Here is a quick Review of the usefulness of the items I took on the trip:

Used Frequently
Useful When Needed
Critical Gear
Did Not Take
Useless

Worn/ Equipped
1.                Modular Helmet w/BT
2.                Riding Jacket and trousers w/ thermal and water proof liners in back storage
3.                Riding Gloves
4.                Boots
5.                Cut
6.                Shorts
7.                T-shirt
8.                Underwear
9.                Boot Socks
10.            Sunglasses
11.            Ear plugs
12.            Hydration bladder pack
13.            IFAK w/ Shears, SOFT-T, Bandage
14.            Compact Pistol w/ spare magazine / holster
15.            Passport Card
16.            Driver's license
17.            CCP
18.            Insurance Card
19.            Medical Insurance Card
20.            Vehicle registration document
21.            Emergency USD
22.            Bank cards
23.            Leatherman Multi Tool
24.            Ankana multi-pen

Mounted
1.      Mobile phone w/ mount
2.      Go Pro w/ Mount (throttle side)
3.      Driver Seat Back
4.      Added - Insulated cup and cup holder

Passenger Seat:

Aviator Kit Bag
1.                Riding Gloves (Sp)
2.                Cargo Pants X 2
3.                Shorts X 3
4.                T-Shirt X 7
5.                Underwear X7
6.                Boot Socks X 7
7.                Beach Sandals
8.                Athletic Shoes
9.                Polo Shirt
10.            Sunglasses (Sp)
11.            Lightweight Riding jacket
12.            Laundry Bag
13.            Wet Bag
14.            Toiletry Kit (Toothbrush/floss and paste, Soap/ shower gel/ shampoo, Razor, Hand sanitizer)
15.            Fleece Jacket
16.            Neck Gaiter

Panier OKSS
1.      Ear plugs (x20)
2.      Cooler bag (w/ Drinks)
3.      Insect Repellent
4.      Sun Block
5.      10 X .5l water bottles (This was increased to 20 bottles.)
6.      Snacks
7.      Windex/ microfiber towels

Center Top Box (Secured)
Electronics Case             
1.                Mobile Phone/helmet; cables and charging block
2.                Go Pro Accessory Bag w/ Mounts, Set of memory cards
3.                IPAD and charger
4.                Jump box w/ Compressor & USB charger
5.      EDC Tool Case
a.      Gerber Multi tool
b.      Benchmade Folder
c.      Screwdriver multi tool
d.      Gerber Mini-pry/ boxcutter/ strand cutter
e.      C3 Flashlight
f.      Powerbank w/ cable
g.      Oowie kit

Bowie Knife
Compact Carbine w/ spare magazines
Owner's Manual
Fold Up Chair
Tuner

Panier KSS
Emergency Bag
1.                Emergency Sleeping Bag
2.                Poncho w/ 550 cord precut
3.                Para cord
4.                Towel
5.                Water Purification Bottle w/ straw, filter
6.                Fire kit
7.                Emergency food

Tool zip up case
1.                Pliers
2.                150mm Crescent Wrench
3.                Hex Set
4.                ¼" Drive Socket Set
5.                12v Tester, Electrical Tape, wire brush
6.                Flashlight/ battery
7.                TP Gauge
8.                Driver w/screwdriver set

Adventure First aid kit
Foot pump w/Gauge
Rags

It turns out the most consequential piece of kit was my cooler bag. We faced temperatures in 90-115 on the first two days. I was the only one that brought a cooler. On day 1 and every day after I would place most of my water bottles in the freezer at night and drink them as they melted. This gave me ice cold water throughout the day. This was a better option for me than the hydration bladder. I figure it saved me around $350.

The rest of the group split into two camps. Buying their way out by spending $25-35 a day on gas station drinks or not drinking enough. By the end of the first day we had our first heat injury. The next day two of our older riders dropped out. If you don't drink water in the desert you will die.

On day four we had a very low speed collision between two riders. We were about 90 miles from the nearest MC shop and in an area where there is little to no response services. Other than some very minor injuries and ego crushing the only issue was making the bikes road worthy. We were able to do that with the few hand tools we had. It is important to note that some tools are always better than none. Luckily I wasn't involved.

I should have left the rain gear at home. Even in the mountains it was too hot to wear when it was raining. I did put the thermals on when the temperature dropped below 40 and there was a little bit of snow. This was only for one day. We mostly didn't wear our cuts either because it was too hot.

The only other issue I encountered was upon leaving the hotel parking lot one morning I failed to zip up my pants pocket fully and my key fob and keys fell out in the parking lot as we were leaving. I am normally tail gunner. I don't have a spare fob. The bike doesn't indicate if the fob is not in the area either. About ten minutes after leaving I did the wallet/ keys/ phone check and wasn't getting an up on the keys. I stopped, checked all my pockets and drive back to the hotel. They were laying right there in the parking lot.

I think I will price having a spare key fob made up now, instead of waiting until I need it to get one made.

Lastly, I did the last 900 miles solo as I had some personal quests to address. In the last town that I stopped for the night I drew a lot of attention of the local OLMC Chapter simply by being large solo rider without any apparent affiliation. I also went to one of their frequent hang outs without even realizing it. Once they found which club I was with it was no longer an issue for them. This is something that solo riders need to keep in mind as a safety issue.

Maybe it's my puter ( or probably my eyes) but I don't see a difference in color between "used frequently  an Useless". Or was that intentional?

Quote from: flybynight on September 01, 2023, 05:31:28 PMMaybe it's my puter ( or probably my eyes) but I don't see a difference in color between "used frequently  an Useless". Or was that intentional?

Used frequently is green, useless is purple.

Quote from: Uomo Senza Nome on August 13, 2023, 06:12:16 PM

QuoteI've heard of retired LEO's being able to carry nationwide, but I forgot what exactly it was called that they qualified to do so under.

It covers, active, retired, part time, reserve and LE auxiliary provided they meet the requirements of having/ had powers of arrest are authorized by the employing agency to carry, currently qualified, sober etc.  It is a pretty long list of qualifiers, detailed in depth background check, references, poly, pysch exam, drug tests, physical exam, public service etc. that most people aren't really interested in doing.

So its an actual separate license? Who issues it? Just curious. That's fascinating. 

Quote from: Uomo Senza Nome on September 01, 2023, 05:15:38 PMHere is a quick Review of the usefulness of the items I took on the trip:

Used Frequently
Useful When Needed
Critical Gear
Did Not Take
Useless

Worn/ Equipped
1.                Modular Helmet w/BT
2.                Riding Jacket and trousers w/ thermal and water proof liners in back storage
3.                Riding Gloves
4.                Boots
5.                Cut
6.                Shorts
7.                T-shirt
8.                Underwear
9.                Boot Socks
10.            Sunglasses
11.            Ear plugs
12.            Hydration bladder pack
13.            IFAK w/ Shears, SOFT-T, Bandage
14.            Compact Pistol w/ spare magazine / holster
15.            Passport Card
16.            Driver's license
17.            CCP
18.            Insurance Card
19.            Medical Insurance Card
20.            Vehicle registration document
21.            Emergency USD
22.            Bank cards
23.            Leatherman Multi Tool
24.            Ankana multi-pen

Mounted
1.      Mobile phone w/ mount
2.      Go Pro w/ Mount (throttle side)
3.      Driver Seat Back
4.      Added - Insulated cup and cup holder

Passenger Seat:

Aviator Kit Bag
1.                Riding Gloves (Sp)
2.                Cargo Pants X 2
3.                Shorts X 3
4.                T-Shirt X 7
5.                Underwear X7
6.                Boot Socks X 7
7.                Beach Sandals
8.                Athletic Shoes
9.                Polo Shirt
10.            Sunglasses (Sp)
11.            Lightweight Riding jacket
12.            Laundry Bag
13.            Wet Bag
14.            Toiletry Kit (Toothbrush/floss and paste, Soap/ shower gel/ shampoo, Razor, Hand sanitizer)
15.            Fleece Jacket
16.            Neck Gaiter

Panier OKSS
1.      Ear plugs (x20)
2.      Cooler bag (w/ Drinks)
3.      Insect Repellent
4.      Sun Block
5.      10 X .5l water bottles (This was increased to 20 bottles.)
6.      Snacks
7.      Windex/ microfiber towels

Center Top Box (Secured)
Electronics Case             
1.                Mobile Phone/helmet; cables and charging block
2.                Go Pro Accessory Bag w/ Mounts, Set of memory cards
3.                IPAD and charger
4.                Jump box w/ Compressor & USB charger
5.      EDC Tool Case
a.      Gerber Multi tool
b.      Benchmade Folder
c.      Screwdriver multi tool
d.      Gerber Mini-pry/ boxcutter/ strand cutter
e.      C3 Flashlight
f.      Powerbank w/ cable
g.      Oowie kit

Bowie Knife
Compact Carbine w/ spare magazines
Owner's Manual
Fold Up Chair
Tuner

Panier KSS
Emergency Bag
1.                Emergency Sleeping Bag
2.                Poncho w/ 550 cord precut
3.                Para cord
4.                Towel
5.                Water Purification Bottle w/ straw, filter
6.                Fire kit
7.                Emergency food

Tool zip up case
1.                Pliers
2.                150mm Crescent Wrench
3.                Hex Set
4.                ¼" Drive Socket Set
5.                12v Tester, Electrical Tape, wire brush
6.                Flashlight/ battery
7.                TP Gauge
8.                Driver w/screwdriver set

Adventure First aid kit
Foot pump w/Gauge
Rags

It turns out the most consequential piece of kit was my cooler bag. We faced temperatures in 90-115 on the first two days. I was the only one that brought a cooler. On day 1 and every day after I would place most of my water bottles in the freezer at night and drink them as they melted. This gave me ice cold water throughout the day. This was a better option for me than the hydration bladder. I figure it saved me around $350.

The rest of the group split into two camps. Buying their way out by spending $25-35 a day on gas station drinks or not drinking enough. By the end of the first day we had our first heat injury. The next day two of our older riders dropped out. If you don't drink water in the desert you will die.

On day four we had a very low speed collision between two riders. We were about 90 miles from the nearest MC shop and in an area where there is little to no response services. Other than some very minor injuries and ego crushing the only issue was making the bikes road worthy. We were able to do that with the few hand tools we had. It is important to note that some tools are always better than none. Luckily I wasn't involved.

I should have left the rain gear at home. Even in the mountains it was too hot to wear when it was raining. I did put the thermals on when the temperature dropped below 40 and there was a little bit of snow. This was only for one day. We mostly didn't wear our cuts either because it was too hot.

The only other issue I encountered was upon leaving the hotel parking lot one morning I failed to zip up my pants pocket fully and my key fob and keys fell out in the parking lot as we were leaving. I am normally tail gunner. I don't have a spare fob. The bike doesn't indicate if the fob is not in the area either. About ten minutes after leaving I did the wallet/ keys/ phone check and wasn't getting an up on the keys. I stopped, checked all my pockets and drive back to the hotel. They were laying right there in the parking lot.

I think I will price having a spare key fob made up now, instead of waiting until I need it to get one made.

Lastly, I did the last 900 miles solo as I had some personal quests to address. In the last town that I stopped for the night I drew a lot of attention of the local OLMC Chapter simply by being large solo rider without any apparent affiliation. I also went to one of their frequent hang outs without even realizing it. Once they found which club I was with it was no longer an issue for them. This is something that solo riders need to keep in mind as a safety issue.

What club do you belong too?

Was there anything you took that was vital that you didn't expect? Or more useful than you thought? Anything you would take next time that you didnt this time?

Quote from: flybynight on September 01, 2023, 05:31:28 PMMaybe it's my puter ( or probably my eyes) but I don't see a difference in color between "used frequently  an Useless". Or was that intentional?

You're now colorblind, flybynight. Might as well start digging a hole.

(If you say you're seriously ill I'm gonna shoot myself.)

What bike did you take? I don't recall you mentioning that? Did it perform as expected? 

Quote from: Moab on September 01, 2023, 06:44:59 PM

Quote from: flybynight on September 01, 2023, 05:31:28 PMMaybe it's my puter ( or probably my eyes) but I don't see a difference in color between "used frequently  an Useless". Or was that intentional?

You're now colorblind, flybynight. Might as well start digging a hole.

(If you say you're seriously ill I'm gonna shoot myself.)

I have a basement, Does that count? 

I took my 2021 Harley Road Glide with Stage 1 and 2 mods. It performed flawlessly under trying circumstances of extreme heat, high elevations, wind, dust and lots of hill climbing. I changed the oil before I left and rode it just over 4K miles so it will soon be due another oil change. The only odd thing I noticed on the bike was the increased fuel consumption in the states where the the speed limit is much higher (80MPH). The increase from 65 to 85 was nearly 20%, although wind likely played a role as well.

I think I should have taken several compression bags instead of loose bags. I later picked up some kitchen trash bags and used them to compress things. This was ok but less than optimal. As noted the cooler was more useful than I expected due to the extreme heat. I saved a few hundred dollars and stayed healthy.

And probably felt alot better. And had a much better time because of it.