As I have moved fwd to the departure date, looming quickly now... I have taken opportunities to refine the gear... how we travel makes such a huge impact. Yesterday I read ( a bit under the weather) the whole Gaspipe does the TAT thread on ADV... they had nothing with them, which was easy as they were moteling it and not doing any cooking... those two things reduce the gear load immensely, but they also likely sent the budget through the roof ... also as an old man on near 50, I will be comfortable! and with 10-13 weeks living off the bike planned for the next 4 months, comfort is a huge thing. So on goes the Kermit chair and the nice french press for the coffee... a nice cup to drink the coffee from...
I managed to skin a bunch of weight off of the clothing pile by replacing heavier with lighter.... the lightweight convertible pants are saving 4-5 lbs over the jeans and kahkies i was taking. I have two long sleeve lightweight riding shirts that together maybe weigh what a single cotton T does. One is a hydroscopic for the heat and the other is more for warmth. LLBean sells an extremely lightweight windbreaker pullover that adds huge heat suck block when the wind howls or the temperature drops... added as a last layer before the 'stich it really helps hold the heat. I have two pair of Bike shorts, one old , one new as well as a pair of performance tights... I suppose I should at least take one pair of normal tackle pouch... the damn Smartwool socks take up a bunch of room.. 3 prs... but happy feet make a happy man and non-happy feet,, well we just don't wanna go there... the single biggest piece of clothing other than the Stich I'll be wearing is the NelsonRigg rain suit. I tested this suit twice in the last week with a 350 mile ride to NH and back in 30 degree temps and then another shorter trip to the dealer and back in even colder temps... that rain suit does wonders to stop the ice chill of 65 mph winds at 30 degrees... I imagine it works great as a rain suit too!...lol
Titanium tire irons... I figured if I was going to add irons to the kit, there was no sense in lugging 4 lbs around... the rest of the tool set I will filter before I go.. locally it is a bundle of stuff that fits the bike plus adjustbles and other stuff.. weighs about 10#'s I'd say now... plus the tire repair kit which uses the 64oz air cartridges..
electronics will be a good size chunk of space.. laptop and charger, camcorder and charger and batteries and memory sticks.,.. digital cameras. lens, chargers, batteries, mem sticks..,. GPS.. with other pwr supplies.. radar.. cell phone w/charger ... SPOT .... I did buy a Joby Ziilapod rig.. I have PODZILLA bag that is about 6 years old but has served well, but I dont; know if it is big enough by oitself to haul all the gear... need to solve the packing problem forthe electronics to reduce vibration and prevent moisture intrusion... ziplocks... the camera will live up in the tank bag for the most part, so that is where I should pack them...
more later....
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