Gifts for my 20-something world-traveling motorcycling brother?
August 19, 2010 8:18 AM Subscribe
My younger brother (late 20's, American ex-pat living in Sydney) is planning a solo motorcycle trip across Australia then up through South Asia to Russia (skipping China). What should I give him for his upcoming birthday?
Have you done one of these trips before? What did you find useful or essential? Bonus points if this is something that's not on the usual checklists (increasing the odds that I get him something he doesn't have or plan to purchase).
I'd like to find something nice and practical. He's totally covered on the photography/video equipment front.
Have you done one of these trips before? What did you find useful or essential? Bonus points if this is something that's not on the usual checklists (increasing the odds that I get him something he doesn't have or plan to purchase).
I'd like to find something nice and practical. He's totally covered on the photography/video equipment front.
A camelbak, perhaps?
Where's he staying? If camping, and If I was doing that trip (and I've done a 4x4 trip round Oz) I'd appreciate a really good, lightweight seat. I don't know whether that qualifies as surplus to weight limitations but after a day on a bike saddle, the idea of sitting on the ground with the ants and the insects would be an anathema.
Failing that, the best camp ground chain in Oz is Big 4, and they are pretty much all over Oz. They also do chalets, so you don't have to stay in a tent if you don't have one. You can buy vouchers.
Other good things - A good head torch? A lightweight towel? A night in a jazzy hotel somewhere along the route?
posted by MuffinMan at 8:30 AM on August 19, 2010
Where's he staying? If camping, and If I was doing that trip (and I've done a 4x4 trip round Oz) I'd appreciate a really good, lightweight seat. I don't know whether that qualifies as surplus to weight limitations but after a day on a bike saddle, the idea of sitting on the ground with the ants and the insects would be an anathema.
Failing that, the best camp ground chain in Oz is Big 4, and they are pretty much all over Oz. They also do chalets, so you don't have to stay in a tent if you don't have one. You can buy vouchers.
Other good things - A good head torch? A lightweight towel? A night in a jazzy hotel somewhere along the route?
posted by MuffinMan at 8:30 AM on August 19, 2010
A good place to look is Touratech if you know what bike he has, or if you don't then Aerostich for general bike touring gear.
posted by gen at 8:46 AM on August 19, 2010
posted by gen at 8:46 AM on August 19, 2010
Voucher for a few sessions of a Wilderness Survival class?
posted by griphus at 8:49 AM on August 19, 2010
posted by griphus at 8:49 AM on August 19, 2010
a gift certificate to his local bike shop? since parts of oz is big and flat, maybe offer to pay for a cruise control clamp thing for his bike?
posted by rmd1023 at 9:15 AM on August 19, 2010
posted by rmd1023 at 9:15 AM on August 19, 2010
A Spot Satellite tracker. Wool or silk long underwear. An electric vest.
Browsing around ADV Rider will likely give you all sorts of ideas.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:21 AM on August 19, 2010
Browsing around ADV Rider will likely give you all sorts of ideas.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:21 AM on August 19, 2010
Along the lines of what nickjadlowe said, medical insurance with included coverage for extraction from wherever he is and a flight home on a medically-equipped jet.
Also, if you know a doctor or want to pay for a dr's visit for him, there are travel doctors who will prescribe you both hardcore antibiotics and hardcore opiate pain medication. I've heard several horror stories of folks getting hurt out in the middle of nowhere and enduring multi-day transportation between field clinics without pain meds.
The problem with both of the above medical-contingency suggestions is that if he doesn't need them, he may not appreciate them as much as say, a sweater, a journal, a camp stove, or anything that he is sure to get some use out of. I can imagine it would also be nice for him to have something that he uses every day that will remind him of you and of home.
posted by MonsieurBon at 10:06 AM on August 19, 2010
Also, if you know a doctor or want to pay for a dr's visit for him, there are travel doctors who will prescribe you both hardcore antibiotics and hardcore opiate pain medication. I've heard several horror stories of folks getting hurt out in the middle of nowhere and enduring multi-day transportation between field clinics without pain meds.
The problem with both of the above medical-contingency suggestions is that if he doesn't need them, he may not appreciate them as much as say, a sweater, a journal, a camp stove, or anything that he is sure to get some use out of. I can imagine it would also be nice for him to have something that he uses every day that will remind him of you and of home.
posted by MonsieurBon at 10:06 AM on August 19, 2010
If you can afford it, a sat phone. I would have much appreciated one of these - in case bad things happen or if he wants to talk to friends/family, he won't have to stand on a box with a paper-clip jammed into a crap Nokia trying to catch a wisp of cell signal.
Seconding a towel - good quality and lightweight a must.
If you know which countries he's going to be riding through in South Asia, maybe print/write out some basic phrases in different languages for him on some water-resistant paper? Rite in the Rain makes some pretty decent field notebooks that put up with heat and humidity.
posted by zennish at 10:19 AM on August 19, 2010
Seconding a towel - good quality and lightweight a must.
If you know which countries he's going to be riding through in South Asia, maybe print/write out some basic phrases in different languages for him on some water-resistant paper? Rite in the Rain makes some pretty decent field notebooks that put up with heat and humidity.
posted by zennish at 10:19 AM on August 19, 2010
I'd recommend MedJet - http://www.medjetassist.com/.
They aren't that expensive, and if something should hit the fan, they will get you home, or at least to the nearest hospital of your choosing. The BMW dealer here in Seattle has a bit of a community around people that do some adventure riding, and often give presentation on "how it's done." (I should say they used too - once I stopped riding, I haven't followed along.) At least once I've known of the service being used, and it worked as you would hope. I took a solo trip to Central America, and had the service. It's a great piece of mind.
As far as other recommendation above, yeah, ADV rider is a great website, and he should scour the forums. Tourtech has great gear for this sort of thing. If you want to give him some inspiration you might get the series "Long Way Round." It's got Charlie Boorman and Ewen McGregor, who did roughly the same thing, but with a support crew (lucky bastards.) It's entertaining.
posted by elcainos at 3:25 PM on August 19, 2010
They aren't that expensive, and if something should hit the fan, they will get you home, or at least to the nearest hospital of your choosing. The BMW dealer here in Seattle has a bit of a community around people that do some adventure riding, and often give presentation on "how it's done." (I should say they used too - once I stopped riding, I haven't followed along.) At least once I've known of the service being used, and it worked as you would hope. I took a solo trip to Central America, and had the service. It's a great piece of mind.
As far as other recommendation above, yeah, ADV rider is a great website, and he should scour the forums. Tourtech has great gear for this sort of thing. If you want to give him some inspiration you might get the series "Long Way Round." It's got Charlie Boorman and Ewen McGregor, who did roughly the same thing, but with a support crew (lucky bastards.) It's entertaining.
posted by elcainos at 3:25 PM on August 19, 2010
In addition to Aerostich and Touratech, have a browse through Whitehorse Gear. Lots of travel geegaws there. Off the top of my head, I suggest electric warm gloves, socks, jacket liner; gel or air-cushion seat pad; a GPS, though he probably already thought of that; an iPod for the long, boring, traffic-free stretches; and finally, some extra cash designated specifically to be used for bribing border officials and people of that ilk. (American dollars are good.)
posted by scratch at 12:07 PM on August 20, 2010
posted by scratch at 12:07 PM on August 20, 2010
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posted by nickjadlowe at 8:28 AM on August 19, 2010 [1 favorite]