Thread: Here's a challenge for ya.... Motorcycle Roadtrip Shaving Kit?

Alright, so I've decided to start planning for another road trip. The thing is, I don't have alot of cargo space on my motorcycle So, I'm thinking in three stages...

1: What are the essentials for shaving?
2: How can I get them in transportable variates?
3: How can I make the kit as small as possible?

Any help here?

blade and lather.. if you want to really enjoy your shave then go ahead and take a brush and some aftershave.. but if you are going for full minimalism.. i would pack a small 3 piece DE and a brushless lather.. i havn't had a bike in a few years but i was a big fan of the tank pack.. i had a giant one that fit enough for a 3 month vacation.. plus i could lean on it while cruising the freeway at high speeds.

Pops seems to have covered it nicely. I would only add that this seems an ideal situation for a shavestick. Were it me I would go to a local drugstore and get 2 large prescription drug bottles. In one I would place an affordable but effective brush (i.e. VDH boar) in another I would place my shavestick. Preloaded DE razor would round out the kit. This very basic kit would probably fit nicely in like a 6 X 6 ziplock bag or if you wanted to get fancy a small dopp kit to which you could also add other small stuff that you'd like to keep handy (toothbrush, cellphones, maps, spare smokes/dip or whatever.)

I guess I was after a minimalist kit for a straight razor. I can always grab a mach 3 and scrape the hair off my face, but what's manly about that?

To refine my concerns, I'm mostly worried about transporting a brush and strop, and the best option for the 'chemical' side of things. I suppose a prescription bottle would work for the brush, but what about letting it dry out after use so it doesn't mold/mildew? I guess I could go with a brushless lather, and maybe I could make a double sided paddle strop, that way I could have pasted and plain leather in something I don't have to worry so much about creasing...

For light weight travel, I would say a shave stick and a DE. Some sort of splash or balm would be nice, but not essential. Actually, the shave stick isn't essential either; a water shave is quite doable.

I was in Japan for several weeks, with DE, brush, straight razor, and strop. Most of the time, I used the DE and brush (with whatever soap the hotel provided); the straight and strop were just too much trouble. A pack of Feather DE blades (several shaves per blade) lasts for a long time, and doesn't take up much space.

Charles

The bare essentials are just soap, brush, strop and straight, although I'd propose also a barber's hone if your trip is of some length. Transporting your gear in tubes sound like a nice option, but I would drill holes in the tubes with the brush and razor so they have a chance to dry even in the tubes. For a strop, perhaps a small short leather one would be fine. It doesn't have to be 24 x 3 to do the job. Perhaps 12 x 1.5 or something? Soap could be grated into a smaller vehicle, perhaps an empty altoid tin or something the like? Again, probably a good idea with some small holes in the lid. Best of luck.

I'm a current and die hard motorcyclist who enjoys time out on the road with mates and camping etc. The only luggage space I have is a couple of saddle bags, rack and pillion seat space. Without going into how I pack every single thing, I will simply tell you what I carry personally and some ideas for consideration.
I put my razor, shave cream tube and brush in a backpacker style small toiletry kit with toothbrush, aftershave etc. This goes last in my daypack strapped to the pillion seat. My strop used to be attached to the outside of the pack, but these days I use my own 'roo hide strop and it is safe to roll up and go as a last item in the pack too.
As far as brush drying methods go, I have used cordage to tie my brush securely to handle bars and I have put it in a mesh side pocket of my daypack. Both methods work fine and there is less beetle guts in the bristles using the mesh pocket method.
Other things I carry that are useful is a hand towel, a small camping mirror and a 'Sea to Summit' folding sink, these take up little space and come in very handy when camping, or just travelling in general.
So my list is:

Seat to summit Toiletry bag (Dopp Kit)

Razor - in dopp

Tube of shave cream - in dopp

Brush - in dopp or drying out

Strop 2" x 17" - in/on daypack

Camping mirror - usually in a pocket on daypack, dopp has a mirror included as well

Hand towel - right beside dopp

Sea to Summit sink - outter pocket of daypack

Hope this is of some help



Mick

I like Mick ride a bit. I pack a stainless Gold Dollar straight, brush of choice, puck of soap (palm lather) & ruprazor filly strop. I keep the razor in a thin/small eye glass case I found at a Walmart, roll up my brush in my towel after fanning it the best I could to get what water out of it I can, keep the puck in a ziploc bag, and roll up the strop. You could just ziploc the brush if you wish...but I like to let mine dry if possible. I used to ziploc about everything with my old bike bags, but the tourmasters that I have now keep things dry even if I hit a lot of rain. Trash bags and ziplocs are a must when taking more than a day trip IMO.