This motorcycle rally packing list is built from the trip planners in our rally guides. A rally week is part road trip, part festival: you will ride every day, walk a lot, and spend long evenings outside. Take what fits your bike and your trip.
How to use this motorcycle rally packing list
Start a week before you leave. Lay everything out, check it against the list, then cut what you will not use, because space on a bike goes fast. Pack heavy things low and close to the middle of the bike, keep rain gear where you can reach it, and check the load limit in your owner’s manual before you add a passenger or a tail bag.
Papers and money
- Driver’s license with a motorcycle endorsement
- Motorcycle registration and proof of insurance, plus medical coverage details if you plan to ride without a helmet where that is legal
- Lodging confirmations and event or race tickets saved on your phone
- Cash for small vendors and parking lots
- A toll transponder, or a plan for toll roads on the way
Riding gear
- A helmet that meets federal safety standards (see NHTSA’s helmet guide). Florida, South Carolina and New Hampshire only require one for younger riders, but New Jersey requires one for everyone. The IIHS helmet law table lists every state.
- Eye protection: glasses, goggles or a face shield, plus clear lenses for riding after dark
- Riding gloves and a rain suit
- A warm layer for cool mornings and evenings, even in Florida in March
- Earplugs for long highway days and loud nights on the strip
For the bike
- Tire pressure gauge and a plug kit
- A basic tool kit
- A disc lock or chain lock, and a bike cover
- Phone mount and charging cable
- Contact details for trailer storage if you trailer in
Rally-week extras
- A small tank bag or backpack for vendor buys
- Zip ties, a roll of tape and a few bungee cords
- Rain covers for your bags, or dry bags inside them
- A small flashlight or headlamp for late returns to the campsite
- A spare key, kept somewhere other than on the bike
For you
- Sunscreen and lip balm
- A refillable water bottle
- Comfortable walking shoes for vendor areas and parking lots
- A small first aid kit
Before you leave home
Service the bike a week or two before the trip, not the night before. Check tires, brakes and fluids, and fix small problems at home where you know your mechanic. Then plan your first day’s ride and your fuel stops. For each rally’s own list, open its Trip Planner page from the rally guides, and read the first-timer’s guide if this is your first rally.
