Gear

Riders are nutty about their gear and we are no exception. We chose our gear by searching the internet for packing lists, reading other riders blogs and ADV/HU ride reports. Adventure riders live in their gear and their lives literally depend on it so this is a BIG decision. These are the choices we started with. Please see below for reviews of our gear as we travel along.

Riding Gear

Sara
Rev’it defender GTX suit. AMAZING! Didn’t bring thermal liners, didn’t use the Gortex pant liners after the first month except for in the wind or cold. After 20 months we have had all the velcro replaced. It is the most worn on the front pockets and the leg bottoms.We will only keep the jacket gortex liner for light rain or wind. We were lucky enough to get new suits from Revitt after 3 years on the road and we like the new versions even better.
Rev’it Air jacket . Sent these home as did not find it “cooler” than Defender
Ogio Highviz vest sent home after a year
Rev’it Pacific H2O rain over suit. The first set delaminated. Rev’it kindly replaced them no charge. Unfortunately they are good to ride to Starbucks in light rain, but in real rain riding for hours you will be wet. We are switching to real 2 piece rain gear. The top will replace the rain coats we have for off the bike. Sara has the BMW two piece rain suit and Dan the Louis two piece suit.
Daytona Ladystar GTX boots- will never ride without these boots totally awesome. Thank you so much to Frey Daytona for amazing boots!!
Custom moulded ear protection – ditto. DB blocker- replaced after suggested life of 5 years
Silver Sokz never smell even after washing and wearing for 250,000 km
Cyclone Buff and UV 50 + buff. The cyclone left at home after 2 years as did not use for warmth.
Kidney belt- the velcro lasts about a year of daily use before you need a new one
Geiger pack 500.  Sent home as we never used both packs. Eventually sent the second home.
Exoficio mens boxers- expensive, but comfortable and quick dry. The 3 pair I have are the same ones after 250,000 km.
Silk long underwear
Quick dry shirt-switched to Amazing no odor and thin icebreaker in NZ from under armour
Sports bra
Rapidfire Heated Jacket- awesome from Powerlet. Left at home at start of year 4 as headed south.
Rev’it Comet gloves. just replaced my 4 year old pair in June 2013 and again June 2015. Replaced in Jan 2018 in NZ AJAYS.
BMW Goretex ladies gloves are totally waterproof-STILL 2018
Winter gloves sent home after we did not use them all the way from Inuvik to Ushuaia. Had bought another pair in Louis Germany for Norway! sent these home 2017.
Shark evoline 2 helmet This was a great helmet, but is totally shot after 20 months. Sara has the Schuberth C3Pro Women’s. This is much smaller, better fitting, lighter, and quieter by far. We purchases the Com system also. We like the voice activation mode.
Shark tooth com- worked very well

Daniel
Rev’it defender GTX suit. Totally amazing suit!! see above
Rev’it air jacket. sent home
Rev’it pacific H2O rain see note above
Daytona transopen GTX- Awesome. His foot survived unbroken when run over by a fuel truck!
Moulded ear protection- ditto
Silver sokz
Cyclone buff
Kidney belt- see above
Geiger pack 700 sent home after year 2 just didn’t use it.
Exoficio boxers– replaced these with Calvin Klein seamless microfiber boxers
Silk long underwear
Quick dry shirt
Rapidfire Heated Jacket- awesome, but Dan does not get cold so we took it home as was just taking up space
Riding shorts for under gear. He stopped riding with them.
Rev’it Comet gloves. just replaced 4 year old pair. Now has HELD!!!
Winter gloves sent home
Shark evoline 2.  See above
Sharktooth com

Clothing list

Sara
1 fleece hoodie- sent home 2017
1 merino wool sweater
Waterproof shell jacket MEC – swapped out for rain riding jacket. added light weight rain shell in NZ
MEC puffy jacket
1 exoficio zip off pant. replaced with north face
1 exoficio long pant replaced with north face
2 tshirt (2 tanks not replaced)
2 quick dry shirts-now Icebreaker in 2018
1 exoficio long sleeve shirt. sent home
2 exoficio skirt-replaced with Mark’s work warehouse short
1 shorts
2 silver sokz
5 socks
2 bra
7 panties
1  baseball hat
1 touque-sent home 2017
Merrell hiking shoe just replaced these after 2 years in April 2014 and again with Eddie Bower version in the in the fall of 2015.
Crocs sent home
flip flop
Swim suit
Sun glasses
Reading glasses

Jeans-added 2018

Daniel
Merino wool top
Wind/water MEC resistant jacket- sent home 2017. Replaced with rain proof shell in NZ.
Puffy MEC jacket
2 shirts
2 quick dry shirts
2 short
1 zip off pant
1 long pant
5 socks
2 silver sokz
2 Long sleve shirt
1 jeans
2 Hats
Money belt
Sun glasses
Merrell hiking shoe
Crock sent home
flip flop
Swim suit

Camping
Marmot Pinacle Ladies regular sleeping bag-AWESOME
Marmot Plasma mens long sleeping bag-Ditto
Exped comfort foam pillow
Silk sleep sacs – a must for camping and sketchy hostels
Exped air pillow
Exped 7 pump deluxe
Exped synmat 9-Dan’s replaced after baffle failure by exped in 2016. Second failure in 2017 and we replaced in NZ.
Coupler kit- took home
Exped venus 2 delux tent. Downsized to exped Orion
Ticket to the moon hammock awesome. Used a lot, but sent home after year 3 finish.
Tent mosquito net sent home
Kermit chairs. Awesome, but with replace for light smaller version Helinox to head to the Stans.
Mosquito head nets and bug jacket(borrowed) sent home after Alaska
After bite

Kitchen
MSR Quick kitchen set
MSR 11
Expandable fire fork-sent home
Metal kebab skewers-sent home
Coleman multi fuel stove (bomb hazard). Changed for MSR Dragon fly multifuel.
Wind screen
MSR scraper
Grill tong. ditched.
2 titanium sporks
Spatula
Sharpening stone -ditched
Vegetable  peeler
Swiss army
Measure spoon-ditched
Lighter. ditched
Flint
Wilderness wash soap not replaced
Seattlesports folding pack sink
Scrubby/rags/tea towel
Pristine water system never used. Finally ditched in 2017.
Dromedary 10 L water bag. replaced with 10l sea to summit pocket shower. Sent home 2018.
Cooler bag
Zip lock bags
Cooking oil
Spices
Coffee/tea/sugar

Bathroom
Outdoor research back country organizer
Touratech t pack-sent home 2017
Whizit-never used sent home
MSR XL pack towels
Pit trowel. sent home
Citronella candle not replaced
Mosquito repellent
Go tubes shampoo/moisturizer/conditioner
Prescription meds
Sunscreen
Chapstick
Mirror
Tissue packs
Electric tooth brush/paste/floss
Brush
Soap
Talc – for foot fungus prevention

Deodorizing shoe spray for runner and boots

Deodorant
Shave soap
Wet shaver/ blades
Tweezer
Nail brush/clipper/foot scrub block/foot file/heel repair
Wet wipes
Laundry flakes. switch to liquid single packs.

Personal
Alarm clock tossed out
Rubber door wedge. good for a security measure if needed.
Combination lock
Eyeglass repair tossed out
Cards gave away
Whistle gave away
Mimi mag light gave away
Petzl Core XP headlamps and rechargeable battery packs
Muggers wallet never used tossed
Mini tape measure- to see if the bike fits thru hotel door
Bandana/ buff- a must to prevent terrible cheek suntans
Binoculars sent home
Notebook
Leatherman
Pocket solar calculator
Pen / highlighter
Marking pen
Foam ear plugs 1 pair spare only

Junk drawer
Folding shopping bag/back pack
Shoe laces
Twist ties
Zipper pull
Nylon cord 10 m-ditched 2017
Velcro
Sewing kit

Medical kit

MEC first aid bag
Emergency contact numbers/embassy/medivac
Bandages/dressing/ surgical tape/steri strip/skin glue/mastasol
Gauze roll/pressure dressing
Mole skin
Bandage scissor tossed
Tensor
SAM splint
Triangle bandage tossed
Finger splint
Safety pins/matches/ q tips/cotton ball
Alcohol swabs/betadine swabs
Lidacaine/suture/suture instruments/scalpel tossed
Various needles/syringes/iv catheters tossed
Sterile gloves tossed
Hydrogen peroxide/sterile water
Thermometer
Tick kit-tossed
Diamox
Hydrcortisone 1%
Neomycin ointment
Tiactin foot powder
Antifungal ointment
Lariam/malerone/doxyxyxline
Diflucan/monistat
Levaquin/cipro
Septra
Keflex
Flagyl
Acyclovir
Senokott/MOM/Ranitadine/Imodium
Gastrolyte packs
Sea bands
Scopolamine patches used for the Drake
Gravol
Nasonex
Benadryl/ Sudafed
Dextromethorphan
Cipro ophthalmic
Ketorolac ophthalmic
Erythro ophthalmic
Alocril
Tobredex
Eye patch
Analgesics
Swiss army
Water purify tabs. ditched
Pen/ paper
Lighter/waterproof matches/flint
Double ER blanket. ditched
9 hour candle not replaced
Mosquito deet
Band aides
Chapstick
SAS survival guide. sent home
Caribeener
Whistle

Thermos lost in the Colca canyon 🙁

Electronics
Camera Sony NEX 7
Camera Sony DSC-HX9V. Worn out after 3 years and replaced with the Sony RX100M3
Lens
Memory cards replaced after 3 and 5 years.
Manuals
Contour roams /mounts. Two have died ( a 1 and a 2) and now looking at Sony Action cam, but will likely go with the Contour roam 3. Replaced with contour.
Lens cleaner /cloth
2 Garmin
Chargers and leads
Universal adapters added a second 2018.
Macbook with solid state drive added.

ipad mini
Mini wireless mouse.
2 Kindle
2 noise cancelling headphones
La cle 1TB rugged all terrain HD general backup.
2 luggage electrix-1 ditched 2014 with Sara’s tank bag
ipod /Nano/Iphone
universal charger/adapter/USB charger

External drive to store all photos. Replaced 2017.

Documents and copies of all
Calling cards WWR
Stickers WWR
Bike registration
Drivers license
International drivers license
Cash
Birth certificate
Marriage license
Passport
Visa
Mastercard
Immunization cards
Interact cards
Embassy contact number Canada collect
ICE

Ten months in the trenches, an equipment review.

Disclosure :If you are like us and you believe the right gear is important for an extended motorcycle journey then read on. Be forewarned the rest of you folks this could get very dull very quickly.

As a chronic research-aholic it has been really interesting to see what items have performed and which haven’t. After 50k+ kms in almost every riding condition some items have become indispensable while others are well, not so high on the list. We probably won’t make any endorsement deals after this, but at least you will have the straight goods on our gear.

Stuff we wear.

Shark Helmets & Shark tooth Com Systems

Overall these have been a great choice for the type of traveling we do on the bikes. The comfort, quality and function have been superb. Their durability keeps amazing me each time one of the helmets takes a header off its resting place. The modular design has me convinced that unless you are on a dedicated motocross bike this is the only style of helmet we would purchase going forward. There are just way to many pluses. It gets really hot you flip the lid and you can ride open faced even at highway speed. If you want to talk to the cop or border official again flip the lid. The only negatives being that the helmet is slightly heavier than comparable ones and maybe not as quiet, but you are wearing earplugs anyway right?

The Shark-tooth com system has performed better than expected. The units have great range, they are very easy to operate and have excellent battery life. The only negative to report is that one of the units suddenly died one day a month into the trip. Shark immediately exchanged the unit no questions asked and the replacement has been flawless for over 9 months now. Riding as a couple we have found a com system to be really helpful especially when driving in and out of cities, when over taking traffic on windy mountain roads, and in bad weather or road conditions. As a couple we wouldn’t want to embark on an extended trip without some type helmet communication system.

year 3 update

The Shark helmets were great, but just did not last after daily use for 2 years. We changed to the Shuberth helmets at the start of year 3 and so far we have been very happy. The Com system is very good. The voice activation works well. They are light and very quiet.

DB Blocker custom ear protection

Hearing protection is essential and these are an excellent choice. Yes you can buy a lifetime of foamy style plugs for what these cost, but once you ride with custom plugs you will wonder why they still make the foamys. The pairs we have are the vented type that cut out the wind noise, but still allow us to hear our intercom system clearly. We won’t ride without them. Replaced after suggested 5 year lifespan.

Rev-it Gear

We have a lot of Rev-it and so it pains me to say that at some point we will change at least some of it.

Defender GTX Suits

We love these suits and they have preformed well, but there is a major design problem with the three- layer system. For the good news first, for comfort, durability and function they have been great. A big plus has been the light color of the suits. Oh I know hardcore guys will scoff at wearing lighter colored gear, but when it’s well over 30 degrees and traffic is crawling you are going to curse the day you bought that black gear. They cleaned up very well by hand or machine. The suites themselves offer great protection from the sun, and were comfortable to wear riding in temperatures to about 34 Celsius. To be fair the design issue is not specific to Rev-it as many other manufactures have suits with the same issues.

It really boils down again to design. The liner style system is in our opinion is going to be a thing of the past very shortly. It simply doesn’t make any sense. Sure it works, but what a hassle on so many levels. It’s okay if you are around home maybe, but for long term on the road. We did not wear the goretex liners after we left Alaska, but instead wore our over-suits in the rain. We did not even take the thermal layer with us. You have to store the liners, put them on if there is a chance of rain, or stop on the side of the road and put them on in the rain. The outer coat eventually gets soaked and becomes heavier and heavier. The solution we have found that works for us is the over suit. We put the bottoms on if it looks like rain, and just tie the arms around the waist. This way we can totally cover up without even getting off the bike if it does start to rain. If there is unexpected rain the outer shells of the GTX suits can handle mild rain without getting us wet. If the rain gets worse we throw on the over our Rev-it H2O suits and all is well. We stay dry, GTX suits stay dry and don’t get heavy and the over suits are much easier to get on and off standing on the side of the road then zipping in liners.

12 month update-We had to replace the velcro on Dan’s suit jacket pockets and lower pant legs. Still clean up amazingly well.

year 3 update

The suits except the velcro have been bulletproof. Except severe fading from sun exposure they look new when clean. We were however very lucky to be able to replace them with new Defender Pro suits. Thank you so much Revitt.

 

Daytona Da-Boots

We actually got these boots a riding season before we left on our current adventure. Being motocross folks for years and believing that your feet are really vulnerable when riding especially off-road we have had our share of great motorcycle boots. At first we thought we would ride our current adventure in our motocross boots. Lots of people do, but I’m glad we choose not to in the end. What our Daytona’s bring versus say my Sidi Crossfires and Sara’s Ladies Thor boots is walking comfort. On our journey there are many times when we will stop to explore on foot and this is were the Daytona’s really shine. Not once at the end of the day have our feet hurt, nor have they been wet or cold even after 7 hours in the pouring rain. These boots are absolutely first rate. A plus for the Daytona lady star is they have an internal lift that adds 2 ½ inches. Sara also added a Vebram sole for another inch of flat foot bliss for her 27 inch inseam.

 

12 month update. These boots continue to be comfortable and completely waterproof even standing in water. These boots saved Sara from a much worse injury than her fractured and dislocated big toe when her stator died on a steep hill and the bike fell over on her foot.

3 year update

The boots have been awesome, but after 4 years they are showing some wear. They are still waterproof. We will be going to the factory in Germany for their referb service! 1 week after this Dan had his foot run over by a fully loaded fuel truck and these boot saved him from more than just severe bruising. We will never ride without Daytonas!

 

Powerlet Rapid Fire Heated Jackets

The only thing worse than being wet when riding is being wet and cold. Some riders consider heated gear a luxury for the soft. Call us soft then because this is another item we wouldn’t leave on a long journey without. Being able to ride through amazing landscapes comfortably when the temperatures are approaching the negative range is so much more enjoyable.

 

12 month update. These jackets just work. We will be headed south to Teirra del Fuego and will be very happy to have them.

year 3 update

Awesome! It is just so much nicer not to be freezing! Sara used hers a lot in Iceland and northern Europe.

 

Motor-cross kidney belts.

We both started wearing these on our motor-cross bikes, but they are even more important for comfort on long days on the road. They prevent slouching and back pain.

 

12 month update. The velcro on these lasts about a year of daily use, but 25$ is a cheap replacement.

Riding underlayer

Any quick dry fabric underwear with minimal seams will work. Sara wears the men’s exofficio boxer brief and Daniel the Calvin Klein microfiber. 25$ for a pair of underwear seems like a lot, but 2 pairs each have lasted a year a still look new. You would be surprised how much of a difference this makes especially on long days or in the heat.

In our Silver sokz we were never hot or cold and they really just don’t smell!

Gloves

We both have rev it comet gloves that have been bullet proof. Sara also has BMW women’s gortex gloves that have proven waterproof in really bad weather.

Camping gear

Exped rocks. We have the Exped Venus 2 delux tent, which is very roomy for 2 to sleep and has a huge vestibule where you can sit and even cook in bad weather. We would never be with out our exped mats. Dan has the synmat 9 and sleeps better on that than most conventional beds. Sara is comfy on the 7 pump deluxe. The integrated pump system is so easy. We are soft as you know so we have exped air pillows.

We both have Marmot sleeping bags (men’s plasma and women’s pinnacle) which are comfy and pack fairly small in outdoor research compression bags. Another must is a silk sleep sac, it adds 5 degrees of warmth and is a must to keep your bag clean. It is also great to use in sketchier hotels.

One of the best items we brought was our Ticket to the moon hammock, which we used a lot when camping or not.

If you have the luxury of 2 bikes, chairs are an added bonus. We highly recommend getting the Kermit chair. Expensive yes, but you will only buy one and it will last forever guaranteed.

 

year 3 update

 

The sleeping bags have been terrific! The exped mats are SO awesome. There is nothing else as comfortable. The tent is still watertight after 3 years and we tested this in very heavy rain MANY times.

Great gadgets we used a lot

Titanium sporks
Seattlesports folding pack sink
5$ small 6 pack folding cooler
Dollar store flat rubber disk sink stopper and rubber door wedge

After the second 10 months on the road….

We will swap out the Rev’tt rain suits for 2 piece suits. Sara got the BMW rain over-suit and Daniel dug out his old motorcross Shift rain suit. He then bought a Louis 2 piece suit as it was larger and easier to get on and off especially on the side of the road. The helmets are 4 years old now and worn out. We purchased the Schuberth C3 Pro and C3 Pro Women’s helmets and com system. They are smaller, better fitting, lighter, and quieter. The Pin lock system works very well. The riding suits are also 4 years old. Sara loves her Rev’tt suit, but it never fit that well. We are looking at women specific suits that 4 years ago did not offer the same protection and the men’s suits. The bottom line is she tried on all the women’s suits and the fit issues with the armour placement are the same. We will do some modifications to try to get the placement better. The velcro needs to be redone on both suits.