Why is that crazy? You also have better maps, more locomotive power, better roads, and better communications than previous travellers, etc. It's called progress.

I am a big fan of GPS, along with paper maps. I've done trips without GPS and sometimes its fine, sometimes its kind of a pain, depending on the country, if I speak the language, the road network, etc. I definitely feel more comfortable checking out the roads that are not on the map if I have a GPS! The main problem with paper maps is that it is often difficult to find maps that have the really small roads on them--maybe 1:200k or so--and difficult to carry enough of such maps for a long trip even if you find them.

Hi... marketing is a wonderful thing. I really think it's an art. The folks that sell all the goodies for our bikes and bodies create a need in our mind. All of it's useful, but none of it is absolutely necessary. I suspect we've all seen (or are) the people doing the haul road to Prudoe Bay on a Vespa or riding a bicycle across the Sahara. The more gadgets I've had, the more I have to worry about and depend on technology rather than my wits. Less is more for me, there is always something trick to buy.

Go with what you have and what you know. Spend what you need to spend on things that get you where you are going (tyres, oil etc). The extra cash is more useful than a spare shock when you have a busted alternator although even that might be more useful than some carbon fibre and titanium knife and fork set that the marketing boys wo be claiming you'll need.

I too am a big GPS fan but have also used a Sun Compass, magnetic compass, sextant and other "traditional" techniques for both the fun and the convienience. They all work once you've got the practice in and can cock up in new and interesting ways if you don't understand them. GPS is by far the best and the one you'd use out of choice. The one you'll never be safe without is the paper maps though. They work regardless of anything happening around you pretty much short of setting them on fire (and you can even do that if you are cold enough). Get a simple GPS if you can afford one, but view it as something you'll be learning as you'll go, not the master of your trip.

Andy

Very true, although my maps usually don't survive the trip after all of the folding and mutilating necessary to get the necessary part of the map to show in my Barpack.

Actually a barpack (or home-made replacement) might be the thing I've found most useful on my trips, especially when I don't have a GPS. Here's a link: Barpack I write all the relevant town names and turns on a piece of paper and put it in the small exernal map window, and if I get lost unfold the thing to look at the map inside. I don't like using tank bags but this thing is very small and doesn't get in the way at all.

Going with the general train of thought on here, I would say the following.

If your kit is serivceable and not on its last legs, I would say keep it and save your money. This applies to tents, sleeping bags etc: you are obviously comfortable with these, when they will perform and when not, so why change?

They may weigh a few more kilos than new stuff, but you can off-set that by packing sensibly and not taking everything. If you have problems on the road, they may not get fixed there and then, but a solution always turns up in a way you least expected....

GPS? Very useful in a new city and can save hours of riding in circles!! However, DO also take paper maps with you for the reasons already given.

Bottom line is if you want to buy new stuff, go for it, but don't feel you have to in order to be a successful overlander on what sounds like a great trip-to-be...

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

I am a big fan of the GPS but if you ask me whether its absolutely necessary, I would probably say no. However, without the GPS I would probably not have crossed the Tenere desert and Grand Erg du Bilma and a few things more. I have travelled with a guy who absolutely resented to travel with laptop and GPS and got around as well, albeit, he did not admit it but his partner told us that on average they spent an hour a day in back tracking because they took the wrong turn, again....

Bottom line I think, if you plan on staying on the main roads, do the basic stuff you don't need electronics but if you have em, it stretches your options significantly.

The GPS is the sextant of our times. The old mariners would not have left home without the sextant ...

cheers,
Noel
exploreafrica.web-log.nl

Thanks for the answers everyone,

I think that trying to over-engineer this will make one spend crazy money (Touratech-branded GPS holders etc), so I will attempt to split my shopping list to safety vs convenience.

Contemplating the "lost in the mountains with no signs and no clue where I am and running out of fuel" scenario, I hastily stuff the GPS in the "safety" category. I've always ran on paper maps and I hate following a digital arrow on the screen. I only want the GPS to give me an idea where I am when the lack of signs/landmarks gets me lost and to give me the opportunity to backtrack.

So, the list for now seems to be:

SAFETY

• GPS
• After-market rear shock for the Vstrom
• Off-road tyres

CONVENIENCE

• Better/smaller/lighter tent, mattress, sleeping bag
• All-weather riding gear (jacket,pants,boots)

I'll certainly be seeking further advice as things progress, but for now, thank you for your input!

Alexandros

PS: Should go without saying, but don't hesitate to comment on the above - the more the merrier.

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2011-2012: 5 months in Chile
2009-2010: 5 months in Turkey-Iran-Pakistan-India

Sorry - I meant 'crazy' with a touch of English irony, crazy in a funny way. After all I did have the GPS with me, even though it was an entirely tarmac road journey. On a bicycle, taking a wrong turning and pedalling for 3 hours in a direction you don't want to go can seriously dent your day if you're on a fairly tight schedule, and a GPS helps prevent that.
Cheers.

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TTR250 - London to Cape Town

Crazy or not, it is certainly an interesting factoid! And taking a wrong turn on a moto is bad enough, hadn't thought about how much it would suck on a bicycle...

Happy trails!

Just a post-trip update for posterity.

I ended up spending more than £2K preparing. Almost half went to an Ohlins rear suspension which I am moderately happy with.

I got the GPS and am happy I did - it's extremely useful in cities & deserts and marginally useful anywhere else.

I got a smaller mattress, tent & sleeping bag. Very happy I did as the end result was that I could pack everything inside my panniers (protected from water, thieves, accidental loss, dirt, sun, better aerodynamics etc)

I spent money to ensure I had the right stuff with me, and not just something that might do the trick. I used every single item in my panniers at least once, save for the tent repair kit (which came with the tent anyway) and the aluminium ("space") blanket, since I never got myself in a survival situation. I also didn't use some of the drugs I had with me, but I won't complain.

Didn't get a new jacket. Didn't need it. I had an accident, was knocked over and ended with the bike on my foot - the jacket protected me. I had bought new boots (not off-road, but middle-ground road type ones with tough ankle protectors and fully waterproof) and they kept me dry and saved my ankle when the bike fell on it.

If I were to leave for a trip tomorrow I neither need or want to buy anything. I know the equipment now, and I know it works for any situation I'm likely to encounter. So the mix'n'match approach between old and new was the best for me.

I'd say buy as little as possible new gear, but whatever you do purchase, make sure it's top quality and it fits your needs. You will be using it again and again and again...

Alexandros

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2011-2012: 5 months in Chile
2009-2010: 5 months in Turkey-Iran-Pakistan-India

Many thanks for the follow-up.

The best thing you can ever do with a Touratech catalogue is BURN IT !!

There is rarely anything in there that you really need, and what is useful is 3x more expensive than it needs to be.


As for your first question... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"..

It would be crazy to replace working servicable kit. When it wears out, starts leaking then sure !

The more you travel, the more emphassis you will put on the gear you buy. I'm a firm believer of buying kit that will last and do it's job. If you shop carefully, most of it will last a LIFETIME and won't need replacing again.

The £15 tent will be swapped for a £200 because you know you the quality will pay for itself after quite a few £15 will end up in the bin.

Filling your shopping cart with shiney, lazy etched adventure underpants is going too far and best left for the Sunday GS'ers.

You can always "make do" with what you've got, but if you plan to travel on bikes a fair bit in the future, you can call your purchases an investment.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Take a look at these guys https://sites.google.com/site/threew...ke/poorer-trek

Maybe I should add a catalogue come emergency toilet paper come emergency fuel to the selection?


Apapadop/Alexandros, thanks for the feedback and glad you had a good trip even with the bike-on-foot thing.

Andy