A large ortlieb bag across the rack will hold far more than a top box. Ours holds 2 thermarests, 2 sleeping bags, 2 small pillows, and a double silk liner. The rack also takes the tent, and a couple of light chairs or stools.Attachment 6045

May I suggest a practice run before you head off? Make a precise list and try packing it?

I remember the first trip with my now wife. The concept that four days away could be achieved without multiple changes of clothes and the dreaded "what if" stuff was alien. We had more luggage for that weekend than I took for a month in Morocco. Tent and canoe sack on the rack, throwovers stuffed to bursting and a tank bag that needed a periscope to see over :rofl:

It gets worse when you realise that what's neat and tidy when packed on the dining room table won't go back to the same shape when re-packed on a wet day in the tent. You need spare capacity in the luggage.

Andy

Hi, check out my photos from my trip a couple of years ago
LEJOG May 2010 pictures by rambrose - Photobucket

It was me and my son on the ST1100. Camping gear (tent on top of pannier). Cooking stuff with ration packs for 3 days. Enough clothing for 4 days (washed it at the campsites).

We had great weather once we got to Scotland which made a fantastic trip.
Enjoy

For the "packing a bike" debate you have to look again at Birdy's pic of his bike -- even his number plate is fixed on with bungees :rofl: but a cargo net would be more secure -- would be a shame to lose the plate.

As for Scotland, you could get a book of camping sites, but the way the internet is nowadays you could do just as well to look online and print off a few that interest you. Or, just check it out as your travels progress -- not a problem in June.

Pods: these facilities are being set up on various camp sites to provide an alternative to damp/wet tent material. I suggest you take a look at this, but there is loads of other information about suchlike:-
Campsites in Scotland that have camping pods available

Worth bearing in mind -- For June, it will be light until after 11pm, or even later, depending how far north you get.

What brand of panniers and what size please

Thanks for all the replys guys! Havnt had time to log in for a few days now.Theres some really good ideas.

Im going to be using the yamaha side cases 30L each but to be fair they seem to be made out of chocolate!:oops2: So to be honest i really would like to keep them in warrenty so i very much doubt i will be drilling holes in them to fit anchor points to them (although a very good idea), plus they would probly rip out leaving my tent with road rash!!lol.

Great pictures everyone. Im going twice this year May and June and then over to france in July! Cant wait!:scooter:

Keith could i please you where you brought your tent and how much??

Cheers everyone:thumbup1:

Loz - it's a Coleman Avior X3 Expedition Tent.

I bought it from a UK supplier that, luckily for me, is located just 20 minutes down the road from where I live, World of Camping, so it was easy just to drop-in and pick one up. I think I paid just over 100 quid at the time (about 18 months ago), which was the best price around back then.

AND I've just noticed that you can now get one from Amazon.co.uk for the ridiculously cheap price of £54.99! LINKY

.. bugger! .. :(

.

Better to have slightly larger 35 ish litre side panniers if you go the hard pannier route, one pannier each, then the weight is kept lower, combine with a duffel for lighter gear, sleeping bags etc up top as mentioned by the guys.

We use a wider/lower top box for tent and netbook etc, and a small TNF duffel for dried food, bike cover and other light guff up top.

Obviously you will end up with your gear and the tools/spares in your pannier and your missuses stuff too....dont ask me how I know ;)

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/IMGP0844.jpg


My Buddy Mike took this Vid clip in Bolivia, we are 2up on DR650 - click on photo -plays on Photobucket.


http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/z...RO-Bolivia.jpg

Attachment 6110
This is missus, one of the juniors and our bikes, fully packed up somewhere in Norway. We carry two Coleman tents, one is an older igloo model which houses 3 persons comfy and 4 with love; the other one is a Coleman Phad for two persons. Travelling in Europe means travelling in the rain sometimes and we have found that a real apsis is needed in front of the tent´s entrance, where you can park your boots which you may need at night...
Since we´re taking weeklong paddle trips as well, we´re used to pack small and have somewhat optimized gear. We´ve even managed to not stow gear onto the lids of the panniers :-) Note that my wife carries the smallest panniers available from Touratech, some 20 liters only.

Everyone "owns" one pannier and needs to stuff in it the personal Therm-A-Rest, rolled up and compressed. The regular TAR will do perfectly, if you need double- or triple thickness, buy a Goldwing and a trailer. Everyone will have to take care of a small (soft pencil case) bag of toiletries, a towel and a personal Mini MagLite LED, and personal effects such as books, Gameboy :rofl: and the like. The biggest pannier additionally holds food and the Trangia stove, the second-biggest pannier takes up the emergency drugs (Penicilline etc).

The big Ortlieb sack on the Africa Twin holds four sleeping bags, stuffed in as they come and not(!) in their individual packing/compression sacks. The yellow Ortlieb (size Medium) holds both tents and accessories including a lightweight hammer. As with the sleeping bags, the tents are stuffed in there as they come and not folded or else, as this is easiest to compress. Note: Don´t buy tents with windows, as the windows hate to be crumpled, even the new "soft" windows. Use Ortlieb bags for tent and sleeping bags as they will double as overnight storage room; stuff your MC gear in them and park them outside of the tent. If you need to purchase the top-loading bags yet, get the ones with the air valve - they are easier to use when you need to compress four sleeping bags in them. Take one extra bag and a set of straps with you: It´s additional storage space on the pannier lid where needed after shopping or at a variety of other short-notice occasions.

Necessary tools including tire irons, spokes, etc. are kept in the plastic roll mounted to the engine guard of the Africa Twin; a small extra petrol can is attached to the back of a pannier. 0.5l of engine oil are kept in a canister under the seat.

Use motorcycle gear which is multi-purpose. Cheap MC boots will take their toll, as you will hate to walk in them and thus you need to stow a pair of hiking shoes. Perfect boots (I prefer Daytona) will let me stroll through town without feeling uncomfortable; additionally I pack a pair of Wolfskin sandals, which carry me everywhere else. Use multifunctional trousers with zip-off-legs, so you won´t carry two trousers for sun and rain. One fleece pullover (doubling as inner layer of the MC jacket if it´s cold), two T-shirts (I tend to buy some memorabilia T-shirts anyways at some point in time), a towel, two sets of underwear, a second set of comfy socks for the MC boots and a tube of washing powder. Long haul travel is not a catwalk - and you will need to allow missus a little extra space for the one extra shirt and towel and nail clip and ... you get the drift.

The tank rucksacks take the daily and quick access-stuff - Leatherman tool, Zippo, maps, travel guide, first aid kit, camera, bottle of water, lashing gear for ferries, passports, wallet etc.

The Touratech bags left and right of the Africa Twin tank take 2 sets of rain gear each and soften the impact if you drop the bike :-)

One basic rule: Everything has its assigned place. If it´s not there, no need for a search - we´ve lost it.

Cheers
Chris