First adventure trip in South east asia.
 

Hi Guys,

I am about to take of in 3 weeks to south east asia for what i could call my first adventure trip on a motorbike. I will be riding a honda crf 250 rally should be fun.

i will travel with 3 friends up through thailand in to laos ride down south of laos and back up ( recently seen it is difficult to cross in to cambodia.) The idea came as last year we rode the mae honsong loop, but with the worst equipment possible all rental. but it was fun.

Gear wise I am concerned I may be too hot, I will have some sidi cross fire 2 ( articulated mx boots) that i use for mx or green laning, and as for trousers i have the RST adventure 2.

I wasnt really keen on spending more money on boots, though will it be over kill?
They are great for riding though any hikes or walks of the road i may need to change shoes, any boot that would do good hiking and riding?

as for the trousers they are brilliant here in the UK though i am not sure they will cool enough under 35+. Any other suggestions


Will mx body armour with a jersey over be fine? as jacket wise i have nothing for 35 plus in temperature

We will try and ride offroad as often as possible.

We have been debating if it is worth having a small tent or just a hammock. is it easy to camp?

How easy is it to find food in the north of laos outside of the main cities.

we will have a water filtering kit as well as extra water bladders. as our understanding is outside of the main tourist hubs laos is very basic.

Loas north thialand
 

Hi road a lot north thialand this time of year not to bad some mornings can be cold wore hien geric rally jacket used tec 6 motor cross boots . Never needed a tent Evan in north loas food and cheap accomadaton most places . Best of road for me was acros s to plain of jars and just rode south good fun good luck Dave

Clothing to wear in the heat.
 

I have been travelling at lower speeds wearing walking boots, baggy shorts and t-shirt. I have always worn fingerless gloves in case I do come off. If you ride fast then I would suggest full clothing. If not, and you intend to be able to spend time checking out the countryside by riding slower, then I find casual clothing is a great boon to any trip where heat is involved. Also fit a water bottle within reach as the heat requires a lot of fluid.

Weight of lightweight gear
 

Hi, this is relevant to something I am working on and that is also in warmer climates (Nepal, nthn India). Not keen on board shorts, tshirts etc so would prefer lightweight jacket and pants with armour on all the pointy bits (elbows, shoulders, knees). I'm looking at buying a small bike or a scooter so the speeds would be low. And I'd only really have backpacker type luggage (no soft bags, panniers etc). But I simply cant find the weight of any of this lightweight gear. As I'd be bringing it with me, and as my backpack etc is only 15kg, I would like to know what weight the pants and jacket might add. (I'd buy/sell a helmet in country and use my gloves and walk boots.)
TIA
Grahame

PS: I'm assuming it is not possible to buy genuine/quality lightweight gear in India or Nepal - is this a reasonable assumption?

I used Motocross gear when I did my trip to Thailand and Laos

MX jersey
MX mess body armour
MX Trousers
and knee protection....
and I used it all to good effect when I came off on some diesel whilst it was raining.

I also wore MX boots but when I do it again I will wear my Forma Adventure boots as they are a lot better for walking in

I also had a hammock in case of emergency, although I never used it.

As for food, yes its all over the place, if you don't mind eating local, most villages I came across had someone doing it.

I also had a Camel Bak which I wore all the time, great for just having a sip of water when you need.

Wayne