Get Organized
Find your gear fast and easy
Taking a motorcycle ride is a lot of fun. Finding your stuff in
your luggage should be too!
I used to throw everything into my tank bag and tail pack and
spend a few minutes at each stop digging around for stuff. That got
to be a pain and I evolved to using ditty bags and organizers. On a
typical day ride I’m usually carrying more than 65 different items
in my luggage, so having them organized where I can get to them fast
becomes critical. On overnight trips that number grows to more than
85.
The Right Luggage
 The first key to getting organized is having the right luggage
that you can access easily on the road without having to tear
everything apart to find the item you need. Multiple
layer tank bags are off my list in favor of one medium height one
that has a few pockets on the side where I store chain oil, eyewear
cleaners and the like. Top load tail bags and tail packs are far
more easy to navigate than the ones where the door opens sideways
causing everything to fall out as you access what you need.
Also, most luggage isn’t water proof, but careful placement of
the zippers by the manufacture will insure you’ll keep your gear
dryer for longer. Items like tank bags and tail packs can't be
trusted. If you know it will be raining on your route consider
placing a small sturdy plastic trash bag into the luggage first
before you load it up, or better yet use a large dry bag like those
made by Outdoor Research.
Ditty Bags
 Ditty
bags are a critical element to keeping things organized by usage.
There are two types of bags, those made with a solid piece of
material, usually rip stop nylon, and those made with a see through
mesh. You’ll want to have at least three of both.
The solid bags are great for storing pills, zip ties, tire repair
kits, sun block, extra batteries, spare fuses and a myriad of other
items. At Sound RIDER! we carry a set of three in different sizes
and colors made by
Outdoor Research. The OR Helium ditties are great because
the nylon is a super lightweight yet durable translucent type that
allows you to actually see into the bag so you can identify where
things are. The largest of the three bags gets my two extra pair of
gloves, the medium bag gets all my little helpers like zip ties, a
Leatherman, duct tape, flashlight, spare fuses and other things that
assist me when I’m on the road; the small solid ditty gets all my
toiletries like nasal spray, sun block, aspirin, tooth brush and
paste, floss etc…
Above: The translucent nylon used in the Outdoor Helium
Ditty Bags allow the user to see what's inside.
The mesh bags are critical too. While you may not use them right
away, during your ride they will allow you to store any items that become
wet along the way. This may be a drenched set of gloves, or if
you’re on an overnight trip you can store a slightly wet wash cloth
or chamois bath towel. Mesh bags allow you to store these wet items
without getting other items in your bag wet and at the same time let
the wet items breathe so they don’t funk and get mildewed along the
way as they would if you road all day with them in a plastic bag.
Larger mesh bags are good for general storage of your spare
clothes on overnight rides.
Organizer Kits
Some things are better stored in organizer kits. They come in
various shapes and sizes - we carry three in the SR! store made by
Outdoor Research. The smaller ones are good places to store
credit cards, important papers, concert tickets and so on. The mid-size ones are handy for storing stuff you don’t want bouncing
around, like nail clippers, a tire gauge and so on. The largest type
of organizer we sell is essentially a great shower kit. It has ways
to anchor small plastic bottles you would fill with body soap,
shampoo and lotion. It folds out and has a hook on it so you can
hang it in the shower room and access stuff at eye level while
you’re cleaning up. If you’re packing more than organizer kit, get
them in different colors so it’s easy to tell them apart.
Above: Organizer kits come in an array of sizes.
Smaller ones like #1 and #2 are good for storing currency, snacks,
pens, micro drives and other things you don't want bumping around in
your luggage. The larger type like #2 makes a fine shower kit
for overnight touring.
 Dry
Bags
You can cut a lot of weight and space on overnight gear if you
move to an ultra light down bag. But you’ll want to pack that away
in a good dry bag, not the stuff sack the manufacturer sold it with
originally. You should also pack your spare clothing in a dry bag.
You can get some of those ultra heavy bags at the marine shop, or
you can opt for a much lighter bag that will do the same job with an
Outdoor Research Hydroseal Dry Sack. The Hydroseals are good
because they’re lighter than marine bags and feature better
construction and a stronger material than their HydraLight counter
parts, which means you can strap them to your bike outside of your
luggage with confidence.
Gadget Cases
 If
you’re traveling with a cell phone, GPS, camera, binoculars and
otherwise, carry sturdy cases to store them in. You don’t want to
chance scratching the screen on your GPS, getting water into your
binoculars or having your cell phone screen crack on that next pot
hole. Check out the
Multi Pock-Its system which provides space for a number of
items all at once.
At left: The Niteize universal gadget case allows storage for a
number of items all in one place.
Vertical Storage
Look back at the photo at the top of the page and notice how all
the bags are upright. One of the best ways to store your items
is vertically so that the longest end is protruding up from the
bottom of the luggage. Place the items you use the least on
the bottom and stack in the more typically accessed items along the
top layer.
Organizing your gear ahead of time makes it easier to pack each
time you ride, find things fast on the road and enjoy your trip that
much more by avoiding the hassle of weeding through loose items at
each stop.
Patrick Thomas/Spring 06
The Sound RIDER! store features a full line of
storage bags and kits to make your ride that much easier.
Click here to see them now. |
