Here is the video, and checkout the end of this post for the complete gear list.
Adventure Motorcycle Helmets
Crossing into Congo West Africa
Adventure Motorcycle Armor
Africa is HOT, really HOT. I went for body armor then layered with a riding jacket and for off-road or hot climates, a dirt bike jersey. When riding with a motocross jersey, make sure you have an H2O reservoir to keep hydrated.
Adventure Motorcycle Jackets and Pants
I used the Klim Traverse gear, lightweight gear with a high amount of protection, it has adequate venting for medium temperatures and after almost 100'000km riding it still looks and works like new. Both have a Gore-tex membrane so no need for a waterproof over suit.
Adventure Motorcycle Boots
Riding off-road a lot, a good pair of boots are critical. When you are tired, the boots are full of mud making them heavy it's easy to drag a leg and get court up in the pannier system causing a break. I used the Sidi Adventure boots and super happy with them. I wrote about the best adventure riding boots on this site and go over the pros and cons of the best adventure riding boots available on the market.
Adventure Motorcycle Gloves
Use full-length high-quality gloves. And be prepared to replace them often. Most gloves don't last long and need to be replaced or repaired yearly.
Camping in a wildlife reserve in Botswana Africa.
Adventure Motorcycle Camping Gear
When choosing a tent, always add a person to store your gear. i.e. If you are traveling alone, take a two-person tent. It's better to keep all your gear inside the tent, often packing up in the morning after a night in a West African Jungle, I was happy all the weird creepy crawlies were not in my gear.
Get a tent where you can remove the outer rain layer, leaving only the mosquito net part to sleep under. Temperatures can get very hot and just having the mosquito net system will let a lot more airflow through.
Take a silk liner for your sleeping mattress. Most air mattresses are made of plastic, in hot conditions you will sweat a lot and having this silk layer will make it bearable.
Checkout the Lone Rider ADV Tent. I designed it 😉
Cooking systems
It is advised to use a multi-burner for cooking. You can always get petrol all over the world, no matter how remote. Another option is to siphon some from your motorbike tank. A full bottle of cooking petrol also acts as a backup if you run out of petrol on the road. A bit messy and fiddly, but a must. Gas bottles are hard to come by outside of USA and Europe.
After 3 days off-roading in Angola, I found water to filter.
Water
Take a gravity fed system over a pump system. There are a few reasons why a gravity fed system is better. First, you can filter a lot more water in a shorter amount of time, often I would filter 3L (The side of my water reservoir) within 5 minutes.
Another reason why gravity fed systems are better than pump systems is hygiene. Often you must take water from a tap, with a pump system you must first sterilize the basin then plug the hole to pump, a pain in the ass and disgusting. With a gravity fed system, you only need to hold the bag to the tap and full. Another bonus is working parts, a pump system has many parts that can break and needs replacing, with a gravity fed system, there is nothing to replace and it's easy to maintain.
Those are my main tips! Reach out if you have any questions about the gear.
Here is a gear list:
Camping Gear
Riding Gear
Klim Traverse Pants (They don't stock gray)
That's my tried and tested adventure motorcycle gear, hope it helps you and let me know if you would like any more info on these products, I lived in them for a year and a half.
Rider, designer, and hustler. Adventurer and vagabond. Beer connoisseur. Conqueror of Africa, a survivor of bandits and anti-malaria crusader. I have been on the road for 15 years, traveling to far-flung lands on bike, horse or backpacking. Today, running a number of online ventures in the motorcycle industry. – Currently, Traveling in Asia.
