Specific to Women

[VelvtRide]

Originally Posted by AnyDay

Thanks! So far trip includes SLO, Salinas, and Shasta Lake to visit family and friends, then to RawHyde Adventures for something. I'm ready for more off-road training (that doesn't involve my husband being helpful and me getting upset because he's so much better :), plus some days in the desert sounds really good right now.

Comments on the ICE/info: I carry my information and cell phone in my jacket. I want to be able to call for help if I get separated from the bike, or if I'm down and can't reach the tank bag. Also, I've been an EMT and we look for info on the person first.

I'm about 2 hours northeast of SLO. Google Fresno and you'll find me. Hope you have time to stop and say hello!

[shezonit]

[Comments on the ICE/info: I carry my information and cell phone in my jacket. I want to be able to call for help if I get separated from the bike, or if I'm down and can't reach the tank bag. Also, I've been an EMT and we look for info on the person first.[/QUOTE]

I also carry the cell phone in my jacket, but hadn't thought of the ICE. Good info. The only drawback re the cell phone is that a lot of places I ride don't have coverage. A SPOT is definitely the ultimate in personal safety.

[jacob622]

Originally Posted by VelvtRide

LR and I are planning a 3 or 4 month long trip to Mexico/Belize/Guatemala this coming winter. In the last few months, I've been thinking about the things that are specific to women for traveling long distances on a motorcycle.

We have to worry about menstruation, washing, laundry, shaving among other things. I have some suggestions and I would really hope our other female inmates could post their thoughts/questions/suggestions.

1. That time of the month

• I have purchased disposable underwear that I chuck in my tankbag for problems where I'm not near a city or gas station. You can buy these at any beauty salon, a dozen at a time, for less than $5. Handy if you have an accident. These are in addition to the 7 cotton pairs I have stuff in my saddle bags.
• Using a DivaCup, instead of tampons or pads, will save space and get rid of the waste problem.
• WetWipes are available in convenient travel sizes and are extremely useful for lots of different situations.
• Feminine spray is also available in travel sizes if you're camping and don't have time(or is not available) to wash with soap & water.
• You can purchase soap 'flakes' in itty bitty containers - usually 50 flakes(one flake is enough to wash your hair/hands/pits/feet with only a tiny bit of water added).
• If you're camping(or there's no bathroom where you are) there's the mess of what to do with pads and the like when you've used them - lighter and/or matches will solve that.

2. Bathroom duty

• I carry a small(50 sheets) roll of Charmin, which comes in a plastic case to keep it clean and non-damaged, in my tank bag for emergencies. You can also purchase Sanitary Seat covers in travel size for less than desirable places to pee/poo. $.99 at any WallyWorld.
• She-Wee. If you haven't heard of it, google it. Fantastic product made for women so we don't have to squat or take our pants all the way to the knees just to go. Stand up and pee right next to your man.
• Inflatable toilet seats. It's been mentioned to me that many hotels south of the border do not have toilet seats. Bring your own - inflatable means it'll pack very small but provide big comfort.
• Wetwipes as stated above or the feminine type to reduce odor.

3. Chafing & skin protection

• Exoficio makes wonderful mens boxers that are odor resistant and dry out within hours of washing. Chafe free, comfortable and extremely cool in hot weather. They don't bunch or have seams to grind into your skin after hours and hours of being on the bike.
• HoneyDust, by Kama Sutra, works awesome to help keep you dry and keeps your skin comfortable - plus it smells good and is edible so it's a 2 in one product.
• Face cream - find one with a high SPF which will double as sunscreen. Lip moisturizers are especially important!
• A sports bra with no seams will help keep your underarms and shoulders from getting irritated. Nike & Bali both make them. I usually have 2 of these, plus a nice push up bra for special occasions.

4. Washing and the like

• Shampoo. Lush makes shampoo solids. They are small and round, come in a canister to guard against damage, you'll get more than 50 washes with one. About $6 each. I have found these to be absolutely indispensible! Some come with conditioner built in, so no need to carry the extra weight of conditioner.... plus, you can also use this as a wash bar for your body. They are soap free.
• Face cloths will clean your pores and moisturize, too. Coupled with SPF lotion, you're covered.
• Shaving. If you can get used to it, try an epilator. Emjoy makes one that doesn't hurt near what the others do and leaves you free of hair for up to 6 weeks. It also makes hair grow back slower and thinner over time. You can find Emjoys that are battery operated for when you don't have power to draw from. Gillette Venus Breeze disposable razor has lubricating pads so no soap is necessary. These work very, very well with little water. Disposable wax strips work well, too, if you wax.
• Disposable brush wipes(by Oral B) for your teeth are excellent and take up almost zero room. They come impregnated with toothpaste, fit on your finger and have nubbies on them to get all the grit off your teeth.
• Tide makes Sink Packs. Comes in 3's for $.99 and will do a few pairs of 'roos, socks, bra or shirt/pant. I love these things and carry about a dozen. 3 of them in the tub worked wonders on LR's 10 day camping-old-crusty shirt and pants. We won't talk about his socks.
• Deoderants. Try a 'crystal' or other natural solid. They last an extremely long time and are very small. Also, you won't have the problem of them melting.

5. Clothing

• Rayon is a great fabric for traveling. Comes out wrinkled as hell, but after splashing lightly with water, all the wrinkles just fall right out.
• Scented sachet packs are great tossed in the saddle bags. Keeps things freshly scented even if you've worn items a time or 2.
• If you don't already, try wearing thong underwear. They pack ultra small and don't take much to clean and dry.
• I bring dryer sheets(Bounce) in a plastic bag. Not only do they work good as sashets, but also repel ticks/fleas when rubbed on pant legs/socks/shoes. They also get rid of static cling problems by just rubbing them on the clothing/sheets.
• Jelled socks at night will keep your feet soft & supple and help with painful callouses.

6. Miscellaneous

• If you have to wear makeup, use Mineral Powder foundation. Good for the skin, doesn't clog pores or leave a mess in your helmet liner. It also comes with sunscreen. Lots of mineral eye shadow colors that pack small and last a very, very long time.
• Waterproof mascara and lipstick with SPF in it completes your makeup kit.
• Ziploc bags are good for many things. I always keep several handy.
• Hair ties. I used to keep these around my brush handle, but now they are on a 'hook' hanging off the tank bag. These, too, have many uses.
• I repack all my hair/face care products in plastic bottle/tubs. Up and down in elevation can sometimes cause burst contents. It also saves space.

I found a thread on the Horizon's site that is geared toward women and traveling that's very informative. I would appreciate any other links or comments from the female contingent......

great good one!!! as i like the way you written your post with joy and happily!!!!!!!!!!
Caverta

[Cuttle]

great tips all around

and one more thing for cheapskates like me:

the small light travel towels are very expensive, but if you go to an autoparts store (or wally world) just get some microfiber towels for detailing... it's the same stuff.

[kingca3]

Do you have any suggestions on warm clothing to wear? The boy and I did some camping recently, and I wore Under Armour to make it through the well below freezing temperatures. And, to be fair, the Under Armour certainly did its job - I was as warm as I could have been. But I found that the tights absolutely do not breathe and if you're not near a shower, sometimes wipes just won't cut it after a day or two, there was no getting around it. What other kinds of layering clothes are breathable but still warm, and possibly able to fit under a pair of jeans?

[Eyes Shut]

Originally Posted by kingca3

Do you have any suggestions on warm clothing to wear? The boy and I did some camping recently, and I wore Under Armour to make it through the well below freezing temperatures. And, to be fair, the Under Armour certainly did its job - I was as warm as I could have been. But I found that the tights absolutely do not breathe and if you're not near a shower, sometimes wipes just won't cut it after a day or two, there was no getting around it. What other kinds of layering clothes are breathable but still warm, and possibly able to fit under a pair of jeans?

I like Icebreaker clothing for warm layering. This stuff is not cheap, but it's nice quality merino wool, machine washable, non-itchy, and wool doesn't get smelly like many synthetic materials.
http://us.icebreaker.com/on/demandwa...FahgTAodXBWdkQ

[tuffstuff]

Originally Posted by Eyes Shut

I like Icebreaker clothing for warm layering. This stuff is not cheap, but it's nice quality merino wool, machine washable, non-itchy, and wool doesn't get smelly like many synthetic materials.
http://us.icebreaker.com/on/demandwa...FahgTAodXBWdkQ

I could not agree more! I have converted my entire wardrobe to ice breaker over the past few years. Just get one piece at a time whenever you can afford it. It never stinks and even if you sweat it wicks s you don't get cold later. This is the best you will find in m opinion.

[VelvtRide]

REI carries some SmartWool long johns made out of Merino Wool that I've been wearing for about 4 years. They wear extremely well, breathe well and are very warm. I wear them on and off the bike and under clothing as well as by themselves. Absolutely perfect and so very soft! They haven't even stretched out over time like I thought they would.

Prices are cheaper than the Icebreaker stuff but only by a little. The nice thing about REI is that you can return them after wearing should you find they are not what you wanted - even if it's a year later.

Tops: $80
Bottoms: $80

[katego]

Originally Posted by VelvtRide

REI carries some SmartWool long johns made out of Merino Wool that I've been wearing for about 4 years. They wear extremely well, breathe well and are very warm. I wear them on and off the bike and under clothing as well as by themselves. Absolutely perfect! They haven't even stretched out over time like I thought they would.

Prices are cheaper than the Icebreaker stuff but only by a little. The nice thing about REI is that you can return them after wearing should you find they are not what you wanted - even if it's a year later.

Tops: $80
Bottoms: $80

Costco has some too right now.... called Paradox. ~$25 each piece. I didn't think that I would like the wool, as regular wool is always itchy, but they are fine. Very soft and cozy.

-k

[Eyes Shut]

SmartWool is another one of my faves --but locally, we don't have much in the SmartWool selection (mostly socks), so I've been buying Icebreaker for longjohns and tops.

[kingca3]

Thanks, guys. I'll definitely have to check out both options - the REI merino wool (luckily there's a REI directly on my way home from work, how convenient) and the Icebreaker brand. Hopefully with some careful scouring of the big bad interweb, I'll be able to find some good deals.

[tuffstuff]

Originally Posted by katego

Costco has some too right now.... called Paradox. ~$25 each piece. I didn't think that I would like the wool, as regular wool is always itchy, but they are fine. Very soft and cozy.

-k

Wow!!!

[tuffstuff]

Originally Posted by Eyes Shut

SmartWool is another one of my faves --but locally, we don't have much in the SmartWool selection (mostly socks), so I've been buying Icebreaker for longjohns and tops.

I love smart wool too ... Also mostly for socks. The smart wool shirts I have are great but I find not as durable as icebreaker. I still love it.

[AnyDay]

Originally Posted by tuffstuff

I love smart wool too ... Also mostly for socks. The smart wool shirts I have are great but I find not as durable as icebreaker. I still love it.

Glad I read this, found a great Ibex top (made in USA) on sale for $30 at Marshalls of all places. I'm going hiking today, will see if it passes the 'stink' test. So far, very warm and soft.

[watchtheskytonight]

I have been travelling south and central america and mexico for 5+ months with my boyfriend. We are riding 2 up on a DR650 so space and weight are super important. I have also done a 4 month bicycle trip which is when I first discovered some of these low weight,low space products. Toiletries are just a difference between guys and girls thats all there is to it, and my boyfriend makes fun of my bag of toiletries all the time, but here is my list for us outdoorsy type girls:

General Toiletry Items:
--LUSH brand bar shampoo and conditioner. (absolutely amazing)
--LUSH brand lotion bar (I swear I dont represent them! they are just a super good brand for small and efficient products)
--disposable razor
--Dr Bronners soap, small bottle. can wash you, your clothes, almost anything
--toothpaste, toothbrush, floss
--nail file and tweezers
--mini deoderant
--Burts Bees lip balm
--small packet of anti-inflamatory/painkillers, anti-allergy, anti-diarrea, and anti-migraine pills
--5 or 6 bandaids and small plasic sqeeze packets of anti-bacterial
--the essential roll of TP!

Makeup:
--one 1 cmsquared cube of eye shadow which i always forget i have and only occasionally bring out for special nights

Period Stuff:
--o.b. tampons are tiny!
--a few pads, you can always a little box later, *also, if you are in an environmentalist and dont have a divacup, you can cut the ankles off an old pair of smartwool socks (the best socks i have found that dont smell even after a week or chaff when wet) and use as a pad and wash when needed.
* this disposable panty thing that was mentioned is quite funny to me. i just only carry black underwear that way they never stain, and you just wash when needed... also, the ex-efficios do dry quickly but they also get smelly again very quickly, and ultimately I ended up buying cotton because it just feels healthier down there. (this experiment took place during a 4 month bicycle tour) but i havent tried the mens ones yet....


Just because you have a vagina doesnt mean that you need a ridiculous amount of toiletries.