Things to Carry In Your Saddlebags for the Next Motorcycle Road Trip

A motorcycle road trip can be really fun if you plan it well. Most people want to go on a road trip but they don’t know how to pack well so they end up with something that becomes a painful ride for them. Although, most people prefer to go with friends so they can borrow things when they need them and enjoy the company so they don’t get bored.

Sometimes, people want to travel alone but they are afraid that they might not enjoy the experience at all, or even if they do, they will get straggled in the middle of a deserted place alone without food, water, or other essentials. All these things can be true if you have never experienced a road trip before, this can become even worse if the weather is hot or the place you are traveling to does not favor your desired climate conditions.

No matter what, you need to stay updated and pack accordingly. If you are traveling alone, you need to make sure you are not missing anything, this also means that you will be packing for things that are not very essential but depending on the changes, they can become essential.

 A simple example can be a raincoat or an umbrella that you can take with you because you don’t want to be soaking wet on your way to your destination, instead, you need to think ahead of everything and plan for the unknown as well.

While traveling alone you are your guide, which means carrying more things and having your trusted leather saddlebags along. In most conditions, people prefer card cover saddlebags because they want to keep their things dry even if it rains during their journey.

You need to be prepared for everything, it might rain or the weather might be dry as a bone, either way, this will be quite challenging. If you want to pack, you need to start with a few essentials, a few eatables and then you can move to other things that might come in handy in case of uncertainty.

To make it easy, we will start with your basic checked list that everyone must have in their saddlebags and then we can move to other essentials that might come in handy in case an uncertain situation arises.

Before you start packing, you need to check the weather forecast to make sure you pack accordingly.

An Updated Map

Most of us use our cell phones and GPS but while traveling you need a map. The main reason is that you might run out of battery or you might even lose signals, so a paper map can go a long way. 

Ear Plugs

You can use your voice canceling headphones and enjoy music but after some time you will feel tightness around your forehead, which can lead to a headache. So, you can simply use earplugs rather than using anything else.

Torch

A torch is another old school equipment that you need to carry with you. You can either get a heavy-duty big old torch or you can get a small torch that you can wear around your head, either way, you need a good and reliable troche.

Knee Covers

You can get leather knee covers or simple covers but they are essential if you are taking your bike on a long road trip. Knee covers will not only help in keeping your knees safe but will also help you to drive your motorcycle easily without worrying too much about safety.

Biker Gloves

Biker gloves are a true essential because they will help you firm your grip and this will further help you stay relaxed while traveling.

Water

Without water, you should never continue your journey even if you think the weather is not that hot. Hot or cold weather has nothing to do with water, it is essential.

Toolkit

Packing a tool kit is a completely different and rather lengthy subject, the main reason is that most people just take a readymade toolkit along with them because they don’t want to search too much about the types of toolkits according to their need or type of motorcycle.

For packing up all essentials in your toolkit, you need to know about your motorcycle first along with its model. This will help you with a selection of tools that might come in handy, depending on the issues most people face with the same model.

Weather Protection

For weather protection, you can carry an umbrella, raincoat, windshield, sunglasses, and everything that can help you save yourself from extreme weather conditions. In most cases, bikers already have a leather jacket to protect themselves and to further keep themselves safe, they wear a helmet and sunglasses.

All these things are good enough to protect you but for long journeys, you need something other than just a helmet to keep yourself safe.

Knives

If you have ever been on a road trip before, you might know how much you need a knife. In case you are going camping, Swiss knives can be very important. You can also use knives as a part of a tool kit, to open a can of food, to cut a rope, or to cut something to eat.

Food

No matter where you are going you must carry something to eat, this is not a road trip in a car where you can carry a lot of food. You might just have your saddlebags along for carrying food so don’t stuff something that you would not like to carry otherwise. You can carry bubble gum, chocolate, fruity nut bars, cereal bar, or granola bar if you want.

Try to carry things that are not perishable and they must be high in calories because you need a lot of energy. Chips and other snacks might feel like a good option but in real life, you are just carrying everything in saddlebags which means for carrying those snacks you need more space.

This is the reason you are recommended to only pack food you like and that can fit in a small compact space.