What would you need to bring?


Don't leave your adventure spirit at home. We might send you back to get it. No time for whining and crying - this will be a tough one with very hard work. Get ready to shovel dirt, muscle boulders and cut trees until you drop. And yes, there will be some sensitive driving as well.

An absolute must is a strong reliable 4x4 with good ground clearance. Strong tires are a given. BFG preferred. A rock buggy with 44" tires would have been best - but they don't lend themselves much to overlanding. So we'll live with what most good 4x4 have to offer - just have to do more road building.

You have to be absolutely self sufficient and able to operate alone. If, for whatever reason, you get separated from the group, you will have to fend for yourself. We will make every effort to stay together and help everyone through - but life sometimes has other plans.

You need to have gas enough to cover about 250 miles - there will be absolutely no gas en route.

A solid supply of food and water for about a week should be carried by you (given the temperatures in February, 5 gallons of drinking water will do). Cold beers are not required but very much appreciated. Keep your packing simple and your weight down. I will most likely cook each night for all of us some simple meals on the campfire - but you should still plan on being self sufficient.

Priorities for camping gear vary. So, bring whatever you like - but please keep it simple. Trailers are nice, but on this trip they might act as an anchor. Rooftop tents are very popular and should work out on this trip. We might have to do some more tree cutting though. If they have any canvas parts exposed, they might not survive.

If you have roof mounted communication antennas - make sure they are both very flexible and well mounted. Bushes and trees in Baja have a strong "affection" for antennas!

Recovery gear. Its always on everybody's list. If you have a winch - good! If not - no problem. If you have tow straps, shackles and dynamic ropes - good, bring them. But don't go out and buy stuff just for this event. We should have plenty of recovery gear among us. Plan is to prep the road well and drive so skillfully, that recoveries are not needed. If you don't have much experience with really rough terrain - don't worry. I have talked drivers without any driving experience through mission impossible. Its my job - I am good at it.

Tools and spare parts. Don't go overboard. KISS. Treat your vehicle well and nothing will break. Anyway, I personally carry a starter and a fan belt plus a few tools for installation. Strongly recommended, in fact, I hereby order you, to have a tire plug set in your car. A bicycle pump beats most compressors!

There is not really a strong need for sophisticated communication equipment. We will be close together most of the time. So, FRS will be sufficient. In fact, everyone should have at least two. Two, because they can crap out, get damaged etc. In fact, during our last scouting trip I lost one of mine (maybe we find it on the road somewhere).

GPS? Not needed, but you can bring one to record your adventure. Camera and video same thing - bring what you like.

Road tools. We will need a good supply of strong shovels, breaker bars, chain saws. We'll coordinate right before the trip, who is bringing what. Bring gloves!

Your attire? Anything that can get dirty - because it will! Hat and sunscreen are always a good idea. Nights will be nippy - bring sweaters, long pants and maybe a jacket. Hiking shoes recommended to keep your toes out of trouble (big rocks and millions of cacti are waiting to hurt you).
I expect the days between 80F and 100F - nights between 60F and 40F.


Saludos
Harald Pietschmann