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Teacher / Booking Info

Images of the World
Gear and Equipment

Having the right gear can
make a huge difference
in a journey.

During our travels we
have used some products
that worked great--
and some that did not.

Here is our chance to share
a few tips, and explain
why we choose what we
bring on each adventure--
and how it holds up.

Packing for our 26-month world bicycle trip was especially difficult because we were traveling through many different climates and seasons.

A complete listing of every item we brought is found in the appendix of our book, The Road of Dreams.

About Our
Equipment Sponsors

A number of companies help support our travels by providing us with gear.

We choose these companies to be our equipment sponsors because we are fans of their products, not because they give us a special price.

Even if something is free, we would not take it traveling unless we felt it was the best product available.

 
Bruce rides across the Kalahari desert, Botswana, Africa, on a Trek 930 mountain bike. The bike frame is made of high quality steel in Wisconsin--hand made in the U.S.A. The compomnents work great, easy shifting and excellent braking, even on steep grades carrying 80 pounds of gear and water. The Bontragger wheels never need truing through the entire four months! Exceptional value for a mid-priced bike! About $600.
On our around the world bicycle trip we ride Trek touring bikes. We cycle 14,000 miles, wear out 13 tires, and have 42 flats. We pedal through hurricanes, monsoons, deserts, and over volcanoes.

However, in the Himalaya mountains of northern India Tass' bike finally meets its match when she is hit by an army truck.

To find out what happens next, and to learn why we ride Trek bicycles, click on more bicycle photos.
Tass wears a Patagonia AC shirt while being "initiated" into the Amazon rainforest by our friend, Luis Garcia, Ecuador.

Luis uses paste from the achote plant to mark his face, and then laughs and jokes as he marks us. Notice he puts much more on Tass than he uses on himself. Later, when we try to wash it off, the paste smears all over our face and hands, staining our skin. Only then does Luis tell us the achote paste is used in the US cosmetic industry for making lipstick.

Patagonia has set the standard for indestructible, functional outdoor clothing for over 25 years.
Tass stays toasty warm in Patagonia capilene, fleece and jacket while climbing 19,342-foot Cotopaxi Volcano, Ecuador.
We began using Smith goggles years ago when skiing deep powder. Today we still still use Smith goggles for snowboarding, and wear Smith sunglasses for biking, climbing, traveling, and just driving across town.
These Himba boys from northern Namibia in Africa are not pointing at my nose. They are fascintated by my sunglasses.

To find out why they are so excited, and learn about the boy on the right, click on sunglasses in Africa.

We have used Walrus tents on all of our travels.
On the island of Bali, Indonesia, we climb the highest volcano, Gunung Agung. After hiking along the crater rim, we finally find a spot to put up our Walrus Orbit tent.

Out the back door it is only 1500 feet into the crater. Out the front door--over 10,000 feet all the way down to the ocean.
As the sun goes down, Tass runs to another part of the volcano to photograph Bruce tying the tent to some large rocks. (She forgets to bring her headlamp, and hikes back in the dark.)

Late that night a big windstorm comes up and we wonder if we will be blown off the mountain. Read our book, The Road of Dreams, to see if we make it off the volcano.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT IMAGES OF THE WORLD
Many more photos
stories,
and reviews,
coming soon!
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