Be prepared!

The question had never really occurred to me before; "What if we can't find a bathroom?" Usually when I need to cover distance I stick to the main state routes or interstates and when I want a more relaxing ride I use major roads that pass through country areas. We're never in the country for an extended period of time. In other words, packing lite and not preparing for emergencies had not been an issue.

But then it happened. We found ourselves in the middle of no-where. By complete accident, we had ended up damn near Pennsylvania two weeks ago on a covered bridge ride. 

The yellow dot represents the official middle of nowhere. 

Ashtabula county has numerous covered bridges, a phenomenon I found, is relatively limited to that specific part of the country. As a child I can vaguely remember my aunt taking me to these bridges, but just barely. The bridges themselves are scattered across a large swath of land encompassing around 20 some hours of ride time. 

Supposedly, the bridges are marked using road signs. Following some of these signs works on occasion, other times we became hopelessly lost in the middle of no-where. One bridge in particular is what sparked this post in the first place. 

It was quite picturesque.

We found ourselves on a small, winding access road, which, to our surprise, transformed into a long dirt road covered in gravel. Goody. This two mile stretch of road only had two Amish houses placed alongside and was completely devoid of power lines or other telecommunications.

No pavement.

We arrived at the bridge itself and parked in a small area which seemed like it was made for a car. At this point we realized that walking back to a house for help would take awhile, the phone's reception was spotty at best and that, most importantly, if we had to use the bathroom, it was game over.

Limited parking options.

Eventually we made it out of the winding back roads and home, but the experience left me inspired to do some research and better prepare myself. 

Pack Thoroughly, Pack Lightly!

When I was around 9 years old, I vaguely remember my dad preparing to go to Iowa to visit a friend. He was taking one of the Knuckleheads which contained no saddlebags and only a sissy bar. I remember looking at the bike outside with him and he said, "See this!? This is how you pack; light!" I'm not sure why I remember that so clearly, but it has stayed with me. 

No bags? No problem!

My goal is to never overload or bring superfluous gear on a trip. These items only add weight and I feel as though I would never need most of the recommended items. Really, it does not matter what you want to bring; a motorcycle sets a very strict space limit that you must obey.

What is in my bag?

I decided to hit the internet and do some reading as to what everyone thought I should take with me. After all, there are thousands of riders who take long mileage trips every year. Surely they know what the best items to pack are. Indeed, there are tons of lists out there, some of them very thorough and detailed, while others are sparse and funny. 

To make my list, I decided to pull from experience and what I needed. When I was in high school, I always carried fuses, oil, bulbs and fix a flat with me on the bike. Of course, that bike was a nightmare of Japanese design, so it was almost a requirement,

Let's put some junk in that trunk!

I gathered from people who do a lot of country and park rides, along with those in a city environment. What follows is a conglomerate of the items I found wise and useful to fill a bag with.

Medicine

Not a pharmacy, but a quick patch up to get you into town!

-Advil and Motrin

-Tums or Rolaids

-Benadryl or other allergy medicine

-SPF 30 Sunscreen

-Aloe Vera Gel

-AAA Travel Size First Aid Kit

The items were chosen to help alleviate any small problems while on the road. After being sunburned and having a stomach ache, I cannot stress the importance of these items. Everything I bought was travel size.

ZIPLOC EVERYTHING!

Mechanical

The very basics.

-Tool Pouch

-Fuses and puller

-Fix a flat or other tire inflator

-Tire pressure checker

-Air pump

-Quart of oil

-Spark Plugs

-Wires

-Paper or Plastic funnel

I tried my best to include only small fixes that would allow me to get to a rest area or a town. Nothing fancy or major here. Make sure your tool kit as the required items to remove the seat in order to allow battery access. Also make sure you have the right tools to remove a spark plug and wire if need be. You won't be able to do much on the side of a road, but you can patch it up a bit.

Some last minute additions.

Toiletries and Miscellaneous

These are the other necessities that round out this list. 

-Travel size Toilet paper

-Travel size hand wipes

-Travel size toilet wipes

-Travel size tissue

-Emergency thermal blankets (also known as silver emergency blankets)

-Duct tape

-Cell phone chargers

-Cell phone battery packs

-Cell phone battery pack chargers

-Ziploc bags

-Cloth or plastic bags

-Tie downs (bungee cords) and cargo net

-Blocks for parking bike on grass or dirt (something very durable, flat and wide)
-Insurance, Registration, Emergency $50
-Selfie Stick!!!

Chargers for all my devices!

As you can tell this is where the bulk of the packing comes in and where travel size items will help you. Remember, nothing on this list is a long term, sustainable solution to anything. They are simply precautions that may or may not help you on the road. The toiletries are there because if you gotta go, you can go. The thermal blankets serve two purposes: 1. to keep you warm in case of night time breakdowns and 2. to serve as a signaling device for other motorists. Everything has been placed in ziploc bags and I have also included some additional ziploc bags in case.

Some of the most important pieces of paper.

No matter what list I read, it seemed ziploc bags were a must. If you are using a phone or GPS system, ensure you have a reliable way to charge it. I have purchased a few battery packs that should keep my phone charged, with constant use, for a solid 24 hours straight. You never know when you might need more power. Always keep wall chargers and cables handy as well.

Cloth bags, blocks for parking on grass and important info!

Another good thing to keep in mind is a second set of gloves and a second set of safety glasses. These items are can break or get lost, so it would be nice to have a backup set in case you misplace things.

What a mess!

I managed to get all these items to fit in one bag. With some creative packing, I think you can too! Remember to keep it simple, keep it light and keep it small! Following these rules should provide you everything you need in a portable package!

It all fits!