Here’s the challenge: the Italian is sexy…. but short on braun. 150ccs means there isn’t a ton of power. And two racks and no place for side bags means there also isn’t a ton of space.

[Edited: I’ve since moved to a 250CC that can use sidebags, but there still isn’t a ton of packing room!]

How do you choose what to pack for the epic journey? Small space living had taught me a lot about making tough choices.

Needs fall into just a few categories:

  • Tech
  • Clothes
  • Food
  • Safety

(Just looked at the order that I listed those… and much to my mother’s chagrin, I’m sure, that’s just about the priority!)

Tech

I have a business to run and thus I need “devices.” Before the trip, my 2009 Mac Pro in all her glory was perfect. But have you ever weighed one? Or considered what thousands of miles of vibrations would do to data?

In comes Air. Lighter, solid state drive, slimmer. Powerful. Worth the switch.

I had moved away from iPhone after the 3S and have become a huge fan of Droids. I also have an iPad. For a month, I seriously considered how I used these two. I’ve been using my iPad less and less, never even upgrading since the original. It’s not coming along for the ride.

For now, I’m keeping my Droid Razr Maxx. Over the course of the summer, I’ll most likely upgrade to the S4, but am not feeling like it is imperative. I use the phone for GPS in addition to most computer-like functions. I even watch tv on it!

Along with the tech comes the need for power. There will be a whole series of posts on how I am managing that. For now, let it suffice that I am devoting more space to powering up than I am to shoes and toiletries… combined.

Next post, I’ll focus on the clothing choices. That’s been a well-thought out set of choices, for sure.