Packing for travel on a motorbike is always an art form, add the space limitations of 2 people on one bike & then the added consideration of an international flight plus a domestic flight to get to a bike located in New Zealand & the challenge really sets in.
Space is at a premium at the best of times, working out what gear we might need, to be ready for the changing NZ weather & how to fit it all into a suitcase to get it there is the first piece of the puzzle.
We made the decision to use the same luggage we currently use in Australia. This meant purchasing base plates from Kriega and getting them shipped direct to the garage ready to be fitted when we arrived. The OS-32 soft panniers can be folded relatively flat & one fitted in each suitcase. In addition we packed a US-30 Tailpack which gave us extra room for some warm clothing. The MoskoMoto Nomax Tankbag conveniently doubles as a backpack, which allowed it to be packed for carry-on, ready to put straight onto the bike & start riding.
We decided to wear adventure jackets & riding boots on the plane & purchased helmet bags to make these easy to take on the plane. These have enough room for gloves, camera batteries & extras that did not fit in the suitcases.
Once the carry on was sorted, the real challenge set in. We ran a test pack, fitting everything into the 2 suitcases, then unpacking & repacking into the luggage for the bike to make sure that we were within weight limits & everything could fit. We are converts to using packing cells for travel & this definitely makes everything fit much easier.
With the first trip at the end of October, we were unsure of weather conditions & temperatures to expect. This meant including layers of thermal clothing, merino & outer wet weather gear plus compact puffer jackets. Kathmandu Pack & Go down jackets have been brilliant, we have a vest plus a long sleeve jacket which are perfect under the riding jacket for an extra layer of warmth.
On packing to return to Australia at the end or our 3 weeks, we made the decision to leave the panniers on the bike, which gave us more room to pack our jackets for the return flight, plus allow us to change the packing for our next trip in April 2023.
Fast forward 5 months & we benefitted from experience. We downsized the amount of clothing we needed to take, however the addition of a drone changed the carry on bags slightly. The Nomax tank bag got packed into luggage & an Enduristan bag received a custom fit out for drone & camera equipment. In addition we had new graphics to carry for the bike to get a new look.
We again opted to wear our adventure jackets, however without needing to pack the panniers, we had room in a suitcase for our Rev-It riding boots. We did also need room for an upgrade to the backplate to make the tailpack easier to secure to the bike.
Packing cells again made this process much simpler, allowing transfer of our clothing easier from the suitcases to the motorbike luggage. We also made note of the clothing we wore on the first trip & reduced the items taken second time around. The result was a smaller amount in the tailpack & even room for picnic lunches & some food while on the road.
We hope you found this insight helpful or an interesting background into what we do to get away. Keen to hear your packing tips or thoughts for travel, especially lightweight or compact options.
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