Minimalist Tour Packing?

OP
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EASt

EASt

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I once road 500 miles two lane milled pavement, bumper to bumper.
Chaos!
Never again!
Not even for a slice of pie?

Does anyone here ever take it down to a wallet, cell phone, atlas, and a single change of clothing?

This, of course, would mean using hotels and motels.
 
Joined
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For camping maybe think about a hammock.
If trees are available it should be a viable option. tarp, hammock, insulation, flash light, packable alcohol stove for coffee would all fit in one side along with tire pump/repair. leaves the other side for the clothes.

I have a trunk I'm fond of using so that's added space.

I have a 10 day trip coming up (Laconia)... I might have to do a pre-pack and overnight someplace to make sure I have what I need.

I don't see why you couldn't do a change of clothes, wallet, cell phone, maps and head for the desired pie spots, seems like that's really all you "need".
 
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Its easy, you already know what you need but throw out the cooking gear. Best suggestion I ever got was to pack everything you think you need then put back half of it !!!
 
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Not even for a slice of pie?

Does anyone here ever take it down to a wallet, cell phone, atlas, and a single change of clothing?

This, of course, would mean using hotels and motels.
went from Michigan down to cuba, mo with one change of cloths and a google map of the route. never cut the gps on nor did I program the route in it. forgot to bring an extra shirt but did have pants, sox, and riding short so one change of cloths for the weekend trip
 

Reginald

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bag containing the camp equipment. I do sometimes like to camp one or two nights. This remains on the bike when I motel.
Be careful parking in front of a hotel with a bag tied on your pillion seat. These have been known to walk way. At least have a rain fly over the bike, out of sight out of mind.
 
OP
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EASt

EASt

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went from Michigan down to cuba, mo with one change of cloths and a google map of the route. never cut the gps on nor did I program the route in it. forgot to bring an extra shirt but did have pants, sox, and riding short so one change of cloths for the weekend trip
Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm not sure I have the guts to do something like that any more; I'm old. But, I sure do wish I could.
 

thekaz

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Not even for a slice of pie?

Does anyone here ever take it down to a wallet, cell phone, atlas, and a single change of clothing?

This, of course, would mean using hotels and motels.
Yes but cell phones had not been invented at the time :D
 

Mellow

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Does anyone here ever take it down to a wallet, cell phone, atlas, and a single change of clothing?
For me, the camping is the other half of the adventure/vacation... I can setup and take down a camp site faster than most check in/out of a hotel so timing isn't an issue and the cost is a HUGE difference.

My packing is pretty efficient, one dry bag for the things inside the tent like air mattress, sleeping bag, pillow, etc... I can pack that inside the tent and then the tent, in case of bad weather, goes in it's own bag.

I will bring a jet boil for some coffee and some ramen noodles and chuck chicken or tuna just in case I get to a site late.

I know it doesn't really apply to your original message but just my approach.
 

Bones

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Tool kit including flat repair, compressor, tools required to R&R front and rear wheels, and a few pairs of nitrile gloves
Spare riding gloves
Spare glasses (reading glasses in my case)
First aid kit
Flashlight
Heated jacket liner (doubles as an apres ride jacket)
A bit of food and water
Light shoes so I don't have to wear boots all the time
Baseball hat
Paper map (still nice to look over an entire region instead of a 4" screen)
Backup battery
Bike cover
Visor/windshield spray and small towel
Some clothing made of nylon or polyester that I can rinse in a motel sink or tub, roll in a towel for a while then hang to dry overnight
Tie-down loops in case of a flatbed rescue
Several Milk Bones for dogs I will encounter
 
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His rule is no cotton.
Some clothing made of nylon or polyester

cotton cotton cotton.

For all the reasons that cotton is bad when it is cold, is why it is so good when it is hot!
Nylon and polypro will KILL you when it is HOT. It bypasses your bodies natural cooling function.
Heat Exhaustion is a quick path to death.

So if it is HOT pack cotton or a cooling vest...
 

T_C

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Nylon and polypro will KILL you when it is HOT. It bypasses your bodies natural cooling function.
Heat Exhaustion is a quick path to death.
So why do all the athletes use poly and wool? Quick to wash, quick to dry, rolls up extra small (poly, not wool on the last pne).
 
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Yes quick to wash and clean. It does not stain as easily as cotton. That is why they use it. Size is the same for the same density material.

You can test the heat/cool yourself. Find two similar shirts one cotton and one poly and go sit in the shade on a very hot day.
 
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Carefully chosen riding gear can help a lot. Two piece rather than a one piece so you can take off the jacket for meal stops. With comfortable pants, you can use those for your off-the-bike pant so you can maybe just get by with a pair of shorts. Goretex or similar breathable water proof gear means you don't need to carry separate rain gear. Comfortable boots means you don't need extra shoes. But I usually carry something - flip flops pack really small. Heated liner minimizes the bulk necessary to stay warm and can be an off-the-bike jacket. I'm firmly in the no cotton camp mainly because it takes too long to dry. If you carry a single synthetic T shirt, you can wash it in the hotel sink and it will be dry by morning. Same for synthetic socks but I accept a little extra bulk and carry two pairs as foot funk is more likely for me. LDComfort shorts are amazingly resistant to funky smells even when not washed every day and are the most comfortable I have used for riding. They also dry overnight. I carry a single pair of travel underwear which pack small.

With that setup, I don't even fill a single saddlebag with my off-the-bike clothes. It's almost more about adopting the mindset of what you can do without. If you have more off-the-bike time and other activities planned, then carry more stuff but for a riding vacation where I ride everyday, that's what I carry and whatever I'm not wearing to ride easily fits in a saddlebag.
 
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