Pants Do you have the very best... thing?

Yes, but the ads are not the point I was trying to make.
Some personality types are just prone to analyze different things, during trip preparation.
Now, contrast this type with riders like @Pop-Pop or @Uncle Phil . I doubt either of them spend sleepless nights, Googling or Amazoning while agonizing over which hydration bladder or sleeping pad or luggage straps they should buy for their next journey.
Heck, even without trip planning, just look on this forum with our debates about oil, tires, or moly lube or spark plugs will be best.
 
Every trip you take you learn what works and what doesn't for you.
Now, depending on the trip and the length of it, it's pretty much settled for me.
It don't take me long to load one of the girls up with what I need and get on the road!
I have a 'tub' out in the garage with the stuff I normally take so it's handy.
In the house, I have a drawer of stuff that I pack so it's all in one place.
Biggest decision is usually what t-shirts I'm gonna take (I have a bunch!) ... :biggrin:
 
Motorcycle touring has a learning curve. If you like touring then you going to check out the new stuff.
 
Sadlsor said:
Much, or most of this wisdom, comes from simply doing it, as you have so many times.
Click to expand...
You mean to say, "Much, or most of this wisdom, comes from experience". I worked for a museum curator once who traveled all over the world. I asked her how she knew what to pack and she said she did it so often, that she pretty much knew exactly what she would need for any given trip. This woman packed her suitcase in less than an hour and was ready to go.

if you don't have previous trips of similar type to fall back on, then researching gadgets can be entertaining. I enjoy doing that, sometimes I make spreadsheets to compare features, sometimes I decide to just use what I have (usually comes down to $). I remember that Yvon Chouinard once said he would NEVER buy a Patagonia brand bit of clothing. I think he favored old, wool shirts and pants.
 
I have to admit I dont do a lot of fantasizing or whatever over gear. Over the years I have found what works for me, and stick with it, most of which is probably not on most tourers wish list. Im a "good enough" guy. Tourmaster ( jackets, pants, gloves) are good enough for me, HJC (helmets) are good enough for me. I wear Alpine Star boots... they're good enough for me. I'm pretty sure I could pack what I need for a 2 week trip in about 20 mins. Not the most expensive, not the cheapest. Heck I still use paper maps from AAA. They're good enough lol.

Sometimes I do think about getting some Gore Tex gear and boots, but then I look at the price and figure that money would buy me a lot of trips, gas and tires
 
If you need to ride 400 miles in rain:
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Oxford Super Muffs Handlebar Muffs The Visor Shop.com

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Our biggest irritant on trips isn't what we take/wear or don't but motel laundries. Years back there were no issues. Last 10 years or so, the washers are usually inoperative or look like someone just washed their dog in it. Takes some of the relaxation time to visit a laundromat as well.
 
Uncle Phil said:
Every trip you take you learn what works and what doesn't for you.
Now, depending on the trip and the length of it, it's pretty much settled for me.
Click to expand...
That's how it works for me.. Seems like I pack a little different on every trip, trying small changes to see if I like them, the adjust for the next trip. Might be different bags on the pass seat or whether or not to use a tank bag.

Always looking for better, more compact stuff and if they're rechargeable I try to make sure they all use the same type of port.

Then I get a different bike and adjustments are necessary usually.

It's a never-ending process but that's okay, it actually makes things more interesting.
 
I had a lot of changes after the first couple of trips, figuring out what worked and what didn't. Now I have it mastered for the most part. I keep it very basic and realized that simple is better than fancy. I found mesh riding gear that is very comfortable in the heat, a hydration pack, and rain gear that keeps me dry. Unless I am going somewhere where the temps drop below 50 I am good.
I packed for a 3 week trip to Alaska in 1 evening. I did not overthink and more importantly, I did not overload my luggage.
I have found that 3 wicking shirts and enough underwear and socks for the whole trip (if you do not want to do laundry, or half if you want to do laundry once) is enough clothes for me. We wash the shirts each day in the motel sink with shampoo, they are dry by morning. I used to only take 2 but left one in a motel room one time so now I take 3 in case I forget one.
Tire kit, battery-powered air compressor, charging block, rain gear and bike cover. that is about all I take. Simple and easy! It allows me to enjoy the trip and not fight all the junk that I brought along.
 
Wasn't it time to leave [pretend leave is in italics; I don't do bold or italics] the capsule if you dare? Freudian Slip? But I like the analysis paralysis, I'll be using that one.
 
Sadlsor said:
Yes, but the ads are not the point I was trying to make.
Some personality types are just prone to analyze different things, during trip preparation.
Now, contrast this type with riders like @Pop-Pop or @Uncle Phil . I doubt either of them spend sleepless nights, Googling or Amazoning while agonizing over which hydration bladder or sleeping pad or luggage straps they should buy for their next journey.
Heck, even without trip planning, just look on this forum with our debates about oil, tires, or moly lube or spark plugs will be best.
Click to expand...
I did on the first tour. I over planned and over packed. I thought so much about leaving that i almost chickened out and stayed home. Im sure my kids were betting on me leaving! But i discovered something! Touring is just taking a day ride, day after day.
My first day touring was horrible. I did 535 miles, ran thru 3 speed traps and almost dropped my bike a few times. Got a motel and the next day i was fine. The fear was gone, and i was in a place far from home that id never seen before! Now, that is addictive!
To me there is nothing like touring. Ive been thru sand and snow storms, hurricanes and hail, frozen my ass off and had to take all of my gear to the laundro to dry it.
Its a gift, touring. A gift i thought id never have.
I dont really plan a route. I plan a destination, which often changes! Never thought id see beartooth or sturgis. Never thought id rise rt 2 across the top of the country and down the pch into the redwoods, never thought id see tje mojave or cajun country. None of that was planned or premeditated. It just happened.
So, i guess that if anyone asked me for advice, id tell them their heads were full of *****. Our brains lie to us and give us fear about something we have not done yet. Somehow, i got lucky and left anyway. And boy, what a gift! What a freedom!
 
To answer @Sadlsor’s query, sometimes you don’t know that you need something “better” until that specific item is put to the test.
Case and point, last fall my rear tire picked up a roofing nail.OK, STuff happens! So I go to my brand new, never been used tire kit and begin the process of removing and plugging. Plug prep requires some hole reeming using the kit tool that looks like a small screw driver with a drill bit on the end.
So start reeming and I quickly discover that the design of this tool does not allow me to grip it the right way to provide enough force required for the job. Then, near the end of an overly long process, the handle had cracked and was now loosely hanging on the drill bit.
Repair was completed successfully but I thought that surely there was a better mousetrap out there. A little research led me to this bit of kit: it may not be the very best but it’s gonna be a more effective tool if I ever need to do this again. My :twocents1:
D017C14E-E5D4-4350-9A08-1476CF0B7D3E.jpeg
 
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