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| Conclusions | |||||||||||||
| The kit that I took and
how it faired..... Spot GPS Messenger - Absolutely the best bit of kit I could have bought. It worked fabulously and when I was out of contact in Mongolia (Orange PAYG phone was not allowed on either of the Mongolian Networks) I had the satisfaction of knowing that my family knew I was moving! Akito Waterproof Jacket - Rubbish and nowhere near waterproof Tech 7 Overtrousers, purchased a couple of weeks before the adventure began - Rubbish and now in a bin in Austria, see Akito jacket above Altburg Hogg Lite Originals - on the advice of the person I rang to order these boots I got them in an 8.5 instead of the 8 I normally take. The only way I could stop my toes going to sleep (the middle toe on my left foot still has to recover it's feeling) was to remove the inner soles. If I didn't wear socks it was even better but caused chaffing. The quality of the boots is fabulous but the sizing completely spoiled my experience with them. I realised they were tight when they were delivered so I did some walking in them but they never 'eased' and will now be consigned to the rubbish bin. I would have been better with a cheap pair of walking boots. Tech 7 Micro LCD Display Clock & Temperature Gauge - The following is their advert and my comments after...Temperature gauge / Ice alert - YES Large glove-friendly buttons - approximately 4mm wide, larger? Glove friendly? NO Permanent date display - approximately 2mm high and almost impossible to see without a magnifying glass Monitors +/- temperature. For use in all weathers - but better if indoors and monitored with a torch and without gloves on. Back-lit display - never found that so it must be crap. Vango Omega 350 Tent Absolutely the dogs! I couldn't have found a better tent to take. Kept all bugs out and was very, very easy to erect and dismantle. 5* Katadyn Vario Water Filter - Easy to use and to clean. 5* MSR XGK Cooker - Very noisy but oh so efficient. Yes, it doesn't do simmer but I can forgive that as all you need to do is lift the pan up or place a simmer plate underneath. Works well with 80 octane fuel but does leave soot on the bottom of the pans (and your hands when cleaning up). Canon Selphy CP780 Printer - absolutely fabulous. Read the bit where I make a new numberplate for the bike with two of these photos - 21,000kms later and they are still intact. An instant hit with everyone I produced a photo for. Fuji HS20 - Stunning. The picture quality is amazing, the lens is still astounding me and so easy to use. Fuji F50fd - my favourite little camera and the producer of 90% of the images you'll see on this website. Quick and efficient. Alpinestars perforated gloves - They died in fulfilling their duty. The rough Russina/Mongolian/Ukraine/Moldovan roads wore the palm out of the right hand glove and along with it the nerves in my right hand. White finger rules! Davida Jet Helmet - Fabulous, comfortable, quiet....the best choice apart from loosing the visor! Snugpak Elite 3 sleeping bag - I don't think I could have taken a better bag. I had problems with the zip but that appears to be me not the bag! Samsung NC210 Netbook - A great choice with rock solid performance and long battery life 10+ hours. The only problem is the screen gets marked by the raised area above the touchpad when you shut the lid. Now the big one...The Ural 745cc Cross Sidecar outfit - Wow! This one's a tricky one. The bike was fabulous and most of what I suffered was probably from abuse rather than use. The sidecar body and sub-frame (European) needed stronger suspension rubbers on the sidecar body but the chassis (Russian) proved well up to the job. Overall I would have to give the bike 9.99 out of 10 ('cos it's not perfect) and the sidecar 8 out of 10. I couldn't, wouldn't and didn't want to do it on any other bike. The Next Adventure.....? (but the planning is underway). |
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