Bagger Trip Advice

I will be making my first multi-overnight snowmobile trip this winter and I am looking for advice from you veterans. It will be a 7 day trip. I already know that I should pack my extra items in plastic bags, but I am sure there are more lessons learned out there. I am interested to hear about:
- Items that are a must on an overnight trip
- Things you shouldn't bother with for an overnight trip
- Things you thought would be a good idea, but turned out unnecessary

Thanks for your help.

Tools(not just the ones in the set), non bulky but warm clothes, extra head light bulbs and plugs, money money money, flashlight, camera, extra key for the sled, and on a 7 dayer, maybe an extra set of arms.

I like the extra key idea too. There's always one duct taped in a special spot on the sled. And zip lock bags are great. :wink:

- 500mL oil
- 500mL water (drink or add to coolant)
- isopropyl
- tow strap
- electrical tape and duct tape
- extra fuses
- mini booster cables

You have two headlights already.... I dont carry extra bulbs.... or plugs for that matter. :roll:

If you ice ride in questionable areas.... I've got another checklist for ya... :wink:

- inflatable pfd
- hatchet
- folding saw
- extra wool socks (sealed in baggies)
- 3 ways to start fire (sealed in baggies)
- jello crystals (sugar for hypothermia victim - not chocolate bars)

One other thing..... have a look at how your bags attach to the sled... see if you find a weakness in either the mount/clip/strap... after bouncing around for 7 days.... it will be apparent. Lesson learned the hardway by yours truly.

- Items that are a must on an overnight trip

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Tools, rope etc. But here are few I always bring. Some may have been mentioned. The longest I have bagged it was 5 days. Good luck on the 7 day trip. Let us know how it goes.

Shoes...if you go out on the town you don't have to look like a knob and wear your boots also you can let them dry out in the room.
Duct tape...an absolute must for everything.
Flashlight...another must
Bungee Cords...I have had saddle bag problems more than I can remember.
Compass just so you know your heading the right way.
ZIPLOCK Bags Put your socks, underwear, shirts etc. in the bags while travelling. Keeps everything dry.
Dress Socks Wear a thin pair of dress sock under your wool socks. Keep your feet dry and your wool socks from stinking. Change your dress socks instead of your wools. This way you don't have to pack a bunch of Wool Socks (maybe 2 or 3 for 7 days) The whole idea here is to save space in your bags.
Extra pair of MittsI ride with glove 80% of the time. However, on those really cold days (-30C) I wear mitts. I even had to duct tape my mitts to protect from cold when it was -38C one day. Worked well.
Lock with a coiled wire style to string the sleds together. Hey you never know??

I always pack as light as I can. Believe it or not, you will notice a difference in handling with the extra weight on the back. Another thing I do is I wear the same set of clothes under my suit every day. As soon as I get in the room, I change out of my riding stuff and into something else. This way I don't have to pack a bunch of Long Underwear etc. It sounds pretty gross but I can wear the same long underwear, wool socks, T-Neck etc. for 5 days and there is no sign that they stink at all. The key is to buy Moisture Wicking undergarments that will not allow you to sweat. Cotton is the worst thing you could wear. Go for a 100% Polypropulene and make sure it is Moisture Wicking.

PS. I DO wear underwear UNDER my long johns...

My overnight trips usually include trailer with tent, sleeping bag, barbeque, etc. but I think you are travelling a little different. I would include:
Xtra gloves, goggles, hat for when helmet comes off, and a change that is packed so you know it will stay dry. Spare liners for boots (these can be hard to dry out if you dont have a good heater at night)
Small light tarp (Keep frost off sled @ night & rain off you)
Duct tape, Zip ties, camstraps, small coil of wire & some pliers
Headlamp
Thermos
Xtra food
Spare key

Did a cross UP trip last year, it was about 1000 miles, most important thing is to have an excellent set of saddle bags. We lost 3 sets on our trip, everyone but me. Get the Combination Sport Luggage from Yamaha(SMA-8FA73-20-00), it looks great and it held up awesome to alot of beating. It also holds quite alot of stuff.
We tried to bring just enough tools to get whatever we needed done, but I highly recommend packing them tightly because with all that bouncing, things tend to get destroyed...trust me! I also went to the hardware store and got a bunch of different sizes of metric bolts, screws and rivets, just to have in case you lose one or two.
I would bring oil, plugs, siphen, tow strap(or two), bungees, rope(very handy), extra set of hyfax(if you have any trailing arm sleds, tape or zip tie to the trailing arms) and of course DUCT TAPE!
I'm with RXWonder on the clothes thing, I wore the same thing everyday and brought clothes to change into where we stayed, I probably stunk a little, but who cares. Extra shoes, hat(of course), toiletries, extra gloves...thats about all I can think of right now, hope this helps!

All you guy's taking all those tools and repair items must not be Yami riders. Ive been going cross country for 14 years ( up to 5000 miles) and I have never taken any of those things.

Besides cloths take a pair of shoes and of course trail maps and isopropol to put in your tank at nite when moisture tends to build up, even with a full tank.

I always carry a ratchet with a 14mm socket on it, a 14mm wrench, a 12mm wrench, and an extra pair of gloves that can get greasy without me crying.

A fold down military style shovel (you can dig, chop, and cook on it, even use it as a splint)
compass and matches
extra polypropelene underclothes. These are the ones that get sweat soaked when you help your buddy pull his long tracked RX1 out of 6 feet of powder, hehe. You know who you are!

Tow strap for those other brand sleds.
extra socks, and extra fleece for every part of your body
first aid kit
These are the minimal I would travel with, apart from the obvious things you will need to just get from place to place.

The above items are great ideas too. Have fun!

Oh ya, extra wear bars, unless you use Bergstrom's.

I went for a 12 day trip 2100 miles last year . all i took was clothes,shoes ,cover for sled and don't forget your swimsuit it's no fun looking at the hottub after a 250 mile day . I also brought a small spade chisle to clean ice out of suspension it gets built up pretty good over a week . I was ridding from town to town so did not worry about extra oil or extra parts . never had to add any the whole trip . Have fun I will be going again this year .
Tom-RX1

Gilbey said:

money money money,

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Exactly! Credit card and Cash.

Thanks for all the great input guys! This has helped me add many items to my obviously incomplete list. Focker, I am having the saddle bags installed after several other TY people said they were good last season and glad to hear they worked for you too.

One item I clearly forgot about was the swimsuit for the hot tub (good one Tom-RX1). I like the idea of the dress socks too (thanks RXWonder). Sounds like the same clothes for riding is a consistent theme. I assume I should also pack some cologne to cover the scent. :wink:

A GREAT post, contains lots good information from some very experienced riders.
Suisse have an enjoyable safe trip, I'm sure a lot of the
guys/girls reading this thread were going with you.

Two Additional Items

I got to thinking about this list over the weekend and came up with two additional items for those also considering a bagger trip this year.
spare balaclava because those things can get stinky after a days riding
spare set of contact lenses for those that wear them. I lost a lense one year and it was tough riding for a while

Thanks again for all the help

dont forget a cell phone.mabey a gps .i am thinking of renting a satilite phone for a 5-6 day trip this year because we will be in a very remote part of quebec.

Great list. Thanks.