Planning a stint at the Iron Butt? Preparing for a cross-country trek? Pondering some round the world circumnavigation? You’ll find no shortage of how-to-prep-your-bike guides, rambling packing essays. and droning discourses on just how many tire changes you’ll go through between Yakutsk, Russia, and Nome, Alaska. But if you’re looking for advice on a simple day trip, a quick trip to the Google machine turns up zero results. Zilch. So consider this a reader service for all you riders contemplating a three-hour blast to clear your head (which we find is essential to maintaining our sanity). You might think there’s nothing to it, but our list of motorcycle day trip essentials will help boost your comfort level on the way. Keep it simple, but don’t go empty-handed, either. (Of course the destination you choose might require a different level of preparedness, but for our purposes we’re assuming you’ll be traveling less than 60 miles from home.)
Look, it’s a day ride so you’re not gonna take the kitchen sink; a multitool will do. For everyday carry and, yes, short trips, Leatherman’s 5-ounce Skeletool packs in a fraction of the features of its full-size siblings, but is a helluva lot easier to carry around regularly. It’s compact and ergonomic, plus what you get is a bit easier to use in our estimation, yet still of high quality. The Skeletool CX has just the basics—a blade, pliers, bottle opener, and bit driver (which is proprietary—why, Leatherman, why?!), but for a portable, EDC tool that’ll live on your pocket, the low-profile Skeletool gets our nod.
Like rain gear, a tire kit is your best defense against Murphy’s Law; who wants their trip to come to a screeching (or wobbly) halt 100 yards from the driveway? You’ll also need an inflator, so we like the Stop & Go Tubeless Puncture Pilot, which has everything you need to make an on-the-wheel repair to your tubeless tire on the spot. It includes the Pocket Tire Plugger, 15 mushroom-shaped rubber plugs and the super-compact 12-volt Mini-Air Compressor. Plus, it’s compact—7 x 4 x 3 inches and weighs only 1.7 pounds—and works on all tubeless tires. Throw it in your backpack and call it good; check it out at RevZilla or stopngo.com.
Even if you’re spending just several hours in the saddle, a cold drink afterward can be the difference between a relaxed grin and a tensed-up grimace. Although they cost more, food-grade stainless steel bottles are better insulated and ideal for keeping hot drinks warm and cold drinks…you know. You won’t need a multi-gallon barrel for a day trip either; we like Hydro Flask’s 24-ouncer, which feels like a good compromise for the distance. It’ll keep your bevvies chilled for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12, is BPA- and phthalate-free and is made of 18/8 food-grade stainless steel with double wall construction.
Yep, we said keep it light and simple, and 20 liters of cargo space should be plenty for a day trip. You just need a place to stash some personal effects, that tire kit, maybe another layer, and your sack lunch, and keep it all together once you’re off the bike. For that the Hurricane Waterproof Backpack is a nice option, and it even converts into a tail bag to make your life that much easier. Lash the Hurricane to the rear seat with the included straps and when you arrive, flip it onto your back and go for a hike. The roll-top bag also has MOLLE webbing and external bungees for extra attachment points as well as a handy pair of bottle holsters, while an inner sleeve holds most notebooks and smaller laptops.
Wanna keep it super simple? Go for the clever Hide-Away Trunk; a convenient 1,100ci storage unit when you need it, a small sandwich-size pouch when you don’t. Simply unfold it and, voila, instant cargo space. It’s got an integral bungee cord mounting system, dual accessory D-rings, and a carrying handle, all in an easy-to-carry package made from durable 400-denier Pac-Cloth. Get it at Aerostich.
Even for a short trip, another layer is always a good idea. Lightweight and super-packable, Rev’It’s Core insulating jacket can be easily deployed once the wind picks up and you quickly realize that T-shirt you wore ain’t gonna cut it for the ride home. Rip-stop polyester with polyester padding allows the Core jacket to hold in your body heat without a lot of bulk, so you can pack it small to stash in your pack or tail bag. A couple of exterior hand-warmer pockets give you another place to stash your keys. Get it at RevZilla. And if you live in a really schizophrenic weather state, pack a lightweight rain jacket too - like this one from Nelson-Rigg - to cover all your bases.
They’re making them so small nowadays, there’s no reason not to carry a power bank for the day—you’re probably going to need it at some point after the lunchtime Instagram session. The Anker PowerCore Lite is smaller than a checkbook and superlight weight, but it packs a 10,000mAh capacity so you can charge your phone more than three times using the micro-USB cable—and pretty quickly at that. Day trip or not, your phone, camera, or whatever device you’re packing will likely need a little support at the end of the day, and this little gizmo will take up very little room in your pack while giving you some peace of mind.
Even on a cross-town blast for lunch, you never know what kind of oddball castoff you might pick up along the way. A random sissy bar your buddy no longer wants? Maybe some extra side panels for an old CB? Which is why we usually carry a pair (or more) of Rok Straps to help cinch down that extra package we might suddenly find ourselves with. The braided, webbed Roks keep your load from shifting, and are length-adjustable with easy-to-use buckles for quick connections almost anywhere on your rig. And the loop webbing means no sharp points will gouge your stuff. Even at the somewhat steep price, the Roks are our go-to motorcycle cargo straps.