Essential Expo Equipment List

After the awesome trip yesterday, I got a chance to learn a lot about how trips can go.

I'm putting together this list of Essential:

• Gear/Equipment
• Skills/Techniques
• Applications
• and random junk

That will ultimately help you enjoy your trip and get home safely. As this list progresses, it can turn into packing list for different types of events depending on conditions:

• Snow and Ice
• Deserts and Mountains
• Road Trips

This list will be separated into several different areas, such as:

• don't leave home without
• comms
• navigation

 

This post will be Gear/skills/equipment/etc list:

Comms

I could go on for quite some time regarding the need for communications, but we can't even start until you get geared up. There are two major systems worth talking about. CB (citizen band) and Ham (amateur radio).

The Citizen Band radio runs on the 11 meter band between 26.965mhz - 27.405mhz and offers decent propagation between two points, line of sight, and absolutely zero penetration through dense forest, personally I've gotten up to 7 miles at the bottom of a hill to someone on top of Hollister.

Ham radio on the other hand runs anywhere from 1.8mhz to 300ghz+ across nearly 30 distinct bands defined in the FCC governed spectrum with propagation that can be several feet to thousands of miles. This past weekend I made contact with my simple hand held to the top of hull Mountain nearly 6 miles away with a Jeep guy on 2M while we were at the airfield. During the week, I lurk on the Loma Prieta LPRC repeater over 20 miles away on 70cm. With complexity and performance comes a learning curve.​

Once you've chosen your system, there's some communications etiquette to follow when you're moving along in a group or caravan.

1. Leaders don't abandon their group
2. The last man sets the pace of the group, not the leader
3. It's the responsibility of the last man to communicate to the person in front of them that they can't keep up
4. It's our individual responsibility to make sure the person behind us stays visible

​

CB Radio

This is the most common 2-way radio system we use on our trips.​

Advantages:​

• They're cheap. Cost of a handheld can range from $40 to $300 for mounted and installed unit.
• Single Sideband is available on some models
• No License fees

Cons:​

• Range is limited
• Take up a lot of space in the cabin
• Handhelds are large
• No repeater system to extend range
• Low wattage output 5W
• No remote face (It's technically illegal)

HAM Radio

A little rarer, but fast becoming a common 2-way radio our group uses with a lot of advantages​

Advantages:​

• Multiple frequencies to use
• Some mobile Radios support 2, 3, and even 4 bands and allow you to monitor on two channels simultaneously
• More Power = More Range, up to 75Watts on 2M bands using standard mobile transceivers
• More compact than CB (Many units have a remote face that allow you to relocate the radio from the controller)
• Link a low power handheld to your Ham radio in your vehicle
• Talk to the Space Station
• People are more civilized
• Find My Friends via Ham -- APRS or D*STAR GPS Tracking, allows you to send out automated signals with your position and text messages to folks on the same frequency
• Similar cost to CB, can be as cheap as 26 bucks for a Baofeng to thousands depending on the rig you want to run
• Scan some open Police Radios

Cons:​

• Need a license to legally use this (fortunately the test is EASY to study for!)
• Can be complicated to use if someone doesn't give you a few tips

Misc

It's worth mentioning some of the additional methods of communication or at least signaling in this regard for emergency purposes and what works and what doesn't.

goTenna

• Digital Based Text system based on the MURS multi-use radio service band at 151.82mhz - 154.6mhz. Power restrictions of 2 watts prevents even line of sight radio propagation. The air is literally too think for this transmission band. My opinion is don't even bother, spend that extra dough on a handheld radio with an APRS app running on your android or iPhone.

PLB (Personal Locator Beacons)

• ACR ResQLink This should be only one you take between this and SPOT. It runs on the 406MHz frequency with better coverage than SPOT, works in dense forests and steep canyons. Buy once for $250, and there's no service fee. Once the battery dies in 5 years, send it in for a replacement for $150 or DIY with solder tabbed CR123A batteries.

Sat Phones

• Pretty self explanatory. There are several systems to look at: GlobalStar, Iridium, Inmarsat, Thuraya, Skyterra. Each with their strengths and weaknesses. They're generally more finicky to use than PLBs but give you the ability to communicate to first responders on the other side. They also have low bandwidth digital connections which generally results in poor audio quality, they're expensive, and really only useful when you're out in the middle of nowhere willing to pay $2/minute to talk to someone. They're not waterproof whereas PLBs are, but you can use them to send data.

Sext (Sat texts)

• inReach Explorer and Spot Connect. Can't stay off social media or need to continue to stay in touch? Satellite texting is available through these two products.

Navigation

• GPS

Recovery

Essentials

 

This post is the Conditions Packing list

 

post 4.

 

ok post 5, please write what you guys want.

 

You need a brain and a Fat Wallet

 

While that might be the case, not everything is immediately apparent on how one should handle themselves on the trails. This is intended to be a more detailed primer newbs who want to come along for trips w/ TW. I've been on three larger sized group trips and yeah, guidance to split up groups, setup an organized structure, disseminating information prior to the trip is super important. We're also getting more and more folks who join us at each trip that are not apart of TW and not familiar with the group.

Nobody wants to go up a mountain and try to squeeze past 30 some odd rigs and play bumper cars on ice.

We're trying to avoid SAFETY situations, but also recognize that they are not entirely avoidable, and how to appropriately tackle challenges as they arise.

sketchy as fuck ends trucks yo.

 

I go solo. Have a winch that's never been unfurled. My spare tire lasted 5 years and never having to be dropped. Minimal gear and brains. If you're not sure, walk it before you wheel it. Helps that I have a background in 2 wheel offroad racing and also a retired rock climber/mountaineer. YMMV

 

Sound advice but if you're stranded in the desert, you will probably want to have gear/supplies that are different than if you were stranded in the snow.

 

Desert camping and snow camping are two extremes. They both have a different approach for survival. You can have all the gear possible for self extraction and still loose your mind under pressure from inexperience.

Death has a very short learning curve.

I'm sure you all have heard this before, famous last words, "Hey, watch this!"

 

I think this thread is a great idea.

 

Safety is paramount at all times. On these group runs, it is well-established that it is the responsibility of each driver to maintain a visual on the vehicle behind. All that said, it is incumbent on the follower to keep up and, if unable to do so for any reason, to communicate that fact while in radio range.
Don't be the guy that delays the entire column. And don't be the guy someone has to go find.

 

I would say one of the very first things one needs to educate themselves on is Map and Compass skills. Orienteering is key for survival. Its good to know where you are, have been and are headed to...

 

dont forget parts. common things that may break down

 

Sub'd. Great idea OP

 

Great idea for this thread Stanley!

 

I have a bunch of checklists I keep in notes on my phone. This is one I've been using for awhile. I'm always adding stuff or taking stuff away from it. I need to add a list of tools, recovery items, spare parts etc as well.

1. Shelter - I sleep in my truck but I bring my tent and certain other items just in case I do an unscheduled backpacking trip away from the truck.
A.tent
B.poles
C.rain fly
D.ground cloth
E. Sleeping pad
F. Sleeping bag
G. Pillow
H. Head lamp
K. Tent lights
L. Hammock
M. Black out curtains for under the camper shell

2. Kitchen
A. 2 Burner Stove with Fuel/Back up Fuel
B. Whisperlite Stove for back up with Fuel and repair kit
C. Lighters - I keep several lighters all over the truck
D. Water Filter and purification Tablets
E. Sporkspat, forks, knives, spoons, plates, mugs, cups
F.Big Pot, Frying Pan, Backpacking Pot with Gripper and Lid, strainers
G. Cutting Board
I. Table Clothe with Clamps
J. Knives, knife shapener
K. Silicon Spat, reg Spat, wood spoons, slotted spoons
L. Bin for washing, sponges, soap
M. Water - 2 gallons per person per day
N. 12 Volt Fridge with 12V & 110V cords
3. Clothes
A. Underwear
B. Socks
C. T shirt
D. pants/ shorts
E. Long sleeve shirt
F.mittens
G. Hat
H. Sunglasses
I. Head Band
J. Arm/leg Warmers
K. Down jacket
L. Gortex Jacket
4. Toiletries
A. TP
B. Baby wipes
C. Tooth paste
D. Tooth brush
E. Sanitizer
F. Meds-ibuprofen, vitamin I
I. Sunscreen
J. 1st Aid Kit - see 1st aid check list in 1st aid box
5. Navigation & Comms
A. Map
B. Guide book segments
C. GPS -soon to be a tablet with blue tooth gps
D. Extra GPS batteries
E. Compass
F. Charging Wires
G. HAM Radio, antenna, charger
H. Back Up FRS Radios


6. Winter

A. Liner Gloves
B. Mittens, heavy
C. Balaclava or Muff
D. Sleeping Bad Liner
E. Mountaineering Boots
F. Snow Shoes
G. Crampons
H. Ice Ax
I. Pee Bottle
J. Extra socks
K. Base layer pants
L. Insulating pants
M. Shell pants
N. Gortex Gaters

Firewood

Newspaper

Fire starter

 

What we did last weekend and I am sure most of the meetups is not expedition. Even the overnight campers didn't need most of the expedition gear. I had one of the few expedition rigs on last weekends trip, and most of my gear was left in my garage. A couple weeks before that, I did a group trip with 6 rigs and 5 days in the Nevada high desert, I was loaded to the max for multiple changing conditions and recovery conditions (the desert can jump out and bite you). Everyone on that trip had GPS and knew the general areas for camping, so we had educated group discussions on trail exploring (and what our rigs were capable of on their own and with collective help). And with that everyone came prepared (with enough overlap to cover all of our issues).

Before you get to a outline (everyones list will be different based on a similar outline), you should know how prepared your vehicle is with non expedition trips (like the one we did last weekend with multiple route difficulty). Do upgrades to your rig to support your expedition goals. And once you have a expedition rig, know that it is not a rock crawler but can crawl a rock if needed (with the right amount of gear and support). Never join a trip if you are not confident in your rig, sometimes questions and research will gain confidence, sometimes you are just not prepared.

The Basics (you cannot make a mistake on these or you are effed)
1. How much food do I need
2. How much gas do I need
3. How much water do I need

The Basics + (if you need them and don't have them you are effed)
4. What vehicle fluids may be required
5. What parts of my rig may have issues and am I bringing the things needed to repair those issues (may change for the type of driving)
6. What types of recovery may be needed (you may not need a tree saver in the desert, wont need all four maxtrax in the summer on the rocks)
7. First aid for the conditions (including any drugs/prescriptions for the trip plus a few additional stuck days)
8. What type of trail clearing may be needed (axes, chainsaws, shovels, dynamite)
9. If I am alone, do I have a way to call for help?
10. What paper maps do you have to support your entire trip and do I know how to use them (I usually have two or three and I use them often)
11. Do I have the gear needed to hike out (light hiking to full backpacking depending on possibilities), may have noticed some people overland/expo in backpacking friendly clothing/shoes

The extras (very unhappy if you do not have them)
11. What gear do I need to cook and eat my food
12. How much wood do I need (can I bring wood, do I need propane heat, do I even need heat) !!MOAR WOOD!!
13. How much clothing must I have and how often do I want to change my socks and underwear (driving and camping shoes are usually different, have socks and boots for the conditions when the sun goes down)
14. How much bedding do I need and any additions for unexpected drops in temps (you should know the weather for the whole trip). Hand warmers in bulk can save the day!
15. What insects and animals could I encounter
16. Do I have enough alcohol/weed/<party favor of choice> and some to share

Comms and navigation (shouldn't even be on a overland/expedition without these)
17. What type of comms must the whole group have (usually required for trip) with backups (FRS radios is a example, I carry two incase someones hamm or cb craps out).
18. What navigation source are you using, have you downloaded the offline maps needed (multiple maps since you never know which ones are up to date for your areas), do you have a few waypoints already programmed? DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING?


But the main thing to remember is that every trip is different (or should be), so you need to unpack and repack quite often, never assume something is there unless you remember packing it. There is no special setup that you can always depend on unless you like to go to the same area every time. I also find I need to make at least one purchase for every new trip from either learning what works, or a new environment that I am missing a item for.

And last, go on expo trips and say you are new and need a little help. Or go on small overnights with expo rigs and ask questions. If you camped on Saturday night, you could have talked to the four trucks for hours about their setups, you will find out fast what they like and what they dont and what they are buying next and why.

 

Thanks. I really like where this thread is going. Lots of sound, and not apparently obvious, advice here.

 

good thread idea, maybe other experienced adventurers can chime in Like @Crom