Rough Road and Rough Sleep on the Trans-Labrador Highway

February 14, 2018

What do inflatable travel pillows and motorcycles have to do with each other?

We're not suggesting you use your Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow while riding your motorcycle down the road. Among other things, that comfy travel pillow would make it too easy to fall asleep at the helm!

But if you're a motorcycle enthusiast, chances are pretty good that you enjoy taking a road trip whenever you can.

One of the most important aspects of motorcycle safety is staying awake and well-focused on the road. And when travelling on a multi-day road trip, your safety and comfort depends on getting a good night's sleep before you set out and each night you're on the road.

A great way to get a good night's sleep while on the road (metaphorically, not the literal road but on a road trip) is to ensure you take along your trusty Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow. Whether you're in a hotel, motel, a campground or other travel accommodations, you count on the Pillowpacker® travel pillow to be there for you - no need to rely on whatever subpar pillow is on the bed or elsewhere provided for you. And if you're sleeping rough? Your Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow is a HUGE upgrade over rolling up a shirt or jacket.

With that in mind, we've got a great story about a touring bike, a Canadian motorcycle road trip, and of course our dependable Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow.

Touring Bikes

If you aren’t familiar with motorcycles, then you should know there’s a style of bike called a touring bike.

If you are familiar with motorcycles, then you know what we’re about to describe.

It’s the kind of bike designed to be taken on the road not just for a few minutes of fun, but for the kind of long trips that people who value the open road really love.

Touring bikes come equipped with saddlebags for everything you need, a trunk in the back, and the freedom that only a motorcycle can bring.

When you’re determined to travel and you love motorcycles, you take a touring bike.

The Road Less Travelled

 

But, as an adventurer with a touring bike, he decided he wasn’t going to put it off anymore. He had seen every provincial and territorial capital on that bike with the exception of Yellowknife, every stretch of road that wound its way across the nation, and this new one shouldn’t be any different.

So he—and the Gold Wing—hit the road.

 

On one of those long, dirt stretches it started to rain. Rain and dirt can spell disaster quick on a motorcycle. Loss of traction, loss of vision, the irritating, distracting discomfort of being soaked to the bone are all major distractions for the motorcyclist. There aren’t many facilities on the Trans-Labrador Highway. Inns, motels, and the like can be hard to find in such sparsely populated areas.

When that happens, when the rain hits When that happens, when the rain hits and you’re out in the middle of nowhere, you take shelter when you can. In this case, that meant a picnic table covered with a gazebo.

How did he sleep? “I have a self-inflating camping pillow. You don’t sleep well like that,” he says.

What Would Make the Ultimate Motorcycle Camping Pillow?

Those camping pillows are about the same size as a Pillowpacker® down travel pillow, but not nearly as comfortable.

Unlike conventional pillows, camping pillows or even other travel pillows, our Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillows fit perfectly in your motorcycle’s saddlebags and trunk, making the best travel pillow you could want for motorcycle camping—just ask another biker and Pillowpacker® customer, Bill Mooney from Tennessee.

If you don’t have a Pillowpacker® pillow tucked away in one of your saddle bags or a trailer, you’re going to be sleeping rough.

 

As night fell as he made his way towards the ferry, he was worried he’d have to camp out in another truck stop. As luck would have it, he met a friendly local who let him set up his tent in his backyard. As even more luck would have it, that local knew the ferry skipper—he set up a meeting and our biker made his way to the most distant of Labrador’s communities.

Some At-Home Comfort at Last

There he found a welcome break from the dusty Labrador roads: “They have a really nice restaurant,” he says, “with a Portuguese cook.”

A nice bit of home comfort, to be sure.

Nevertheless, if you’re an avid biker or a recreational motorcyclist looking for the ultimate comfort to invest in your favourite hobby, we—and our friend Bill Mooney—happily recommend any of our Pillowpacker® pillows.

The Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow is the perfect travel pillow for motorcycle camping, the perfect travel pillow for motorcycle travel (you never know when you need one!), and we just think they’re the perfect pillow, period.

If you’re going somewhere wet or like to pull over in a downpour, try our microfibre inflatable travel pillow.

If you’re staying dry and want a home away from home on the rough road, go for one of our down travel pillows: duck down, white down blend, or goose down for ultimate comfort.

Whatever your choice, you’ll hit the road refreshed and ready for more! 

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