[Off Topic] My equipment in Mongolia on a motorbike (2/2)

After the first article on the progress of my trip , I would like to go into detail about the equipment I had - my "gear", as Valentin says - because finding THE perfect piece was a lot of fun (and busy) for me.

For this three-week motorcycle trip, I needed clothes:

• capable of managing large thermal amplitudes;

• which do not attract odors;

• which wick away perspiration;

• which may not be washed after several days of intensive wear;

• without colorful colors like hiking clothing;

• with something to sleep in;

• all to fit in a discreet and durable backpack.

Clothing geek friends, lovers of technology, you will like this article!

My equipment for Mongolia… on video

At the very end of our trip, Valentin shot this video with the means at hand, where I completely empty my bag to detail each object I took with me.

(few comments under this video, but they are very interesting!)

The backpack: the central piece of your trip

Choosing a suitable part

Yes, as surprising as it seems, I didn't have a backpack for this kind of trip. I mostly traveled in urban settings, where my trusty Horizn Studio suitcase was more than sufficient (and satisfying).

Valentin kept telling me about Goruck , an American brand. He had already had many adventures with his own, the GR1 model. He even made a video of it .

He appreciated the very discreet design of the bag, which does not look "backpacker" . He is categorical on one point: when you look like a backpacker, you are treated differently by the locals .

In other words, he doesn't want to be seen as a backpaper, because he doesn't want to have the experience of a backpaper. Quite simply. And when I see how some people are seen (notably this almost sickly relationship with the budget), I share his opinion.

I still decided to do my research, and I started reading numerous tests/reviews. Carryology , the BonneGueule of backpacking, has helped me enormously.

There were several brands competing:

• Goruck , on the advice of Valentin;

• Triple Aught Design (we'll talk about it later) and its Litespeed Fast Pack, very popular with digital nomads ;

• Mystery Ranch and its 3 days Assault , known for its system of three zips that come together, which has a good reputation among survivalists;

• as a bonus: SDR Traveler and their D3 . Too minimalist for me, but I loved reading the product page;

• the Minaal , which however seems confined to an urban environment only;

• the Tortuga Outbreaker , which is really aimed at urban nomads. Despite its recognition by The Wirecutter , the square design did not enchant me.

For smaller budgets, there are also 5.11 tactical bags , but I have no idea what they're worth. And finally, my choice fell on the Goruck GR2 .

So it's time to tell you about this brand....

Goruck: very sturdy Made in USA

The brand was founded by Jason, a former Special Forces officer. He wanted to have a bag that would fit in the middle of the Afghan desert as well as in the middle of New York.

Above all, no overly military look with MOLLE rows everywhere .

After use, it is clear that he succeeded in his bet . Jason said it himself: he knew nothing about bag making, but his past as an elite soldier taught him to recognize quality material.

He called on designers and, a few prototypes later, the GR1 was born: a very refined black backpack, without a logo. Only the slanted front pocket and the small MOLLE row brighten up the front .

The materials are really robust, the seams are reinforced... In short, everything exudes solidity, and the feeling is excellent when you handle the bag .

So, what were the decisive criteria that made me choose the GR2?

The design that goes everywhere

For once, I was sensitive to the all-purpose aspect of a bag.

The TAD and the Mystery Ranch were too military for me, and the others, hiking brands with too many connotations.

For me, the GR2 has a sober and balanced design, with just enough MOLLE to add additional modules.

The “clamshell” opening

Important point, on which Valentin had insisted a lot: the "clamshell" opening, separating the bag into two complete parts.

You will be able to organize your belongings in the best possible way, because you are not stacking layers, but placing them in your bag as you would a suitcase.

Practical and sturdy

It was much more compartmentalized than the other two models. It has many pockets that allow you to organize your belongings well.

He's super strong. Really. For a trip where it was going to be used a lot while being harnessed to the motorcycle, I needed resistant materials, with robust finishes. I was not disappointed on this point.

A good feeling on Goruck

I had a good intuition about this brand, without explaining it too much.

I was sensitive to the very in-depth education around the product, to Jason's passion which shines through every page of the eshop, to the honest and impactful descriptions.

Sometimes you have to let your intuition speak, especially when you've been reading presentation pages for years.

What is MOLLE?

It's time to take a quick look at MOLLE.

I didn't know about this customization system at all but, after experiencing it, it's very well done.

Basically, these are rows of sewn straps , which allow you to add several elements according to your needs. This is what you see in all action movies, especially bulletproof vests.

It's easy for the manufacturer to set up (just sew straps) and the system offers a lot of possibilities .

One day it will be an extra pocket for storing chargers. The next day, a larger location to put a radio... It's up to everyone's convenience. Really, it's a well-crafted universal standard.

For my part, I customized my GR2 with an additional pocket purchased at La Tranchée Militaire , in Tours, and a fold-out pocket from the Triple Aught Design brand . I also hung lots of odds and ends with carabiners!

Note: for small budgets, military surplus is full of bags similar to the Goruck, much cheaper, although I have no idea of ​​the quality. Get one that is black to avoid the overly military look.

My conclusion on this bag

To put it simply: I'm super happy. It's a very sturdy bag, which oozes quality and has played its role perfectly, so much so that I regret not being able to use it more often on a daily basis.

The zips, the American manufacturing quality, the ingenious storage, the MOLLE system, the discreet design and the overall impression... Everything is perfect!

We quickly become attached to this little GR2. That said, it's not perfect either. In any case, there are two points that can be improved in my opinion:

• the comfort is quite rustic . Jason is a fierce opponent of shoulders padded with mesh, because during his missions in the desert environment, they transformed into dust nests. But as a result, the breathability of the back is rather basic;

• it is a relatively heavy model, due to the plastic sheeting for the bomb-proof compartment and the density of the materials used. It still weighs more than 2 kilos empty !

Other than that, it's still an excellent product. On the other hand, if you are hikers and this is the only occasion for you to carry a backpack, I think there are more suitable products. I would strongly advise against it, if only for reasons of comfort.

We are on a travel bag , not a hiking bag.

Finally, know that Goruck also has a small line of sober technical clothing, which looks solid. It's perhaps not what I would wear to go for a drink on a terrace, but for an adventure-style trip with Valentin, it would be perfect.

In particular, they test their clothing during their "rucks ", these outdoor obstacle courses where everyone wears a backpack and often ends up in sea water. Attention fans!

For those who want to go further, I advise you to read two very nice reviews :

• the Pack Hacker test , very complete, with which I am totally aligned;

• the Carryology reviews page ;

• less expensive alternatives to GR1;

• Valentin has the GR1, I have the GR2. I advise you to read the history of the GR3 , which is a good summary of the genesis of Goruck and their bias in terms of design.

In addition to this bag, I needed two special “containers”, here is what I found…

My two favorite accessories

The SDR Traveler Double Passport Pouch

If you only knew how many times I've said to myself "this thing is so useful!" . This is the passport size pouch from SDR Traveler .

Let us be very clear : with customs and transport costs, having this delivered to France is clearly racketeering.

The history of the brand is quite funny: basically, it all came from a small company called Studio D Radiodurans . Its core business? Selling services involving going all over the Globe to understand consumer behavior. They do "field research" , the founder has also published a magnificent book on the subject .

During his travels, he realized his need for a line of “small luggage” that was discreet, minimalist, and obviously very solid. He therefore created SDR Traveler, which offers very radical equipment in their approach, using Dyneema, for example. .

So, what is their passport cover worth?

She is simply awesome. I can no longer imagine taking a long trip without taking it with me, and I highly recommend purchasing such an accessory if you are an adventurer.

I had it around my neck all the time, with my passport, my papers, and my cash in it. No risk of loss due to a pants pocket. I sometimes wore it crossbody too.

And I fell in love with Dyneema, this material that is so light, waterproof, resistant, crisp, with an original patina that settles over time.

Otherwise, without the hype of SDR Traveler, you have a much less fancy equivalent at Zpacks , a small American company specializing in outdoor equipment. She's not great at showcasing her products, but the sincerity behind her products is palpable .

Their business really has a human face... and their " passport pouch " costs exactly three times less than the SDR!

Last advice: two years ago, I also recommended the Magpul Daka Pouch to Valentin, whose pouches can survive the apocalypse. Reliable and durable accessories, which Valentin and I recommend without any problem. Pack Hacker did a very good review.

There you go, I close this big parenthesis on my passport cover!

The Nite Ize glasses case

It's an accessory that really bothered me, to my great surprise.

I was simply looking for a sturdy glasses case that didn't fear anything. I told myself that I was going to find a brand with unbreakable cases that you could put in the bottom of your bag. Well, not at all ! And it's not for lack of looking at Pelican .

I finally found what I was looking for at Nite Ize , this funny company that designs various objects to improve everyday life. Valentin is also a very fan of their double carabiner .

They have a very practical hard case , with an additional hook that fits perfectly into a MOLLE system. I'm super happy with it, and I continue to use it today .

And if I had known, I would have taken one of their straps to strap my bag to the bike.

Now let's move on to the clothes I packed!

How to dress for 3 weeks in the Mongolian steppes?

So what a challenge! I had to last three weeks with as little clothing as possible .

I only took eight, which was completely new to me. When I go on weekends, I usually take a different outfit every day...!

No secret: to wear clothes for a long time without washing them, you need as much merino wool as possible.

So I left with:

• three merino wool T-shirts;

• two pants (one Triple Aught Design, one BonneGueule pants in Schoeller);

• the BonneGueule bomber jacket in Power Stretch Pro;

• the Triple Aught Design softshell in Polartec NeoShell;

• a Quechua fleece that I had for years;

• Seagale shorts .

Note that there were three BonneGueule pieces in the lot... When I tell you that we think about versatile clothing, these are not empty words! All joking aside, I never would have imagined taking them to the Mongolian steppes, but I was interested in experiencing them in a setting completely different from a city.

I also took some accessories:

• two pairs of shoes;

• two belts;

• four boxers, one legging and three pairs of socks;

• an Arct'éryx choker, a Maharishi face cover and a cotton cashmere scarf;

• a pair of motorcycle gloves.

Come on, I'll explain it all to you!

Merino t-shirts: the essential for long-term travel

It is THE key piece of a minimalist wardrobe, as its versatility and resistance to odors are useful, without the impression of wearing a hiking item.

Here, I took three t-shirts that are slightly different in terms of composition...

Wool & Prince t-shirt, with 22% nylon for resistance

I'm very happy with it, it's clear that the addition of nylon makes it more stable and less prone to pilling. It held up perfectly through the days without washing, and I found that the nylon didn't take away from the properties of the merino wool. In short, rest assured about this piece which has perfectly kept its promises.

Nike ACG long-sleeved T-shirt, 50% wool 50% polyester

I wanted to have a long-sleeved merino piece, for layering. And really, I don't regret it. It will now be part of my minimalist travel wardrobe. He was very useful in the evening, especially.

Note that with this proportion of polyester, it begins to pick up odors. Not as much as 100% cotton, but a little nonetheless. As usual, if you want one, you have to watch for the next "drop" of Nike's ACG collection or search Grailed .

BonneGueule 100% merino t-shirt

Finally, I wanted a 100% merino , so it was quite natural that I turned to ours . And then it was the opportunity to test it in more “extreme” conditions.

Even though I had designed it for urban use only, I am happy to see that it fulfilled its role as it was supposed to , and that it withstood the roughness of the trip well, while I carried it a good half of the time. Basically, it's like the first day. A very nice satisfaction!

Pants: the choice of minimalism

Valentin and Dimitri were very radical in bringing only one pair of pants ... I wasn't comfortable with that, so I made the decision to take two.

Here, the choice is more delicate: you need both resistance, good sweat management and always a “low profile” design.

The Talon Guide pants from Triple Aught Design, 100% nylon

I wore it almost every day, a real pleasure. These are THE ultimate adventurer pants ! If Sam Fisher or Jason Bourne could only wear one, it's this one.

I hesitated with the Challenge Pant from Goruck, but it was no longer in stock (the two products seem very similar to me). So I fell back on TAD's pants.

On the product sheet, they refer to the fabric as "amphibious cloth". It is actually a 100% nylon fabric that is quite light and therefore dries very quickly. This was particularly useful for me on rainy days, or during river crossings on my motorbike.

I really appreciated the resistance of the fabric . Where I thought he would come back from this trip with scratches or "scars", it ended up not being the case.

Finally, the two (large) zipped pockets are REALLY useful and secure, especially on a motorbike. You have peace of mind knowing your phone is safe in your closed pocket.

The other particularity of these pants is that there are several nylon panels with stretch . It's bi-stretch, quite moderate but resistant to abrasion.

I was worried that the 100% nylon would be painful and make me sweat but, frankly, it's still okay. The fact that it dries quickly allows perspiration to escape quickly, so that, even in the Gobi Desert, I did not feel any discomfort.

I thought I could "recycle" it into an urban techwear look, with my Acronym jacket, but the cut is too loose. This is my only disappointment.

And finally, for small budgets, don't forget that Decathlon has a wide range of comfortable and technical hiking pants, like these .

The BonneGueule pants in Schoeller Dryskin

These are THE pants that I take with me whenever there is a plane, because they are very stretchy, dry quickly, and are therefore absolutely comfortable.

I didn't wear it so much during the day, more in the evening. I liked to put on "clean" pants to be in the tent, sitting down to eat...

I was very happy to have it the first evening, to go out and enjoy the nightlife of Ulaanbaatar. Of course, it's not the selvedge jeans that fit well, but... "it works." Basically, it doesn't look like you're wearing hiking clothes to go out to eat.

Here too, its comfort, its technicality, and its urban side mean that I do not regret having taken these pants, which I consider to be a real "Swiss army knife" garment. I even slept with it on the coldest nights. This is definitely my travel essential.

By the way, did I tell you that Acronym sometimes uses this fabric for its €600 pants?

Second layers for the upper body

Softshell “Raptor Hoodie” in NeoShell from Triple Aught Design

The piece that was supposed to protect me from the rain was the source of a lot of questions. I did not want to take our Sympatex fabric softshell because it is not compact enough, and there was no way I would take my Acronym Gore-Tex Pro jacket for a trip where I had no idea about the conditions.

So I set out to find a light and absolutely waterproof jacket. It is a well-known part of hikers, and there are a plethora of very comprehensive comparisons . Except... they all have a super-connoted look, with very loose cuts or very flashy colors.

I wanted a sober, light, compact and breathable garment. This is where I found my happiness again at TAD:

At the start of the video, we see that the jacket can be rolled up into the hood to be compacted . This is exactly what I needed!

The Neoshell is really light, so it’s very breathable. It also has several pockets and, above all, the hood is great: you can completely adjust it to your liking. A great success for those looking for simple and effective rain gear made in the USA.

I could have taken Arct'éryx or C old Smoke , it could have done the trick very well. Valentin had an even more compact jacket from the Marmot brand, but its waterproofing was really limited.

And here too, for small budgets, apart from recommending Decathlon or Uniqlo, there are not many alternatives...

BonneGueule Bomber Jacket in Polartec Power Stretch Pro

Surely the most underestimated piece in our collection so... How happy I was to have it ! I wore it EVERY day of this trip . She accompanied me in:

• our adventures in Ulan Bator, where I could have a relatively urban look;

• in every moment on the motorbike, protecting myself from the cold, the wind, but also from the sand and the sun;

• in mid layer, over my merino t-shirt and under my TAD softshell;

• on my coldest nights (I carried it in my sleeping bag);

• and in each of my falls!

Honestly, do you know a lot of clothes that can be worn in so many circumstances?

The Power Stretch Pro worked wonders thanks to its crazy elasticity and very soft warmth. I was also surprised to see that it was useful in direct sunlight, as it wicks away sweat effectively .

Along with the TAD pants, it is by far the most useful piece of this trip , and will be for many adventures to come.

There was barely a seam that came undone by less than a centimeter at the shoulder, but the fabric fit perfectly.

Quechua fleece sweater at €6.99

It was a piece that I had kept in my closet for several years "just in case" ...

I was very hesitant about taking it in addition to the Polartec bomber jacket, but I told myself that it was my "anti-cold insurance", as Valentin would say. This too is a piece of clothing that has served me well. I sometimes wore it underneath the Polartec because of the cold, and it was just right. No regrets on this purchase.

Undergarments

Unsurprisingly, I got everything in merino wool .

I had three Icebreaker boxers, which I was able to wear for several days in a row without washing them, and a pair of merino wool “leggings”, again from Icebreaker .

Not much to add here. Merino underwear is a well-documented topic among hikers and nomadic travelers. For my part, I am very happy with it.

I just have two points to share with you:

• long merino boxers (or leggings) are worth it . I wonder why I didn't buy this piece sooner. Are you tired of having cold legs? No worries, put a pair of long boxers under your favorite pants and your life will change forever;

• These are relatively fragile underwear. For example, after a month, with friction on the saddle, perspiration, etc., tiny holes appeared on one of my boxers (one of the oldest).

The same goes for socks. I chose three pairs purchased from Au Vieux Campeur , from the Smartwool and Icebreaker brands. Even though I knew all the odor-fighting and insulating properties of wool, I was afraid of being too hot. Finally, nothing to report here either, I felt very good in my pumps.

The quest for the right shoes

Things are getting complicated! I needed durable shoes, suitable for motorcycling, with which I could travel, within a very reasonable budget (unlikely that I would use them again once in Paris).

A few years ago, for a trip to Norway, I took a pair of American army rangers for €45, in Gore-Tex, Vibram sole and barely worn Cordura. It was great for the price, but in between all the moving in my student life, I simply misplaced them — much to my regret.

So, I turned to military surplus again and ended up finding...

Desert “bodequins” of the French Army

I already knew the Military Trench in Tours, I went to that of Saint-Ouen. For €45, I found this pair of shoes reserved for desert climates. Here is my quick feedback:

• They are very resistant and took a good toll, even though I really mistreated them, especially with the bike's gear selector. On that note, apart from the sole which came off slightly because I dried it too close to the fire, nothing to complain about;

• the thickness of the sole makes you safe while walking on rocks, stones, etc. ;

• They quickly became comfortable , I didn't have to "do" them for weeks. Not the slightest light bulb;

• the look is quite “neutral” when you wear the pants on top;

• they're not that breathable — any more than a normal hiking shoe — and don't dry particularly quickly;

• but I don't recommend them for hiking , I still lacked stability inside the shoe. It feels like my foot slips in sometimes;

• it still remains a very good quality/price/robustness ratio.

Alternatively, I could have explored other tactical shoes, but I knew I wouldn't find them cheaper.

Important note: I advise you to carefully check the price on the website before going to the store, there are sometimes differences from one to another.

Nike Flyknit sneakers

They were my pair of “slipper” shoes, the ones we happily put on in the evening after spending the day in my desert boots.

Valentin always refused to take two pairs of shoes. I was well aware that it was a luxury, but I was so happy to have them, especially when my first one was wet. For me, this is one of my recommendations, even if it means looking for a “small extra pair” that is even lighter and more compact. But going with just one pair seems a little too daring to me.

And of course, I used the Muji travel bags to carry everything, an essential in my opinion if you are used to traveling often.

On the accessories side

To protect my neck from the cold, I took no less than three accessories!

My cotton/cashmere scarf

A friend ( who makes very beautiful hats ) brought it back to me from India. I asked Valentin if it wasn't too bulky, he simply replied "it's your lucky charm, take it."

I advise EVERYONE to have such an accessory: it protects the neck well, and I regularly used it as a scarf to protect my head from the sun, and it can also be used for lots of things ).

An Arc'téryx neck warmer

Unlike my scarf, it stays in place perfectly during long motorcycle rides. It also served as a hat during the night when I was very cold.

I was really happy to have it, and Geoffrey joined me in emphasizing the importance of such an accessory, which was very useful to him during his cycling trip two years ago.

My Maharishi hood

It's no longer on the site, but it looks a lot like this piece (except mine is breathable mesh).

I'll be honest with you, I have no idea why I bought this piece two years ago. But deep down, I knew she was going to come in handy one day.

And it didn't fail, I'm so happy to have had this piece! It perfectly protected me from the sand and, faced with a helmet of questionable hygiene , I was very happy to have a textile barrier. For me, it's an essential motorcycle road trip. Valentin, although very minimalist, is even thinking of getting one for his next expeditions.

Rev'it mid-season motorcycle gloves

Please don't be a fool and go on a motorcycle road trip without decent gloves. And when I say "motorcycle gloves", I really mean "gloves designed specifically for motorcycling " and not "tactical gloves", or "superb Filson leather gloves".

There is inevitably a moment when you will have to place your hands flat on the ground, perhaps you will slip on a slope with stones. And that can really make a difference . In this case, your fingers, and especially the palm of your hand, need to be well protected.

Impossible to find the gloves I had on the Internet. These are mid-season Rev'it , which fulfill their protective function perfectly but are a little too warm. If necessary, don't hesitate to take a second pair of gloves for the summer.

Tip: wait for the sales to buy them, you will find them without any problem.

My equipment for sleeping

This is a key subject! Along with the weather, your sleep is the other big factor that impacts the quality and memories of your trip .

This is why I spent so much time looking for the right equipment, with two criteria: performance and size, which had to be as small as possible.

The question of the inflatable mattress

When you sleep in a tent, an inflatable mattress is absolutely mandatory. Except that most of the time, they are very bulky, the opposite of minimalist and light equipment.

So I spent several hours “benchmarking” the reviews and my choice finally fell on the Thermarest Neo Air .

It's expensive — around €150 — but its impact on your sleep is phenomenal . You sleep properly, and it insulates you from the cold of the ground , even on terrible plain-type soils with small stones everywhere.

For the record, during our last night in a tent, Valentin slept on an air mattress much larger than this one. . However, it was much colder than with the Neo Air.

Its great strength remains its ultra compact size , even smaller than a 1 liter bottle! I absolutely do not regret my choice. This should be a must-have / Christmas / birthday gift, if you regularly spend your nights in a tent.

If this mattress interests you, the Web is full of written tests and videos of all kinds to further your choice. And as usual, (much) cheaper solutions exist , but they will be (much) more cumbersome.

The sleeping bag

The element that gave me the most problems.

Always wanting to fit everything into my Goruck bag, I looked for the most compact sleeping bags possible . And as with inflatable mattresses, the lower the price, the more bulky it is, with a range going from €30 to €700. Except I wanted something under €100...

After several hours of research, I chose the Snugpak , but they seemed too light to me.

Summary: I was very cold some nights , to the point of not being able to sleep. It's not necessarily because of the bag itself, let's just say that I greatly underestimated the Mongolian night temperatures.

At the time, the only solution I found was to take out my survival blanket and put on ALL my clothes at once. So I slept one night with two pairs of pants, long boxers, three merino t-shirts, my Quechua fleece, my Polartec bomber jacket and two pairs of socks one on top of the other. And despite everything, I still felt "a little" cold.

On the other hand, it's a really compact bag , about as small as a water bottle. So with the Neo Air mattress and this sleeping bag, you have a very compact solution for sleeping .

There are much warmer and very compact sleeping bags available, but the prices are soaring. Count on more than €400 for the Sea To Summit Spark III . Its comfort temperature is... 2°C!

So, you can either:

• take a warm but inexpensive sleeping bag, with something to carry it;

• put the budget on a warm and compact solution.

In any case, do not underestimate the night temperature.

Bonus: Nemo Fillo Elite Inflatable Pillow

During his cycling trip, Geoffrey was able to test an inflatable pillow without being very satisfied with it. He had advised me against taking one, but I still wanted to try. Not wanting to make any concessions on the quality of my sleep, I told myself that at worst, it would be better to end up with an extra accessory than nothing at all.

So I searched extensively for the most compact AND comfortable products, and quickly came across the Nemo Fillo Elite . It is indeed very compact and I was surprised to see that it contained... Primaloft insulation!

Summary of 3 weeks spent on this pillow: I am super happy with it . Really. The fabric is very soft, it inflates in the blink of an eye, you can easily adjust its "softness" by letting air escape, and it is tiny.

The Massdrop tip for quality equipment at a reduced price

Massdrop is a site that allows you to place wholesale orders with very attractive discounts, on very varied categories of items: from selvedge jeans to survival knives. They have quite a bit of outdoor clothing and equipment and, by correctly anticipating delivery dates, you can have excellent equipment for not much.

The rest of my equipment

Basically, my bag with two compartments: one for sleeping equipment, and another for clothes. But obviously, I didn't take just that.

Electronic equipment

The biggest question was whether I would get an iPad or a computer... Neither, ultimately, and I absolutely don't regret my choice!

On the other hand, I wanted to have something to write with easily. So I tried the external keyboard , rechargeable via USB port .

After "geeking" intensively - thank you Wirecutters -, my choice fell on a Logitech keyboard . There too, nothing to complain about. As someone who is usually a fervent defender of the typing and responsiveness of Apple keyboards, I was pleasantly surprised.

Then comes the question of external batteries. I chose to take the one that came with my Horizn Studios suitcase , quite simply because it seemed very resistant to me with its aluminum body.

And then there is THE accessory to take on a trip to the middle of the steppes... the solar charger!

I didn't worry: my friend Baptiste, who created the X Moove brand, offered me the Solargo Trek , which has the immense advantage of having an integrated battery under its solar panels.

This system with two batteries (the Horizn Studios and that of the X Moove solar charger) is quite practical. If I were to take another such "wild" trip, I would again hang two batteries rather than just one.

And food?

To put it simply: our three backpacks were in cabin luggage, and we bought a large nylon bag from Decathlon, light and foldable, which we filled with lentils and tea.

I also picked up a small spice box from Muji, which I filled with 5 different spices.

Honestly, the redundancy with which we ate rice and lentils didn't bother me that much. With chopped onions, and after a long day, it's even a comforting dish.

FYI, in three weeks, I had to lose 3 to 4 kilos, because I was simply in a calorie deficit. Note that I never felt hungry, we took a lot of snacks with us: oilseeds, dried fruits, but also less desirable things like Snickers.

Valentin and Dimitri are big fans of Choco Pie, this snack with a funny story that you find in the smallest micro-grocery store in the depths of a steppe. I ate it almost every day, and I must say that it often soothed my heart.

As for drinks, we only drank water and tea. And since Valentin created a brand of matcha tea , we were treated to high quality teas !

We usually woke up around 8am. Valentin prepared us his tea which we drank more or less in silence, in front of the immensity of the steppes. Tea which was always accompanied by a Choco Pie! Brushing your teeth, checking the map and presto, we were off again for a day of motorcycling!

To eat, it was extremely simple. I only had two items:

• my titanium cup, from the MSR brand , for lightness and robustness. It served as a bowl, a container for washing your toothbrush, a tea cup...

• a titanium spoon-fork, a Valentine's gift, from the Light my Fire brand which did not disappoint.

For lovers of beautiful things and Japanese brands, Snow Peak has a very nice line of titanium “cookware” … if the price doesn’t stop you!

The pharmacy

It's not the most fun aspect to prepare, but it is no less essential. Here too, thanks to Valentin's experience, putting together the "medical kit" went very quickly:

• Steristrips dressings;

• Aquatabs to disinfect river water in precarious situations (used only once);

• disinfectant (poured into a Muji bottle);

• medicines for diarrhea;

• mosquito repellent purchased at a pharmacy;

• sterile compresses;

• painkillers: Doliprane, Dafalgan codein, even Acupan in the most complicated situations.

• an Allevyn dressing;

• biodegradable cotton swabs;

• biodegradable baby wipes that Valentin and Dimitri really appreciated;

• biodegradable toilet paper:

• biodegradable tissues (I bought a lot on Amazon);

• and Nutrimuscles multivitamin capsules. I had absolutely no idea what we were going to eat there, especially with two vegetarian friends, and I didn't want any deficiency problems.

As for the capsules and medications, I placed everything in a Muji box.

Washing, or how not to wash for several days

Ah, THE subject that we underestimate in this type of trip! I had no idea what to expect, and relied on just two things:

• a very compact Sea to Summit towel;

• and some magic soap from Dr. Bronner that Valentin had given me, put in a Muji tube. It's not a miracle product, but it does what it's supposed to do. I don't know of any other that can be used as dishwashing liquid, shower gel, hand soap, or shampoo at the same time. It is definitely THE hygiene product to take on a minimalist trip.

This is how we should have washed... except that where we went, there were almost no streams. This only happened to us once! So, most of the time, we washed in the showers of the camps or hotels that we found on the way.

We didn't go more than four days without washing. When you're outdoors all day, and you don't meet anyone, it (surprisingly) didn't bother me that much . With clothes that wick away sweat effectively, the odor problem was much less present.

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And that's it, this long list of equipment ends here. I hope it will be useful for your next trips, and don’t hesitate to add to it in the comments ! I'm sure there are great adventurers who read us, so share your experience!

The final word...

Even though I remain overall very satisfied with my equipment, I asked myself what I would do differently if I had to do this trip again:

• I would have taken a much more efficient sleeping bag against the cold, or a competition survival blanket from Mambe that I would have strapped to the bike;

• I forgot my collapsible water bottle! I bought two from Massdrop and, like a fool, I completely forgot to clip it onto the MOLLE ranges of the GR2;

• I would have provided real straps for the motorcycle, much more practical than tying and untying knots.

That is just about everything !

Thus ends my trip to Mongolia for good. I hope you liked it and, as usual, let us know what you think of this kind of unusual article, or even if you would like more . Sometimes, getting out of men's fashion to get lost in the steppes does the greatest good...