Arctic Circle July 2003 - Gear.

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The Gear

I've taken a number of trips on the KLR and sorted out a list of gear and system for carrying it all that works for me. I took the items listed in the table below on the trip to Inuvik.

Lodging:  I traveled with the plan that I would camp unless I have to set up the tent in the rain. I don't mind camping in the rain, nor do I really  mind taking down in the rain. There is something about setting up in the rain that just seems wrong. I think it has something to do with the fact that regardless of how good your raingear is, if you are setting up camp in the rain, you have probably been riding in the rain and some part of you is wet or cold. Its then pretty boring to hang out in my little 1.5 man tent to try and dry out while waiting to fall asleep.

My Lightweight Backpacking tent, Therm-a-rest and lightweight down sleeping bag can all fit in a 30L Seal-Line dry bag.  I just slide the tent along with its poles and the mattress pad into the bag. The sleeping bag  stuffs in around it. It makes a neat little waterproof package to put on the rear rack.  I've had the tent for years.  When I bought it for back packing it was all about being lightweight. If I was to buy a new tent for motorcycle camping, I would get a nice free-standing 2-man tent. One where I could sit up inside. I suspect the poles wouldn't fit in the dry bag, but there are lots of places to tie poles to the bike.  My sleeping bag is pretty lightweight, but wearing my cool weather riding gear and stocking cap to bed have gotten me comfortably through some pretty cold nights.

Food:  I'm neither a cook nor a gourmet.  I didn't bring a stove, pots, pans or silverware.  My tank bag  only carried three things. Maps/literature in the map pocket, my digital camera and my food cash.  I kept a nylon bag of long lasting, sealable snacks at all times. I've got a slight caffeine problem so I would work pretty hard to keep one small plastic bottle of Mt Dew going and one in reserve.  There is nothing like a cold Dew first thing in the morning.  When traveling I'd typically have a small snack from the cache when I first get up. After  a couple hours on the bike find a good place for a light late Breakfast or early lunch. More than half of those late Breakfasts and early lunches came from Gas Station Mini-Marts. Dinner was almost always the big meal of the day. Something to look forward to.  If I miss calculated where I would spend the night, I always had enough snacks that I wouldn't be hungry.  I carried two water bottles on the back of the bike that slip securely down between my two dry bags.

I have a quick on/off magnetic tank bag. When camping in bear country, I just pop the digital camera out of the tank bag, slip my little bag of personal hygiene stuff in the tank bag and use the nylon cord to hoist it up into a tree.

Clothing:  The KLR will support a heated vest and gloves.  So if you can stay dry, you can stay warm.  I've spent a couple bucks over the last few years with my good friends at Aerostich.  The best deal in the entire catalog are the Tingley Rain over boots.   If you have good rain pants to keep water from getting over the top of these boots, your feet will never get wet.  They are also functionally windproof.  My heavy duty work boots worn with smartwool socks combined with the rubber over boots make for some pretty happy feet.  The Aerostich triple digit rain-covers are just as good as the over boots.  Don't forget a thumb squeegee.

I love the Darien Jacket. Lots of pockets for organizing and carrying stuff. I bought mine big to comfortably fit heated clothing and a fleece beneath it without it feeling too snug.  When its really hot I wear a poly long sleeve shirt, open up all the vents, tuck the collar in and let the wind do the rest.  When its raining water can get in around the neck, but I've never had water get to me through any other part of that jacket. The two chest pockets are vulnerable to water. The Darien pants are good, but not great. Very comfortable to wear and quick to get on or off.  There is room for improvement in area of water-proof ness. They are fine on the legs and knees. I get water in around the fly and through the material on the butt.  Sitting on the KLR's Corbin in the rain is like sitting in a puddle. It seems that no matter how much or what kind of water proof sealant I spray on the seat of those pants, water gets through. Its a membrane material, so I understand why, its just sort of frustrating.  If I could seal those pants up I'd only need to bring one pair of jeans.

I like black. It matches everything and hides dirt really well. Let's just say that showers weren't an everyday occurrence and I only stopped to do laundry once, so clothes that looked clean even though they really weren't was important to me. I left with only one shirt knowing I would pick up a couple souvenir t-shirts along the way.  I went to the Arctic in the middle of a heat wave. It turned out there were times when I was standing in the land where the sun never set questioning why I was wearing all black.  In fact, the trip was so warm that I only wore the heated vest one day when it was cooler and very wet. My heated gloves never came out of my saddle bags.

I carry a second 30L dry bag for the bulky clothes I'm not wearing. When I'm dressed for the cold/wet weather the second dry bag is empty. When its hot out its at about 1/3 -1/2 capacity. Both of the dry bags ride nicely on the back of the KLR with a small cargo net.  If I'm only carrying the dry bag with my tent/sleeping bag its better to use straps.

 Contact me via:  Mike's Motorcycle Discussion Forum.

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