Packed For Alaska

Here's a picture of me around 7:30 AM on 5/22/09 just before I left my home in Woodstock, Virginia for Alaska. (I don't know if you can see that I got a GI haircut to solve the helmet hair problem.)

For anyone who might be interested, I'll point out how I packed for the trip.

At the bottom of the stack on the passenger seat, I have a Deluxe Luggage Rack Bag from Wingstuff. I really like this bag and have it stuffed with clothing. I pack it firm so that it also serves as a backrest. (In fact I've removed my Utopia Backrest for this trip.) I use the two pockets on the front corners of the bag to hold two bottles of water and a tube of sunscreen. The bag weighs 24 pounds.

On top of the rack bag, I have three pieces of Helen Two Wheels' packing system. First, closest to my shoulders (if I was sitting on the bike) is a Medium Cord Close Sack. This holds my 2 person tent and ground cloth. Behind that is a Medium Roll Top Sack which is a dry stuff bag that holds my sleeping bag and pad. And strapped on top of the roll sack is a Wet Bag for my towel and washcloth (or any other wet items) that I want to dry out as I ride down the road. The loaded weight of the Cord Sack is 8 pounds and the Roll Top Sack weighs 7 pounds.

Total weight on the passenger seat is 39 pounds.

On the trunk lid I've installed a Kuryakyn Luggage Rack and use a Kuryakyn Convertible Luggage Rack Bag that attaches easily and securely. In it I carry all my heated clothing and gloves. Total weight of the loaded bag is 13 pounds. (Incidentally, I installed the rack with risers and star washers to distribute the weight. I also installed a WingRider Trunk Support System to support the lid and minimize chaffing between the lid and body of the trunk.)

On the back of the bike I've installed a Pakit Rak and Bag. The bag is used to carry all my camping stuff (such as MREs, Coleman Max Micro Stove, small coffee pot for boiling water, snacks, bath towels, etc.). The bag as loaded weighs 25 pounds and the Pakit Rak platform that the bag sits on weighs another 7 pounds. (I don't know how much the mounting bracket weighs but I would guess that it is another 5 pounds.) So we'll say that I've added approximately 37 pounds off the rear end of the bike's frame.

My left saddlebag has a lot of space for dirty clothes but as packed to leave home it contains 10 pounds of miscellaneous items.

The right saddlebag contains rain gear, a half cover for the Wing, medications (in a waterproof roll bag), and a flip visor I can add to my open-face helmet in the event of rain. The contents of this bag weigh in at 12 pounds.

So in addition to my dressed out self at approximately 200 pounds, I am carrying approximately 111 pounds of additional stuff for my extended travels. I put around 700 miles on the Wing during my aborted first attempt at "Alaska Or Bust". A couple hundred of those miles were on twisty back roads. While the bike was not as agile as when not loaded with over 110 pounds of stuff, it still handled VERY well. I was still able to enjoy the curves and felt totally in control. Breaking seemed to be unaffected.

I'm sure that as I resume my travels, I'll be switching stuff around, adding and eliminating as I go. But as a novice preparing for his first extended trip, I am rather pleased with the results so far.