Overseas Touring

The storage and carrying capacity of the motorcycle set specific limits on clothing and equipment. The climate information for the Canadian Atlantic Provinces showed that it rained every two or three days. Rain gear was essential. We use Rivet Rainlock wet weather pants. Our Rivet Gunbarrel (Cordura) jackets were suitable for general riding as well as wet weather. The nylon lining and sleeves without inner cuffs allows humidity control and ventilation through the arms on warm days. A light fleecy pullover was useful on its own or as a jacket liner. The layered principle is used to cater for the variety of daily temperature swings.

Microfibre shorts and light travel pants could be worn beneath the leather touring pants. Moleskins (brushed denim pants) were suitable for touring on the hotter days. The same principle applied for tops - a limited variety of low volume clothing.

We wore hiking boots rather than motorcycle footwear. Footwear suitable for hiking was essential. Sandals were suitable for around the camp and while visiting.

Based on experience we packed for a laundry interval of four or five days. I dislike spending time waiting for the laundry to dry. We tried to select quick drying clothing - socks and underwear. Clothing made of microfibre is great. Jeans, moleskins, flannel shirts and cotton socks were always in last dryer load.

Equipment

Helmets are essential of course, the visors were in good condition when we started. We used most of the camping equipment for at least the previous year. The tent (Eureka Yellowstone) is a dome style with two doors and two vestibules. We purchased a lightweight 8 by 10 feet tarpaulin as a ground sheet in Canada, it was uneconomical to clean our Australian ground sheet to an ‘overseas import standard’.

The down sleeping bags (-7C rating) combined low volume and weight. Silk inner sheets are well worth the expense. We use 25mm thick ľ length self inflating (Thermarest) mattresses. Small camping pillows (Thermarest) were combined with folded clothing to achieve the desired height for sleeping.

We used a compact stove (SIGG FireJet) which burns unleaded fuel. The gas orifice requires more frequent cleaning if unleaded fuel is used in place of Shellite (Coleman fuel in Canada and USA). For convenience I carried a siphon hose and refilled from the motorcycle fuel tank. On the 1995 tour I used a stove (Trangia) which burned metholated spirits (methyl hydrate in Canada and USA, used there as gas line anti freeze). Purchasing and carrying the metho fuel was a nuisance. We used the bladders from 4 litre wine casks for carrying and storing water when camped. We brought enough from Australia for the duration of the tour. Cask wine is not cheap in Canada or USA. Instant coffee, tea, sugar and powdered milk were stored in zip lock bags. Extra zip lock bags were handy and are available in various sizes.

We usually purchased some fresh food and bread daily. Some types of breakfast cereal also served as hiking snacks. Dish / windshield / visor cloths were essential. Tea towels also served as table clothes. We stored the food and cooking equipment in the expandable tank bag.

Many other motorcycle tourers pulled small trailers. The benefit of lightweight touring was the ease of packing and unpacking. Parking without a trailer was never a problem. We carried the essential items, and left out the ‘nice to have’ and ‘just in case’ items. We did not need to carry folding chairs or stools because picnic tables were common.

Getting the Gear Overseas

We already owned and used camping and motorcycling equipment that was suitable for the tour. The mass of our equipment was within the air lines luggage allowance. We used three large duffel bags. The diameter of the bags was suitable for a helmet. Wrapping the touring pants around the helmet helped prevent scratches and chips. We used hiking type stuff sacks (nylon bags 180 mm diameter with draw cord closure). For packing in the GoldWing pannier cases we packed these loosely. This allowed free space / voids between bags or items to fill due to the downward force of items above. The tank bag added an extra layer of protection for the stove, pots and utensils.

Our last Canadian destination was Vancouver and we had hotel reservations there. We mailed the duffel bars and some surplus equipment to the hotel with instructions to hold, until our arrival. Because our luggage volume was limited due to motorcycle travel we dressed more like back packers.

Accommodation

We stayed mainly in national/state/provincial parks and forests and some commercial campgrounds. Prices were in the range of $0 to $18 per night. Camping is allowed in most US national and state forests. Road signs indicate where camping is allowed in the forests. In some, water must be boiled before drinking.

Introduction and Overview

Purchasing a Motorcycle Overseas

Routines and procedures for the touring environment

Tips and Traps

Last modified 13/06/2009