Lady on Motorbike

After much discussion and research on what to take and how to carry the things we wanted to take, we are finally packed and ready to go. 

The challenge we have is the various climates we will likely face when following our itinerary. Departing San Francisco, where temperatures are moderate, travelling down the coast to Los Angeles (hot), onto Death Valley (very hot), then into the mountains to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe (probably cold). A true puzzle for a temperature sensitive rider like me. On top of that, we were also keen to take our helmets, given they are our preferred style of full face and have our intercoms installed.

So, this is where I ended up:

• Helmets – packed in their fabric bags and then in a ‘green’ bag each and carried on as hand luggage

• Jacket – summer, fully vented along with all the zip-in layers and thermals to wear underneath

• Trousers – All season, worth a back up of thermal leggings for the mountains – I’m also planning on buying a full vented pair when in the USA, should the occasion arise

• Motorbike Boots – decided to wear them on the plane

• Socks – turns out the two high tech pairs I bought for a recent ski trip also make perfect socks for wearing on a motorbike

• Gloves – all my gloves, why not? They’re small enough

• Neck warmer/ balaclava – again, small

• First aid kit and gaffer tape – because they are small enough and always worth carrying

And that’s that, I will soon see if I made the right decision when we are riding through Death Valley and it’s 40+ degrees, or an early morning in the mountains when it’s 5 degrees.

And if I haven’t, well, I’ll just have to deal with it with a smile (denial, it’s a powerful thing!)