3 Tips To Pack Less & Lighter - Adventure Motorcycle Travel

[@JohannesDalen]

TOOLS: Yes I do absolutely carry tools when I ride and my toolkit is a part of the 29L of cargo you see in the video. I have covered my toolkit in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poKWfHx6qJJqnpo

[@kuhndj67]

When I REALLY want to pack ultralight... my number one way to reduce luggage is... no camping. Staying in hotels/hostels/vrbo's etc... reduces luggage by AT LEAST half (even with compact gear... there's just a lot of it... tent, bag, mat and tarp). Not cooking reduces it by another 20% or so. Riding in the US and Canada I never carry food or cooking gear, it's very easy to find places to eat (and food is a loud invitation to any local bears to stop in). Riding gear is another way to reduce luggage... good goretex gear eliminates the need to carry rain gear (expensive though). Top of the line ADV gear will also flow amazing amounts of air so could eliminate the need to carry hot weather gear (I carried an "Air" jacket on my last trip that included the Desert Southwest... and used it for nearly a week... jackets are REALLLLY bulky though). You do incur some additional risk by packing ultralight... for instance if you DO bring a spare pair of comfy pants and jacket you have the option of adding them as a layer on cold days. This time of year in the US that is pretty important (temps in a single day can vary from 39 to 74f... 3.8 to 21c)... I rely on layering options to stay comfortable this time of year. A big way to save weight is to not carry as many tools/supplies - but again it's risky. Spare tubes may not be needed and they take up a lot of space... but if you get a cut tube you can't patch you'll be in trouble. One tip though is to only carry the front tube (for offroad wheels)... it can do double duty in the rear if needed for a short ride to a shop. You can also cut way back on wrenches/hardware but again... you may make some trailside repairs more difficult or impossible if you cut back too far. I also don't skimp on the under layer... I carry multiple t-shirts and underwear so I can have a fresh base every day - definitely adds bulk though.

[@JohannesDalen]

Interesting, thanks for sharing David. I always bring my camping equipment just in case, but it does take up a lot of space. Regarding cooking stuff I agree, there’s always food to be bought pretty much everywhere. I’ve had top of the line Goretex stuff in the past, and while they work well for adventure-touring, it doesn’t work for offroad riding. Gets way too hot quickly. Regarding saving weight on tools, I’d rather carry more tools and less comfort stuff, better safe than sorry. Again, thanks for sharing, always interesting to hear how others approach motorcycle camping 🙂

[@NomadSweden]

So…. No lederhosen?

[@JohannesDalen]

Ahh, you know, that is.. that is the question. Without a lederhosen there really isn’t a true adventure. I have to rethink my setup and see where I went wrong.

[@larryhosek6554]

Holy license plate that fender is HUGE 😂

[@GingerNingerGames]

Best tip to pack lighter, have friends that take their 4wd's that way they can handle all the food and water and all you have to worry about is your shelter and clothes. I fit a tent, tarp, pegs, zipties, sleeping bag and clothes for a few days worth of camping on a TTR250, and it was well enough packed when I ate it in the sand nothing fell off or got damaged, though I'll be replacing the tent with a mosquito net next time so I can really lower what I'm taking.

[@JohannesDalen]

That would be sweet! Sounds like your setup is solid and your mentality right - always search for ways to make it even lighter.

[@AT2021Rocker]

Minimizing your load out is important but that looks different for different people.

[@motoric5188]

4:40 holy smokes, once again we're on the same boat Johannes! This is exactly why I have almost no poliester clothing. Cotton ftw. It doesn't dissipates sweat/vapour well, but it is best for the skin. Natural stuff for the win! And while we are at this, mind me sharing this please... I never use body deodorants, no parfumes and only minimal washing powder for clothes, absolutely none 'washing softeners'. Nature is already too polluted, and all of this chemicals end up in the ground and the groundwater consequently. Absolutely best receipe in fight against body odour in my experience is as following :))) Cut lemon in half, squeeze it in the glass and prepare a nice lemonade out of it. Take those squeezed halves lemon leftovers under the shower with you. While showering, use these lemon halves under your armpits in combination with washing soap. This absolutely kills the odour and will let you fresh for the longest possible time. At least it does in my experience. Now please be careful - a reader of this very comment... if you decide to try the above, please try it carefuly in case you have sensitive skin.... Thanks for sharing the tips Johannes, one day I will find them useful! Cheers! 👍

[@JohannesDalen]

I appreciate your effort to pollute less my friend. All the harsh soaps and chemicals aren’t needed for neither us or mother nature. I usually just shower with water unless I smell like a caveman. I personally don’t mind smelling a bit sweaty. Cheers Miha!

[@motoric5188]

@@JohannesDalen 👌👍

[@steveh100]

One tip I'd add - have an itemised kit list, that way when you go out again you can check what you are taking and where about on your bike it goes. Once I unpack stuff I might use it for something else and forget that I've run out of something while hiking.

[@JohannesDalen]

Excellent tip Stephen, I’ll add that in the next packing tip- video.

[@rene2687]

Hi Johannes, Nice small kit you packed! Mine is a lot bigger, I like to sit on a chair in front of my tent at night when I’m done riding for the day.I bring a tarp for when it’s raining. Spare clothes,because I’m always wet after a day riding in the rain. And off course the necessary tools to fix my bike or tires incl. a spare inner tube. So I always try to pack so light as possible but in the end I’m pack more than I actually want. This time it doesn’t really matter for me because I can leave all my stuff at camp during SKOG.👍 See you in a few days. I got the ferry on the 10th to Goteborg

[@JohannesDalen]

Hello there Rene 🙂 I completely understand the want for a good chair, and I would bring more comfort stuff if I had a bigger bike. The only thing I don’t skimp on is tools. See you soon my friend!

[@jirizlamal9237]

I prefer packing Skinners instead of the shoes when I do not plan walking long trips. They barely take any space and I was very surprised of how much protection do they bring to your feet. Nothing penetrated them so far ( I have around 300km of walking in them). The advantage for me is also that I can go in water with them and my feet are protected against sharp things under the water. You just have to get use to not stepping so hard on your heel as many people do, but more to the front of your feet.

[@JohannesDalen]

I initially thought you ment flip flops, but googled Skinners - never seen anything like them before. Packs 1/5th of the size of regular shoes. I’ll add them to my gear list, thank you for the suggestion!

[@glossblack1098]

Totally agree with your philosophy. I actually prefer not taking any camping gear in order to keep my 690 light. For $50 you can stay in a pub and therefore eliminate a lot of weight. You’ve gotta go into town about once a day to re fuel anyway. Cheers

[@JohannesDalen]

My budget doesn’t allow for that, but I spend a night at a cheap hostel for every ten nights in the tent. Cheers my friend.

[@jasondunn8894]

Some great tips. I think minimizing your luggage is part of the challenge.👍

[@JohannesDalen]

Thanks for watching Jason!

[@tcrushoutdooradventures7814]

The only item I want to pick up after a trip and not have used is my First Aid kit, but it's still going back in my pack. :)

[@JohannesDalen]

Absolutely, thanks for pointing it out. I always carry a first aid kit when I’m riding 🙂

[@mimi1girl2dempsey3]

Thank you. Great advise.

[@kymcopyriot9776]

Great stuff. The only thing I’d change post-ride is to replace the word ‘beard’ with ‘beer!’

[@JohannesDalen]

And «hmm» with «mmm» 🙂

[@markjacobs3956]

I use Merino wool underwear and t-shirts. Two of each and wash and rotate.

[@JohannesDalen]

That’s good to hear Mark, do you wear merino socks as well?

[@markjacobs3956]

@@JohannesDalen absolutely. Everything that directly touches your skin should be Marino but be careful a lot of the stuff is only a small amount of Merino wool. It has to be at least 75% to not stink

[@JohannesDalen]

@@markjacobs3956 The socks I find are usually 50% merino at most, with something synthetic the remaining. Nice for durability, but as you say those start to smell much faster. I had a pair of 100% merino socks and they wore through within a week. That was from walking though, haven’t tried on the bike. Less wear I assume.

[@MrRplo]

Great video and looking forward to the next. Interested in the total weight of your 29L set up and what you will add/delete to the kit after your trip.

[@JohannesDalen]

Thank you, I’ll make a new one with three new tips once I’m back home. I’ll make a shakedown video talking about each item that I brought for this trip too. Stay tuned!

[@savage22bolt32]

@@JohannesDalen This is a helpful video. Definitely looking forward to the follow-up vid too.

[@ruthelindalen5489]

Have a nice grip to Skog!

[@be4tnl]

i wonder what your vision is 5 months on the road 😉 i got a book somewhere "ultra light backpakking" this sounds like a live version 🤣

[@JohannesDalen]

I would most likely bring a bit more stuff like a cooker, but my system and approach remains the same. I would stop and wash my clothes every now and then. The reason I want a system that can work for three days or 30 days is because some of my future planned travels will not always have a set date for my return, so I need to be able to adapt.

[@asgharonline786]

Good work very well

[@facatube]

Good vid I use the same phylosofy

[@JohannesDalen]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaellloyd7940]

I'm always interested in packing lighter. Since I now have a KTM 690 I'm looking into ways to only take what is essential. I live in Oregon, USA. The weather here is pretty mild depending on the season. Most of the riding I do is in the spring and summer and depending on which side of the state I'm planning to ride can change what I need to take with me. The biggest bulk of gear is my sleeping bag and tent. Any suggestions for bulky gear? Such as a sleeping bag, tent, tools, spare tubes, food, ect? Thank you.

[@JohannesDalen]

Tent, sleeping bag and pad will always take a big amount of space. I have the MSR Hubba Hubba tent which I really like. Packs small, is free standing and can separate the main body from the rain cover. It isn’t cheap, but it’s a quality tent that many adventure riders use. For bag I recommend down simply because it packs smaller. My sleeping pad is new and I haven’t used it yet so can’t say. It’s a Sea To Summit inflatable one that packs small. Had a similar before with good results. When it comes to tools I have the basics (I have a separate video covering my tools). Tire levers, pump, spare tube, trail stand and a few more bits and pieces. I go over my bike and make sure I have all the needed sockets and tools to remove everything. Regarding food I’m a true minimalist. Food can be bought pretty much everywhere, so I don’t bring any. I’m fine with a bread and some jam. Worst case scenario I can go a day or two without food if I have to. Hope this was helpful 🙂

[@alfredstaude3955]

Hi Johannes, the same as every Vid : Great! It`s payed off that you have very expensive Gear - so you can stay with them alone. On Budget often you must bring a spare set of Clothes. One thing i never take away is a pair of spare socks - nothing is so bad as for day`s in wet/damping socks ride and live... :-) How is the current weight of your setup now? Best Regards, Alfred

[@JohannesDalen]

Hello my friend, that’s true, having wet feet isn’t very pleasant. I haven’t weighed the bike with all the gear - I’ll do that when I get home and show in the next video. Best regards!

[@alfredstaude3955]

@@JohannesDalen That`s very fine - Cheers

[@johnshropshire3399]

Well said 👍👍

[@JohannesDalen]

Thank you John!

[@ExpeditionaryRanger]

No mention of tire spoons for eating your freeze dried meals??? :P

[@JohannesDalen]

Oh man, that is an .. Excellent tip! 😁

[@billerker]

What about tools for the trail?

[@JohannesDalen]

Hello Bill, I have a separate video where I talk about my tools. The tools are a part of the 29L of capacity and are located in the right leg of the Giant Loop Mojave’s 🙂 In short, I bring only the tools that I need to take the bike apart, change tubes (and spare tube), and a few other bits and pieces.

[@marensmith5761]

First comment! So cool

[@1wdAdv]

Hi, I am really curious what you did brought as you seem to think at least twice. I am not happy with my current biltema rain gear as it is pretty bulky and I looking for something more compact. Do you have any advice? Your bike with 10 day luggage still looks like something that will be fun offroad. Impressive! Regards Patrik

[@JohannesDalen]

I currently have a set of Marmot prezip pants and jacket. The pant zip all the way up to the hips, and the jacket has huge ventilation zippers under the arm pit. The only downside to this rain gear is that it isn't stretchy, and over the kneeguards and around the shoulders they feel a bit tight. When this set is worn out, I'm buying a set of Scott DP. It is very stretchy and people seem to love that set. I don't think any of these sets will be any more compact than the Biltema stuff, but when the rest of the pack is small and light it doesn't matter that much. When I get home from Skog I can do a shakedown video showing everything I brought 😊 Ha en fin dag Patrik!

[@1wdAdv]

@@JohannesDalen Thanks Johannes for as always helpful advice. I will check those alternatives out. I use knee braces due to a serious knee injury few years ago in an enduro krash and need either stretchy or very baggy rain set. I ordered a set yesterday that is popular among light weight campers called togg frogg for about 20 usd on amazon but i ordered xxl and got discount to 12usd! So cheap so I see it as an experiment. It is even supposed to have breathing features. Lets see… i probably need to go for a better one but I never cried over the 12 usd so I will still only cry once😀

[@JohannesDalen]

The good old classic, Frogg Toggs! You’ll be surprised when you feel the pants, they feel like coffee filter but somehow it is waterproof 😅 Let me know how you like them!

[@elionh4532]

Does Nike Dri-Fit work better than wool?

[@JohannesDalen]

Perhaps it’s cooler on a warm day, but I assume it’s a technical fiber such as polyester, which will smell terrible after a day.

[@elionh4532]

@@JohannesDalen no it doesnt smell and it doesnt retain sweat, always keeps dry

[@JohannesDalen]

Tried wearing it for a week without washing? 😁

[@elionh4532]

@@JohannesDalen two days 😬

[@keithmoule4154]

Lighter = better :)

[@JohannesDalen]

You got it, Keith! 😁

[@sven_p]

Less clothes = more space for beer!

[@JohannesDalen]

Isn’t it usually the other way around? More beer = less clothes. At least in my experience!

[@simonodell2103]

Travel light ..smell at night ...

[@JohannesDalen]

Hehe, words to live by!