Prepare Gear & Equipment
Thursday, November 27th, 2008
Electronics
If you want to capture the moment. A point and shot digital camera will work. If you want to edit your photos on the fly, a laptop may be necessary. If you are thinking that your adventure will be worthy of a magazine article pack a DSLR and if you dream that one day someone might find your trip so interesting they want to watch it on their TV, pack an HD Video Camera. Wrap all equipment with duct tape. This will protect the equipment and disguise its quality. A street thug will not steal a camera that looks like its 20 years old.
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Laptop ComputerThere are so many out there – I dragged mine (G4 12inch Powerbook 1.33GHz PowerPC (2004)) across the Andes, down the Amazon and all the way to the Artic Circle. I am still using it today. I’ve dropped it, spilt beer on it, kicked it, sat on it, flown over my handlebars with it (three times) and it still works! The most important thing is reliability and size. Panasonic and Sony make excellent compact and realiable computers |
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Still shot Camera (compact Digital)Semi-professional photographs can sit in your front pocket. There are many choices out there. Sony, Panasonic and Canon make the best on the market. |
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Digital SLRIf you are a serious professional you know Canon and Nikon are king. If you are a true adventurer you ain’t gunna have space for one of these – however they now have compact digital SLR’s and they are bloody impressive. In my opinion the sm |
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Magellan Triton 2000 GPSA fully element-proof touch screen model with a torch and camera – enabling you to photograph and record coordinates and, if you’re a geek, upload them to Google Earth. With a built-in barometer, microphone/speaker, best hunting and fishing times, sunrise and sunset indicator and elevation profile for the trail ahead or the track you just carved – the adventurer in you will never need to return home. Unlike the CrossOver, two replaceable AA batteries power the Triton. Next Destination – $999 (www.nextdestination.com.au) |
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Magellan CrossOver GPSIt takes you over streets, over land and over water, so you can use one sat nav unit for voice prompted street directions, hand held GPS capabilities with topography mapping and 4WD trails, outback tracks, and marine GPS capabilities with marine charts. Bloody handy, water-resistant but not water-proof. Next Destination – $899 (www.nextdestination.com.au) |
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Video CameraIf you dream that one day someone else might actually want to see your footage you need at minimum 3CCD true 16:9. Preferably shot in HDV This way the footage will be good enough for TV and Cable broadcast.Packing |
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Dry Sack Sea to SummitRanging from six to 30 litres, in various materials. These fully water-proof bags can compress your gear down to one third of its original size, with a one-way gortex bottom layer that lets the air out, but won’t let the water in.Sea to Summit – From $32.95 (www.seatosummit.com.au) |
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Riding BackpackCamelbak – HAWG (1.02g)It’s strong and light; the perfect size for overnight hikes but needs the waterproof cover. And there’s a lifetime warranty on the bladder (3litres). Offroad Imports – $169.95 (www.offroadimports.com.au) |
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Soft side panniersAndy Strapz Expedition Panniers (1.8kgs for both) The ideal size for any adventure. They are durable, tough, and expandable, fit any bike, and made of tough ripstock canvas weave dipped in a waterproof coating. Andy Strapz – $330 (www.andystrapz.com) |
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Soft top bagAndy Straps AA Cordura top bag (600grams)Fits any bike on a seat or a rack, all zips are protected from the elements, 18 litres. Andy Strapz – $190 (www.andystrapz.com) |
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Aluminium PanniersTesch 49litre panniers There has always been a divide between the soft vs hard panniers. I am a fan of both. However aluminium panniers for 3rd world countries are perfect as they act as a buffer between you and the road, they are virtually indestructable, permanently attached to your bike and very hard to break in to. |
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Small Bum bagFor storing tools and basic first aid equipment. Acerbis toolbags are my favourite. |
Camping
Every single item you pack needs to be as reliable as a VW Beetle because, well, your life depends on it when you’re out in the middle of nowhere and there’s no-one to rely on except yourself.
I searched the planet and selected the gear below based on weight, strength, function, size, reliability and comfort. On a recent 8000km journey, zigzagging across the Great Dividing Range, I found that if your gearbags are crammed full of this stuff – you never need return home at all.
Camping gear can make or break your day. You have to be able to rely on it no matter what the conditions. You might prefer to sleep in your bike gear and build a shelter out of palm fronds but in a torrential downpour, high winds or even a blizzard, those palm fronds are gonna be about as useful as a lawnmower in Antarctica. Basically, you need to ensure you’re totally self-sufficient.
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Black Diamond Lighthouse tent (1.42 kg)Ultra-light, single wall, two-man tent with enough room for you and your lady. Or failing that, a large animal. Sea to Summit- $759 (www.seatosummit.com.au) |
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One Planet Ultralite Adventure Cocoon 350 sleeping bag (620g)State of the art, ultra-light nylon combined with 800-loft goose down makes it the best warmth to weight ratio bag on the market. One Planet – $479(http://www.oneplanet.com.au) |
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Sea to Summit Lite Silk Long sleeping bag liner (100g)The lightest liner you can get. Sea to Summit- $57.95(www.seatosummit.com.au) |
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Insulmat Ether Thermo 6 Bedroll (675g)Ultra-light, packs down small and is so thick when inflated, you can sleep on your side and suck your thumb like a newborn baby and never feel the earth beneath you. Sea to Summit- $84.95(www.seatosummit.com.au) |
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Camping tableMake sure you pick a woman with equally proportioned forearms and legs. As Andy Warhol discovered many years ago, they can make the perfect camping table. I’m joking. Eat with your hands. Stuff the table. You don’t need one. But it’s nice to share the experience with a pretty lady. |
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Jetboil PCS 1-litre stove (425g)A one-litre, insulated, hard-anodized, aluminium cooking cup, high-performance burner base with built-in igniter, drink-through plastic lid, and protective bottom cover that doubles as a measuring cup. With all components, including fuel, packed comfortably within the cooking cup its bloody small, simple and efficient, boiling 50 cups per canister – one cup a minute. I can prepare my dehydrated dinner and a cup of tea in two minutes flat. Sea to Summit – $169(www.seatosummit.com.au) |
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Sea to Summit Small Kitchen Set (135g empty)The kit holds a chopping board, mini grater, whisk, can opener and heaps of bottles in a 135g package with extra slots and pockets for further customisation. Leave your wife at home. Sea to Summit – $24.95 |
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Folding titanium cutlery (70g)Stainless steel, space-saving, all-in-one cutlery that’s light, compact and tough. Fits into Jetboil unit. But keep in mind, real adventurers eat with their hands. Sea to Summit – $19.95 |
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Orikaso dishes (142g)Super-light 1mm thick polypropylene cups, plates and bowls fold down like origami. Combined they weight about the same as your bike grips and take up less space than a filter skin. Snowgum – $29.95 |
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SteriPEN Adventurer Handheld Water Purifier & Solar Charging Case (110g)This amazing device uses UV light to sterilise water – it takes 48 seconds to purify one litre. It has a solar powered recharger case, which means you can drink from almost any stream on the planet without fear of chucking your guts up a few hours later. Sea to Summit – $239.95 (124.95 for solar charger) |
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Sea to Summit five-litre kitchen sink (100g)This portable five-litre sink is useful for washing dishes, bathing and drowning small animals. Plus it packs down to the size of a child’s fist. Sea to Summit – $28.95 |
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FrisbeeMental recreation, plate, seat, cutting board, communication tool, weapon, entertainment. LostOn… $30 |
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Food – Backpackers Pantry Food*Backpackers Pantry food kicks arse for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most packages are for two meals. You can get Asian curry, beef stroganoff, Hawaiian chicken, cheesecake, freeze dried ice-cream. Anything! They last forever, and take about 30 seconds to prepare once you’ve boiled the water. Sea to Summit – From $4.95 |
TOTAL WEIGHT - 4.38kg
TOTAL COST – AUD$1923.65
*Not included in total weight and costExtras for comfort
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Brazilian Superlight parachute Hammock (400g)Light and great for stretching out under the stars. Good for quick starts. Soft Spot – from $59 |
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Sea to Summit Pocket Towel (42g)Small and lightweight, it absorbs three times its weight. Sea to Summit – $19.95 |
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iPOOd! Pocket Trowel (75g)Collapsible, stores gas lighter/toilet tissues in handle, lightweight, compact and easy to carry. Supported by “Leave No Trace – Outdoor Ethics” Sea to Summit – $24.95 |
April 17th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Nice work! I’ll have to do a cross post on this one
April 25th, 2009 at 1:00 am
excellent section steve!!!!
picked up an insulmat and steripen and both are perfect, great advice.
April 29th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hey Glen,
thanks mate… took me a while to build this page so glad its useful. Any advice you have to make the page even more useful would be great. Enjoy the Steripen and insulmat – great products.
July 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Man, that’s great…Thanks for providing such a good info………