The predominant advice for road trips is to pack smart, pack efficiently. Never more true than when it comes to motorcycles. There's obviously a limit as to what can be stacked on, squeezed in, strapped to, and bungee'd around your bike. The priority is balance and stability. You don't want load shifts when going around a curve or executing a swerve.

With that said, there's also a litany of items that make sense to have with you on an extended trip. You can certainly travel lighter and alot of seasoned riders do. But this is my approach having made my nearly three-week excursion through the National Parks and a bit of Canada in June 2007. This list, even now, will likely grow and shrink in the coming months as the countdown ticks off to the North to Alaska, South to Key West trip ahead. The snapshot for today is as follows:

JUNE 2008 NORTH TO ALASKA - SOUTH TO KEY WEST TRIP CHECKLIST

BIKE: 2006 BMW R1200GS

LUGGAGE SYSTEM & MAJOR ITEMS
(The bulk of this packs onto the bike or is stored in a system case.)

- Jesse Lockable Hard Side Cases (2) (108 liters total)
- Jesse Lockable Hard Top Case (45 liters)
- BMW Waterproof Round Duffle - 53-liter capacity (clothes--basically everything I'll bring
to wear for 6-8 weeks, walking shoes, meds, toiletries, etc.)
- BMW 28-liter max Tank Bag (this was a great bag to house the two-way radio, water
bottle, Nikon SLR, bag raincover, road snacks/energy bars, zip lock bag for trip
receipts, etc., and any odd and loose items I wind up acquiring along the way)
- Tent w/nylon stuff sack (Marmot Swallow 4-season Convertible 2-person=1 person
and gear)---right side case
- Tent Footprint (REI space blanket)---right side case
- Sleeping Bag w/nylon stuff sack (Marmot Pinnacle +15º Sleeping Bag-cool/cold weather. Overkill in southern climes but just the ticket for Alaskan camping--even in summer)---right side case
- Sleeping Pad w/nylon cover (Thermarest Pro-Lite 4, one-and-half inch thick self-
inflating pad---some may see this as a luxury but my rheumatoid arthritis and half-
century-year-old frame will thank me for it. This particular item carries a high 3.2 R-
value-- insulating you from the hard, cold ground. I usually let it self inflate as I set up
the tent, then manually blow it up taut with lung power--just a few puffs will do--and
then allow a small amount of that to escape to get a just slightly "cushy" feel. Otherwise
the pad becomes a slab--uncomfortable and easy to roll off of or to slip from under
you. Learned this the hard way. )---right side case
- JetBoil Camp Stove & Fuel Can (small, compact cooking system just right for boiling water, the main ingredient for hot tea, or freeze-dried meals when restaurants are beyond our geographical reach).
- Nylon cord, 100ft (all-purpose line for repair or suspending foodstuffs away from camp in the "wilderness" out of crtitter reach)

MAINTENANCE/EMERGENCY GEAR
(This gets stowed in the left side case.)
- Tools – (torx wrenches, ratchet, extension, screwdrivers)
- Flat Repair Kit (Stop ‘N’ Go + BMW OEM)
- Cycle Pump 12V Air Pump
- Flashlight (2) : 1 mini, 1 standard Mag-Lite
- Camp Towel
- Zip-Lock Bags (6)
- Heavy Duty Rubber Bands
- Compression Straps (4)
- Swiss Army Knife (of course)
- Butane Lighters (2)
- Waterproof Matches
- Magnesium Firestarter
- Cable Ties
- Small roll of duct tape (can hold a bike, or a person if need be, together in emergencies.
To conserve space I wind a decent amount of duct tape around an old screwdriver
handle. No need for the whole, heavy roll.)
- Compass (it's great to have GPS capability but I also like to have a simple, but good
compass on board)
- Camp Candles (rarely used but taking up little space, can come in handy should lighting
need exceed battery life of flashlights)
- Camp-size Toilet Paper (life's little necessities)
- Space Blanket (serves as a tent footprint insulator and floor protector....also for emergencies and added warmth on unexpectedly cold nights)
- UDAP Bear Spray (we'll be hiking some and camping alot in the parks---in grizzly country.
After reading attack-incidence statistics and watching news reports, this little bit of
paranoia I'm willing to take chiding for. Better safe than....bear lunch.)
- Spare Riding Gloves
- Bike Cover (EZ Touring Cover---a half-cover with tie-downs that envelopes the top half
of the bike each evening, mainly eliminating wet saddles from the morning dew.)
- Spare Headlamp Bulb (1)--(these last items in the list pack small and may seem like
overkill but when riding in sparsely populated sections of the country they're a nice
peace-of-mind in case of a mechanical or electronic component failure)
- Spare Spark Plugs (4)
- Spare Alternator Belt
- Spare Fuel Line Clamps
- Spare Fuel Line Hose Section
- BMW Oil 20-50W (1 quart---for topping off between oil changes if needed--so far have
been lucky)
- Spare Throttle-body Cables
- Spare Fuses
- Spare License Plate Bulb

APPAREL
(This finds it way onto the rider or into the duffle bag.)
- BMW Santiago Textile Jacket
- BMW Santiago Gore-Tex jacket liner
- BMW Santiago riding pants (mesh-lined)
- BMW Santiago Gore-Tex pants liner
- Shoei Full-coverage Helmet (X-Eleven---light and comfortable)
- BMW Summer Gloves (w/handy squeegy-blade on left forefinger. It works!)
- Silk Glove Liners (2 pr)
- BMW Santiago Boots (heavy duty, grip sole, Gore-Tex, ankle protection for unpaved road travel)
- NOJ Gore-Tex/Fleece Bandana
- BMW Beanie (heavy)
- BMW Skull Cap (light)
- BMW Baseball Caps (2)
- BMW 2-piece Rain Gear
- Nylon Tee’s (8) (Some are wicking. Some are more windstopping--depending on the
temps in that particular section of the country.)
- Nylon Briefs (8) -- (avoid cotton and seams for long trips)
- Nylon Long Underwear (3) -- (handy to have when you don't want to totally "wimp out"
for the heated gear, but I readliy resort to HG rather than be miserable when the temps drop
more than anticipated)
- Nylon Tee Long Sleeve (2)
- Cotton Tee’s (4) -- (More for off-bike time.)
- Jeans (1)
- Socks (8)
- Fleece Lightweight Jacket
- Light Hiking Shoes
- Nylon Convertible Hiking Pants (3)
- Gerbing Heated Jacket Liner (Occasionally used and tucked neatly away in a system case)
- Gerbing Heated Pants Liner (Rarely used but always ready.)

PHOTO/VIDEO GEAR and ASSORTED ACCESSORIES
(This is in the mini-camera bag or the tank bag)
- Camera Gear: Nikon D200 10.2 MP body, Nikon 17-55mm F2.8 lens, Nikon 70-200mm
F2.8 lens, Nikon 50mm F1,8 lens, Nikon 10.5mm F2.8 lens, cleaning kit, USB cable, 2 in-
camera and 2 extra lithium-ion batteries, 1 in-camera 8GB and 2 2GB spare memory
cards, remote trigger, battery charger, protective bag, mini-journal(for shot notes)
- Mini Tri/Chest Pod (steadies the heavy SLR on the chest, for more stable shooting)
- Olympus C-8080 8.1 MP Compact Camera (High-quality point and shoot for quick casual
and back-up purposes)
- Lowe Pro Mini-Trekker 200 camera backpack w/raincover
- JVC Camcorder Mini-DV gear, 2 extra batteries, 2 mini-DV tapes, charging unit
- Gerbing Thermostat Control (for heated gear)
- Mini-flex tripod (for point and shoot)
- Lithium AA Batteries (4)

TOILETRIES & MEDS
(Basic necessities for general hygiene, mosquito and chigger battles, bee emergencies and unexpected flare-ups of chapped lips, bitten lips, tooth ache or chafed cheek-lining, etc...all stuffed away in a system case or duffle)
- Blistex Medicated Balm Stick
- Blistex Lip Gel
- Neosporen Salve
- Orabase Paste
- Sting-Eze
- Insect Repellant
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Facial Soap
- Dental Floss
- Hair Brush
- Razor
- Razor Blades (8)
- Mini-Shaving Cream (2)
- Deodorant Stick (Riding buddies and restaurant patrons will thank you.)
- MEDS: varies, but any daily meds, vitamins, etc...
- Snake Bite Kit
- Standard First Aid Kit (medium size w/bandages)
- Liquid Soap/dispenser
- Shampoo
- Camp Towel
- Washcloth

COMMUNICATION/DATA BACK-UP
(system case)
- Cell Phone/charger
- Laptop/charger
- Phone Modem Cord
- Ethernet Cord
- Blank DVD- R’s (50)
- CD.DVD Wallet (computer software restore disks)

DOCUMENTS
(This packs either inside a riding jacket or in the tank bag.)
- Driver’s License
- U.S. Passport
- Insurance Verification
- BMW MOA card
- BMW Anonymous Book
- Credit Card
- Medical Insurance Card
- Stamps (for postcards)
- Assorted State Maps
- Spare motorcycle key...or if riding with another, it can be a good idea to give him or her
the spare for safe-keeping.