What earns its weight

Gear

Gear journalism usually reviews what is new. We are more interested in what is right: the few items that decide whether a trip works, the many that are pleasant but optional, and the honest difference between a part that is expensive and a part that is good.

Three questions decide whether a piece of equipment belongs on a trip. What does it weigh, what does it replace, and can it be repaired where you are going. Almost everything worth carrying answers all three well.

Tyres first, always. Then shelter, then navigation, then the kit that fixes the other three.

All stories in Gear

Gear · Gear The Only Part That Touches the Ground Tread pattern gets the attention and construction does the work. What the numbers on a sidewall mean, why load rating matters more than tread and how to choose for the route you will actually drive. 9 min read

Gear · Shelter Roof or Ground The most argued-about decision in vehicle travel, decided properly: what each system costs you in fuel, time and freedom, and which one suits the trip you are actually taking. 8 min read

Gear · Navigation Paper, Phone, Satellite Three layers, each of which fails in a different way. Build the stack properly and you will never be truly lost; rely on one of them and eventually you will be. 8 min read

Gear · Workshop Fix It Where It Broke A repair kit is not a collection of tools. It is a list of the failures that are likely on your route, and the specific means to survive each of them until a workshop. 8 min read

First upgrade on a travel vehicle?

Questions we get asked

What is the single best upgrade?

Tyres, by a distance, followed by the training to use them. Correct construction and correct pressure change what a vehicle can cross far more than suspension, lockers or power do, and they are the only component that has to work every metre of the trip.

How much should a repair kit weigh?

For a vehicle, ten to fifteen kilograms covers tyre repair, fluids, belts, hoses, wire, fasteners and the tools for them. For a motorcycle, three to five. Beyond that you are carrying a workshop you cannot use; the deciding factor is what you have actually practised.

Is expensive outdoor clothing worth it?

For the shell layer and for boots, usually yes: the difference in weather protection and durability is real. For fleece, base layers and trousers, the mid-price versions are close enough that the money is better spent on a second base layer or a proper sleeping mat.

Field notes

One letter a month from the track

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