Travelling, no matter with which means of transport, undeniably involves difficult choices when it comes to clothes.
You must find the right balance between what you want versus what you need versus what can be brought!
Whether you’re on a backpack trip to Europe, a Machu Picchu expedition or a 6-month motorcycle trip, I have learned over the years that with good choices, it is possible to travel several weeks with a limited amount of garments.
For this trip, I have planned for 4 types of clothing:
- Casual
- Sports (walking or jogging)
- Dressed (for the exits at the restaurant)
- Cool or rainy weather
My firsts criteria for a piece of equipment are always quality, efficiency and durability. Nothing is more unpleasant than relying on something that lets you down along the way.
Second, it must be versatile.
Take for example the Arenite jacket from Arc’teryx.

It is useful for trekking, for a cool evening in town and even for more formal occasions like an evening at a restaurant or something a bit more chic. It’s a highly technical item that provides a more formal look if necessary.
The final criteria is, wherever possible, items that do not wrinkle, or at least, very little.
For example, the polyester knit tees by The North Face. I recently went for a 2 week trip to England with only 3 of these. Easy to wash by hand, strong fabric and no wrinkles! They are versatile, can be worn comfortably while visiting a city and also for a serious day trekking on a mountain.

A major challenge for me is shoes! I’m worse than a girl when it come to footwear! As mentioned in a previous articles, I decided to ride the motorcycle with a pair of hiking boots. This eliminates the need to pack an additional pair and a major saving in packing space and weight.
Reluctantly, I’m going to bring a pair of running shoes as I hope and need to find time to do some running in order to keep fit. I’ll also have a pair of casual leather shoes that can be used while going for dinner on a cool evening. Those shoes from Frye are very durable and can be worn with jeans or shorts.

Obviously, I’ll need sandals. I’ll wear a pair of Reef’s for the beach and evenings.




Here is my list:
Clothing | Comments | Price |
Arenite Jacket | Arc’teryx | 200,00 |
Down insulated jacket | North Face | 200,00 |
Shell jacket | North Face | 600,00 |
Shell pants | Arc’teryx | 600,00 |
Gloves | Arc’teryx | 100,00 |
Shell Gloves | Arc’teryx | 200,00 |
Shorts | X2 The Noth Face | 200,00 |
Shorts – Bathing suit | 75,00 | |
Shorts – Jogging | Arc’teryx | 75,00 |
Convertible pants | The North Face | 100,00 |
Jeans | Levis | 100,00 |
Long sleeves sweaters – Dressed | North face | 100,00 |
Long sleeves sweaters – Sport | 2X North Face | 100,00 |
T-shirts – Sport | 4X North face | 200,00 |
T-shirts – Sport | 2X Icebraker | 160,00 |
Shirt – Dressed | 1X | 150,00 |
Sox – Small – Shoes and running shoes | 2X | 20,00 |
Sox – thin – for moto (liners) | 3X | 25,00 |
Boxers | Arc’teryx 3X | 75,00 |
Sun glasses | MEC | 30,00 |
Sun glasses (backup) | MEC | 30,00 |
Replacement lenses (Orange Glasses) | 4X MEC | 24,00 |
Replacement lenses (Clear glasses) | 1X MEC | 6,00 |
Replacement lenses (Dark glasses) | 1X MEC | 6,00 |
Replacement lenses (Yellow glasses) | 1X MEC | 6,00 |
Sun glasses – Dressed | Marc Jacobs | 125,00 |
Cap for hiking | OR | 45,00 |
Jogging pants | 100,00 | |
Humbrella (mini) | REI | 40,00 |
Shoes – Dressed (Sport) | Fry | 125,00 |
Running Shoes | Asic’s | 160,00 |
Sandals | Reef – Fanning | 70,00 |
4 022,00 |
The next post will cover electronics.
Preparation - Electronics
I do not deny it, I love electronic gadgets! My iPhone, camera, GPS and laptop will be essential tools for me on this trip. My ongoing challenge is to bring only what is absolutely necessary while making sure to have the tools needed to communicate, navigate, picture, save and share ... Read more
Preparation - Camping and Hiking Equipment
I remember my trip to Inuvik in 2008. One of the great pleasures was to setup camp in a remote site or a Provincial Park campground and enjoy the simple pleasure of nature, cooking a simple meal and sometimes, listening to a river flow while drinking a good bottle of ... Read more
2 COMMENTS
Hi Marc,
I’ve been reading your meticulous planning with interest. I’m just curious, does your camping gear, clothing and equipment all fit in your luggage? Have you weighed your panniers & top box? You’ve been about as efficient as you can be, and I’m curious how heavy it is to camp off a bike on a long trip.
Bon voyage!
thanks,
Tim
Hi Tim
All my tools, camping and cooking gear, heated vest, first aid kit, shell pants and jacket, insulated jacket and couple of other little things go into my 2 side boxes. The top box is kept empty to store my helmet when needed. My clothes, laptop, electronics and bathroom stuff go in 2 medium sized backpacks attached to the side boxes.
In theory, I only have to bring in my backpacks when I stop in a hostel at night. The boxes will only when I camp.
I will try to find out the weight. It’s obviously a challenge to bring a little as possible but all that’s needed for such a long trip!