My Alaska Top 10 Gear List
Beach camping, Kenai peniinsula
I biked more than a 1,000 miles during the winter of 2013 in Alaska on roads, trails, beaches, ice and more ice, glaciers, and anything else that I could run my 45Nrth Husker Du's across. My Ti Mukluk took me wherever I asked, and did so with style, grace and incredible endurance. It is without a doubt the finest bike I have ever owned, period, end of story....
During this trip I encountered sunshine, rain, sleet, snow, more snow, and lots of snow, along with temperatures that ranged from a low of -36 to a high of 45 degrees. Planning and executing a self supported bike trip that spans those types of conditions is challenging to say the least.
As part of my ongoing attempt to pull together and share my thoughts and my lessons learned, I have come up with my top 10 pieces of gear (non bike related); a few honorable mentions; and a short list of what dissapointed me the most. In the coming days I will add some more detail to why I chose what I did and why the gear that worked, really worked.
Grand Prize: My Prototype Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid
Top 10:
- Patagonia Houdini
- Patagonia Cap 4 Hoody
- NeoAir X Pad
- Bryjne Wool Fishnet top
- RBH VBL Socks
- Wool Buff
- Sea to Summit UL Sil Backpack
- MSR Universal Stove
- RBH Gloves
- Exotac Tool
Honorable Mention:
- Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus packs
- Apple Ipad Mini
- Princeton Tec Light
- O/R Insulated Sleeves
Fatbike festival, Homer AK
Most Dissapointing:
- Mammut Ultimate Hoody
- Nokia Lumia 920
- Swedish Fire Steel
- Delorme InReach
More details on why stuff worked and why it didn't. I love the fact that the two top pieces of gear on my list cost me less than $200 combined and were worn more than 90% of the ENTIRE trip. They are without a doubt two of the most amazing pieces of clothing available to the outdoor enthusiast.
Photographic Gear:
- Nikon D800E - Still the greatest camera I have ever owned
- Zeiss Makro Planar 50/2 - My goto lens
- Zeiss Distagon 21/2,8 - An unbelievalbe wide angle lens
- Zeiss Makro Planar 100/1,4 - One of Zeiss's best pieces of glass ever!
- Sony NEX-7 with Sony 50/1,4 - This was my goto grab camera while on the bike
The kit worked brilliantly, albeit a little large for a bike tour. However, I knew that with two months in Alaska I was going to encounter stunning scenery and I wanted absolutely the best gear possible for that trip.
Note: The links above are to the products on BHPhoto, my preferred source for photography kit. Purchasing using these links provides me a small commission and costs you nothing. These small commissions help me to pay for the web site and the exposure site where I share my stories and images.