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Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Gear - Layout, Review, and Shakedown


ADV Designs Ultimate Tool Kit for F800GS

So, I finally got a chance to lay everything out and see what I'm working with...  And ultimately, what I don't have.  The great thing is, all of this 'stuff' is easily packable onto the bike, leaving my Ortlieb pack and Wolfman Expedition Dry duffel fully available for electronics, clothing, etc.  

Please feel free to shoot me a note if you have experience running trips like this and see essentials that are missing.  

First, I plan to camp as much as possible to save cost.  Plus, I just like camping!  The picture below shows the bulk of my gear to survive in the wilds of LatAm.  I received the majority at a deep, deep discount from Backcountry.com through a close friend hook-up.  Thanks Chris!!! 
  • Ortlieb Track 27 gear bag
    Camping/survival gear
  • Big Agnes Spur UL2 tent
  • North Face sleeping bag
  • REI Flex-Lite camp chair
  • Big Agnes inflatable sleeping pad
  • Therm-A-Rest pillow bag/sack
  • Two Otterbox hard cases
  • Waterproof matches
  • SPOT II GPS tracker 
  • Katadyn water filtration system
  • Waterproof medical kit
  • Marmot shell/windbreaker
  • MSR WhisperLite stove
And here is a breakdown of some tools, kit, gear, etc that I've acquired...  
Misc gear/kit stuffed in ADV Designs bag
  • Wet Ones
  • Shop towel
  • Mini Maglite flashlight 
  • Glowsticks for random jungle rave
  • Wire connections
  • Gerber multi-tool
  • Heavy duty pliers w/ wire cutter
  • Heavy duty drive w/ adaptor 
  • JB Weld
  • Blue Loctite 
  • Handy 7-Eleven lighter
  • Set of front/rear EBC brake pads 
TIRE/TUBE KIT - ADV Designs Tire Change Kit & ADV Designs Micro Tire Pump Kit
Picture at right shows three referenced ADV Designs kits/bags along with several other essentials and goodies
  • Trusty Schwinn hand pump
  • Several CO2 bombs w/ adaptor 
  • Target latex hand gloves
  • Zip ties
  • WD-40
  • Two front / one rear spare tubes
  • Several patch kits
  • Chain lube (not shown
Finally, I figured I would put a small blurb to discuss my GPS setup (separate post coming soon w/ more detail).  

I'm running a Garmin Zumo 660LM and currently have North America maps, South America City Navigator, US Topo 100k, and BiciMaps Mexico/Central America loaded.  I decided to go with an Apple Macbook Air 11-inch as my base computer to sync it all together and will be using Garmin Basecamp, Express, and MapInstall to link Zumo and computer.  On the bike, I picked up a Touratech locking mount, which is a beautiful piece of kit I might add, and have mounted it on a cross bar.  I'll also be bringing along a handful of maps and will most likely pick some up during my travels as well.  

So that's it for now!  Again, please feel free to send me a note with any questions, comments, and/or concerns.  Advice is ALWAYS appreciated.  

Chat soon...   ~ D

*UPDATE - 3-OCT-2013* - So, at the recommendation of several more experienced ADV riders, I've added a few additional items to my stockpile.
  • Haynes F800 manual
  • Add'l oil filter
  • Add'l air filter
  • Crush rings for oil changes
  • Motion Pro 3-1 chain tool
  • Clutch and throttle cables
  • Clutch and brake levers (1 each)



2 comments:

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  2. Aspirations to reality- your story is inspiring. Best of luck on your adventure!

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