The Gear
I will be living out of my kayak and bike for 2 months, so there is a lot of gear that I will be taking on the trip. Below is a snapshot of all the gear I will be taking and some details about some of the key pieces of equipment.
The Kayak – Mirage 582
The kayak I will be paddling for this trip is a Mirage 582. This is an excellent, lightweight sea kayak that is perfect for expeditions and will provide me with plenty of storage space for the 2 months. This kayak is being manufactured especially for this trip, so while I wait for it I will be paddling our Mirage 532.
Specifications:
Length: 5.8m
Width: 55.5cm
Weight: 18kg
Rear Hatch: 90L
Front Hatch: 80L
Day Hatch: 27L
The Bike – Kona Unit X
The bike I will be riding during the first section of the expedition is the Kona Unit X.
As described on the Kona site “The Unit X has become a cult favourite among die-hard Kona fans. Maybe it’s the Cromoly frame. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a bikepacking monster, or its SRAM SX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, or modular dropouts which give you the ability to run it as a single speed if that’s your thing. Maybe it’s because the rigid fork makes it that much more of a classic. We may never know why the Unit X is such a popular bike, but we can only guess it’s because it is one of the most practical machines in our lineup.”
Specifications:
- Frame Material: Reynolds 520 Butted Cromoly
- Fork: Kona Plus Fork
- Wheels: WTB ST i30 2.0 TCS 29”
- Crankset: SRAM SX Eagle
- Drivetrain: SRAM SX Eagle 12spd
- Brakes: SRAM Level T with 180mm front/160mm rear rotor
- Seat Post: Kona Thumb w/Offset 31.6mm
- Cockpit: Kona XC/BC Riser Bar/Kona XC/BC Stem with Kona Lock-on Key Grip
- Front Tire: WTB Ranger TCS 29×2.6”
- Rear tire: WTB Ranger TCS 29×2.6”
- Saddle: WTB Volt
Pack List
The full pack list can be found here.
Below is a good indication of the type and amount of gear I will be taking on the trip. I generally paddle a fairly heavy kayak (I like my luxuries) and as you will see I tend to carry a fair bit of camera gear.
Paddling Gear
- Kayak
- Paddle
- Paddle – Spare
- Booties
- Spray Skirt/Deck
- Buoyancy Vest
- Sponge
- Deck Pack
- Trolly
Bike Gear
- Bike
- Helmet
- Bike Pants
- Pump
- Bike Repair Kit
- Paniers x3
- Handle Bar pack
- Straps
- Water Bottles
Repair Kit
- Duct Tape
- Aquaseal
- Tent pole bracket
- Patch Kit
- Spare Batteries
Safety & Health
- First Aid Kit
- Eyedrops
- Anti-Inflammatories
- Panadol
- Insect Repellent
- Stingoes
- Zinc Cream
- Suncream
- Blister Patches
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Hand Sanitiser
- All Purpose Wash
- Deodorant
Camping
- Tent
- Tent Poles
- Tent Pegs & Guy
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Bag Liner
- Sleeping Mat
- Pillow (inflatable)
- Light Tarp
- Clothes Line
- Head-torch
- Chair
General
- Dry Bags
- Towel
- Garbage Bags
- Ziplock bags
- Tie Down Staps
- Pocket Knife
- Toilet paper
- Trowel
- Clothes Pegs
- Guide Book / Map
- Rope/straps
- Novel
- Notebook
- Pen
- Credit Card & Cash
Electronics
- GPS with SOS
- Laptop
- Laptop Charger
- Camera (DSLR)
- Camera (GoPro)
- Tripod
- Spare Camera Batteries
- SD Cards
- Drone
- Drone Batteries x 3
- Drone Accessories (Spare props, ND filters etc)
- Phone
- Charging cord
- Headphones
- Powerpack x 2
Clothes
- Sun Glasses & Strap
- Broad brim Hat
- Cap
- Rash top
- Board-shirts
- Goretex Paddle Jacket
- Paddle Gloves
- Wetsuit Gloves
- Underwear
- T-shirts
- Socks
- Shorts
- Pants
- Warm Pants
- Shoes
- Fleece top
- Thermal Top
- Thermal Bottom
- Warm Gloves
- Down Jacket
- Waterproof Pants
- Beanie
- Buff
Below is a video that Andrew put together that talks about the gear he uses and tips & tricks for multi-day kayak trips.