TRAVEL MASTER
TRIP PREPARATION COLUMN-- Heading to Alaska- Packing the Bedroom
copyright 1997 Thomas C. Jamrog


	On June 14  I start to live my dream.  I'll be  heading out my driveway on a
long-awaited motorcycle tour of Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest
Territories.   Every other month for the past year, MT &T readers have received
camping advice, route recommendations, and be-sure-to-visit raves.  My expense
money is safely stashed in a sock in my drawer, my bum knee has been sliced and
rinsed out, and a new mosquito net shirt is ready for service.  Thanks to e-mail
and the Internet, I have a thick file of been-there-done-that experience from
readers to draw on in selecting the right gear for this trip.  This month's
column will be an x-ray of some of the essential stuff of the road.
	I have been backpacking close to thirty and motorcycling touring for twenty
years now and but lapse toward disarray in packing road gear.  My '96 New Year's
resolution was to get organized.  It's only taken me forty six years to realize
that organization might help me cut down on the time I spend endlessly looking
for mystuff.  I  bought a file cabinet and have shoved countless manila folders
in the drawers only to discover that I had no system for organizing my files
either.  Does anyone have one of those Organizing Your Life for Dummies books
that I can borrow?
	Much of what I have learned about motorcycle camping has come from my
backpacking experience, with the most help coming from Colin Fletcher, author of
The Complete Walker III.  Think of motorcycling as rapid route backpacking on
two wheels.  Thanks to Fletcher, I  organize my packing around the themes of
function such as the kitchen, the bedroom, the workshop, etc.  I have all of my
gear listed on a one page master packing list that I use on all motorcycling
trips, from one night campouts to the 6 week Alaskan trip.  
	Take the bedroom for example.  The core is the tent, with the sleeping bag
and pad making up the bed.  The two of us will be using a four person Eureka
Timberline tent with an added vestibule that allows us to store extra gear under
cover.   For an idea of what's out there for gear, send for mail order
catalogues from L.L. Bean , R.E.I., and Campmoor, but don't underestimate the
smaller local supplier who may make up for a price difference with superior
service and advice.  
	I'll  be packing a three-season Liteloft semi-rectangular bag, which will
reduce to a small size when stuffed into a compression sack.  Goosedown bags may
pack into an even smaller sack, but won't keep you warm when dampened over 
time.  Liteloft is an newly developed filler for sleeping bags that retains its
insulating qualities in the event that part of the bag gets wet.  I prefer the
semi-rectangular  over the mummy bag because of more room to toss and turn
around in. Two people sleeping inside of a small tent raises the outdoor
temperature by as much as ten degrees, and I'll add an emergency mylar space
blanket when we encounter freezing  temperatures.  A Thermarest sleeping pad
will fit between my sleeping bag and the rocky ground.   I have several of these
lifetime waranteed pieces of work, and I'll probably  take the thicker, wider
Camprest  instead of the standard full length model.  I want to be cozy after
some of those 700 mile days on the road.   I don't use a pillow.  I shove some
clothes into a fuzzy lined jacket until I have the right thickness.  I will also
pack an ultralight one man tent that is emergency shelter in the evet that I get
separated from my traveling partner on the road.  
	All of the bedroom packs into a Seal line waterproof dry bag.  I like the
large yellow PVC model because it adds good visibility to the rear of the
motorcycle and the slightly sticky exterior prevents it from sliding out of the
the lashing straps on your rear luggage carrier.  Don't be tempteed to squeeze
that unruly pot or pan in there though, as any hard objects have a nasty habit
of migrating to the outside and rubbing a hole in the bags over the course of a
day on the road.  Ask me how I know.   Stay away from bungie cords when lashing
down something as important as the bedroom.  You can put your eye out if you try
and stretch the thin elastic cord and it slips out of your hand.  One inch
webbed nylon with Fastex buckles or leather straps with metal buckles are much
more secure and safe.   
	If you would like a copy of my motorcycle touring camping packing  list,
contact me via e-mail (balrog@midcoast.com) or send a SASE to R.F.D. #1, Box
5000, Lincolnville, ME 04849.  I may not answer your message until August
though, when I will tell you how my traveling motel worked out.