If you ride with a half helmet most of the time it's nice to carry a 3/4 with shield or FF when it's cold and/or raining.

 

We are currently under a "WINTER STORM WARNING" here in Fort Collins with about a foot of snow expected by tomorrow morning.
ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

 

 

Here are my must haves:
A can of Lemon Pledge and a few microfiber cloths to de-bug the windshield during pit stops. Bag of foam earplugs (reduce wind fatigue). I always carry packs of ice tea mix to pour into bottled water. Hydration vest is nice across Wyoming. Warm or heated gear for the mountains. T-Shirts, I buy a new six or eight pack and throw one away each day. Wally World's are every where. Last but not least, good dry boots and a good seat. Oh, spare lighter if your a smoker, I drop one of them little buggers every once in awhile.
Have fun!

 

split the tools among you, if your Buds are bringing the basics then you can bring the extras, bulbs, 10 ft of quality 80 strand 10 gauge wire, bailing wire, assorted nuts and bolts, plugs, fixaflat and a tire plug kit for tubeless, a cell phone and a HOG card (free tow)for tires with tubes (that easyrider fix it in the farmers barn thing, well, I thought this was a vacation.) disposable gloves, quart of oil, throwaway undies, bike cover, bottled water, deck of cards, baby powder, garbage bags, gallon ziplocks, clean rags all those neat little things the other members mentioned. Remember twenty dollar bills are accepted everywhere, hundreds and fifties aren't.

 

Major caliber, mid sized pistol. Replace fuses on major circuits (lights, ignition, etc) with circuit breakers. I prefer the resetable kind vs the ones that reset themselves off and on continuously. Available at Napa dealers. Compact binoculars real luxury item.

 

Baby Wipes are much nicer and takes us the same room. Just saying.

 

son said 1-2'' of the white stuff on his truck lastnight

 

Best tip: Make a packing list and stick to it. This helps avoid the temptation to keep adding crap as you load up. You won't need it and you won't miss it, but if you bring it you'll have to repack daily and haul it the whole trip. More stuff is a major PITA! LESS IS MORE! If it turns out you need it when you get there, there's a store selling it nearby.

BRING:Lip Balm with some SPF to it. Sunscreen. Earplugs. Underarmour cold weather shirt is very lightweight and does a darn good job. Leather chaps extend jeans for many many days so no need for several pairs. +1 on the Monkey Butt powder, better than plain ol' baby powder. Reusable Nalgene water bottle;refill for free everywhere and add packets of lemonade mix for pennies. Sidearm, and for travel through states that prefer to protect criminals, a lockable case and lock (Google gun laws/helmet laws for the states you will and may pass through). Camera. Binoculars if there's room, but like tools those too can be shared. Finally my favorite must have, atomic fireball jawbreakers in the windshield pouch... YUM

LEAVE: Shave your head and leave the shampoo at home. Grow your beard and leave the razor at home. Bring your HOG card and leave the quart of oil home.

Be safe and have a great trip!

 

I did a 3500 mile ride last summer - included crossing Montana. Fantastic riding. Watch for deer. And cattle.

These have already been mentioned, but they're worth repeating.

Small dose of ibuprofen at beginning and end of day kept the aches tolerable.

Sunscreen for face.

Underarmour. You'll appreciate them. At the very least, underwear and pants with a minimum of seams.

I debated whether it was worth taking or not, but a hydration backpack was worth it on the really hot days. It didn't get in the way at all.

Have fun