My Alaska Trip Packing List

[RoyB]

These are the straps I made..........





These are the screw in Eyes.......

[jkam]

12 pairs of socks! Roy, you got a foot fetish or something?

[RoyB]

There are very few things in life that feel as good as dry socks!

And I don't want to spend every third or fourth day at the laundermat

[LewisNClark]

A MUST: A professionally done sign with your name like "John Doe was here July 2006- Atlanta Georgia) with two nail holes & two nails. A store there will let you rent a hammer. This is for Watson Lake signpost village.

Rain-X for mirrors/wShield/faceshield/headlights/faceshield
Duck Tape (only part of a roll flattened)
Electric Tape (only part of a roll flattened)
Small Sharp Knife
3 or 4+ various sized plastic bags (it rains a lot there)
Spare keys for everything securely hidden away on cables front of bars.
Tire Pump-Electric (small BigLots $7.99, pretty essential)
Spare fuses for bike
Decent can opener
1/2 bottle of Dawn Soap to wash pans & bike/windshield
Pint of Detergent for clothes
Matches/Cig Lighter
Few small candles ($2 to $3.00)
Small folding saw for firewood
Small Binocular (or monocular)
Assorted 1st Aid (bandaides and especially tape for turnacate)
Salt/Pepper/SweetLow/Creamer (donated by McDonalds)
I also carry a disposable camera as a backup.
Pepper spray (for grizzley, sort of a joke)
Tire repair kit. (at least half the people in route have a flat)
At lease $800 cash for emergencies/tires/tire changes, repairs.

Also someone of this board suggested take all your luggage and make sure they weigh no more than about 40 lbs. (That may disqualify taking a Milepost; I took one and never opened it there)

Also I have found I had rather take a day or 1/2 day rest day every 6 or 7 days and WASH CLOTHES, check bike fluids, tires, wash bike, etc. and rest so I can take less clothes. (Whitehorse and/or Watson Lake are perfect rest stops) Highly recommend the Coleman plastic bags for packing (sell at WalMart) will reduce size of clothes to about half by pressing out the air..great product. Also Walmart has the Mosquito head net for like $3.95....during July it is hard to breath due to the Mosquitoes.

Final thought - I put less used stuff on the right side of bike bags. My Tank bags has a list of what is in each bag in case I forget. Also I bought two $15 small waterproof backpacks at Kmart attached two straps to top 1 on the bottom with those plastic push-in clips and made Tank Pantiers for less than $35. Keep all tools and RARELY used & indestructable stuff in the Tank Pantier bags. Helps not only balance weight of luggage but acts as a wind/rain barrier.

Whitehorse's Public Library has hspeed internet access for like $2.00 an hour. Cedar Retail store in Tok also has it for $4.00 an hour.

Thanks for your list it reminded me of 4 or 5 things I should pack.

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by jkam

12 pairs of socks! Roy, you got a foot fetish or something?

No sht.

You're carrying way too much 'wicking' clothing. That stuff can be washed out and hung-to-dry in a motel room or on a tree limb.

Max: 1 set on, 2 spare sets.
Hardcore is one set, what you're wearing.

Have fun, take a ton of pics.

[eljefe169]

Originally Posted by RoyB

If you don't have this card your bike will be impounded until you can prove insurance.................

They will not impound your bike, at the most you will get a fine. However, you should carry proof of insurace with you. I carry mine with my ownership and license.

[RoyB]

Rain-X for mirrors/wShield/faceshield/headlights/faceshield (got it)
Duck Tape (only part of a roll flattened) (Got two small rolls sold in Camp Dept at Wally World)
Electric Tape (only part of a roll flattened) (Yup)
Small Sharp Knife (Got lots of knives...I like knives... )
3 or 4+ various sized plastic bags (it rains a lot there) (got em')
Spare keys for everything securely hidden away on cables front of bars. (I do this as a matter of course on all my bikes, but I can't remember where I hid them...!)
Tire Pump-Electric (small BigLots $7.99, pretty essential) (Com-on...you musn't know me very well...I'm the farkle King!...My bike even has 117V AC...)
Spare fuses for bike (Yup)
Decent can opener (Electric...It works off the 117V inverter....)
1/2 bottle of Dawn Soap to wash pans & bike/windshield
Pint of Detergent for clothes (I'll buy it at Laundermat)
Matches/Cig Lighter (Of course!)
Few small candles ($2 to $3.00) (Nope......)
Small folding saw for firewood (You bet ya!)
Small Binocular (or monocular) (In the tank bag..a Kowa spotting scope resides in the Pelican case....along with a tripod...)
Assorted 1st Aid (bandaides and especially tape for turnacate)
Salt/Pepper/SweetLow/Creamer (donated by McDonalds)
I also carry a disposable camera as a backup.
Pepper spray (for grizzley, sort of a joke)
Tire repair kit. (at least half the people in route have a flat)
At lease $800 cash for emergencies/tires/tire changes, repairs. (Got all of the above covered in one way or another...)

Also someone of this board suggested take all your luggage and make sure they weigh no more than about 40 lbs I don't get this... care to elaborate?

Thanks..........

[Beamklamp]

Great list...I'll use it for reference (if you don't mind).
Justa couple small items come to mind: a short piece of stainless steel wire can be handy as emergency hose clamps and that good old JB Weld can be invaluable for case repair.

Have a great (and safe) trip!

[TAJ]

I went a two years ago. Of all the socks you're bringing I'd suggest a couple of pairs of waterproof socks. Aerostich carries them, I think the brand is SealSkinz. This comment applies even if your boots are waterproof. Mine supposedly were and I was glad I had the socks.

[arroyoshark]

Wow...what a list of stuff.

Couple of years ago, rode transalp up through Yukon, NWT and Alaska. Spent 8 weeks on the road. I packed very carefully, still had 24Lb. per side.

I think you are planning way too many clothes. You will tend to live in your moto gear most of day. A max of two cool max Tees plus a long sleeve coolmax Tee will be fine. I packed one pair of jeans and this worked very well. I did spurge and pack about 4 pair of coolmax under shorts...I found some that looked like bicycle shorts, which was handy in some camping situations. I took just 3 pair of fully synth. socks which worked out just fine, even when they got wet crossing streams on the Canol Road and Telegraph Trail. I did do laundry about once a week or so.

I've run into other riders who packed like noob boy scouts for every concievable contingency and several ended up shipping a bunch of stuff home to save weight. 75 lb. of luggage, including some camp food if you are going out in bush, will change the handling characteristics of your bike, especially on muddy road situations, like up on the Dempster Hwy. A 2.5 gal. gas can, available all over Canada is handy to have.

Personally I'd scrap the motorcycle cover too. I think it just takes up too much valuable space. Your bike absolutely will not melt or dissolve. I never worried about security of parked bike up in Canada either...its not like some parts of s. america.

I found internet cafes and libraries all over B.C., Yukon and Alaska. Even could use pc's at library in Inuvik. We were able to even plug in card readers at little places like Atlin Lake (community college) and burn CD's. Are you sure you want to pack a laptop up there? Parts of the Alaska Hwy are being rebuilt and detours and temp grades are so bumpy and potholed it will loosen your fillings.

I used a micro stove (MSR) and was able to find the butane cans readily available in Canada and Alaska, so no need to pack a bunch. In Canada, look for Canada Tire Stores (Canadians seem to refer to them as "Crappy Tires"). They are like K-marts or Walmarts of the north. Can even purchase bear spray there.

I packed some extra oil filters for my Honda, but even those were available at several shops in B.C. and Alaska. Can even buy Castrol and Valvoline motorcycle JASO MA oils and some moto filters at Canada Tire.

[license2ill]

http://arcticride.talkspot.com

[HowlingMad]

Great thread.

[sailah]

I agree about the clothes. Way too many. On my last leisurely trip I packed way too many and ended up just living in the same clothes. No sense putting clean clothes on your stinky body. If you can shower or swim, you can wash your clothes.

I'm all for downsizing. makes the ride more fun. I'd never bring a laptop.

How are you packing you D70? I have the same setup plus a few lenses that I would like to bring along. I've come to the conclusion that sefest place is onmy back when it gets bumpy.

Have fun

[LewisNClark]

Your list looks purdy complete:

Regarding 40 lbs. - The thought for someone earlier on this sboard was that much more than 40 lbs on the AK Hwy (or anywhere) could make for hazardous riding....little rough on the handling, suspension and tires.

Regarding hauling a Notebook PC...I'm like the Shark found internet access available in hotels and public libraries pretty readily available...hauling a notebook in bags will be pretty rough on those potholes, no matter how you pack it...plus the grit and grime from the dirt roads gets on/in everything.

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by arroyoshark

Wow...what a list of stuff.

Couple of years ago, rode transalp up through Yukon, NWT and Alaska. Spent 8 weeks on the road. I packed very carefully, still had 24Lb. per side.

I think you are planning way too many clothes. You will tend to live in your moto gear most of day. A max of two cool max Tees plus a long sleeve coolmax Tee will be fine. I packed one pair of jeans and this worked very well. I did spurge and pack about 4 pair of coolmax under shorts...I found some that looked like bicycle shorts, which was handy in some camping situations. I took just 3 pair of fully synth. socks which worked out just fine, even when they got wet crossing streams on the Canol Road and Telegraph Trail. I did do laundry about once a week or so.

I've run into other riders who packed like noob boy scouts for every concievable contingency and several ended up shipping a bunch of stuff home to save weight. 75 lb. of luggage, including some camp food if you are going out in bush, will change the handling characteristics of your bike, especially on muddy road situations, like up on the Dempster Hwy. A 2.5 gal. gas can, available all over Canada is handy to have.

Personally I'd scrap the motorcycle cover too. I think it just takes up too much valuable space. Your bike absolutely will not melt or dissolve. I never worried about security of parked bike up in Canada either...its not like some parts of s. america.

I found internet cafes and libraries all over B.C., Yukon and Alaska. Even could use pc's at library in Inuvik. We were able to even plug in card readers at little places like Atlin Lake (community college) and burn CD's. Are you sure you want to pack a laptop up there? Parts of the Alaska Hwy are being rebuilt and detours and temp grades are so bumpy and potholed it will loosen your fillings.

I used a micro stove (MSR) and was able to find the butane cans readily available in Canada and Alaska, so no need to pack a bunch. In Canada, look for Canada Tire Stores (Canadians seem to refer to them as "Crappy Tires"). They are like K-marts or Walmarts of the north. Can even purchase bear spray there.

I packed some extra oil filters for my Honda, but even those were available at several shops in B.C. and Alaska. Can even buy Castrol and Valvoline motorcycle JASO MA oils and some moto filters at Canada Tire.

This is a good post.

Start at zero and go up....just a tad.
Don't start a a bajillion and try to go down.