As soon as the weather starts to warm up, more and more thoughts come into the head about the next camping trip!
Probably don’t need to mention that riding trails fully loaded is madness! I always ask myself how small my luggage should be to be comfortable on the trails?
Well, there is no simple answer to that and it all depends if riders choose to be comfortable riding, or comfortable camping, hardly it can be both.
First thing first, the smaller the luggage the better, and lower it is mounted on the bike the easier to handle it on the trails. Soft panniers or hard cases it all depends on the distance, security needed and difficulty of the trails. Obviously both types of luggage have their own pros and cons: Hard luggage tends to be more secure but on difficult trails can create more issues. Rider can be trapped under (if lucky) if the bike falls over too. Soft is the opposite, the biggest minus for soft luggage – items are not secure, and if bikes tips over belongings can be damaged!
Personally I use hard cases only for day trips and when I’m not planning on doing any trials, but when on trails – only soft.
What to pack for trail riding on multi day trips
It highly depends on each rider. Must warn here – if you have never done that before – pack everything you think you will need, then leave half of it at home and go for a test ride on your local lanes. And when back at home – split what’s left in half and that’s more or less what you will ever need! Most common mistake – bringing stuff you will never use.
My trip to Italy was my very first multi day trip, it included some trails, however i did not ride them with all my luggage. Reason – overloaded. You can read about this trip Here.
Made same mistake most riders new to this make, packed things I thought I’ll need and will be useful, and never actually touched it.
On the second trip, that was my Wales TET trip, I packed smarter, and my luggage was lighter too, however it was still too bulky and too heavy, and still managed to pack things that I didn’t need. You can read more about this trip Here.
On my 3rd, Training weekend and TET Peak District trip, i have managed to squeeze everything i needed into 1 40L dry sack and 1 backpack. However it turned out to be a bad idea, as all weight was high up on already top heavy Yamaha XT660Z. Read more Here.
The main problem packing for camping – weight distribution. It takes a bit more than just to pack everything, weight has to be more or less equally distributed to both sides of the bike too!
There is another trip to Wales coming up soon, that will be my 4th camping trip on a motorcycle and this time I’m already sure of what I need and what I don’t need for it.
I’ll try to list the stuff I’ll take, exactly why I’m taking it, and roughly where on the bike it will go.
For this, I’m planning to use my AJP PR7, and unlike my XT660Z, it has no extra storage for tools or spares, so i will not list those… Anyway, here we go!
The list of items i will take on our 8-9 day TET Wales Trip:
Tank Bag:
Its super small, Enduristan Sandstorm 4x, 3.5L.
Random small precious things that I need constant access to. (Phones, chargers, power banks, as well as snacks!
Handlebar Bag:
Using a simple handlebar bag that was designed for cyclists, but works well on motorcycles too. (this bag is for small light items that i need quick access too)
- Tooth brush / tooth paste
- Small camping towel. Not sure what it is made of but it packs super small, super light, and absorbs water really well.
- Soap. just a small bit to wash hands if needed, also can be used to aid mounting tires.
- Toilet paper. Very important to have it stashed somewhere close!
- Sponge type of absorbent cloth, used for kitchens or whatever but It’s perfect to wipe the tent of the condensate, so it won’t get mouldy or smelly, and on the handlebar bag – so i could pack it last, leaving enough room for it to dry out before hitting trails!
- Couple of bin bags, for rubbish obviously but can also be used to keep feet dry!
- Bamboo Utensils.
Backpack:
Best to try and keep it as light as possible, as carrying 10 or 15 kg of goodies all day, will feel like 100-150kg at the end of the day.
- 2L hydration pack – it’s part of the backpack , so no choice there.
- Standard First Aid Kit, plus some pain killers, water purification tablets, and activated coal tablets and vaseline (for rashes).
- Jet Boil, nice to have it close and ready to be used.
- Food for the day.
- Spare dry gloves.
- Some camera stuff.
Side Panniers:
Im using Endiristan (yes i’m a fan of them) Sandstorm Medium (8.5L each) Saddle bags. Mainly for soft stuff, nothing that can not be squashed without damaging.
- 2 merino wool t-shirts, if you ask me, merino wool is best any day, stays fresh a lot longer, stays cool when hot, warm when cold, natural, lightweight.
- 2 pairs of underwear, those can be worn in many ways, i was told so… right side, wrong side, inside out, outside in etc….
- 2 pairs of merino wool socks. Same like t-shirts!
- 2 pairs of sealskinz waterproof socks, if you ask me if they work, well yes they do! But they work both ways too! Keeps water out just as well as water in. And it takes ages to dry them out, that’s why 2 pairs.
- Camping trousers. Very light, very thin that packs small too.
- Jumper, also something light that packs small and can be used as an extra layer when riding. And when camping and it’s cold, a riding jacket can be worn on top of it.
Top (Tail) bag:
LOMO 40 or 50l dry sack. If I could I wouldn’t use a top bag at all, but hey…
- Sleeping bag. I’m using British army for 4 seasons / arctic. Honestly, it’s the best sleeping bag i have ever had! On warm nights a bit hot, but it’s not a big deal, as it can be left unzipped, and on cold nights it’s like a blessing! The only downside – it’s bulky. Compression sack that came with it just turns it into a big lump, but if packed in a dry sack, air can be pushed out, and it turns into a fairly flat pack that is just about bearable.
- Silk sleeping bag liner. I’ll be a softie and I’ll just say that it simply feels nice! But another good reason to have one – easier to wash it than a sleeping bag!
- Army sleeping bag mat. I’m using the one that is foldable, not the roll like most yoga mats come in. Simply, I find it easier to pack it because of its shape. Ah, and it’s a must to have if sleeping in a tent!
- Tent, some cheap tent with 2 openings, one on each side, that works surprisingly well! After using Jack Wolfskin Gossamer for a while -it is more like a coffin really, i realised that to have a tent where a person can sit properly is more important than its weight. And for weight comparison, wolfskin weights only 1.2kg, the other one 2.2kg, both with aluminium poles.
Random places:
- Extra food.
- Extra 2 or so liters of water – it gets used up surprisingly quickly!
- Slippers! Somewhere on top of everything, as once riding boots come off, camping starts, and the first thing to reach for – comfortable slippers!
Things to remember:
Weight Matters!
Weight Distribution Matters!
Keep it simple!
And most importantly – do not overthink!
