Equipment Planning

jazz - in the following table you can read everything about our equipment:

What did we buy?
Where did we buy it?
How much did it cost?
Why did we buy it?

Philipp and I discussed much about security, travel comfort and travel fitness of the equipment, and/or we often landed at these points, all the same about which we had spoken at the beginning of the discussion. It was clear for both of us from beginning, that we don't want to save money at this points. Therefore we informed ourself very good about different products and offerers, compared them and drove many kilometers. We invested a lot of time to find the qualitatively best and most ideal equipment for our journey.

We didn't have to buy all equipment because we already had some stuff. When your interested in what we finally packed, check out the personal packing list at the project sites





Equipment


Equipment - Price in CHF (1 CHF = 0.67 US$)    top
 
Product Brand Product Name Price Dealer
Description
Map Michelin Afrique Centre Et Sud 18 Orell Füssli
One of the few useful maps from Africa on a scale 1:4Mio. Highway circuit roads, oases, data to amounts of precipitation and temperatures, as well as road condition. Updates in regular intervals. Expenditure: year 2000.
Map Michelin Afrique Nord Et Ouest 18 Orell Füssli
Supplements map Afrique Centre Et Sud. Same like above. Expenditure: year 2000.
Map Michelin Afrique Nord - Est 18 Orell Füssli
Supplements map Afrique Centre Et Sud. Same like above. Expenditure: year 2000.
Map RV Verlag South America South 18 Orell Füssli
This map of South America on a scale of 1:4Mio provides a very good overview of the dimensions and most important road connections of the southern part of this continent. The countries Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, as well as the southern part of Peru and Brazil. Actualization rhythm unknown. Expenditure: year 2001.
Map RV Verlag South America North 18 Orell Füssli
This map on a scale of 1:4Mio provides a very good overview of the dimensions and most important road connections of the northern part of South America, as well as central America. Countries Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, Frz. Guyana, Ecuador, Peru and the northern parts of Bolivia and Brazil. Countries central America: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama. Actualization rhythm unknown. Expenditure: year 2001.
Implements Travel Gear Eagle Creek 69 Transa
The whole privacy of your apartment reduces to your toilet bag. A good choice is accordingly important. This bag offers a lot of place, different pocket sizes for all your stuff like parfum, tooth paste and more. An inserted coat-hanger, very useful.
Small tip: check the fact that the bag in open condition is over arm.
GPS Garmin GPSMap76 800 Tramsoft
GPS equipment for road navigation with 4,1 cm x 5.6 cm of contrast-strong 4 gray tones LCD. A basis map of the world with cities, rivers, motorways etc. is integrated. Routes and maps can additionally be loaded from the PC (8 MB storage).
Decisive advantages, why we decided for this model:
a) we use this equipment for other outdoor activities, too. Therefor the size plays a basic role. The devices like the GPS V, built particularly for road navigation, and the Street Pilot (which of BMW motorcycle are provided when desired ex factory) offer larger displays and in color, but are relatively heavy and unmanageable.
b) the GPSmap76 is waterproof and swims even.
c) the smaller devices of Garmin are not all connectable to external power sources. Since battery consumption is not insignificant (with my equipment in continuous operation it's less than 8 h) is it useful, if you can hang it to the on-board stream.
Since summer 2002 there is follow-up equipment, the GPSmap76s. This offers additional functions like barometric levelling and electronic compass (height and direction to you in addition, in the "old" equipment are indicated, starting from 2-3 Km/h). With a memory of 24MB also three times as much data can be stored, as still with the old one. From own experience I can report that 8MB are sufficient well for a 4-day trip in Europe (= high detailed maps). Since we will only use the coordinates and the basis map for the voyage round the world anyway, we saved clear surcharge.
As you can see on the budget side, we bought the devices early before the journey, in order to make experiences. I continue to recommend this procedure absolutely. An important realization was for example that a GPS does not replace the view of a map to be 100% informed. The GPS is always right! If you are in difficult area, in which you are not versed (in the mountains, in forests etc.), in the case of doubt don't trust in the feeling the map may gives you! But trust the modern technology. I had to make my own experience with this fact, to accept this!
Map MapSource WorldMap 114 Tramsoft
Electronic map on CD rom from at least indicates borders, cities, highway circuit roads, railroad lines, lakes, coasts world-wide ! Waypoints and routes can be loaded to the equipment. The program itself lets some space for enhancements, the database in the background is however great.
Unfortunately WorldMap is not able to plan routes, contrary to MetroGuide Europe (same product particularly for Europe, much details, very recommendable). I.e. after input of a starting and a destination a route is not computed automatically. But you can enter own waypoints, arrange and also load routes by hand.
GPS Garmin External antenna 153 Tramsoft
Small and helpfully. Improves the receipt substantially. In the car it is enough to put the external antenna under the windshield. With the motorcycle: you can easily fix it to the front lining or on the back bank, the cable length is sufficient. The antenna does not have to be attached to its own power source.
GPS Garmin 12V cable data/el. 43 Tramsoft
Cable for the external current supply of the GPS. Standard with a plug for cigarette lighter, problem-free on other plugs changes.
A PC interface cable is partly provided. Since river and data at the GPS equipment use the same socket, it is meaningful to use the combined cable current/data.
Sleeping Bag The North Face Snowshoe right 339 STS
It is worthwhile to inform well. We decided against down but for a synthetic filling, dried easy, washing no problem. But asynthetic filling has a larger luggage mass. With the synthetic fibers there are also different qualities: we decided for the high-quality Polar3D, a material for extreme temperature. If somewhat makes me correctly aggressive, it's to be latent freezy. If you feel the same, then buy an inlet bag: when it's hot, you can sleep in the inlet without the sleeping bag...
Our sleeping bags can be put toghether to a large one. For the cold nights in the Andes our sleeping bag (to -18 degrees C) can be pulled together at the neck with the hood over the head and keeps my body warm.
Inlet STS Silk Liner 50 STS
A sleeping bag insert is in the first moment not everyones thing. Our inlet is made of silk: the care of the sleeping bag is simpler, it is a more pleasant feeling on the skin and in hot nights you can do it without the sleeping bag.
Waterbag Camelbak Blow Fish 170 STS
Dehydration of the body (drain) is something very dangerous. If you do not notice it immediately the concentration ability and the reaction rate drop enormously, and the danger of accident rises! If a strong hunger feeling can be eliminated fast with something food intake, then it is with the water mostly too late: perhaps you have to clean the water first an wait 2-3 hours before you can drink it! For long routes in hot areas a Camelbag is ideal, with its water from a watertank, which is carried like a backpack on the back, with a hose leading to your mouth. Like that a constant liquid supply is possible with the helmet on. Capacity of the "Blow Fish" is 3 litres.
Auxiliary info: dehydration alarm flags are: strong thirst/dry mouth/confusion/co-ordination problems/sudden acceptance of the achievement/"chicken skin" with heat. Such symptoms are alarm signals, which arise usually relatively late. If during the one of these symptoms arise, you have to stop immediately, a shady place is to be visited and it is to be taken sufficiently liquid to itself.
Back Protector Dainese Kids Back Protector 111 Motorama
Size must be correct, it has to becomfortably; possibly kidney belt is integrated. Ideal protection offer tanks with hard bowls outside, whatever ensure like sheds arranged the necessary freedom of movement, and absorbing material on the inside. That brings the desired combination of abrasion resistance and reflection loss.
GPS Mount Touratech Touratech Mounting Plate 99 Touratech
GPS and the whole stuff do not use anything, if you not while driving on the display look can. Touratech sells motorcycle mounting plates. These are so well that they are driven out also by min Germany, however at a higher price...
Youth Hostel ID Card CH ID Card 2 Years 66 Jugi CH
Helpful ID for low-priced accommodations world-wide.
Helmet Shoei V1 436 Moto Shop Konstanz
I can only repeat here, what magazines try to mediate each spring. The helmet must fit on the head. It must rest forehead, back of the head and against the cheeks fully, without leaving pressure-pure. Because the interior expands with the carrying duration it's better to buy the helmet a bit to tight than to large. Pay attention with the purchase in addition to the processing, the weight, the catch, the visor mechanics, the noises. Test the helmet by driving!. The noises are motorcycle model and driver dependently. We ourselves tested in detail and only by coincidence bought the same model. Do not save with the purchase of a helmet, nevertheless it protects the most important thing you have! It can be saved however much money, if you do not buy the replication model of your favorite running driver, which is to be had with all models.
Visor Shoei Anti Fog 37 Moto Shop Konstanz
Till now only few manufacturers deliver according to standard double visors, which protect efficiently against fitting. Around this unpleasant effect to prevent sprays, foils, spare visors and a system offered for which we will have decided. By means of two screws on the inside, which can be attached at the original visor, a second bendable disk is attached. The double disk developed in such a way protects perfectly against gloomy view. This method offers besides the advantage that the interior disk can arbitrarily often be reused, even if the visor must be replaced.
Scarf ??? Scarf 28 Motorama
We recommend the material silk; warms when it is cold and cools when it is warm. Check out that the seams are not too thick (seams outward carry). A head Parisian has the advantage that you can leave on yourear plugs under the helmet and that it can be washed much easyier then the fodder of the helmet.
Kitbag Sealine Baja 40 65 Transa
Waterproof packsacks, are very useful. Do not let you to be deceptive from two things: A) of the indication of litre, B) from the dimensions in open condition: the folding catch eats a quantity of that, according to which it looks first.
Map Hildebrand's Road Atlas USA the West 23 Orell Füssli
Map of the west of the USA in book form, A4 format. There are maps on a scale of 1:3 Mio and 1:700'000. Some special maps (political, precipitation, temperatures), distance table, locality index and city plans of the most important places are helpful when planning. Additionally maps of Mexico and central America to Costa Rica.
Map Hildebrand's Road Atlas USA the East 23 Orell Füssli
Same map as the product for the eastern USA, specified above.
Gloves IXS Circuit 298 Yellow Point
At the beginning I must admit that I find IXS from experience good. In addition, the gloves Circuit belong objectively to the best, which the market has to offer at present. The natural sheep leather is thin, thus it ensures splendid feeling into the fingertips, but nevertheless resistant to friction. Treads are not only in the usual places, but also at the exterior of the thumb. The protection of the grip arms takes place multilevel. At the top side a Aramid layer supplements the leather. At fingers and at the hand are added carbon shaped parts and MEMORY so mentioned Foam pad. Also hand edge, small finger and hands are additionally protected. Air intakes at the fingers look also cool, but they prevent primarily and efficiently welding paws! In Italy or France with 30 degrees of heat you can put on this glove also after the third cashier's office again. With this model it concerns one sucked itself. Racing glove is not waterproof. That does not disturb me with grasp heating and hand treads in the slightest.
Head Lamp Petzl ZIPKA 62 Aventura Travel
The half backpack of full batteries only because you want to read for an hour in a book in the evening? These times are past. Since the development of LEDs makes ever further, progress is increasingly for flashlights on the market, which produce light sufficient with little consumption. The ZIPKA with three small batteries earns best notes! It can be attached around the head, the arm, a luggage item or (nearly) everything on which you want to attach it. The illuminated period exceeds 100 hours by far.
Salt and Pepper Shaker RELAGS Salt and Pepper Shaker 4 Aventura Travel
Provides also when eating a spicy day.
Hand Saw ??? Hand Saw 79 Aventura Travel
Such an equipment can be used always well (trees on the street, hard vegetable...). It should be easily, nevertheless well and durably in application and it should be clearly recognizable as a tool (problems at the borders).
Hompage Self made www.mind-fuel.com ... DIY
For us there were mainly 7 reasons to provide our own homepage:
a) via homepage we can create contact to our loved a home
b) we have a memory
c) realizing the anticipation
d) go through the whole plans again and again
e) source of information for interested one
f) travel assistance on the way (we have address lists stored by consulates, accommodations, motorcycle agencies etc. within a personal range and call ready.)
g) safety precaution (within a personal range in-scanned copies are likewise secured by passports, visa, ticket, insurance proofs, multilingual packing lists and the like. Thus we are always in the position at least to make a copy, everywhere there is an internet cafe, should the originals be misplaced.)
A demo version of the privat area you can check out and even test here.
Watch J Casio Pro Trek ... ???
A clock is important: when we meet again, how long are we already on the way, how long do we already wait now etc.. But if you must clamp something around the wrist for the next months (I do not carry a watch, since I did't get one at my communion...), then respect yourself on it that it has useful features as thermometers, barometer, altimeter, stop watch, compass, etc...
Watch P Suunto Advizor ... Tramsoft
Functions like the Casio, additionally still pulse measurer with chest belt. Various measuring possibilities as cumulated height, rounds, average values etc... Very recommendable for all hobby sportsmen and outdoor enthusiast. (levelling not suitably for the parachutists and paragliders because the values on the display come with delay and are too roughly)
Underwear Thermo Div. ... Migros
I do not leave anything to my skin, except sweat, heat and perhaps still some more sweat. On our journey it will be important, what we wear under the rest. And it is, honestly said, more important to me to feel okay and comfortable, than to know about the luxury and the breath from erotic and sex appeal...
Motorcycle Pants J Spidi Range Lady 359 Motorama
The trousers should be safe and comfortable. Take your time to purchase the; different model and difference tries can only be determined if one has comparisons. Protectors (where, material, can it be taken out), bags (also waterproof?), fastener in front, anti-slide between the legs, reflecting signals, etc...
Insulation Carpet --- --- --- ---
The insulation mat is a must: it protects against heat and cold weather (also after an accident), needs a small place and reflects the sunlight or spot light, if you want to be found.
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