Posts By Country




March 9th, 2010 | Africa

No rest for the wicked…!!

I decided that before I made up my final list of stuff that I will be taking with me, (and where exactly I’ll be packing it all), that I should unpack everything and recheck it one last time….

I have been asked by many a biker to post this list for “those that might follow in your footsteps”… Amazing to think how many more “Looney-Tunes” might be wandering about out there, huh !!

Together with my sister Charmaine, I repacked and photographed everything, (except for the family pack of condoms and the kilo of penicillin tablets…. Ha-ha !! Only kidding….(if only there had been place…!!) )

I will post the lists in the next day or two, but in the mean time, here are photos of all my “Stuff…”

There’s a lot of stuff as you can see, and you will notice that I have not packed any food, nor have I bothered with cooking utensils… There is enough food out there, so why carry it with you ??

Left Pannier Contents
Right Pannier Contents

The left hand pannier contains the things I will need to take off the bike every night, like my laptop and external hard drive, and my maps and guide books. The right hand pannier contains most of my spares and tools, as well as a rain coat and my bike cover, placed on top for easy access…

Top Box Contents

My Top Box contains an inner bag with all my clothes… I probably still have too many articles of clothing, but in due course, the T-Shirts will become cleaning rags, and be tossed away… I also have all my essential documents packed into a waterproof pouch, under the clothes bag….

Duffel Bag Contents

My Duffel Bag, which sits behind me on the bike, contains my sleeping bag, a self inflating mattress (in the shape of Pamela Anderson…. just kidding !) and a ground sheet, spare gloves, water bottle and my only other pair of footwear besides my riding boots, a pair of Strops… My tent, fits between my left hand pannier bracket and the seat…and has yet to catch alight on the heat from the exhaust !! Sorry Guy, you’ll have to wait a little longer for your prediction to come true !!

Tank Bag Contents

The Tank Bag carries all the things I will or might need urgently, during the course of any given day… Cameras, tripods, chargers (for the cameras and batteries), as well as a power inverter to charge my laptop directly from the bike…. My kidney belt for those long days in the saddle,  water bottle and mug to drink out of… First Aid kit, a torch and a few waterproof bags…

I also carry spare visors in this bag, as they can be bent around the front side where they are not likely to be damaged…

Carrier Bag Puncture Kit

Fully loaded puncture kit with spare rubber compound, extra “worms” and tools to enlarge and thread the worms… A multi-tool with Cable ties for those easy to repair bits that need nothing more than this…

This handy little bag fits directly under the Top Box carrier plate and is hardly even noticeable on the bike, as it tucks away under the Top Box…

Bar Bag Contents

Then there’s the Bar Bag, which unfortunately does NOT carry a wide range of “tot bottles”, but rather a few more pieces of emergency stuff…

Another Leather-man, a “glow in the dark” gizmo for those dark nights I might find myself stranded next to a busy road…, Pepper Spray – in case the “wrong type” turn up to “help” me… (It’s simple… Psssst ! and then run like hell !!) a torch… to see where I am running….!!! A couple of pens (to give a statement to the police… and a bottle opener (to crack a cold one in celebration of “getting away” from the “wrong type”….see above…)

Tool Kit Contents

My tool kit, with just about everything I might need to pass to the guy who is repairing the more complicated stuff !! Ha-ha !!

I can hear you laughing from here, Pauli !!!!

Cable Bag Contents

Probably the most important little bag of bits that I will need to ensure that I am able to capture photographs, video, and voice recordings…. A variety of chargers that allows me to charge everything off both the bike, as well as a DC outlet when there is one available… Also cable to download anything and everything digital that I am carrying…

See… I have everything covered !!! …..or have I ??

© GBWT 2010


1 comment to No rest for the wicked…!!

  • Charmz

    I think we left out the “kitchen sink”. There might still be place for an energy bar or two. Seriously, I pray that you have everything you need for this journey. Remember it’s all in the way you pack everything back into the panniers that will make all the difference. Good Luck, wish I was going with you…. Hmmm, maybe in a few years time, we can do this together….You be the rider, I’ll be the packer!

Leave a Reply

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

  

  

  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.