When I started my first adventure trip to the north cape back ago in the year 2012 my former bike was looking like a low loader.
It was packed to the top like a fully equipped, so called nowadays “Adventure-Bike”, right out of a Bavarian advertising catalogue, with loads of stuff, which hasn’t been used once during three weeks of travelling. After a second-long distance trip (with even larger alloy side boxes) I was fed up with heaving around such a mass of weight through the mountains of Greece, Montenegro and Albania …
So I bought with the KTM 690 Enduro R, my second street legal motorcycle, which is less heavy than its Japanese predecessor was.
For avoiding the hazard of a leg injury while riding adventurous in bad terrain, I’m using frame less soft bags instead of metal luggage solutions. That also means less potential to stow unnecessary luggage.
Consequently, I had to think about which stuff is necessary and which is not. That’s often a hard decision, especially when the intention is to stay a few nights out in the wild being on my own.
Down below is my current list with all the things I have with me on an adventure trip…
THE LIST:
| ITEMS: | NOTES: |
| — LUGGAGE — | — LUGGAGE — |
| Saddlebags, a luggage role and rock straps | |
| Tank bag | For electronics: a small waterproof bag inside the tank bag |
| — CAMPING — | — CAMPING — |
| Sleeping bag | |
| Sleeping mat | |
| Tent+footprint or ground sheet | |
| Alcohol stove+fuel, pan, cup, cutlery, lighter | |
| Water bottles (2x1L, 1×1,5L) | |
| Headlamp+batteries | |
| Camping chair | |
| Bumf (Toilet paper^^) | |
| Dish soap, sponge, dish towel, fluid detergent | |
| Para cord (30m) | Para cord is strong: Take it 3 times and you can tow easily another motorcycle with it |
| Waste bags | My motto: always leave the environment as you found it! |
| — CLOTHES — | — CLOTHES — |
| Helmet, Motorcycle jacket and trousers | |
| Motorcycle underwear | |
| Rain gear | |
| Motorcycle boots and gloves | |
| Cap | |
| 3x T-shirts | |
| 3x Underpants | |
| 3x Pair socks | |
| 1x Pair wool socks | … best for getting dry feet after a hard day in the swamps |
| 1x Zip-of throusers | |
| 1x Softshell hoodie | |
| 1x Bathing slip | |
| 1x Pair light Shoes | |
| — TOILET ARTICLE — | — TOILET ARTICLE — |
| A little piece of soap | |
| Toothbrush and toothpaste, Shaver | |
| Contact lenses + care | |
| Glasses+box | |
| Earplugs | |
| Microfibre towel | |
| — PHARMACY — | — PHARMACY — |
| First Aid Kit | |
| Healing ointment | |
| Pain and inflammation killers | |
| Medication against diarrhoea | |
| Patches and medical tape | |
| — ELECTRONICS — | — ELECTRONICS — |
| *GPS System+Maps, Charging cables and plugs for the bike | |
| Camera+battery’s+storage cards | |
| — DOCUMENTS — | — DOCUMENTS — |
| Passport + Visa | |
| Driving license+international driving license | |
| Approval papers motorcycle | |
| Insurance cards | |
| Credit Card, ATM Card | |
| Journey insurance documents | |
| List with important numbers (ICE 1, ICE 2, …) | |
| Diary+pen and E-reader | |
| Repair manual | |
| — FOOD — | — FOOD — |
| Noodles | |
| Tomato sauce | |
| Tuna | |
| Spices | |
| Oil | |
| Cereal bars | |
| … not to much, just for safety if there’s no food available ^^ | |
| — TOOLS AND SPARES — | — TOOLS AND SPARES — |
| *All the tools | *look in the category “Equipment” |
| *All the spare parts | *look in the category “Equipment” |
And here are two pictures of how a bike should not – and should look like, when you want to do with it some adventures with shortcuts into the remote wild:
That was my first black beauty (SUZUKI, DL650 2007) in the year 2012, packed for a 7000km or 3350mi camping trip up to the north cape. Good for on street travelling – exhausting in open terrain.
And that´s Чернотa fully equipped for a 2000km or 1250mi ride in 2018. The difference is obvious. The 690ty in general is a nice dual sports enduro. It can do middle-difficult off road as well as rides on the highway.
Not as comfortable as the former SUZUKI but clearly more capable and obviously a much better platform for adventures in middle heavy terrain! ^^