Whats in Your Sled?

Capital One asks the question, “ What’s in your wallet?” Well I want to apply that to us and ask, “What’s in your sled?” Let’s start by asking this, do you have a place on your sled for extra items?  I’ll list mine.

• Windshield Bag
• Handlebar Bag
• Tank/Map Bag
• Clutch Cover Box
• Trunk
• Coat Pockets

When we go to Canada, I also carry saddlebags and a trunk bag. Isn’t this a little excessive you might ask? Well, that depends.

Of all the gear I haul with me, I can honestly say that I’ve used everything more than once on the trail somewhere. Some items are for repair, some are for first aid, some are for navigation and others are spare parts.  Let’s start at the top.  The windshield bag. Inside it, are my warm weather gloves, a bottle of water, a clean dry towel for my face shield and a ziplock baggie with a Polaris hat to hide my helmet hair.  Hey, what are you snickering about?

In my handlebar bag is a spare cord for my heated shield. I’ve dropped one and lost it in the restaurant and had one quit working.  Nothing is more miserable than not being able to see going down the trail.  Also in another zippered pouch in my handlebar bag, is a Leatherman tool for quick easy fixes. The third compartment holds my small mag light that I can access quickly and easily in the dark.  Next is my tank/map bag. It has a nice clear, clean, dry place to hold a map of the area I’m riding in.  Under this compartment is a large area where I keep a heavy pair of leather, extreme cold weather mitts. I can’t count how many times they’ve saved someone else’s fingers when their gloves were too thin or their heated grips stopped working. Now inside of the mitts, I carry a spare headlight and two spare taillight bulbs. The soft thick mitts provide ample protection for the bulbs. I carry the bulbs for three reasons. Obviously so I can see to get back safely. But even more important is to be seen. Imagine blowing a headlight bulb and trying to get back to the motel, you see oncoming sleds. Do they see you, or do they think they have the trail to themselves and use part of your side?  Thirdly, without bulbs to absorb the current being put out by your magneto, you can burn up wiring.

In my trunk, I carry a Cat…I mean tow rope. I also have a long piece of snowmobile gas line wound up. It can be used to siphon with, or repair many of the fuel and oil lines under the hood.  Also inside the trunk is a small leather case filled with a ratchet, sockets, torque bits, needlenose vise grips and a crescent wrench.  You can pick these tool assortments up at any hardware or automotive
store. They are not made of top quality, but in the middle of nowhere, they can be a lifesaver.

Now we go under the hood. Power Madd makes a hard plastic box that fits perfectly onto your clutch cover. It even comes with a modified belt holder so you can still stow your spare belt. Inside of this box, I have an assortment of round plastic watertight bottles.  They are roughly twice the size of a pill bottle. Inside one, I carry band aids, alcohol pads and burn cream. I keep them here, because this is usually where I get cut or burnt. Under the hood. In another bottle, I keep four exhaust springs, four of the rubber bands and three of the darts that hold my windshield on. This is so that when I do a one handed Ron-Ron and demonstrate how to remove a windshield with
your feet, I can replace the windshield without trying to find the parts in the snow. Other items inside the box are; zip ties, a suspension bolt that I placed in a drill press and wound several feet of duct tape around, a small telescoping magnet to fetch those dropped bolts, and a very handy spring puller that I made up. If you need to access your chaincase, tie rods or recoil, (see Shakedown story) you have to remove the exhaust system. The exhaust is held in place by several very stiff springs. The tool I made, will reach every spring and have them off quicker than you can say, “Ouch, they need to cool off first.

In my inside coat pocket I carry a compass, lighter and hotel sewing kit. It can be used for clothing or skin, heaven forbid.  Now I’m sure you’re asking, “Is all of this really necessary?” I ride a lot of miles each year, and a lot of them are in desolate areas. I have literally used everything I carry. What about weight you say?  Everything I’ve listed weighs less than a quart of oil. I know, it looks like a lot of crap to carry along. Oh yeah, that reminds me of one other very important item. I also have a 1/3 roll of toilet paper with four latex gloves stuffed into the tube, in a ziplock in my tank bag.  Because as sure as the day is long, seven miles down the trail after lunch, you’re gonna find out why they call what you had for lunch, a wet burrito!

This article was intended to offer you advice concerning things you may wish to have onboard with you in the event of an emergency. If you have items that you’d like to share with others, please email or send them in and I’ll print them.

Ron Schroeder
Secretary – SnomadS Snofari Club