A Journey of a Thousand Miles - Traveling Light

It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  That first step is very careful planning, especially when that journey is on a motorcycle.  You see, you can only carry so much when you ride a bike.  But that is the beauty of the thing.  Simplicity, lightness, freedom and a feeling of being unencumbered is what biking is all about.  No hatchbacks here, no way.

So, you must take serious consideration what things are necessary to bring that are irreplaceable to you on the road, such things as a tire patch kit, a small air compressor, essential clothing, oil, as well as a little food and water.  As a biker, it is a good thing to be a minimalist.  Light and easy I always say.  Don't get weighted down by all your stuff when you are trying to travel light and fast.  Yes.

I try to get all my stuff into the three compartments on my Harley Davidson Ultra Glide.  It is a "bagger" which means it has in my case, three stowage compartments into which to load essential gear.  These compartments look pretty big until you try to load your stuff into them, then they look amazingly small.  They also have little stickers on the inside that tell you their maximum weight capacity.  My saddle bags?  A maximum of 10 pounds of gear, each.  My tour pack? A maximum of 15 pounds of gear.  That isn't a lot of space as motorcycle gear is usually kind of bulky and heavy by nature.  

So, with careful planning and sacrificial mindset I pare down my essentials until they fit within the limited confines of these small spaces.  It is difficult because in Alaska, you never know what kind of weather you will encounter.  It could be literally freezing one day and a heat wave the next and then the day after that, pelt you with rain.  Do you chance driving your bike with hypothermia as you rumble down the road or do you swelter as the weather plays "gotcha" with you as the sun beats down mercilessly on the rider clad in black, heavy, insulated garb or would you rather enjoy riding soaked? You make some calculated guesses and pay a lot of attention to the weather forecasts.  You can't take everything, but what will you wish you had with you?   

I hate to admit this, but there is also the issue of vanity.  What do you want to look like as you traverse the country side in your Harley Davidson?  The Grapes or Wrath? The Clampetts?  I've seen motorcycle riders with a rats nest of ratchet straps, bags, duct tape, bungees, and string securing monstrous containers of who-knows-what to a tiny little sissy bar on the back seat.  It's a pitiful sight.  The graceful lines of a beautifully designed motorcycle blighted with what looks like a biker bag lady owner.  No, a bike should be freed from the extra weight and the ridiculousness of the jury rigged luggage.  To the outside observer, it should be difficult to tell if you are on a long ride or not.

Days ahead of time you set out your essentials.  Hmm...I'll be gone 5 days, If I take two pair of underwear and each day turn them inside out, that's four days worth.  Since I won't be walking in the garage or outside in my socks, those will last at least two or three days each.  You can really minimize if you want to. 

This new Harley has some very neat "bag liners" that are little duffle bags that are designed to fit exactly into the saddle bags just right.  That way when you go in for the night, you can pull all your stuff out all neatly stowed in the liner instead of several Wal Mart plastic bags and wads of dirty socks.  The problem being, not much fits into the liners.  

Once in awhile you check in with the other rider that you are taking this trip with.  What are you bringing?  How much stuff you got?  Usually you admit that there is just too much to take with you and too many contingencies to cover with too limited of carrying capacity.  What to do?

You decide to take drastic action.  You invite the wives to go along.  "Say, sweetie, how would you like to spend a few days with your bestie in the car and follow us on the bikes?  Wouldn't that be fun?  Remember how jealous you were last year that you didn't go with us? It will be fun. Sure it would, you could talk and see the sights and eat out.  Oh, and could you bring your car with the hatchback?  We have just a few things that would be better if we could put them in the back.  It would save a lot of trouble."

So the wives chat and decide it sounds like a lot of fun.  They take the bait!  Now it is on.  We can ride free and easy and the car can haul all the junk.  No more economizing on gear, take it all.  Take all the just-in-case stuff and leave the minimizing for the next time.  Woo Hoo!  Just like having cake and eating it too.

So it turns out, the ancient wisdom of the journey of a thousand miles? Invite the wives along to carry the big and heavy stuff.  That's the real secret to traveling light.