Hi,
I am an avid camper when I go on trips because I don't usally have much money but I have time. Yes, bring a credit card for emergencies if you got one.
I budget for gas and food and figure it by the day. I bring that much cash with me and really watch my spending...it works for me.
For comfort I bring tent, sleeping bag,coffee & the pot with a surplus mess-kit.I have enough tools and extra plugs,wire connectors,tape,parts to bypass the elec. fuel pump if I must,polish for the bike on days when I want to meditate. Of course razor,soap,towels,tooth brush. I do bring new socks, usually enough so I can throw them away and wear a new pair everyday. I wear boots when I'm riding but have comfortable shoes for walking. I have a collapsible 5 gal water jug, when I get camp setup I fill it with water and don't have to run back and forth to the faucet. I bring maps of everything along my route and especially maps of the Bureau of Land Management, (BLM Maps) cause I can camp in those areas for free.
And of course enough fix a flat to fix a semi,I hate flats.
For food I bring 3 cup o noodles for each day and usually fruit cups, and beef jerky enough for the trip, showers are $5 at most truck stops I stop in early before the trucks start shutting down for the night and they have never given me any grief about paying for a shower.
another thing that can be fun and helps to keep things cheap is to use the couch surfer network, a lot of folks will let you sleep free for a night and get cleaned up.
http://www.couchsurfing.org/
The biggest thing is to take your time and enjoy the flowers on the way by, don't let things get in a hurry!
I have traveled from Norfolk,VA to Spirit lake, IA then to Dallas, Tx to Atlanta ,GA and backup to Norfolk,VA then out to Alameda,CA By motorcycle.
I have always been stopped by cops (just checking me out) and I have always met great people and had fun.
I hope it works out great for you, Have fun

http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aow.cfm

The above link has all kinds of links from real long distance/endurance riders.
You want to look at info in each link to hone your thinking, but the list is in link 21.

If you bring electronics, such as a laptop, bring a giant zip lock bag AKA space bag. Put it in that and turned OFF not sleep. Because if it turns on while you ride it will melt the processor.

You might want to Certify part of your ride, info found at same site. If you do one 1000 mile shot, you can save on a hotel room sleeping at the Iron Butt hotel.

I am Mr Iron Butt Number 37390 and soon to be member of mile eaters club. But I have only recently gotten in 35K miles in 2 years, 25K miles short of my 2 year record when I was younger.

That link has a LOT of info you would be wise to apply.

I did 2500 miles last year to the Meet & Greet in Lake of the Ozarks from Green Bay, then to Wichita KS and back up to GB spending 3 days in Lake of the Ozarks 1 day in Wichita 3 days on the road.


Packed up!

I had sleeping bag, rain gear, cooking items, sleep pad, 2man tent and way too many clothes. Oh yeah, and a cooler!

Slothy,
What was the cost of your trip and what specific travel lessons did you learn?

i wanna say around 1300-1500 or so, i never really kept track. gas in death valley was like 4 something a gallon! But most my hotels where around 70 a night. some cheaper some more - but id say average was around there. but i had to buy new rain gear (well cheap 50.00 stuff to get me home and some warmer clothes).

lessons learned -

Dont buy cheap rain gear - i had to stop at a walmart to get new rain pants cause the ones i bought shredded and became useless - the ones i bought will be replaced with some real riding ones before the summer.

roadstars can run OK on about 80% diesel fuel mixture- hahaha dont ask

i wish i did the long distance stuff earlier - soo much fun.

only drink water - makes it much nicer - no caffeine crashes

i bought a SPOT GPS tracker, so people knew where i was going (since i was making my trip up day by day i wasn't sure of destinations until that night)

1000 miles on roadie is cake! (with fullface/front fairing)

wear ear plugs to cut down the wear on you brain with wind noise, yet you can still hear cars next to you ect.

have a good breakfast - i usually just had a power bar for lunch and a decent dinner.

stretch at gas station take a 5-10 min break to relax a tad

throttle lock - best 20 bucks i spent

depending where you are - if i was anywhere near 1/4 tank of gas i stopped at the first station i seen.

meeting people from all over - priceless

The 80% diesel fuel mixture is good to know. A local station here has Diesel colors on the Gas handles and versa visa, and a lot of people have done that here, Luckily though they put the right color pump handle in the diesel car and turn on the diesel and it don't work, it's then they figure out the mess up.

Easy mistake sometimes the way the new pumps are set up though and especially on a trip in stations your not familiar with. Good tips too.

farmalldanzil wrote:
Out here? and if so, do you have a do and don't pack list for say 2 too 4 weeks or so that you could share?
So when are you thinking about taking this long distance ride? Which general direction you going?
Gotta agree with all of the various lists. Especially the rain gear. Cheap stuff is like throw money in the trash. Tubeless tires can be plugged in most situations if not in the edge or sidewall so a CO2 air canister or 3 with a plug kit fits in a small place.
Toilet paper is a good idea, never know when that buritto you ate will decide to make a quick exit. Rolaids or Tums helps too. I use a camelbak hydration system. Fill it with ice in the morning so you have cool water thru most of the day. Sun screen is highly recommended.