Luggage Sugestions
 

Buenas Dias biker community,
It feels crazy to say it but i am about to take the plunge and head out on my southern adventure of the Americas! I am wondering if there are any kind souls out there that would like to suggest any items that made their trip easier or anything they wished they had packed. Basically i am open to any suggestions besides the obvious of a tent, sleeping pad, first aid. I would love to look over any lists that you guys might have made in preparation for your trip to shed some light on mine. Thank you for your time. Cheers!

Pack everything you think you want to take minus tools and clothes. Put it in a backpack and go for a hike. If you still want it then take it.

A lightweight foot print for the tent protects the floor and makes packing a lot easier, especially in wet weather.

Couldn't do without a buff which acts as facemask when cold or very sunny, hat at night time.

Wet wipes instead of toilet paper, can also use for a full body wipedown if showers aren't available, cleaning the bike lights/mirrors, etc.

I carry two head torches, one stored with the toolkit right at the top of the panniers so it can be easily found, the other with my reading stuff. Useful for exploring caves and whatever.

Gaffer tape in both toolkit and also first aid kit—sometimes it's the only thing that will close a wound.

Agree with Tim on a footprint - makes you slightly less worried when the tent falls on stony ground that it'll leak the next night when you're on wet ground.

The other thing that I freely admit is a personal bugbear is a proper tent light. Torches have their place but if I'm in the tent on a dark night I want to be able to light the whole thing up with an even light like from a light bulb rather than the directional light from a torch.

I don't think I've ever seen anything on sale that ticks all the boxes re size, output, power source etc so I've always had to make them - probably around 12 -15 over the years. Generally they run from the bike battery although I have one that runs from an 8v lithium battery when I'm either using a 6v bike or when I can't get the bike next to the tent.

A small item but something that's right up there for me

There are lists, and there are lists
 

A :welcome: seems appropriate for your first post!

If you have a some time to spare, you could read through the bit of this site in the link below - it brings together a range of views and experiences in packing for travelling on a bike, although there is never a single, definitive list; that's a good thing, everyone is different!

Equipment - Packing Lists | Horizons Unlimited

The Kit | Adventure Vagabond

A few interesting ideas to think about:

• Pee bottle (who wants to get out of the tent at night?)
• Small micro-fibre towel (soaks up loads and is quick drying)
• Laminated V5 (vehicle registration - it'll get trashed at borders)
• Dummy wallet (expired credit/debit cards, old/fake drivers license, old/fake passport, old receipts and small amount of daily use local currency - if you get mugged you can hand this over or if stopped by bent rozzers threatening to keep your Driving License or Passport).
• Ibuprofen (a life saver, especially for the first few weeks of a long trip)
• Multi-tool (for quick fixes)
• Cigarettes (even if you don't smoke cigarettes break the ice and grease the wheels, they can get you through borders quicker and avoid tickets)
• Exped down matt (simply the best mattress - don't underestimate the importance of a good nights sleep)
• A comprehensive puncture repair kit with spare tubes (an ESSENTIAL bit of kit - with lots of gaffer tape for ad-hoc rim tape!)
• Sea-to-Summit X-Bowl & Cup (packs flat and you can steam muffins etc in them)
• Microbites Utensils (tiny cooking utensils)
• Exped waterproof bag & mesh bag (for washing & drying clothes on the road - half fill bag with water, soap and skivvies and strap to bike for DIY washing machine while on the move - mesh bag is DIY tumble dryer on the move)
• Dromedary bags (great for carrying water)
• Bike rain cover (invaluable for keeping the bike from prying eyes and hiding the reflective parts when wild camping - it's the best security device you can take)
• Rok Straps (simply the best straps you can get)
• Disc alarm lock (peace of mind, especially when your bike is parked under your hostel window in a dodgey part of town)
• Bike Start Cables & wired in socket (easy & invaluable jump start, I used them on numerous occasions when the battery was dead - I've now replaced the battery with a good Moto-Batt but I'll be keeping these)
• Spare bulb (taped inside the fairing somewhere)
• Cable repair kit (lighter than carrying spare cables)
• Miscellaneous Kit (quick repair items, such as cable ties, gaffer tape, JB weld, glue sticks, nut & bolts, fuses...)
• Kensington cable lock for the netbook (great for hostels when you need to leave it unattended for a moment)
• Travel sink plug (most hostels don't have them)
• Travel adaptor and block splitter (for charging multiple devices from one wall socket)
• Small padlock for lockers (many hostels don't supply them or expect you to buy one)
• Plenty of different coloured waterproof stuff sacks (to organise clothing and keep them stuff)
• UltimateEar custom made Sound Ears (I LOVE these earbuds, expensive but a great investment - save your ears and listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts etc while riding - had mine nearly two years - they've even been through the washer and still work)
• Owners manual with emergency credit card & £100 cash (in local currency, usually dollars or Euros kept kept under the seat)
• SPOT2 (invaluable when travelling solo and in the wilderness)
• John Dere tool tube (cheap and easy to fit, perfect fit to carry a bottle of wine or Optimus/Trangia 1L Fuel Bottle for petrol/meths or even tools)

:thumbup1:

How big is the opening of your pee bottle?

Crikey, mate - leading question or what! :eek:

Haha... wide mouth nalgene cantene.

Yeah, that's not going to work. I'll just have to keep enjoying the stars at night whilst trying not to pee on my exped dreamwalker sleeping bag.