Advice for travel through Russia
 

Hello folks,

I'm ramping up the planning for my RTW trip starting next year, and I could do with all the help I can get I think.

I'm wondering what kind of weather I'm likely to encounter as I cross Russia, probably entering from Ukraine in May, across to Mongolia for June/July, and I'm keen to have a go at the road of bones.

I realise this question branches into all kinds of others. I've looked into transport from Russia, across to North America, and it looks like Vladivostok is a more viable option than Magadan. However the appeal of the road of bones is very strong.

Anyway, to start with, can anyone shed some light on the climate I'm likely to encounter, so I can buy my sleeping bag! Is a -15 degree centigrade bag over the top?

many thanks

Hey Baron,

Couple of quick comments, in regards to a bag I'd take a 0 to -5 bag, tops. You can always wear all your clothes to increase the warmth and if it actually did get to -15 you'll be looking for a cheap hotel rather that your freezing tent!

Also, I would definitely bring a synthetic fill bag rather than down. IMHO the opinion that rain and wet will be the biggest issue that you face rather than pure cold and man made fibers provide some warmth when wet, down not at all. The downside to synthetic bags are that they don't pack down as much so use up more space.

In regards to transport to North America, you should really think of Korea to Vancouver or Seattle as your most likely option. At the end of the day I woudl guess that 9 out of ten bikers end up shipping this way due to various factors suchas timing/cost etc. They have restarted direct flights from Vlad to Anchorage this summer which provides another option again, but the estimated cost from someone that was there and looking at it seemed quite prohibitive for most budgets. Can't remember the exact estimate, but they were charged for two segments, first to Kamchatka, and Kam to Anchorage.

Hope that helps, have a great ride.:)

Cheers
 

Thanks Mountainman, that's a good start for my investigation.

I figured I might need a warmer bag for the Russian leg of the trip, but it makes sense to head for a hotel if it's silly cold I guess. Is this advice based on your own investigation, as I see you're planning to head to Russia..?

The option of synthetic Vs down seems to divide opinion. I had thought I'd move to down, after travelling with my North Face synthetic bag.
I reasoned that it can't be that hard to keep a sleeping bag dry, but maybe this is mis-guided.
It's either going to be in an Ortlieb bag, or in my (hopefully still) water-proof tent.

Shipping info greatly appreciated, I was slowly coming to a similar conclusion. Do you know if you can ship from Magadan to Korea? Also, any ideas on total cost to ship from Russia to N.America?
Is my desire to try the road of bones stupid, and what time of year is best?

I would say that -5 would be fine as long as you're done by the start of September. I had a light snow fall in western mongolia at the end of Aug.

Also, a sleeping bag can easily get soaked by tent condensation as well as sweat so +1 synthetics. Also can be stuffed down as opposed to rolled, and if you do drop into a river it's not the end of the world.

I would also recommend synthetic instead of down.

Regarding temps: I just finished a trip across Russia from Chita to Anapa (Black Sea), beginning end of May, ending end of June. It was pretty chilly out east, and there were several inches of snow on the road b/n Chita and Ulan Ude a few days before we got there; by the time we arrived, it was probably in the mid-fifties (Fahrenheit), and there was still quite a bit of snow on the sides of the road in the passes. From Ulan Ude to maybe Tyumen the weather was generally in the mid-sixties and cloudy/rainy. By the time we got to the Volga region (around Saratov), it was pretty warm (low eighties or hotter) and sunny.

Hope that helped.

Excellent, thanks Martin and Motoreiter. I wasn't aware down had to be rolled, and I think that would start to grate after a few weeks,

I think I'll go for a -10 bag, and hope to have a cosy nights sleep even if 2009 turns out to be a cold year. Still not 100% decided on down/synthetic, but there seems to be a growing argument for synthetic here.
Have you had problems with down, or always chosen synthetic?

Specific temperatures related to Russia are useful, I'd figured it would be colder.

Any suggestions for specific sleeping bags or makes? Obvious variables being important; warmth, weight, size, cost.

Hey Baron,

To your question, down bags are great as well, general use as well as for cold weather pursuits like snow camping and for very cold temps. But for general travel, anything around the freezing mark, and potentially damp places (like Vancouver or the UK:)) I lean toward the synthetic. There are endless debates about all this though, it's kind of like asking a motorcyclist is they should use sythetic oil or not:)

We don't really think about it, but our bodies produce a fair bit of sweat and over time, if you don't get a chance to dry your bag out during the day, it will slowly become more and more damp and lose it's warmth. As KTMartin mentioned above, condensation also adds to this. Some slick salesman will point out the waterresistant shell on their down bags, this all helps, but it will still get damp. There are too many things to think about so I defer to making sure that if the whole kit got really wet, it would still provide some insulative value. Your preference though, most man made fibers are pretty close to the same as far as I can tell. Any brand name (eg. Marnot) from a name supplier (eg. MEC, REI on this side of the pond) is fine.

In regards to your question about Russia, we were in the east last June, wasn't that cold except a few days but it was a bit wet. Mild though, when compared to the extreme unspoken danger of a riding companion that snores like a runaway freight train...

There is no shipping from Magadan to Korea that I have heard of. There is a current shipping thread of the guys getting out of Vlad though. Good info there.

Just to make sure, I thought I'd point out that the temps I specified were daytime temps, got a bit cooler at night.

Hi

I just returned from a from a trip. Spent 7 weeks in Russia and Mongolia. Started end of june and finished a couple a days ago. The temperatures vary a lot depending on weather vonditions and altitude. I had day temperatures from +20-40 and night temperatures from about +5-15. Some nights I spent above 2000 meters and it was cold in the morning (+5C?). My sleeping bag is rated at -4 comfort, but under +10 I am freezing in it. I am a bit sensitive to cold, so it also depends on the person sleeping in it...

Good luck with your planning!

Temperatures you will encounter will vary. The steppe area around Volgograd can be 40 degrees C and more in midsummer, but will be cooler when you are there. Even in the middle of siberia, in June / July / August it will vary from 5 degrees to 35 degrees C depending on the weather pattern passing thru and altitude you are at.

I've just done a trip Vladivostok - Kazakhstan (mid-May to late-July). Things varied between bloody hot and cool during the days (and we almost entirely avoided rain, though there were two or three showers) and at night 0-10 I'd think.

I had a down bag rated to +5 and never had to resort to clothing. Though my girlfriend felt the cold MUCH more and at times was fully rugged up. So what bag to take depends on how much you feel the cold (leaving the down vs synth issue well alone).

Mongolia will be stinking hot most of the times in those months unless you're way up in the Altai.

And definitely look up all the bike clubs you can while in Russia. From my experience they are super-friendly, good fun and can put you in touch with any repairs/parts you need.

Hen

We drove across Russia and Mongolia this year in May and June. it was hot but not too bad. It’s bearable. Highest it reached in Russia was 92F and Mongolia 95F. At night gets cold. not too cold in Russia but Mongolia you do need heating.
In Mongolia stay at Oasis Guest house, which is across busy UlaanBaatr town? But it's great. You get to sleep in GER or guest house- http://www.intergam-oasis.com/. The owner name is Sybille. Very friendly and helpful people. They are biker themselves.

be careful on Road from Chita to Vladivostok. have bunch of spares. Learn some key Russian words: such as eggs, bread, chicken, pork, beef, soup.
watch out for police, especially in west. They are greedy and will stop you. Be ready. Don’t give anything -we didn't. They will always use excuse that you crossed the white line. As soon as you see road sign -ANC, slow down and keep the bike straight. DO NOT PASS no matter how slow the vehicle in front of you. They have low tech cameras at check point to intimidate the drivers. Don’t give in and they will let you go.
Let me know if you need more information.
there pictures on my site for roads
Welcome to Drive Around the World

Best of Luck.
arun

This is great information, thanks very much people.
I'm working away at the moment, and just have a few minutes to skim through the above posts, before patchy internet access cuts out entirely.

Hearing people refer to recent trips, really brings home the reality of setting off for the long haul. I can't wait to be in the thick of it myself.
Thanks again

We must have been in different countries...I just finished a ride from Chita to Anapa (on the Black Sea). I speak Russian pretty well. At least once into the Urals, I tried to stay on small roads rather than the main truck routes. Rarely saw police, and when I did see them, they were very friendly, usually just asked about the bike. Rarely even had to show any documents. Only exception was Bashkiria (Bashkortistan), where they were out in force and pretty greedy. If you don't pass slow vehicles in Russia, well, you're in for a long ride and will be in danger from retreads or other stuff falling from the slow trucks in front of you. Pass as often as possible!

sleeping bag
 

I'd recommend getting a silk sleepsack in addition to your sleeping bag. They keep your bag clean, add a few degrees of warmth, work great in hostels, pack super small, etc. If it gets really cold, you might want to get your body temp up by exercising before getting into your bag. As you cool down, your bag and heats up, rather than your cold bag sucking the heat out of you. Of course you'll need a ThermaRest as well.

Take care-
Marcus

When I in Russia last year, the heat was more of a problem than the cold. We were in vlad in June, central Siberia in July and around the golden ring in August. Even the arctic circle in September was OK, with temperatures around 0 C.

Wearing clothes inside a good down sleeping bag actually keeps you cooler.

A sleeping bag works by using your boody heat to warm up pockets of air between the feathers. Extra clothes prevent the sleeping bag from functioning correctly as they insulate the sleeping bag against your body heat. The only clothes you should wear in a sleeping bag are a good hat or balaclava and dry socks.

Also if your clothes are wet or dirty they will ruin your bag.

In my extensive experience from climbing, camping, ski touring, adventure motorcycling and snowcaving, a water resistant down sleeping bag in a good sealine or ortlieb roll top bag is best. It's warmest, smallest and most comfortable. Get a good Macpac reflex coated bag and you be warm and dry, even if the interior of your tent gets wet.

Don't forget your thermarest, probably the best thing for a good night's sleep.

Cheers.

Take care in Bashkiria
 

My description of the trip through Russia would be exactly the same: no problems with the only exception of Bashkiria. The same happened to my friends traveling one week later. I would be double-cautious in that region.

Regarding temperatures, I dig historical measurements on Weather Underground. For example, mid-May 2007 in Ufa looked like this: Ufa. Results available for nearly every major city of the world, usually at least few years into the past. Priceless.

G'day Baron, I am in Vladivostok at the moment, the weather is fantastic.We left the U.K. on 20th June and apart from Norway (always wet) the weather has been great. Mild to warm days and coolish nights.We have not had any touble with the Russian, Kzakistan or Mongolian Police. On the rare occassions we were pulled up we could talk our way out of it. The were always friendly and polite. No one ever asked for, or was offered a bribe. I intended to do "the Road of Bones" but broke my frame at Tynda, so after repairs, headed to Vlad. My Mates rode to Magadan, although most of the way was on the Kolmya Highway. The rivers were still to high on The Road of Bones. They said it was bloody cold and wet the last two days to Magadan. They flew their bikes to Vlad and are shipping them to Austarlia. I am entering Japan via Vanino and Sachalin Island and will fly to Canada from Japan. In Vlad the Iron Tigers will look after you.

Continuously amazed at what a fantastic resource the HUBB is for those of us planning or dreaming the first big trip!

Half a dozen or more responses to a question about riding East, from people who have done it or are doing it now is simply amazing.

My tuppence worth is to agree with Mountain Man about synthetic over down bags.

Chris, please let us know of your experience getting into Japan via Sakhalin.
You need to get your carnet validated by the Japan Automobile Federation ( JAF For Visitors Bringing Vehicles with Carnet de Passages en Douane ), and the nearest office to Wakkanai (where the ferry arrives) that I know of is in Asahikawa, which is a good 200 km from Wakkanai. If customs won't let you off without validation, you will have to take a train or bus to Asahikawa to get your paperwork done.
Also see Motorcycling to Japan for information on Japan.

There is a direct ferry to Japan from Vlad, but customs even getting out can be hell there! The JAF office is closer to the port, though.

I made the trip to Vladivostok this summer, .. June July 2008.

As stated, Police in west greedy, .. keep false walet with most 500 RRu. Police in East just want to pose for photographs.

Magadan is a bit of a 'Dead End', RTW people this summer had to re-route to Vladivostok to exit Russia.

Vladivostok Air promise great things, .. but bikes were getting stranded in Kamchatka and prices were hikesd up massivley.

Best exit, .. ferry from Zarubino (100Km south of Vladivostok) to Sok Cho in South Korea. From Korea,.. Air or Ship to Seattle or Vancouver. Use Wendy Choi or Areo International as your agent.

In Volgograd,.. contact 'Bikecity34', .. Roman is the owner,.. a great guy who will help you out and show you around.

Amur highway is ok, .. rough but nothing too severe between Chita and Khabarovsk. In Vladivostok make contact with the Iron Tigers, they'll put you up free of charge in their clubhouse and help you out with things you might need.

Good lucky,.. Russian Hospitality is amazing. Get some small tin badges made and give them away to people you meet,.... you'll get free accommodation most of the way.

All the best, ... Geoff 'Poor Circulation': Riding Around The World, ...................... on £20 per Day?

I'm doing a similar route this summer. My first RTW. Through Turkey and Stans into Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia down to Vlad.

I'm building a Google map. See here. I placed some markers along the South-east Russia route with statistical climate information based on WorldClimate

What scares me most is the amount of rain during Jun Jul Aug... The hottest months of the year are also the wettest.

I don't know what is worst. Wet or cold? I'm riding a V-Strom DL 1000. Mud is not my favorite playground.

Poor Circulation
 

Blue 88,
I just wanted to tell you that I made the mistake of clicking the link at the bottom of your post. That was about 6 hours ago. I won't make it to work tomorrow.
Thank you. It's been great reading it all... Good luck with the book.

Baron,
I'm going to be in Turkey around May and in Kazakhstan and Mongolia during June July... Hope to see you on the road...

I know this is an old thread but didn't know where else to post this.

I stumbled on this web site: New Vladivostok-Sakhalin-Kamchatka Ferry Line Opens This Fall || News || Russian Transport Daily Report

With this info: New Vladivostok-Sakhalin-Kamchatka Ferry Line Opens This Fall

The regional authorities decided to give the green light to a new cargo and passenger ferry line, to connect Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The new ferry line should be open by this fall. There has been an agreement to transfer a ship from the Baltic Sea to Primorye that could operate the ferry line.

I've sent an email to find out if it's up and running but no reply so far. If anyone knows more about this I'd like to know please.