{"id":1294,"date":"2020-02-18T18:11:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T00:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/?p=1294"},"modified":"2020-02-19T21:24:02","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T03:24:02","slug":"the-great-ho-chi-minh-trail-ride-gettin-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/2020\/02\/18\/the-great-ho-chi-minh-trail-ride-gettin-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Ho Chi Minh Trail Ride – Gettin\u2019 Ready"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few weeks ago, I mentioned I was going on another great adventure; the Ho Chi Minh Trail Ride. Now it\u2019s getting \u201creal,\u201d and I\u2019ve got to get ready. I leave for a few weeks on a dirt-bike through the jungles of Laos in just over a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years ago when I prepared for this trip, I took everything I could possibly need\u2026 tools, spare tire-tubes, and stuff like that. I even took a hammock with mosquito net, water purification stuff, and MREs. I prepared to walk out of the jungle if I had to. You see, I was going by myself and tried to cover every contingency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The stuff I took in 2014. As you can see… I had everything and a partrige in a pear tree.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, I was nuts to plan on going by myself. As it turned out, I only made the Thailand part of the trip. I lost my wallet three weeks in and cut off the 3 weeks planned for Laos. With no money(cash), plastic lost (and canceled), and already a case of \u201cMonkey Butt\u201d from the three weeks on a Honda CRF250L. I decided the wise thing to do was cut the trip short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was glad I made that decision. At the same time, I was sad. I thought I would never see Laos beyond the glimpse I had from the Nakhom Phanom (NKP) side of the Mekong river. Now it\u2019s five years later. Actually\u2026 it didn\u2019t take long for the dreamin\u2019-n-schemin\u2019 about this trip to start. But there was a new woman in my life\u2026 who I married\u2026 and we had other places to go. So… I put aside any real plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A view of Laos accross the Mekong River from Nakhon Phanom<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Still, a little voice in the back of my head kept talking to me. Finally, a few months ago, I started dreamin\u2019-n-schemin\u2019 again in \u201cearnest.\u201d It was time to put together a plan. It took a while, but that plan was finally done a few days ago\u2026 at least the \u201cbig\u201d plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now it\u2019s time to get ready to go. I have to decide what to take and what to leave behind. This time I\u2019m not going alone, so I don\u2019t have to pack everything and a partridge in a pear tree. I want to travel as light as I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK\u2026 anyone that knows me is now rolling on the floor laughing at my definition of \u201ctraveling light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ordinarily, I have to take every kind of camera known to mankind; A Canon digital SLR with three lenses; a Video Camera, A GoPro with underwater housing, a pocket-sized digital camera, and my cell phone. Then there\u2019s a pile of accessories and chargers for all this stuff. It all fits into a bag about the size of a small steamer trunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I have to have all my computer stuff. I always take two laptops… one as a back-up. Along with that are spare batteries and all their charging \u201cbricks.\u201d I also add a tablet to the computer bag. I take the tablet so I can throw it in my backpack when I go exploring. Of course, I have a laptop in the backpack too. The tablet is a back-up. All the computer stuff fits in a roller-bag that just makes it as an airline carry-on. I would never check this since I don\u2019t know how I would survive without all my computer stuff if an airline lost it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, there\u2019s my newest \u201cmust\u201d take device… a Mavic Pro drone. This is actually one of the high-end, but small ones. (My wife is smart enough not to ask how much it cost.) There are also spare batteries, and charging stuff that must go with it. It all fits in a bag about the size of a loaf of bread… a 10-pound loaf of bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last thing I take is the backpack itself. Everything I must-have goes into that. It\u2019s a big backpack, but suitable as a carry-on. Into the bottom of it goes the drone. Then I put in two pairs of undies. I can live without a lot of stuff, but not without clean undies. Next comes three or four t-shirts, a pair of pants, lastly a toiletry bag full of everything I might need, and a partridge in a pear tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get the idea. I\u2019ll leave it to your imagination as to what goes into my suitcase(s)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this trip\u2026 the Great Ho Chi Minh Trail Ride\u2026 I really do have to pack light. I mean, really light. Anything I take has to go with me as I ride a Honda CRF250L through the jungles of Laos. It has to be on my back or on the bike. And with a CRF250L, there can\u2019t be too much of either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Honda CRF250L<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So\u2026 for the last few days, I\u2019ve been considering what to take. Obviously, all my riding gear is a must. Except… I can\u2019t take the gear I\u2019ve been using for the last few years. You see, from helmet to boots, everything is \u201cRed, White, and Blue.\u201d Even though it\u2019s not an American flag, the color scheme is obvious. I think that could cause problems in some. After all, we (the USA) dropped bombs on Laos for ten years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So… that means I had to get all new outer gear\u2026 helmet, jersey, and pants. It is all much more subdued. I also bought the most lightweight stuff I could find. Not only does it weigh less, it will be cooler. I\u2019m not telling my wife how much I spent on the new gear on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I spent way toooooo much time searching for all the right stuff to take on this adventure. I wanted to evaluate everything very carefully before plunking down my hard-earned money. I also wanted to be sure I could use this stuff on adventures for years to come… not just the Great Ho Chi Minh Trail Ride. If you\u2019re interested in any of this, I\u2019m putting links to everything I\u2019ve bought so far. But… I want to warn you, shopping for fun stuff on Amazon is addictive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the riding gear I bought was \u201clast year\u2019s\u201d stuff. I sure am glad young kids have to have the latest, greatest stuff for 2020. Heaven forbid they have to wear that \u201cold\u201d 2019 stuff. All the gear is first-class stuff but at closeout prices. Here are the links:<\/p>\n\n\n