Adventure cycling – equipment

Technical

• Kindle worldwide 3G network

The kindle will most likely be one of the best things I take away with me. It can hold up to 3,500 books. I can easily download new books within 60 seconds on its worldwide 3G network. Best of all is that the battery lasts up to 1 month and the size and weight are ridiculously small/light that it takes up almost no space/weight. It was made for adventure cycling

• Garmin E-Trex H Outdoor GPS Navigation System

High-sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception. E-Trex H comes with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that locks onto satellite signals quickly and maintains accuracy, even in the toughest conditions. And just like the popular eTrex, this little yellow wonder combines an intuitive interface and a rugged exterior into a lightweight handheld that fits in the palm of your hand.

Photography

• Canon 7D

18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 4 processors, ISO range expandable to 12800, continuous shooting at 8 fps and full HD video recording. It also incorporates a new viewfinder with 1.0x magnification and 100% coverage and a 3 inch LCD with 920k dot resolution.

• Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens

This exciting zoom lens provides ultra wide-angle coverage to the EOS 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D and Digital Rebel SLRs. Equivalent to a 16-35mm zoom, it offers excellent performance and optics designed from the ground-up for digital SLR use. Three Aspherical lens elements, plus a Super-UD element, assure image quality. Its ring-type USM means fast and silent AF along with full-time manual focus. It focuses as close as 9.5 inches.

• Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM – Canon EF

The 50mm f/1.4 standard lens is a terrific choice for both casual and professional photographers. The lens is outfitted with two high-refraction lens elements and new Gaussian optics, which combine to eliminate astigmatism and suppress astigmatic difference. As a result, the lens obtains crisp images with little flare even at the maximum aperture. The lens’s f/1.4 speed, meanwhile, is perfect for available-light shooting.

• LCD Timer Remote switch cord cable

This is a remote switch with an 80cm cord and a self-timer, interval timer, long-exposure timer and exposure count setting feature. The timer can be set anywhere from 1 sec. to 99 hrs. A dial enables you to easily enter the numeric settings with a single thumb.

• Gorillapod SLR ZOOM

Flexible, wrappable legs allow you to secure professional camera equipment weighing up to 3kg (6.5 lb) to virtually any surface, expanding the range of shots you are capable of capturing.

• Canon BG-E7 Battery Grip for EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera

Battery grip for the Canon 7d. This allows me to add extra battery power to my camera for such things such as time lapses or giving me the ability to continue taking photos while in remote area. Essential.

• SanDisk 16GB Extreme CF Compact Flash Cards 60MBS

16 GB card allowing me to take plenty of RAW and JPEG photos while on the road. Also pretty good for video.

• Canon Battery Pack Lp-e6 For The Eos 5d Mk 2

Extra battery allowing me to use two batteries at a time with my extra battery grip. Taking 3 of these batteries with me. Although the title says for the Canon 5D MK II they do work on the 7D.

Bike stuff

• Water bottles x3

My water bottles were kindly provided by Wildoo

• Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Pannier (black)

Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Panniers – From Oslo to Cape Town, ORTLIEB Back and Front-Rollers have long since been classics among waterproof bike panniers. Outdoor specialists swear by the functional and strong system of front and rear bag loading on both sides. And since every ounce is crucial for long distance bike touring, the Rollers’ main advantage is their little net weight. No matter whether you bike forest tracks or desert roads, cross canyons or rivers, the extremely durable outer fabric has proven its strength in numerous real tests. These are not the only reasons why the all weather solution was awarded several times by the bicycle press: hermetical roll closures, shoulder straps and the ORTLIEB Quick-Lock System ensure that food and equipment are not only protected 100% but also accessible at any time.

Bike

• Santos Travelmaster

At Santos in Sassenheim everything revolves around cycling, from the first idea to the design, from the design to the prototype, and from the prototype to the building of your bike. We do everything ourselves so that we can guarantee you have the best quality, and so we know for sure that your first idea is not compromised in the journey to becoming a real bike. Maybe that’s a little cocky, but at Santos we fully stand behind this.

Bike specs:

Santos Travelmaster 2.6 alu Special Deore/LX

Camping

• Ortlieb folding bowl - threw out

Ideal camping accessory for washing. Packs down for easy storage.

• Therm-A-Rest Prolite

• Sea-To-Summit Premium Silk Travel Liner

• The Vaude Hogan Ultralight Stormproof

The Vaude Hogan Ultra-light Storm-proof tents have been designed in a way that is very suitable for solo or a couple campers. When it comes to adventurous holidays or camping, the first thing that you expect from the tent is water, fire and storm resistance. The Vaude Hogan Ultralight Stormproof tents are thoroughly resistant towards all, especially water, not even a drop is let inside. Also, special measures have been taken to protect the campers from strong winds and heavy storms.

• Rab sleeping bag- from ebay 

• Trangia 27 Cookset With Kettle & Spirit Burner

Trangia is the first and the best in all-in-one camping stoves. This best selling Trangia camping stove is made of aluminum therefore it’s lightweight and can take a knock or two. It’s reliable and consistent. With the Trangia everything packs up neatly and compactly to take up the least amount of valuable space in your rucksack.

• Spork - broke 

The “Spork? is a knife, spoon and fork combined in a single, one-piece utensil. Designed by Scandinavian designer Joachim Nordwall, the Spork is a simple elegant design that is both practical and undeniably sexy. Now, it has caught on around the world with sales reaching a million in a little over a year.

 Miscellaneous

• Bloc Eyewear Stingray Xr Sports Sunglasses- broke

All BLOC Eyewear provides 100% UV protection. BLOC sports frames utilise tough and compliant TR90 frames, Virtually unbreakable. The fit of the hand-finished frames are exceptional.

• Lifeventure Soft-Fibre Advance Trek Towel Large

6 x lighter than a standard beach towel. Dries 4 x quicker than a standard beach towel. Absorbs 8 x its own weight in water

• Dry Bag- threw out 

100% Waterproof with electronically welded seams (Class 3). Floats safely if dropped in water. Durable, wipe-clean and easy to store away.

• Petzl Tikka Plus Headtorch

Petzl Tikka Plus 4 LED Headlamp (Head Torch) 4 LED headtorch with 3 lighting levels. Designed to meet the many proximity lighting needs encountered when trekking over many days and bivouacking, the TIKKA PLUS has three lighting modes to adapt the power and burn time of the light to the activity: to locate a cairn (maximum mode), to follow a tricky path (optimum mode) or to read a map (economic mode).

• Samsung S2 – 1TB USB-Powered 2.5 Portable Hard Drive -Midnight Black 

1TB external hardrive. Small, secure and I can store all my photos and film on is and continue taking photos without worrying about running out of space

• Chill Pill speakers

Chill Pill audio have kindly supplied me with the best speakers a traveller can have.

• Bungee cords

Health and jabs

• Malaria tablets x 200 doxycycline
• Rabies booster (top of of previously 3 course injection in 2007)
• Tick borne encephalitis – 2 jab course over two weeks.
• Japanese encephalitis – 2 jab course over two weeks.
• Typhoid
• Hep B booster
• First aid kit

• MSR Miniworks Water Filter

The MSR Mini Works EX is an expedition quality ceramic water filter. As with all MSR expedition gear the Mini Works water filter can be completely stripped down and maintained in the field without the use of tools, which makes the mini works the choice for far flung destinations where outdoor shops will be non existant. The ceramic core is charcoal filled so not only does it remove anything larger than 0.2 microns (including bacteria,protozoa, giardia and cryptosporidium) but it also removes chemical tastes and odours from the water.