How many shuttle runs does it take to unpack your bike ???
 

I've worked out that one of the most tiring, stressful and irritating thing about bike travel is the carrying of all your luggage and bags to a room once you find some accommodation.

You know the drill... You park the bike as close to the hotel/hostel as possible and try and arrange a price. Then you have to trek up and down stairs in all your bike gear carrying all your bags, cases etc etc.

After sweating in 40c heat with 10 hours riding and this really starts to wear you down day after day..

It used to take me 3-4 journeys on my early trips and now down to 2 on my last trip..

Anyway, I'm trying to get my gear organised down to ONE walk from the bike.

I'm thinking...

1 x 39L Ortlieb rackpack with shoulder strap (camping gear)
1 x Peli storm 2100 briefcase 'backbox' (tools, electricals)
Softbag panniers...(Clothes)

I reckon I could carry all this in one go...

How about you guys ?? Got any good systems ???


Ted

Interesting thread...

I normally just take in my duffle bag with the stuff I'll want in hotels like clothes, wash kit etc... PLUS my tank bag with the electricals. I usually leave most of it on the bike, although I did use locking alu panniers on my last trip and covered it all up overnight.

It is a PITA though when it's a dodgey neighborhood. A remember a couple of times I've had to unpack EVERYTHING and cart it ALL up stairs to a hotel room including 2 tyres. Damn, the memory of it makes me tired and out of breath thinking about it. Happy dayz though!

I've sworn to try soft luggage next time round so who knows, maybe I'll end up carting the lot inside?

It can be done in one carry if really stubborn but usually with two or three slogs.

The key is the magic duffle on the back which is really an MEC 125L duffle. Too big really, but offers lots of room to stow the miscellaneous items haphazardly strapped on when stopped. In regular use allows for with easy insertion of tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, etc. and plenty of room to spare. Once strapped down, you can minimize the excess folds of the bag.

Advantages of having excess space is that you can stop, unstrap, and stow the soft inserts from your Pelican cases in the bag. Bag is slung like a backpack on your back, left arm through the helmet, tank bag in your left hand, cold beer in your right. Pelicans sit locked on bike but are empty.

Downside of this is that you tend to lazily allow the stuff in your panniers to work their way into the magic duffle at which you become overly top heavy. Bag is also not 100% waterproof so big kayak bag is required inside for any items you need to keep dry. Lazy, but with space to spare, packing and unpacking are much easier and no sorting and squeezing.

If using tank bags as well, not much can be done to avoid another trip. Usually too muddy to throw in the big bag, but strangely not too muddy to drag into the poor unsuspecting hotel room.

Everyone develops their own systems. None are exactly good or bad ... but all do tend to evolve over time and travel.

Lots depends if you're hauling camping gear ... and if you're bike is secure where it's parked or needs to be stripped if on the street in a busy city. Most of us go for secure-ish parking ... so I'll go with that.

Upon arrival and greeting I inspect the room and negotiate a price. Once done, I leave my Helmet, Jacket, and Camel Back in the room.

I immediately ask for the Mozo, Ayudante, helper or whatever. Most times someone is around ... even if not officially. I explain about my "false leg" and that usually gets a quick response and help. :wheelchair:

But if no help, then back to bike. In 30 seconds I have my bag liners out (two) of panniers. In one minute, my duffle is off. I sling it cross my back and carry the two bag liners. All this weighs less about 15 kgs.

Everything else stays on the bike: soft panniers (mostly empty), tools (hidden in locked tool pouch).

I worry about locking up and moving (if needed) the bike after a few beers or dinner. If I get help carrying gear in, I tip well and ask that he keep an eye on my bike ... with promise of more tips to come. Seems to work OK.

Being HOT and sweating like a rapist is all part of travel. We've got to wear the protective gear .. so we suffer at times. It's TOUGH ... but try to ZEN your way through. It's all in your head. :smartass:

When you think that you have whittled your baggage runs down to the minimum, try it walking with a stick. Ride safe.

I use a pair of roll top bags as panniers. If you carry a couple of extra straps you can convert them to old style throwovers and sling them round your neck. If you end up hitch hiking you can also strap them one on top of the other to form a back pack, but this takes me longer to set up than the walk to the room.

Andy

That's what I do with my side bags. Over one shoulder... The ortlieb over the other shoulder.

Pelicase in one hand and hopefully a beer in the other :)

Pack Horse Coates Reporting In
 

I know exactly what you mean Ted, I generally keep things to a minimum for what I need off the bike, but at times, I need everything, hence this picture...

http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/O...%20carry-M.jpg

Also in my right hand is my tank bag
Full bike gear including moto-cross boots which in total adds over 10% to my body weight as well :confused1:

Having to manhaul everything off the bike is a good arguement for travelling light but somehow I never do. Even touring on my 125 it seems to take three trips to move everything from the bike to the hotel room.

Mostly my mindset considers camping the norm where the bike will be next to the tent and moving the luggage isn't an issue but thinking back I probably spend as much time in hotels as I do under canvas - and far more in winter when I take more stuff anyway.

To date I've not really given any thought to this at all but I really ought to. It wouldn't take much effort to modify some of my luggage so it could be carried more easily. Leaving it on the bike is only viable in a small number of hotels and I've had panniers smashed open and stuff stolen in the past in locked compounds with an overnight guard :(.

Even when there doesn't seem to be any security issues I'm always uneasy leaving stuff on the bike and I've woken up many times in the middle of the night to check everything is still there. Pity I never stay in the kind of hotel where they have people to do the fetching and carrying for you.

I thought of this a lot on my last major trip. I was getting really jaded with all the packing, lugging etc. I swore I'd do my next trip in a 4x4 haha. But I just like riding too much. Prepping from scratch this time I'm giving this major thought and I'll be building racks/ luggage accordingly...

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

I keep playing with an old MOD framed rucksack and thinking the frame might keep a soft bag out of the back wheel but pop off like a hard case and go back to being a rucksack.

Andy

If you put a couple of old supermarket trolley castors on it you could wheel it into a hotel like an aircraft cabin bag. Make the top a bit longer and it could double up as a sack barrow so you could get all your luggage in in one go. :clap:

It always rises an eyebrow in the hostels doesn't it...

And god.. The heat.. The effort... It makes you want to buy an Air conditioned Land cruiser with an icebox and a stereo...

One day..............:innocent:

Its not too much of an issue most of the time when travelling two-up. But yes on your own it's not good, although I have had very few occasions when someone has not offered to help in some way. Usually you can prompt help at the check in desk by the following > " oh well.... now the hard bit, carrying all the bags in from the bike" it hardly ever fails. ( apart from when there is a language barrier )

It's great when you can get the bike secured somewhere in the hotel and leave most of it, I once had it parked in the back of the kitchen !

WHAT !!!! :eek3:

It is not just unloading into a hotel or something similar. stopping in a town and trying to explore on foot can also be difficult.

I am really beginning to think a small car such as a diesel C3 convertible might be a better way.

I have to admit. I really don't get people who stubbornly refuse to try other methods of travel/transport..

I think you actually enjoy bikes trips much more if you mix them up with other ways. I've done a long canoe trip which was so different to a bike trip.. Slow, quiet and very zen like. Back packing is fun too. Very foot lose and free. Almost like going for a stroll with a passport isn't it.

I'm not ready to buy a 4x4 just yet but I reckon I'll be pepping one within the next ten years...

:offtopic:

I have taken quite a liking to trains. City centre to city centre, read or talk or listen to music. No getting felt up and herded like sheep on the grounds of "security". When you come home you can just have a different sort of bike waiting for you, classic, sports bike whatever.

Andy

Sorry if this is a little :offtopic:

Ted am just looking up the rack packs.. they now come in 31L and 49L sizes, Do you think a 31L would hold camping gear? Tent, bag and mat? I was thinking 1 for camping gear and 1 for everything else...I only have a 125cc and thinking the 49L might be too big.

Thanks in advance

Hi.

I used the 49L on my Africa trip. It fit a decent tent, sleeping bag, roll mat and quiet a bit more. It's pretty versatile. It will definitely fit all your camping gear in.

It's my favourite size rack pack, but if you're on a 125 you will probably want to pack accordingly. But just because you have the space, doesn't mean you have to fill it. You need grim determination for that though ;)

If I were in your shoes I've buy the 31L and see how you get on. You can always sell it on or use it for something else.

Pack light, take only what you NEED and enjoy you trip a lot more.

Ted



Here's a couple if pictures to show it's size when full. I was on a DRZ400 and I was horribly overloaded in my opinion but I was carrying a lot of spare parts and tools.

I REALLY should of put a harder spring on the rear too.. It's used up all my travel with sag so it wasn't as good as it could of been off road. The corrugations on the Bandit Highway rattled my fillings out. It was awful.

http://www.touringted.com/_gallery_/...serialNumber=2

http://www.touringted.com/_gallery_/...serialNumber=2

Thanks for that Ted. The 49L doesnt look quite as big as I thought it would, But I'll give the 31L a go and see how I get on - Thank you

I really wouldn't go any bigger than a 49 for a single bag...

Good tip too.. Use ratchet straps with some Karabina style spring clips on them..

Put some Eye-hole bolts on your bike for them to clip onto.

I've tried everything under the sun and this is the best system yet...

You can see them if you zoon in on the rear view photo...

Based on Ted's picture I'd guess the (black) bag I used in the picture below of my 125 loaded up must be roughtly of similar capacity -


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...ckedtogo-1.jpg

That contained most of my camping gear except the tent (that's the greenish thing on top). I had small panniers fitted on each side and while the bag was nominally on the seat the ends rested on the tops of the panniers. Without them the bag wouldn't have been so easy to keep in position as it was quite heavy.

In testing I'd tried it on the rack under the white box but it was too much weight too far back and even then the bag ends kind of flop around.

I used that bag because I had it but a smaller one might be better suited to a smaller bike.

Keep it light.
When bicycling I'll take my daypack on the back, my two Ortliebs on a strap over the left shoulder and the bicycle in my right hand.
In that way I can take everything at one time, so I don't have to leave anything unguarded in the street or in an unlocked room.

If you don't take a bicycle, you'll have two hands free, so should be able to carry 4 bags and a daypack at the same time. Ortlieb even sells a strap for this purpose. Its intended for one bag but it works as well when connected to the handles of two bags, so you can carry two bags over the shoulder.
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/pr...dium/14098.jpg

Or you can attach two carabiners to the front of the shoulderstraps on the daypack and carry two panniers in the carabiners leaving your hands free.

Or a small MPV van ;-)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N.../IMG_0055a.JPG

Maybe we should all buy campervans with a rack n scooter...:scooter:

well tonight I made to my room in one but no camping gear.. :D

We had 3 pelican cases & a tank bag. 1for camping gear, 2nd for tools, raingear and the 3rd for clothes, laptop, papers...we typically only removed the 3rd one and the tankbag but there were times we took all of em off. Being 2 up we could carry it all in one go, so 2x for one person. The cases lock to the bike though we did have periods where the locks were broken & we had to bring it all in (the locks break when you crash or even just fall over but the cases themselves are bombproof). Sometimes we would use a cable lock and leave them. When we had spare tires we'd usually use our big ass Amsterdam chain we had to get when some guys tried to steal the bike in that theft prone city. Stored the chain on the crash bars.

Our previous bike we used 2 givi cases & 2 big ortlieb dirtbags on the back which had waaay too much stuff in them, especially for just a few weeks. They are unwieldy to carry.

I like hard cases because you have the option to leave them if you feel comfortable. Not sure I would with any soft bag. If you are 1 up you have more leeway with the weight of the hard cases.

I can sling my soft bags over my shoulder. 2 bags of about 30 litres each, with a nice big Velcro strap and two other straps on to connect the bags. I can then carry the roll bag on the back in my other hand. Keep my helmet on my head.

Those leather panniers look lovely. Waterproof ??

I've traveled in a variety of ways too, including vans / campers and back packing. Started with Surf trips to Mexico in early 70's. Fun stuff and a good education on how to Car camp.

Folks traveling in Vans /campers end up having their own problems. Did two major trips through Mex./Cent. America in a big camper and then in a VW camper van. Vans and cars get broken into ... and many car people have trouble finding secure parking and trouble securing their things inside the vehicle.

LOTS of passing Gringos got broken into during my two years living in Guatemala and El Salvador. Since I lived there ... I avoided the risks tourists could not see as I knew the "ropes".

I built a "Strong Box" bolted to frame inside the VW. All windows had locks. But we never left the VW for long in cities, always in private compound or lot. (yes, you have to PAY)

I met Germans in Mexico with a UNI MOG who basically were prisoners to their rig. They never seemed comfortable getting too far away from their $100K plus USD investment. They rarely spoke to locals (beyond gas stations) almost never stopped to explore towns or eat in local markets.

They brought all their own food and ate most meals in the UNI MOG. They loved to explore but were fearful to go out off the grid too far ... for fear of a hi-jacking. (which can happen)

The good thing about Van/Camper travel is often times you can just PULL OVER AND GO TO SLEEP ... but sometimes you end up in a BAD place in the morning! doh

So no system is perfect.
You've got it right Ted regards traveling light. But paring things down is a fine art ... a talent most don't possess. :innocent:

I would NEVER lug hard bags in and out ... I don't even haul my soft panniers. INNER BAGS are the way to go. Leave those bloody panniers on the bike! Inner bags: Light, fast, easy ... and keeps your stuff cleaner and dryer. (I use re-usable plastic grocery bags)

I've been following a Canadian riding a DR650 through S. America. He's packing a HUGE load ... camping stuff and lots more. 2 Hard Alu panniers, Hard Givi top box, plus 3 soft panniers on top of Alu boxes!!! :taz:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D...DSCN2678-L.jpg
Photo by Dave Ranson

Dave is now in Chile after a few months. He finally used his camping gear ... for ONE NIGHT ... it was last used in Alaska!!! :Beach:

I just don't carry it. If, on rare occasion, I have to beg shelter in native hut ... so be it! Requires better planning but saves carrying an extra 15 kgs. I would never use.

i usually camp or hostel, and not for more than 3 nights at a time, so i find that for those situations i can just leave my luggage on the bike. i'm using bmws hard panniers that came with my 2001 f650gs so they keep the water out and such. so i'd just take the tank bag of food and wash bag, and that would about do me, anything else i can go out and find if needs be.

on the occasion that i do want to take everything... well.... as a man, everything must be one trip. but i cheat because the backbox doesnt come off anymore. so its a hard pannier in each hand, duffle bag on shoulder strap and tank bag in the teeth.

They're some sort of 70's leather substitute and the material is completely waterproof - only problems are where I've drilled extra holes in the back for mounting on different bikes.

It's one of the advantages of never throwing anything away - I was rummaging around in the loft recently and found a matching set of 70's throwover tank panniers in good nick, so now I can load even more onto the poor little thing.

Back on the original topic, that setup on the 125 requires three trips to unload and drives me to distraction whenever I have to manhaul it into a hotel, particularly as I've usually got a room on the top floor at the other end of the building. It consistantly took me over two hours from waking up to leaving each morning. A similar trip by car a couple of weeks ago took under half that to get on the road.

Ted thanks for the tips, appreciated.

backofbeyond - you certainly got plenty of kit on your 125 - did you find it slowed you down any/much?

That set up was for winter use - last year's Elephant rally, but yes it did slow things down. The central part of the screen was sized to be no bigger than my frontal area so doesn't make much difference but the various "wings" covering the bars etc that were "mission creep" add-ons do make a difference.

The panniers have an effect as well and all together it made for a bike that would only marginally pull top gear. In adverse conditions - head wind, uphill etc most of the time was spent in 3rd gear. After the trip I downgeared one tooth on the front sprocket and that made a "big" difference.

In the summer, without the wings / muffs / panniers, it was about 10-15mph faster.

Managed to get my packing down to the following on the last trip:

- Magadan bags
- Kriega US-20 rucksack, empty when riding apart from hydration bladder and dry bag with documents in.
- Camera, phone, wallet, etc in a Kriega US-10 on the tank.

Had it set up that way so that I could leave the Mag bags locked, and if I wanted to walk away from the bike during the day I would just unclip the US-10 and chuck the whole thing into the rucksack. Everything really valuable was then with me, and the rest was tolerably secure.

Back on topic it also meant I could, just about, do a single trip from bike to motel room with one pannier in each hand. Rarely did though, because it was a lot of awkward weight and easier to make two trips. That was generally motels though, might be a different story if you were on the fifth floor of a hotel :D

Sorry to pull up a slightly dead thread. I've managed to get the gear down to a pair of Enduristan panniers, a 60 litre roll-bag and a Kriega US10 as a tank bag.

I can carry the whole lot in one go by wearing the panniers like a poncho, my head between the straps and one pannier on the front, one on the back. Then I carry the rollbag by the handle with the Kriega strapped to it. It's ungainly and the thought of descending stairs scares me enough to want to keep my helmet on but it could be done.

The issue I have though is hooking the #¥₩@#$ panniers back on.I've only got a sidestand on my Derbi so inevitably the weight of the pannier on the lower side attempts to pull everything across the bike. Add in the fact that the seat's distinctive hump means one of the straps has to go under then the other through the rear rack and it's a mass of velcro and swearing.

I appreciate that throwovers come from an age when seats were flat and horizontal and you could drop them on easily, but why hasn't anyone come up with a better way now that lots of modern bikes have seats humpier than a dromedary's back?

Or maybe they have and I just don't know it?

60 liter Roll bag? Are you kidding?
Far as carrying in your crap .... I have a solution for you!
The below from my post #30 in this thread. Inner bags are the way to go. Leave you panniers on the bike. Hard to use an inner bag with a top roll bag ... I use a 30 liter one, can't fill it. With Inner Bags ... it's just Grab and Go. Panniers stay on bike. No fiddling with straps, velcro or clips. I always do this unless bike is left in really dodgy place ... but I try never to do that.

No, not kidding. It's actually a duffle bag with the opening on the end not a top-opening roll bag. It's strapped lengthwise on the pillion and rack which means I've got a nice back rest and less air-brake effect on the 125 I'm riding.

I should say it's only ever 1/2 full but it's what I had before I bought panniers and I'm too tight to buy a smaller one when I can roll mine smaller. It does have the advantage that I can open it while it's still strapped on and stuff my jacket, gloves, etc. if I fancy a stroll. The only time it's been full was last year's HUBBUK. The combination of a long weekend and a short journey meant I thought to hell with space saving and took a full sized down pillow with me just because I could, so I had 60 litres most of which was air. Plus Overland Magazine wanted to borrow my bike for their stand so I had to "dress it up" a little bit ;-)

Like you I do tend to leave the panniers on and just take out what I want (bin bags for me though not fancy liners) but I thought I'd share the pack horse carrying method just in case. You're lucky, my wife was going to take a photo, at least I spared you that. Instead here's one of the full load somewhere in deepest darkest Brittany.


Doesn't seem overloaded to me.

That's a nice tidy set up there. Really fits the scale of the bike! Well Done! bier

My Dry Bag rolls up too. I guess it's nice to have that extra space available ... just in case. I use my Dry Bag for NON camping rides ... so far working out well. :thumbup1:

PS: My inner bags are just Grocery store re-usable plastic/nylon bags. $1.50 ea and pretty strong.

Helps to have a good looking woman. Back in the Eighties when I was riding a Goldwing, I had a wife who was nearly indescribably, stunningly beautiful. Pulled up to a motel in Missouri one afternoon and we walked in and started checking in. She went out to start unloading while I completed the check in. After about three minutes, I went outside to start humping all the stuff to the room and saw five college guys each carrying a bag up to the room. I didn't have to move a thing, :rofl:

Pics, or she never happened ;)

Well, that was back in the film days before the "pixels-are-free" digital wonders we have now and I was actually quite poor. I do have one pic, but wouldn't want to share it;)

seemingly a yorkie will sort out everything:thumbup1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJVWjCVnVzU

I had 2 roll bags on the ktm one was a rackpack ortleib 49l and the other was about the same size generic thing I had lying aroundand was really only a dust cover for my tent and where my dirty kit went.

Unclip 4 rokstraps and that was it, one trip to wherever

I would have less next time, I took a netbook last minute and between this and camera chargers and leads/adaptors a lot of space was consumed.

I think ratchet straps and eyebolts is not necessary and overly heavy, well cinched rokstraps never budged even riding hard across rock fields.

I can also thoroughly recommend kriega cam straps, I've never liked cam straps, even the big bike tie down ones have slacked off on me, but those kriega ones were used to hold my fuel cells in place and were steadfast, highly recommended and not that bad for price

Touring
 

I just get the bell hop to do it and let him wash the bike when he's finished

Steve