Hello from a new member!

[AK Dreamer]

After the last few weeks of researching this and other forums I decided to join MotoCampers. My reason was simple, this is the most useful and informing forum I have seen on the web. The members are very helpful in every aspect of planning and preparation. The questions and answers have already answered alot of my questions, but there are still many more questions that need answering. As my member name suggests, I'm now planning for an Alaska trip starting from my home in So. Fla. beginning at the end of May next year. I will gladly say that I will have a ton of questions and I'm quite sure will need a ton of advice.
John

[Chief]

Welcome. I'm sure someone can help answer just about anything.

[Mellow]

Welcome to the site... Trailace has been to Alaska, Motomac just got back, Gene is somewhere in Canada...

You've got a good base of reliable info available.. just post some questions and someone will answer them.

[Tx White Knight]

Welcome Dreamer This is a great place to share and learn, so stoke the fire and sit back and enjoy

:tent8:

[Trailace]

Welcome John! Get to asking I know someone will be happy to help you out.

[AK Dreamer]

Where does one start? Bike?, Route?, Equipment?, Time of year to go to Alaska? It seems the only 2 things that are etched in stone are, 1) I have the bike, and 2) I'm leaving May 23,2009 solo. I probably can over think this whole thing but that's why I'll turn to you folks for help. To start off, my bike of choice is an '03 HD FDWG bought new and with only 10K on the clock. I haven't done any camping yet so all my equipment has to be purchased. The only trips I took have been with Hotels at the end of the day. The last time I camped was back in 1969 with my folks in Maine, I'm quite sure things have changed in the last 39 yrs. I plan on doing some short weekend trips to get the feel of this camping thing. The Alaska idea came to me one night last month. I have traveled all over this world by plane, ship, small boats, trains, and car but never by bike. The first priority will be deciding on what route to take from So. Fl. to Alaska. I do know that I want to travel across Rte. 2 in ND, MT, and Id. I hope this starts the advice and Ideas from some of you. God only knows I need it.

[mrprez]

I also would like to know about budget. How much could one expect to spend on a trip like this? Figure camping out most nights.

John

[Ironheadziggy76]

AK Dreamer, I am planning a trip in July of 2009 to Alaska myself so I am very interested in your questions and answers. I am planning to go all the way to Prudhoe Bay so I am leaving my Road King at home and will be riding a Suzuki DL650 V-Strom. I have most of my gear sorted out except for the actual luggage for the bike.

By the way what seat do you have on your Wide Glide? If my cousin hasn't sold it, he has a touring saddle that I think has a rider backrest. He also had an 03 Wide Glide that he traded for a 2007 Electra Glide Classic. He put the stock seat back on the Wide Glide because he didn't think they would give him anything more for it on trade. If you are interested I will see if he still has it and get you the exact name of the seat so you can look at it on Harley's site and get you a price.

If you want, I can tell you what gear I have gotten so far for the trip. Just let me know.

[AK Dreamer]

Ironhead, I considered buying another bike for this trip but the wife said I can't have my cake and eat it too...lol. I should consider myself fortunate (lucky?) that she said yes to begin with. As for the saddle on the bike I put a Corbin touring seat with a backrest on the bike last year so I'm good in that aspect. But thanks for the thought. As for the gear I need everything. The folks on this forum have been very helpful so far. I've broken down on paper what is needed for a trip like this, I need to go from a 500 mile round trip rider to a long distance rider. I don't think my back pack and plastic rain coat is the right choice for a trip like this. I'm going to start with my bike needs first, then go on to my camping needs, then my riding needs. Mrprez, the budget that I'm going on is $150 p/d not including anything I purchase for the trip from now to the day I leave.

[Trailace]

AK how many days you planing on being gone?

[mongo]

I bought a 08 KLR 650 for a planned trip to Prudhoe bay some time next year. I want to get enough mileage on the KLR to figure out what is most likely to break before actually starting the trip. As far as Budget I think $100 a day will do, but it is always good to have extra! I also will be watching this thread for info.

[mrprez]

$150 a day? Are you including your gas in that figure?

John

[AK Dreamer]

Good evening all. Right now I'm thinking 30 days. I'm sure that might change when I finalize my route. As much as I want to go to Prudhoe Bay, I'm realistic enough to know that my bike isn't really made for the Dalton Hwy. The $150 p/d includes gas and servicing of my bike, oh and maybe a new tire for the trip back. I originally plan to leave at the end of May next year, but I can adjust my schedule to leave later if I want to.

[Ironheadziggy76]

Good evening all. Right now I'm thinking 30 days. I'm sure that might change when I finalize my route. As much as I want to go to Prudhoe Bay, I'm realistic enough to know that my bike isn't really made for the Dalton Hwy. The $150 p/d includes gas and servicing of my bike, oh and maybe a new tire for the trip back. I originally plan to leave at the end of May next year, but I can adjust my schedule to leave later if I want to.

I was thinking of 30 days myself. If you want to wait until July I am planning to leave about the first of July. I have some friends who are wanting me to meet them in Sturgis SD for the rally. I thought I might drop in on the way home for a day or so if I can find a place to camp. Sturgis is not set in stone by any means, but it might be nice just to ride through since it is one of the bigger rallies I haven't been to. I'm not big on crowds so I know I won't stay long!

You said you were needing gear so lets try to get you started. There are several on-line stores that have last years model tents and sleeping bags at discounted prices. You just need to figure out how much room you need in a tent. I'm a XXL size guy so I went with a 3 person Mountain Hardware Lightwedge 3 tent. I have had it almost 3 weeks and haven't put it up yet, I need to do that to make sure it's all there. :o My buddy bought a Eureka 2 man Apex 2 XT, I was very impressed by the quality of this tent. Poured down on us on the last trip and he stayed bone dry. It also packs small enough to fit in the saddle bag of his Heritage Softail. I think someone mentioned that Campmor has the Backcountry 2 on sale for $149.99 also, I was considering the Backcountry 3 when I bought mine but I wanted a vestible.

Sleeping bags are really a hard decision over size, price, and insulation material. Down packs smaller and is really warm but you just can't let them get wet. They are considerably higher priced also. I went with a 15 degree Marmot bag for the very northern part of Alaska, and I will probably ship it home UPS after I get back south and just use a lighter, small 40-50 degree bag, or a fleece bag for the rest of the trip. I got this XL bag on sale I think from Backcountry.com I saw a Eureka bag that I think was rated at 30 degrees at our local Gander Mountain that stuffed to a size just about the size of a football for around $70.00 I may take one of those also since it packs so small. If you aren't going to Prudhoe Bay you shouldn't need anything super warm, but then again I should let those who have been answer that question for you. I am just going by what I have read for "average temps" in July.

Just to get started you need somewhere to sleep, something to sleep in, and something to cook with unless you plan to eat all your meals at diners and such.

If your wife is like mine she won't like the guys and gals on here, they get you spending money! :p Every time I buy something lately she kind of grins and says, "You've been hanging out at MotoCampers again, haven't you?" She really doesn't mind, she just likes to fuss. ;)

[AK Dreamer]

Hey there Steve, thanks for laying down some ground work. I can adjust my schedule to leave July ST. It's funny how things come full circle. When I decided to do this trip I planned on doing it solo. My wife's first reaction was something on the grounds of I'm out of my mind. After thinking it over, she is right. It would be nice to do this ride with some one. Sturgis on the way back is doable. My brother lives in Denver and goes every year and camps so he'll be there. Like you, I'm also not into big crowds. I've done some preliminary on line searching for a tent and have narrowed it down to a Kelty Teton 4. The sleeping bag I'm leaning towards is a Big Agnes Hog Park 20 degree bag with a Big Agnes Hinman Sleeping Pad. I'm leaning towards a High Tech Cot and a Pico Chair. This should get me sleeping ok, now I need to work on the cooking part.

John

[ImRubicon]

Welcome as this is a good place.
Most everyone is willing to tell me where to go...


Camping where ever I am .
There is enough info here to keep most busy for a long long time .

[motomac]

Hi John, Welcome to the site. Get a copy of the Milepost and study it. The book is available at most good bookstores and is less than $30. Gas will be your biggest expense. I paid as much as $1.729 a liter and it will be more next spring. Your departure date is a good one. I have been up there in July twice and this year in late May and June. This year's trip was the best I've had both weather wise and everything else. You are building quite a large bag of stuff to take up there. A 4 man tent is a big load. Look at a 2 man unless you are going to share it with someone. You won't need a cot with the BA sleeping mattress, I used a BA Elk Park and was very comfortable until I got back in the lower 48 when the temps got warmer. There are many campgrounds available in NW CA and AK. I never got a reservation except for the D2D thing in Dawson City. If you are going to be anywhere near DC on June 20, try to make the Dust 2 Dawson party. That was a great time for me and I met a lot of the Adventure Rider board guys and gals(advrider.com). My KLR was new and I had 2805 miles on it when I left home. It had 15K+ when I returned and did very well on the trip. As has been said above, just ask and we will try to answer.

[Ironheadziggy76]

Hey there Steve, thanks for laying down some ground work. I can adjust my schedule to leave July ST. It's funny how things come full circle. When I decided to do this trip I planned on doing it solo. My wife's first reaction was something on the grounds of I'm out of my mind. After thinking it over, she is right. It would be nice to do this ride with some one. Sturgis on the way back is doable. My brother lives in Denver and goes every year and camps so he'll be there. Like you, I'm also not into big crowds. I've done some preliminary on line searching for a tent and have narrowed it down to a Kelty Teton 4. The sleeping bag I'm leaning towards is a Big Agnes Hog Park 20 degree bag with a Big Agnes Hinman Sleeping Pad. I'm leaning towards a High Tech Cot and a Pico Chair. This should get me sleeping ok, now I need to work on the cooking part.

John

John, my wife had the same reaction when I told her I was going solo. I guess they have a point, it would probably be safer if you had problems with the bike or took a spill somewhere. I have heard nothing but good things about Kelty and Big Agnes products, so I think you will be fine with their quality. motomac has a good point about getting a copy of the Milepost, I'm waiting for the 2009 issue to come out in case they have made some changes. I have bought three different travel books on AK, one being the Foders and a couple of others. I tend to research things to death, but I still haven't put a route in stone yet. I had thought of going north through Michigan and crossing into Canada but with gas prices being what they are I will probably now have to take the shortest route. I'm open for all suggestions. I won't be able to afford any ferry rides as I think I have read that they are anywhere from $700.00 up! :eek: There is a campground in Tok, Thompsons Eagle Claw where you can change oil and tires. I think we can camp free at the Harley dealership in Fairbanks, (if they will let me in on the Suzuki :p) so we have some options for getting service if we need it. I will probably just take a few oil filters and maybe a set of tires for the Haul Road with me.

motomac, I will have several questions for you I'm sure when the time gets closer. I am trying to figure out what set of tires to start out on, that I'm hoping will make the whole trip minus the time I switch to TKC's or something similar for the trip to Prudhoe Bay. I'm thinking Distanzas or Tourances or maybe a full on touring tire. Then again I may be thinking too much again. :) I have got to decide on some luggage and definitely get a skid plate on it to protect the oil cooler and filter that is hanging out in the open. :mad:

Maybe we can talk mongo into going with us as well.

[AK Dreamer]

Hey guys. Well they called for clearing and dryer conditions for today and I woke up ready to ride, until I locked out side. I don't mind the rain, it's the high winds i could do with out. So my second choice for today is to research more advice and ideas for this adventure that we are planning. I to am waiting for an '09 addition of the Milepost to be released. For the time being i am looking at the on line version of Mile by Mile. Motomac, thanks for the advice about my tent selection, I was leaning toward a 4 person just for space. At times I think I'm going on vacation to a resort. Ironheadziggy, I looked at the ferries also and decided not to use them for a number of reasons, one being the cost factor, the other being reservations at that time of the year. I figure if we need a break off the bikes we can always take an extra day and rest somewhere. As far as a route is concerned I was leaning toward getting up to Grand Forks ND and head west thru ND, MT,and Id. on Rte. 2 then going into Canada at Bonners Ferry Id. From there getting to the Ice Fields Parkway. I have' thought of any other way after that. Let me know what you think. As far as camping with your Suzuki, I always thought it was about the ride not the bike. Correct me if I am wrong on that point.....

[Trailace]

Hey guys here is a great site to track what is going on in AK. Alaska Roads (http://511.alaska.gov/default.asp?display=construction&area=INSIDE_PASSAGE_AK&textOnly=False)

[Ironheadziggy76]

Rick, thanks for the link, a lot of good info there. I just checked the weather on the Dalton Highway. Lows in the 40's and rain.

John, the route sounds good to me, I think it's similar to one I had saved but have since lost it.:mad:

I was making a joke about parking my Suzuki in the campground at the Harley dealership. I have a couple of friends who were absolutely flabbergasted that I bought something other than a Harley. They are wanna be Rich Urban Bikers, one has a 2004 Electra Glide Ultra Classic that has more miles riding in the back of his "Toy Hauler" than it does on the odometer. He just purchased his first set of replacement tires, the originals were dry rotted! :o He has been know to go to bike rallies and take his golf cart and leave his bike at home. I just don't understand it, I guess I'm just not cool. I'm like you, it's about the ride for me, it doesn't bother me what brand bike my buddies ride. If they like it, I do too! Sorry about the rant, it's 4:00 am and I haven't been to bed yet. More tomorrow........

[AK Dreamer]

Thanks Rick for the link. I think the biggest form of enjoyment is the amount of information one finds in planning something like this. My wife and I went out to dinner last night then afterward we went to Barnes and Noble and I bought the only copy of the '08 Milepost. I was talking to the manger and she did some research and found out the '09 version will be out toward the end of Feb. I figure if I start reading it now I might be finished with it by then.....lol, what an informative book. Steve you mentioned earlier you had a list of your camping supplies, is it possible you can post it here so i or anyone else can use it as a guide? Thanks,
John

[Ironheadziggy76]

John, not a problem, I will get you a list put up when I get back home, I'm at the in-laws right now. I'll have to look and see what all I have.

[AK Dreamer]

Thanks Steve. It's no rush. I just need it b/4 Christmas so I can hand out my present list to the wife, kids, relatives, dogs, so on and so on.

[Ironheadziggy76]

John, here is the list so far, some of it I probably won't take. I'll just have to see how it fits on the bike. I may have to downsize if it's too much.

Mountain Hardware Lightwedge 3 tent.
Marmot Trestles 15 degree bag in Long X-Wide
Sevylor air mattress
Macro Table from Aerostich/RidersWearhouse
Primus Techno Trail II stove
Texsport 3 piece Non-Stick cookware set
Snow Peak titanium Fork and Spoon set
MSR Bath Towel
Garrity aluminum pocket flashlight
SealLine Dry Proof Baja 55L dry bag
2 Ozark Trail float bags from Wally World
Nylon dry bags of assorted sizes and a couple of Compression bags
Cheap Big Man folding chair from Wally World
Gerber pocket knife
No Rinse Body Wash (The scent makes you feel pretty :p)

I will probably try to get a self inflating mattress of some sort or a different pump for the Sevylor before the trip. I'm using a Coleman pump that runs off four D batteries for now. I would be blue in the face trying to blow it up without a pump! :D I may try to get a new chair also, I really like the Pico. A coffee press would be nice also.

[Alan]

. As far as a route is concerned I was leaning toward getting up to Grand Forks ND and head west thru ND, MT,and Id. on Rte. 2 then going into Canada at Bonners Ferry Id.


I crossed the country on US-2 from upper Michigan to Washington last summer and found it to be an enjoyable, pressure free road. On the expressways, everyone is flying and making time, US-2 is much more relaxed and I found the road to be mostly is good shape. I think you are making a good choice.

[AK Dreamer]

Steve, thanks for the list. I have started to compile my list and what I'm going to do is compare it to yours then see if I need to adjust it further. I should have it up this evening. Alan, thanks for the insight on Rte 2. It's always refreshing to here from folks who have ridin a certain road and who have insight on equipment.

[AK Dreamer]

Ok, I think I posted a picture of me and my bike but for the life of me I don't know where it went.

[AK Dreamer]

OK, after a few days of research and discussions about camping equipment, I have come up with the start of a rough draft. All input, ideas, and comments are welcome. A quick synopsis of what I hope will be a lifelong dream come true. The only camping that has been done by me was back in 1969 at the age of 13. My folks took my brother and myself to Maine and we camped out for a week. Fast forward to 2008 and I have the opportunity to plan a camping trip by 2 wheels to Alaska. The trip will be around 30 days beginning the first week of July '09 and returning in August after stopping in Sturgis to meet my brother on my way back home to So. Fl. The rest of my planning will mature as time goes by. Right now I figure the sleeping and eating should be taken care of first. So with that being said, here is what I have put together so far,

Tent: Mountain Hardwear 3 (I need a little more room & height)
Sleeping bag: Big Agnes Parkview series Hog Park 20 degree 25"X78"
Pad: Big Agnes Hinman series +20 to -30 25"x78"x2.5"
Cot: High Tech Cot by Aerostitch
Chair: Blue Max Saddlebag Chair
Stove: Coleman Exponent Feather 442 Dual fuel Stove
Pots: GSI Outdoor Bugaboo Cookset
Table: Aerostitch Micro Macro Table
Lantern: Essential Gear Quattro 4 LED Lantern
Tent Fan: Coleman Tent Fan
Towel: Packtowl Ultralite Towel 1XL 1 Med
Ax: Gerber Pack Ax
Saw: Sawvivor Saw
Camp Shovel: Wiseman Trading Multi-Purpose Mini Camping Shovel

I feel pretty confident that I chose the equipement that would fit into 2 regular size Cabela's Boundary Waters II Duffel Bags. All the essentials that are on my list are under 24 inches in length. That's it so far. Comments and insight will be appreciated.
Thanks everyone for putting up with such a long thread!
John

[Ironheadziggy76]

Looks like a great list. I got to thinking that we could always drop by UPS on the way back south and ship home anything we don't need like the cold weather sleeping bags.

[AK Dreamer]

Hey Steve, thanks for the thumbs up on the list. Do you think I'm missing anything? Or maybe eliminate something? My next chore is to add up the weight on the equipment and try to go as light as possible.

[Ironheadziggy76]

Looks like you have everything you will need other than toiletries and medications if you take them. The main thing is to get everything on your bike where you are comfortable riding. On the last short trip I took my sleeping bag was too far forward on the seat and it bugged me the whole 200 mile trip. I couldn't wait to get to the campground and get that thing off my back. As one of my riding buddies says, "If ya ain't comfy, you ain't goin' far".

I'm guessing you already have your Passport, if you don't you may want to go ahead and get it. I think the wait time is much less now, but you never know working with the government.

[AK Dreamer]

I have been comparison shopping on line to get an idea of who has better deals. Is there any better time of the year to purchase camping equipment? My passport is good until 2010 so I'm good in that area. What I'm looking at now is routing, I'm looking to have 2 routes set just in case we need a change of scenery. I'll get you a rough draft soon, then we'll both finalize it.

[Ironheadziggy76]

I would guess that winter may be a better time, kind of like the off season for most folks. Some of the bigger name stores should have some Christmas sales I would think.

Sounds like a plan on the route, we can do two lanes or slab, I'm up for either way.

[mrprez]

You guys are killing me....a kitchen pass for 30 days, wonder how that would fly? Sounds like a blast.

John

[AK Dreamer]

I'm on my way this morning to my bike shop that takes care of every detail on my bike. I'm looking to add an extra fuel cell to expand my miles. I'm not really into those plastic jugs. I like the look of a Tour Tank only if I can get wider and longer luggage rack any suggestions on an aftermarket luggage rack?

[Mr. Guy]

I hadn't seen those Tour Tanks before, they look nice. But I'd worry about putting to much weight to far back on all those miles of rough road. Maybe a mount over the pass. seat would take care of that, while transfering some of the weight to the front tire.

Just a thought.

Guy

[AK Dreamer]

Well I went to my favorite bike shop today, Delray Cycle and explained to them about the Tour Tank. They said just about the same thing that you said Guy. I guess I'll take one of those 2.5 gallon plastic gas jugs from Home Depot and only fill it up the farther north I get. The funny thing about our talk today was when I told them about my plans for Alaska in '09 one of the local riders told me that it will be the toughest trip that I'll ever do, he went on to tell me about how bad the roads are, the lack of services and that he would never do it again. As he went on about all the doom and gloom I had to interrupt him and ask him just when exactly did he go up to Alaska, with the most serious expression on his face he told me that he went up there the beginning of June....1976! I thanked him for his input and insight then left. I figured the longer I stood there and listened to him I would probably sell my bike and take up bowling.

[motomac]

Well I went to my favorite bike shop today, Delray Cycle and explained to them about the Tour Tank. They said just about the same thing that you said Guy. I guess I'll take one of those 2.5 gallon plastic gas jugs from Home Depot and only fill it up the farther north I get. The funny thing about our talk today was when I told them about my plans for Alaska in '09 one of the local riders told me that it will be the toughest trip that I'll ever do, he went on to tell me about how bad the roads are, the lack of services and that he would never do it again. As he went on about all the doom and gloom I had to interrupt him and ask him just when exactly did he go up to Alaska, with the most serious expression on his face he told me that he went up there the beginning of June....1976! I thanked him for his input and insight then left. I figured the longer I stood there and listened to him I would probably sell my bike and take up bowling.
You wouldn't have to haul it all the way up there if you just buy one when you get close to the end of civilization. They sell all sizes of gas cans in BC and YT. I used a one gallon size with my 50 MPG KLR.

[AK Dreamer]

You see, this is what is great about this thread, the simplest thing that one stress over has a simple solution. Thanks Motomac. I guess they do have these cans along the route.

[Ironheadziggy76]

I'm on my way this morning to my bike shop that takes care of every detail on my bike. I'm looking to add an extra fuel cell to expand my miles. I'm not really into those plastic jugs. I like the look of a Tour Tank only if I can get wider and longer luggage rack any suggestions on an aftermarket luggage rack?

John I haven't seen anything in an aftermarket rack that is much bigger that a stock rack for Harleys. Unfortunately most are built more with looks than function in mind. I have seen rack extenders for some of the adventure touring bikes that you might be able to bolt on over your existing rack with a little work. They are basically just a flat aluminum or hard plastic plate that bolts on. I am in the process of building a bigger rack for my Road King that will work with the factory quick detachable docking hardware. It won't be chromed (well maybe:p) but I plan on making it about twice the size of the rack I have now. I just have to get the side plates cut out on a water jet and then I can weld up as big as a rack as I need. Check with a machine shop or two as they might be able to fix you up cheaper than you can buy a rack from Harley!

[Mr. Guy]

A serviceable rack is pretty easy to make. I've used alum. plate and alum. strap to make them before. Just bolt one and of the strap to a convenient location on the bike, such as footpeg mount or the like, bolt the other end to the plate. Bend the strap as necessary for clearance and before long you've got a rack. Take you're time and make it as nice as you want, or throw it together and strap something to it and go. After you get the pieces together, you could take it to a welder and have it welded. The nice thing about doing it yourself is you get just what you want, not what some marketing guy thinks will sell. And once you're back from Alaska you can take it off if you want to.

Guy

[AK Dreamer]

Steve, thats exactly what I'm going to do. I've researched and researched till I was blue in the face and I can't find anything after market to fit my needs. I have plenty of time to do exactly like you said Guy. I'm going to use my left side passenger peg as a starting point and get something put together to fit right there and then remove it when I'm not needing it. I was looking at it today and I can fabricate something to hold a 2.5 gallon jug and not have it in the way at all.

[Ironheadziggy76]

Sounds good, be sure to take pictures of the build so we can steal your ideas! :p I'm still looking at the 650 and looking at the Ammo cans trying to decide how high I want them on the bike. I was thinking having the top of the cans even with the rack so I could put long dry bags on the rack and let them hang over on the top of the cans for extra support. On the other hand this would interfere with getting things out of the cans. :mad: Decisions, decisions. :confused:

[Mr. Guy]

Hi Steve,

I always put stuff I'll need during the day in a tank bag, and the stuff I'll only need in camp in the saddle bags. That way the tail bag being in the way isn't as big an issue.

Guy

[AK Dreamer]

I went out and made my first purchase for the Alaska trip. I bought a 2 gallon gas container to see if it will fit where the left passenger peg is. I'm going to attach it temporarily and take a picture of it so you can see it and tell me if it will do. I'm pretty sure it'll work. I'm having a rack made with 4 D rings so I can strap it in. Between the container, the gas, and the rack the weight will be less than 15lbs, and with the location I shouldn't have any issues with weight. I spent $3.29 for the gas can. At this rate I should be ready to go on about $25.00........

[Ironheadziggy76]

Guy, I keep forgetting about the tankbag I got with the bike. DOH :o I need to do a little work to it, the previous owner was afraid it would scratch his tank so he lined the back side of it with a felt material. Good idea except that the magnets don't stick as well and it will slide around a little when full. I think I am going to remove the felt material around the magnets and see if it holds any better. It's a larger bag from Twisted Throttle and seems to be well made.

John, that sounds like a good location as long as it fits in between the shock and the primary cover without rubbing on them. You probably have more space than I think, it's been a while since I have seen a DWG up close. My cousin mentioned the other day that he wished he could have kept his and bought the Electra Glide. I'm hoping my $25.00 saddle bags work out, I would love to have the ones like motomac has from Happy Trail or a set of Caribou Cases, but I just can't afford them now that the wife has quit her job. I may have to come out of retirement and get a job to buy some goodies for the trip! :eek:

[AK Dreamer]

Hey Steve, I have been doing a ton of research about all the gear I THINK I would need and the reason to leave something behind or maybe why I MUST take something else. I read a few posts about just going with the basics then the next time out make some changes if need be. I'm sure that would work for a weekend trip but not one for 30+ days to Alaska. The only consolation to planning a trip for next summer is that it gives someone time to do small trips to be able to find what works and what doesn't.

[Ironheadziggy76]

The only consolation to planning a trip for next summer is that it gives someone time to do small trips to be able to find what works and what doesn't.

Very true, I normally use my annual trip to Biketoberfest in Daytona for this, but I cancelled this year so I could save money for the Alaska trip. I think I am going to load up everything I "think" I need and then go for a short hop down to my friends house in Roswell Georgia. That should give me an idea of what I really "need" to take.

[AK Dreamer]

Hello all,
Can someone tell me if the Brunton Raptor Stoves isobutane gas cans are interchangeable with other manufacturers cans? I'm leaning towards purchasing this stove for my trip to Alaska and if I need to pick one up on the trip I want to be sure that others will fit the Brunton.

[Ironheadziggy76]

John, yes they are. There is a review of this stove on BackpackGearTest.org, where they used the MSR and Jet Boil canisters with it. They seemed to be very pleased with this stove. Here is a link to their review:

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Cook%20Gear/Stoves/Brunton%20Raptor%20Stove/

[AK Dreamer]

Steve, Thanks for the link. I sent you a PM.

[AK Dreamer]

Has anyone had any experience with Spot Satellite Messenger Service and Medjet? I'm thinking about getting both these services for my trip to Alaska.

[Yamifj1200]

Steve, you dont need to replace your air matress, just get a better air pump. I was able to find one from wally world in the compressor area that is a 12 volt inflator pump. It comes with a few diiferant size nozzles the smallest one fits the small holes on the Sevylor mattress. I cut off the ciggarette lighter plug and replaced it with a SAE connection. I can easily plug it into the SAE connection I use for my heated gear. HTH

Eric

[Ironheadziggy76]

Thanks Eric, I will have to run by and check those out. The nozzle that is on my Coleman pump will barely fit in the Sevylor. I can get it in there but I'm afraid with a lot of use the inlet will get stretched out. I have considered trying to rig up a nozzle that will work with my Slime tire pump, that way I would only have to carry one pump. I haven't found a 12 volt outlet socket for the Wee that I like yet, but I am eyeing the one on my Honda ATV very close. :p

[Yamifj1200]

Steve Powerlet has some nice products. I bought one of the power cables a tank bag connection and a ciggarette lighter socket. They were shipped to the house in 3 days and are very nice quality. I Have used the SAE connections for my heated gear for year, they are very small and can be tucked away easily.. HTH

Eric

[Ironheadziggy76]

Ah, I didn't know they made cig sockets. I thought they just made the BMW types that I would really like to use, but they won't work with my Cell phone charger. I'll have to give em a look see.

[Tx White Knight]

Has anyone had any experience with Spot Satellite Messenger Service and Medjet? I'm thinking about getting both these services for my trip to Alaska.

There is a guy over on the MTF (http://forums.delphiforums.com/MCTourer/start) fourm that is selling spot (http://forums.delphiforums.com/MCTourer/messages?msg=31463.1) at a good discount. There was also a thread last week about Medjet (http://forums.delphiforums.com/MCTourer/messages?msg=33016.1)

[AK Dreamer]

Thanks Steve, I'm trying to see if theses are worth subscribing to.

[AK Dreamer]

I'm doing some pre-route planning for my Alaska trip in July '09. Can someone tell me if it's worth trying to plan my stops for camping along the way or just do it on the fly? I have a pretty good idea for my route from So. Fl. to Alaska and was trying to plan my nights camping every 350 to 400 miles. Thanks all.

[fishheadsaid]

Has anyone had any experience with Spot Satellite Messenger Service and Medjet? I'm thinking about getting both these services for my trip to Alaska.
I took a SPOT with me to Sturgis this year.
Tracked with the OK function to Spot Trip Manager.
http://jasonjonas.org/spot/tripViewer.do?id=245

Worked great. My brother took the same SPOT unit with him to Alaska for a family vacation.
Worked everywhere he went up there also. He sent back about 6 updates.
The unit is about a year old now, still on it's original batteries.

[Mellow]

Welcome Hugh. The SPOT is a pretty cool little device, been thinking about one for a while now.

[Trailace]

Welcome to the site Hugh.

Welcome Jason. The SPOT is a pretty cool little device, been thinking about one for a while now.
You know you need it so what is the wait.:D

[fishheadsaid]

I'm not Jason Jonas, sorry about the confusion.
The site Spot Trip Manager is a free site set up to track your SPOT messages.
It is owned and operated by Jason Jonas, my name is Hugh Davis.
The link I posted was for my trip I tracked on Jason's site.

[Flingshot]

I took a SPOT with me to Sturgis this year.
Tracked with the OK function to Spot Trip Manager.
http://jasonjonas.org/spot/tripViewer.do?id=245

Worked great. My brother took the same SPOT unit with him to Alaska for a family vacation.
Worked everywhere he went up there also. He sent back about 6 updates.
The unit is about a year old now, still on it's original batteries.

Does it automatically report at set times or distances or do you actually have to push the button to send on ok message?
I can see where this could be handy when you are out of cell range.
The only problem I can see is that if you take a digger and are unable to hit the send help button, whoever is monitoring the site wont know if your hurt but if you have to hit the ok button yourself at least they would know something is wrong when you stopped sending.
I think I would like to have one of these doohickies as well.

[fishheadsaid]

SPOT has the OK button, which sends out your GPS coordinates and your pre programmed OK message, 3 times over a 20 minute period. Very reliable as long as you are not under heavy cover.

SPOT also has a tracking feature, $50 per year extra. You turn on tracking once per day and it sends out your coordinates every 10 minutes for 24 hours. In the tracking mode, I have found that about 50 to 80% of the tracking signals go through, depending on overhead cover.

I don't recommend the tracking feature for motorcycling. For me it's easy enough to just push the OK button when I want to update the wife to my location.

However, the tracking feature did aid in recovering a stolen motorcycle in last years BAJA.

[fishheadsaid]

Welcome Hugh. The SPOT is a pretty cool little device, been thinking about one for a while now.
It's a great way to send an OK message to the wife when your out of cell phone range and/or don't have 60 minutes to talk about her day while your trying to set up camp in the dark.

[Mellow]

I'm not Jason Jonas, sorry about the confusion.
The site Spot Trip Manager is a free site set up to track your SPOT messages.
It is owned and operated by Jason Jonas, my name is Hugh Davis.
The link I posted was for my trip I tracked on Jason's site.

My bad Hugh, I see Jason on the ST site so thought it was him.

I won't make that mistake again.

[BCRider]

John on all our multi day long trips we have found that the only constant is the final destination. So many things affect travel on a motorcycle trip that we have found it hard to say we are going to travel X amount of miles in a day. Not always but normally we end up going farther than we thought we would on any given day.
So far we haven't found it too hard to find a place to camp at the end of the day. Good luck with your planning, I'm sure you are going to really enjoy the trip.


Pete

[AK Dreamer]

Thanks Pete. After the last few months of planning I have come to the realization that planing a certain amount of miles is probably a waste of time. Like you said, so many things affect your day there really isn't a set amount of miles to plan for. I have the time to do this trip in 30 days or 60 days I will take every day as it comes.