

• 21″ Spare HD Tube
• Tire Irons
• Air Pump

The SealLine Dry Bag had plenty more room in it for more gear if needed for a longer trip.  My plan is to pack as light as possible and this setup handled very nicely on the creek crossings I encountered.  Also, I only used the two buckle straps that came with my Wolfman Duffle bag to strap down the duffel and dry bag.  I would only tighten them a tad the first time I would stop.  No issues with the bags moving either.

Man, I love this bike!

• Pre-trip Planning
• Cold-weather Clothing
• The Ten Essentials
• Winter Gear Considerations
• Sleeping Bags / Liners Pads
• Ground Cloths
• Route-finding in Winter
• Making Camp in Snow
• Types of Winter Shelters
• Snow Caves / Igloo Making
• The Winter Kitchen
• Health Concerns
• Sanitation in the Snow

Lots of good tips even if I don’t live in the mountains!

1. REI Half Dome 2 HC – $169 – 5 lbs 11 oz
2. Sierra Designs Light Year 1 – $169 – 3 lbs 6 oz
3. Eureka Spitfire 2 – $119 – 4 lbs 3 oz

For the best overall size, weight and price combination, I went with the Eureka Spitfire 2.

With Rainfly

What I love about the tent is the overall size and height.  I have plenty of room inside for me and my gear as well as enough room to change clothes.  The large screened vents all around the tent are great, can’t wait to sit under the stars in this thing.  One other thing many forget about is color.  I wanted a tent that I could stealth camp if I needed to, the brown color works for that.  Some of these bright yellow, orange, white tents will give your location away to easily!

Waterproof?

So I had my two boys climb inside with the Rainfly on and took the hose to it to simulate rain for about 15 minutes.  The Rainfly repels water very well, you can see the beads of water race down the fabric.  I did have a blue tarp footprint under the tent too.  After spraying it down for a while I climbed inside and did not feel any water on the inside walls or flooring.  I was very surprised as I thought I’d notice water near the head/foot area.  Not really sure what Eureka treats this tent with but thus far I’m impressed.  Now it wasn’t a full on down pour for a few hours so only time will really tell, but I feel much more confident in this little tent!

Remember to stuff the tent in the “stuff” sack and not roll it up, they claim the fabric last much longer this way.

More to come soon… I need a little stove and the Stever stove sure looks cool and cheap, $9!

More Photos