Namibia on the cheap on a KLR

[Would I?]

Enjoued you RR. Thanks  :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[JC]

lekker RR Shanti  :thumleft:

what herb did you put in with the potatoes for ze Germans? 

 

[MrBig]

Fantastic  :thumleft:

man I just LOVE Namibia..

 

[Spore]

Great stuff Shanti! Many thanks for sharing - beautiful pics!! My personal experiences in Namibia plus all the RR's, like yours, only confirms - Namibia is an emotional & spiritual experience!  :thumleft: :thumleft: :ricky: :ricky:

 

[shanti]

lekker RR Shanti  :thumleft:

what herb did you put in with the potatoes for ze Germans? 

Thyme of course 

 

[pops]

Thanks Shanti. Inspiring.

 

[DirtHound]

Oh man, what an awesome report!!

I've always wanted to see Namibia - especially the dunes at Sossusvlei. This report has inspired me to get my "gat in rat"!

Well done, Shanti - I thoroughly enjoyed this RR.  :thumleft:

 

[Doerengone]

Hehe.  :ricky: My idea of a good ride. Will have to renew my passport asap.

 

[The Badger]

Thanks Shanti. I have to do Nam soon.

Great RR and pics

 

[Strompie]

Shanti, Namibia seems to be the place to head to. Lovely pictures. Looks like you had a very good time..

 

[Laban]

Thanks Shanti, extremely enjoyable!!

 

[BENJI]

Thanks for the report and photos. I have been to Namibia once by bakkie but now i would like to do it by bike.

 

[dawie louw]

I salute you.

 

[cloudgazer]

Thats friggin awesome.

Yours will be the first RR I reference when planning my Namibia trip next year.
This is exactly the type of trip I love.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[JackShit]

Absolutely stunning!!! Thanks.

 

[Chrisl]

Nice Shanti.
Very very nice!! :thumleft:

 

[Chairman Meow]

Very Inspiring! Great stuff  :thumleft:

 

[shanti]

What I brought along with - the good , the bad and the useless
Sleeping
Campo Vaude tent - great tent has entrances back and front , very light , muted colour ( great for free camping ) and areas under the fly sheet but not in the tent for your boots etc
First Ascent icebreaker sleeping bag - warm , warm , warm - perfect for Nam's cold nights
Camp Master single blow up mattress - cursed the thing every night blowing it up - took a long time - don't recommend - when the finances are good again will look into a ribz stretcher , the last thing you want to do after a hard days riding is sit down and blow up a mattress for half an hour .
Camp Master blow up pillow - got this cursed thing as a present - its useless - ended up making a pillow from my towel and some clothing .
Camping
Jiko multi fuel stove - bit temperamental to start but a good no fuss cooker - the small bag is great as the thing gets pretty black from soot - recommend
Small frying pan grabbed out of my kitchen - hmmm heavy but all cooking was done in this pan , served as my plate as well , good to have this in a small canvas bag as it gets pretty mucky from the fire - will look into a light weight one
Small plastic cutting board - not necessary , kept it for the ride as I like it but wont take next time
Big opinel knife - great
Swiss Army knife - essential
knife fork spoon - grabbed from my kitchen - wouldn't waste my money on a 'super light weight' set
Tin mug
Small axe - attached this low down and at the front of my bike - became essential for free camping - no readily available cut wood so scavenging for wood from drift piles became easy - if you are free camping and doing this for more than a few days - recommend
Fold up stool X type - fastened to my pannier rack easy and in scorpion territory was a good friend
Camp light - useless head torch much better , fire light , head light or no light - easy  - don't recommend
Small ali pot - very handy
Msr water bladder -  used a few times and is very handy , mostly I had three litres in my water bladder on my back and a two litre in my saddle bags  - packs small and is light - recommend
Small six can soft plastic cooler box - this thing folds up when not in use and is handy if you come across a shop early in the day and want to transport some meat  for your fire in the evening - fitted perfectly in my saddle bags
Clothes
I am a jeans wearer - love em but do not recommend for this kind of trip - they are bulky , filthy very quickly and don't dry fast - leave them at home - time I invested in some biking pants .
Long johns - useless , don't dry quickly
Two t shirts - enough
Sleeveless down puff - another friend - recommend for Nam nights
First Ascent fleece - Loved this , my M2R jacket never came with a quilted liner so I wore this alot
Board shorts - for swimming and as shorts
Pair of takkies - great for off the bike wandering .
Flip flops - for this journey useless - wore my takkies as scorpions were everywhere
Boots - Sidi somethings - not sure bought them second hand - love them - strong , waterproof and just enough grip to deal with picking up a bike in a mud bath
Jacket - M2R rallycross - have loved this jacket since I bought it - I have had a high speed tumble in it and it works , its cool with the waterproof layer removed , has good pockets and was a good price - I have had mine for three years and I am sure for years more - recommend
Knox padded shorts - didn't have a crash to experience them but they are comfortable and I felt protected .
Thor Knee guards - lugged these along , wore them a few times in what I thought where difficult sections but didn't wear them much as it is difficult to get on and off the bike with them - possibly look at motorbike pants with protection rather
Scarf - brought a scarf along for the cold - it kept flapping around - useless , rather get a good motorbike balaclava or something
Towel - beach type - I am a big fan of towels and would not skimp on a small one , they are my comfort and much more ( see Douglas Adams )
Socks - brought two pairs - on second night had one pair in a tree drying and in the morning they weren't there - socks can take on a life of their own - have at least two pairs
Waterproof pants - Yellow plastic construction pants ala pooratech - they work ok
Waterproof gloves - had some industrial chemical gloves , they keep your hands dry but are very cold - more money to be spent here - who said biking was a cheaper way ?
Bike tools and sundries
Tire changing kit , two extra tubes and patches
All tools to fit bike
Assorted bolts ( used a few of them - KLR's are secret strippers and shed bolts - check your KLR regularly , I lost both the subframe bolts in the Brandberg )
Duct tape , cable ties , wire etc
To carry everything
Aerostitch tank panniers - these I cannot recommend enough - keeps your weight forward - heavy things like water , food cans , spare tubes where kept in these , you can fit a five litre water /petrol container in each of them .
Lomo roll bag - waterproof and tough - keep as low as possible on the back to make getting on and off your bike easier
Gearsack bike panniers - bought second hand , they must have been good once , the zip broke on one but they still managed to stay waterproof
Wolfman tank bag - had this for years and like it alot - fits my camera , ipod , snacks , chargers etc in easy - stays on the tank in falls , comes on and off easy and has a transparent top to fit your map in . big recommend
Try always have free space when you are packing to leave to put food bought along the road in
Great things
Kikoi - this became my fridge - soak in water and put over whatever you want to make cold - lovely for free camping
Head torch - single best thing to have along in my opinion
Ipod or any music device
packet of firelighters , quick and easy and you have your fire
My little camp stool

Thats all I can think about for now , happy riding
one thing more - Just go - dont hang out too much on forums trying to get the best solution , your best solution will come to you on journeys and not on the net . If you don't have all the right stuff it does not matter , it shouldn't prevent you from going . Peace and thank you all for the lovely comments

 

[cloudgazer]

How many days in total?
How many kms?

 

[Piston Pete]

Now here's some good practical advice!  8)

Really cool experience you had there shanti....thanks for sharing :thumleft: